MEMORIAL 
 
 REV. WILLIAM HOOPER ADAMS, 
 
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i*aiLBte 
 
 Columbia (Hnitier^itp 
 
 intljfCitpoflettigork 
 
 THE LIBRARIES 
 
 Bequest of 
 
 Frederic Bancroft 
 
 1860-1945 
 
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THE EEV. WILLIAM H. ADA3IS. 
 
3ln IWcmoviam^ 
 
 REV. WILLIAiVl H.ADAMS 
 
WALKER, EVANS & COGSWELL, PRINT. 
 
A MEMORIAL 
 
 OF THE r.ATE 
 
 REV. WILLIAM H.ADAMS, 
 
 FOR TWELVE YEARS PASTOR OF THE CIRCULAR CHURCH 
 
 C£3.A.IiLESXO]Sr, s. c. 
 
 PitO/is/u-d by his Fnciuis, and Members of the Congre- 
 gation, as a Tribute of Res pee J: ami, Esteem to their 
 Lamciited, HonnrtUt>'n'fiU"B'vi'oi'^d Pastor. 
 

_ 
 
 FUNERAL OF THE REV. W. H. ADAMS. 
 
 The funeral services of the late Rev. W. H. Adams 
 took place at the Second Presbyterian Church at 4 
 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The church was well 
 filled by people of every denomination and all the 
 walks of life, the number and character of the con- 
 grec^ation testifying to the esteem and respect in 
 which tlie deceased had been held in the community. 
 The number and beauty of the floral offerings con- 
 tributed by sympathizing friends was the subject of 
 general remark. Conspicuous among these testimo- 
 nials was a crown of immortelles and a wreath and 
 cross of exquisite natural flowers, a tribute from the 
 orphans, of whose cause Mr. Adams was a zealous 
 advocate and friend. 
 
 The casket, which lay in the vestibule of the church 
 during the day, was borne to the altar rails by the 
 following clergyman : Rev. J. A. Chambliss, Right 
 Rev. P. F. Stevens. Rev. C. S. Vedder, Rev. David 
 Levy, Rev. W. S. Bowman, Rev. G. N. Well, Rev. E. 
 J. Meynarde, Rev. J. M. Green, Rev. W. H. Campbell 
 and Rev. C. R. Chrietzberg. The funeral procession 
 was headed by the pastor of the church, Rev. G. R. 
 Brackett, and contained a number of the leading 
 clergymen of the city. The Scriptures were read by 
 the Rev. W. F. Junkin, after which Dr. Brackett and 
 Dr. Chambliss delivered brief but touching and elo- 
 quent tributes to the memory of the deceased. The 
 Rev. Dr. Bowman then announced the favorite hymn 
 
of the deceased— one that he had sun^ but shortly 
 before his death — "My God, the Spring of all my 
 Joys," which was sung by the choir. A prayer by 
 Dr. Vedder and the benediction by Bishop Stevens 
 closed the services, and the remains were then taken 
 to Magnolia Cemetery for interment. 
 
 FUNERAL ADDRESS 
 
 BY RE\'. (i. R. HRACKETT, D.D. 
 
 It was a prayer of the Psalmist, "Take me not 
 away in the midst of my days" ; and when Job 
 thought he was about to die, he uttered the lament, 
 " My purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of 
 my heart." But death to a good man is never prema- 
 ture. He is not cut off in the midst of his days. 
 His sun never goes down at noon. Every Christian 
 life is complete ; a perfect day with its gray dawn, its 
 noon-tide brightness, and sunset glory. "That life is 
 long which answers life's great end." 
 
 ''We live in deeds, not years ; in thoughts, not breaths ; 
 
 In feelings not in figures on a dial. 
 
 We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives 
 
 Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. 
 
 Life is but a means unto an end ; that end 
 
 Beginning, mean and end of all things — God. 
 
 The dead have all the glory of the world 
 
 We have read of earthly structures that were left 
 incomplete ; but there is no vacant niche in this living 
 Temple. There are no fragmentary remains of 
 unfinished Christian work. The believer is himself 
 complete in Christ, and he has finished the work 
 
given him to do. " A living stone, chosen and pre- 
 cious in its own chiselled individuality," he is set in 
 his appointed place in the " Building of God" ; and 
 every block he has himself hewn, or upon which he 
 has bestowed any labor, will find the destined place 
 that is waiting for it. Looking earthward through 
 the eye of reason or sense, our deceased friend and 
 brother was " cut down in the midst of his days," and 
 " the purposes of his heart were broken." He has 
 left unfinished plans, and precious hopes are disap- 
 pointed. But " the steps of a good man are ordered 
 by the Lord. There are many devices in the heart 
 of man, but the counsel of the Lord, it shall stand." 
 The divine plan was completed, his earthly mission 
 fulfilled, and another sphere of usefulness was waiting 
 for him, for which he had just finished his preparatory 
 training. 
 
 We cannot hope to do justice to such a life in the 
 few moments allotted to us. That, we trust, will be 
 done on another occasion. We desire not to eulogise 
 the dead, but to offer a simple tribute of affection to 
 one whom w^e honored as a faithful servant of God, 
 and loved as a brother. 
 
 He was a son of Dr. Nehemiah Adams, of Boston, 
 and irjherited many of the qualities of his honored 
 father ; the same affability, suavit)', and obliging 
 manner; the same courteous and gentlemanly bear- 
 ing towards all classes of men. Condescending to 
 men of low estate, he had a kind and encouraging 
 word for all : for the chimney sweep and the scaven- 
 ger that removed the rubbish from his door. To the 
 stranger there was the appearance of studied grace 
 and fulsome flattery ; but he who knew him well, and 
 his antecedents, would discover that this abundant 
 
flow of kindly feeling was as natural as a gushing 
 spring. 
 
 The type of his piety was deeply experimental and 
 devotional. To him Jesus was a personal friend ; and 
 as " Enoch walked with God," so he sought to 
 realize the habitual presence and companionship of 
 the Saviour. He lived in communion with God, and 
 cultivated the habit of ejaculatory prayer, and of 
 turning the current of conversation into religious 
 channels. 
 
 A graduate of the Boston Latin School and of 
 Cambridge University, he entered Andover Theolog- 
 ical Seminary and completed his theological course in 
 the Seminary at Columbia, S. C. He entered the 
 ministry thoroughly furnished for his work, with a 
 well disciplined mind and a varied and elegant culture 
 With no taste for metaphysial or polemical theology, 
 he devoted himself with great enthusiasm to philo- 
 logical and exegetical studies. His pulpit preparations 
 were elaborate and scholarly. " Beaten oil for the 
 lamps of the sanctuary," was his motto, and he resolved 
 " never to serve the Lord with that which cost him 
 nothing." The Bible was his chief study. He had 
 gone over the entire Scriptures in the instructions of 
 the pulpit and lecture room, which were enriched 
 with all the treasures he could gather from commen- 
 taries, encyclopedias and every department of science 
 and literature. Pointing on one occasion to the 
 drawer that contained his sermons and manuscripts 
 he remarked : " That is my life-work and my life- 
 blood." He published one small work, entitled "The 
 Seven Words from the Cross," and had projected the 
 plan of several larger and more elaborate works. But 
 he was interrupted in his literary projects by the 
 
death of his venerable father. To write his biography 
 and edit his posthumous works, was the fih'al trust 
 wliich he felt was providentially committed to him. 
 To these literary labors of love he devoted himself 
 during the last year of his life. It was his most fer- 
 vent desire that he might complete his honored 
 father's memoirs ; but the son was called away from 
 this delightful task to join the sainted father where 
 all earthly labors have an end. 
 
 The devotional service of the sanctuary was as 
 carefully and faithfully prepared as his discourses. 
 He studied the spiritual wants of his people as 
 thoughtfully as his books. Hence the singular ap- 
 propriateness of his prayers, which seemed to inter- 
 pret the peculiar experiences of every class of hearers. 
 He entered by a personal sympathy into the expe- 
 rience of-evcry member of his flock. It was remarked 
 by one who had enjoyed his pastoral ministrations, 
 that his visits were " like those of angels, dropping 
 heavenly benedictions." 
 
 He had his share of afflictions and trials, but they 
 never beclouded the perpetual sunshine of his cheer- 
 ful and buoyant spirits. He felt it the duty of a 
 Christian to be always happy. ^However grievous 
 the chastpning, he ought to " rejoice in the Lord 
 alway." However dark the dispensation of Provi- 
 dence, he ought to dwell in the " light of God's coun- 
 tenance." The assurance of the per.sonal presence 
 and sympathy of his Saviour never forsook him. His 
 faith in prayer and the promises of divine guidance 
 was so strong and unwavering that it gave almost a 
 tinge of mysticism to his piety. This strong convic- 
 tion, which no adversity could shake, combined with 
 his indomitable will, imparted to his constancy and 
 
10 
 
 perseverance in what he believed to be the path of 
 duty the appearance of obstinacy. But no one who 
 knew this beloved brother intimately, and was free 
 from prejudice, could doubt the sincerity of his motive 
 and purpose. When advised on one occasion to pur- 
 sue a different course of action, he replied : " How- 
 can I be decived in a matter which I have committed 
 to God and made the subject of earnest and believing 
 prayer for so many months ? " We have rarely seen 
 combined in any Christian so much womanly gentle- 
 ness with so much manly resolution. He may have 
 made mistakes, but they were errors of the head 
 rather than of the heart. 
 
 The general sketch of our dear brother would be 
 incomplete without a brief mention of his zeal for 
 Christian union. It amounted almost to a passion. 
 He was the life and soul of all our union movements. 
 He arranged and carried out the programme of the 
 Union Prayer-meeting. The "Clerical Union'' was 
 like the body without a soul when he left us. It was 
 lifeless. He was the most devoted of us all to the 
 Y. M. C. Association. In the " Evangelical Alliance " 
 he foresaw the realization of his happ}' dream of 
 Christian union. It was this spirit that drew him 
 affectionately towards all denpminations and endeared 
 him to Christians of every name. 
 
 But we must draw this imperfect sketch to a close. 
 It is a difficult task for a bosom friend, to whom ever)'- 
 thing was confided, to speak impartially and without 
 enthusiasm for the dead. Whatever faults he had, 
 they are eclipsed by the brightness of his Christian 
 life, and the .splendor of his triumphant death. He 
 was a faithful preacher, a laborious student, a loving 
 pastor, a devoted husband and father, a warm-hearted. 
 
1 1 
 
 genial friend, a beloved disciple. He loved the Sa- 
 vi(nir with a supreme affection, and, like John, lived 
 upon his bosom. \Vc saw him but once during his 
 brief illness. He remarked as he pressed my hand 
 for the last time, " I am enjoying delightful com- 
 munion with my Saviour on this sick bed." 
 
 It is not probable that, at any time during his 
 illness, he gave up all hope of recovery. But he 
 realized that his condition was extremely critical, and 
 he " set his house in orrler," and kept his " lamp 
 trimmed and burning." He called his wife to his 
 bedside, just before she retired, and said to her, " Let 
 us now have our evening prayer." With folded hands 
 and feeble, yet calm clear voice, he offered his last 
 family prayer. He prayed with humble resignation 
 that he might live to preach once more. He then 
 sang one of his favorite hymns, " My God, the .spring 
 of all my joys" etc. In the la.st watch of the night 
 the Master came and " found his servant watching." 
 He was sleeping heavily when his attendant roused 
 him to administer his medicine. The only response 
 he gave to the question of his wife, " Do you not 
 know me, dear ?" was, " Grace, grace, grace,— grace 
 and glory in the great Congregation." .Soon after he 
 fell asleep, and his dream of heaven was a blessed 
 reality. It has been beautifully said that. " The place 
 for which God created a good man may be in readi- 
 ness for him. The door which opens upon him 
 may be ajar already," "On golden hinges turning." 
 Bells " beyond the stars heard " may be calling him. 
 In the " morning watch," in the solemn stillness and 
 peace, he saw the " Great Congregation " through the 
 door ajar, and shcnited with rapture, " from Grace to 
 Glory " — to have lingered on earth a moment longer 
 
12 
 
 would have been an anomaly, a mystery of Providence. 
 " From Grace to Glory /" Let not this epitaph be 
 sculptured on a broken shaft, symbolizing an unfin- 
 ished life. Grace is glory begun. Glory is grace 
 completed. Our brother saw the capstone laid upon 
 the finished temple of his lile, with " shoutings of 
 Grace, grace unto it." (Zech. iv. 7.) 
 
 The following tribute is from a sermon by the Rev. 
 J. F. Chambliss, D. D., of the Citadel Square Baptist 
 Church, Charleston, S. C. : 
 
 The sermon was from the. text, " Watchman what 
 of the night ?" and was chiefly a review of the work 
 of the Southern Baptist Convention, from which the 
 pastor had just returned. Having alluded to the 
 death of an eminent minister of his own denomina- 
 tion, and its effect upon the Convention, he thus 
 continued: 
 
 " Yet there was no despondency. Men may die, 
 but Jesus lives. Men may die — alas, how many of 
 our hearts have a fresh sorrow to-day as we say it, 
 and think of him, the noble and true, the eloquent 
 scholar, the refined Christian gentleman, the faithful, 
 able preacher of the Gospel, now sleeping his last 
 sleep over there in his beloved cottage on the beach ! 
 You will let me turn aside a moment, brethren, to 
 speak of him, for )'ou also loved him. How often and 
 how gladly was he welcomed to this pulpit ! Almost 
 the last message he bore from God to man was de- 
 livered from this desk, on the first Sabbath in April. 
 For the two Sabbaths included in my recent absence, 
 he had promised, with his accustomed kindness, to 
 
13 
 
 stand here in my place and break to you the 
 bread of life. But "even then he was far from well, 
 and expressed some fear that he might not be able to 
 fulfill his engagement. Even so God willed that it 
 should be, and you heard his voice no more. Yester- 
 day morning, a little before the break of day, when 
 his condition seemed to have improved, when other 
 friends had withdrawn from his bedside, and only she 
 stood near him whose life was bound up in his, her 
 heart leaping with hope revived, he uttered a few 
 words of prayer, then suddenly exclaimed, "From 
 grace to glory— glory in the great congregation," 
 he passed away to be forever with the Lord. 
 
 Ah, friends, this was a death to be wished for and 
 prayed for, but it was such a death as could close and 
 crown only such a life as his— a life of exalted piety, 
 of intimate communion with the Father and with His 
 Son, Jesus Christ. 
 
 My acquaintance with Brother Adams began on this 
 platform nearly eight years ago, at the service of 
 welcome which marked the beginning of my pasto- 
 rate. It fell to his lot to greet me on behalf of the 
 ministry of the city, and as I listened to his cordial 
 words, looked into his large soulful eyes and felt the 
 grasp of his brotherly hand, he seemed to me a man 
 with whom it would be a joy to labor side by side 
 for the Master. It was a joy through all these years. 
 That we were connected with different branches of 
 the Church of Christ hindered not at all for us— as 
 such a fact should never hinder for Christian souls- 
 closeness and sweetness of fraternal intercourse. And 
 I can honestly say that I never knew a man who 
 seemed to me to have more of the spirit of the Lord. 
 If there were any who injured or spoke ill of him, it is 
 
 f 
 
M 
 
 certain there were none of whom he ever spoke un- 
 kindly. He loved and prayed for all. Above almost 
 any minister I have known, he appeared to live in an 
 atmosphere of devotion. He was a diligent and syste- 
 matic student, scholarly in his tastes and habits; but 
 the desk of the scholar was ever the altar of the saint, 
 odorous with the incense of prayer. 
 
 Of his honored life as a preacher and pastor in this 
 city tor ten years, the occasion does not suffer me to 
 speak. But I could not pass on without one simple 
 word of love and sorrow for my friend and brother. 
 God help us to follow him as he followed Christ!" 
 
 TRIBUTE FROM THE REV. JOHN PRIOR. 
 
 PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH, LEXINGTON, MASS. 
 
 J/)' Barr Mr. Porttv : 
 
 I heartily avail myself of the opportunity of ex- 
 pressing my affection and respect, by giving- a brief 
 tribute of remembrance to my beloved friend and 
 brother Rev. W. H. Adams. 
 
 I early marked a blessed peculiarity in Bro. Adams 
 — would that it was a universal trait in us all — that 
 he evidently was influenced in his feelings towards his 
 brethren of different denominations, by the same 
 spirit which the apostle manifested when he said. 
 " Grace be with all of them that love our Lord Jesus 
 Christ in sincerity." In this, following in the steps 
 of the Master who said : " Whosoever will do the 
 will of my Father, who is in Heaven, the same is my 
 
15 
 
 brother and sister and mother." While a firm and 
 unflinching advocate of his own denominational 
 views, yet great tenderness was joined to his decision. 
 It was not the offspring of obstinacy or bigotry, but 
 of principle; not prejudice, but enlightened convic- 
 tion. His was the abiding spirit of brotherly love, 
 and in his deportment to those of other bodies I 
 never saw anything like shyness or estrangement. 
 
 During tile period of your absence, as you know, 
 we had many social meetings both at the Hancock, 
 and Baptist Church, in Lexington, as well as at pri- 
 vate houses, and he evidently felt as much at home, 
 and as among brothers and sisters in one place as in 
 the other. My own small flock, equally with myself, 
 were always edified by his sermons and addresses ; 
 and Bro. Adams seemed fully to reciprocate the feel- 
 ing, when after service at our Church he would, with 
 all his native heartiness, grasp my hand and say: 
 " Dear Brother I have had a real feast to-day." He 
 often said to me, " There is room enough here for 
 both of our Churches, may God prosper your labor 
 
 of love." 
 
 The young members of both congregations will not 
 forget his affectionate addresses to them ; and I doubt 
 not impressions were thus made by him, which will 
 never be eradicated. 
 
 In all the visits he paid and received I noticed that 
 he was quite leady to encourage religious discourse. 
 It was clearly the element congenial with his spirit. 
 His conversation was on subjects, rather than persons, 
 and no tattler or slanderous busybody found in him a 
 ready listener ; such talk was at once frowned down. 
 I noticed that in promi.scuous company, in a general 
 way, at first, he was rather reserved than communica- 
 
i6 
 
 tive, hut as soon as he felt he could trust, then his 
 heart was opened and his tongue unrestrained. 
 
 T loved Bro. Adams greatly, and when he left earth, 
 so unexpected!}' to me, I knew, sadly, I had lost a 
 friend ; for our communications, as ministers of the 
 Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, were always pleas- 
 ant, and I trust mutually profitable. And yet, why 
 should we mourn ? Surely not for him, he has left 
 earthh' joys and sorrows to be with Him " whom not 
 having seen he loved," and long 'ere this has received 
 the well deserved plaudit, " Well done, good and 
 faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 I wrote to his bereaved wife some time since as 
 soon as I heard of his death, and I have only to say 
 his beloved and afflicted family have my deepest 
 sympathy, in which Mrs. Pryor most heartily joins. 
 Yours, very truh', 
 
 JOHN PRYOR. 
 
 tributp: from the rev. john haskell, 
 
 PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH, BILLERICA, MASS. 
 
 On my first meeting the Rev. W. H. Adams at his 
 home, in Charleston, .S. C, in November, 1873, I was 
 much impressed with the deep sincerity of the man; 
 and, also, the profound sympathy he manifested in the 
 welfare of others; but most of al^, the evident conse- 
 cration of himself to his Lord and Master. His piety 
 made him attractive and genial in a high degree. 
 
 And this was not merely a first impression but a 
 
growinf;^ one on the continued and more intimate ac- 
 quaintance with him. 
 
 He spent the first Sabbath in November last with 
 me, and preached an instructive and impressive ser- 
 mon in the morning, and in the afternoon his address 
 on the subject of Infant Baptism — as he then baptized 
 my httle child — will long be remembered as an attrac- 
 tive setting forth of this subject and a convincing argu- 
 ment. 
 
 The recollection of the Communion season that 
 followed, conducted chiefly by him, will be cherished 
 as of special interest. Indeed the influence of that 
 Sabbath floated like a benediction of peace on those 
 gathered in the sanctuary. 
 
 I have thought if the' labor of love on that single 
 day was of so much value ; how much we may ex- 
 pect he will accomplish, with the Divine blessing for 
 the many that need to be won to Christ, and helped 
 on in the heavenly race. How much such a man is 
 needed ! What a future of efficient service was before 
 him! But I must not forget nor cease to be thankful 
 to God for the great and good work he had already 
 accomplished. 
 
 Though to our shortsighted vision, this Dear 
 Brother was summoned far too soon from the impor- 
 tant work he was domg so well ; a work that needed 
 to be done, and that few, if any, could do as accepta- 
 bly ; yet we must humbly bow, and cheerfully accept 
 the appointment of the all-wise Providence of God. 
 and as he doubtless did or would say; " Not my will, 
 but thine be done." 
 
 I received a letter from him dated Marcii 25th, 
 1880, saying : 
 
 " Expecting to leave Tuesday, afternoon, next, for 
 
i8 
 
 Cheirleston, S. C, to spend the summer at my cottage 
 on Sullivan's Island, having accepted the invitation of 
 the Church there to serve as its- summer pastor, I 
 write to take leave of you, and express my sense of 
 obligation for your kind offices to me." 
 
 " I have dwelt on my Sabbath under your hospita- 
 ble roof with ever pleasurable memories," &c. 
 
 As I often think of the kind offices he performed 
 so fraternally for me, my sense of obligation remains 
 uncanceled. 
 
 FROM AN ABSENT RELATIVE 
 
 It seems incredible that God has taken him away ; 
 so good, gifted, pure, useful, with so much to do, and 
 so many dependent upon liis life. 
 
 I mourn over the loss of that great love, that con- 
 stant interest and good counsel, which continually 
 came to me in his letters ; my pride is laid low, the 
 confident expectation that he was to become great in 
 his calling, be honored in usefulness, and be a great 
 joy in perpetuating his Father's name, and works in 
 the ministry of the Gospel. What a beautiful memory 
 remains to us ! I often said he was the best man in 
 the world — so strong, able, intelligent, warm-hearted, 
 merry, courageous, devoted to duty, loyal to the 
 truth, and withal so meek, patient, enduring. 
 
 How truthful he was, as God was slowly hedging 
 up his way in the North, and how clear he was that 
 the door opened southwards, and yet it was to lead 
 him to death. I presume the thought and effort of 
 removal, and re-settling, did much to weary and de- 
 press him, and enfeeble his power of resisting disease. 
 
 J- 
 
19 
 
 EXTRACT FROM A LETTER FROM A HOME 
 MISSIONARY. 
 
 KEV. S. E. LATHKOP, LATE PASTOR OF NEW LONDON", 
 WISCONSIN. 
 
 The brief acquaintance I had with your brother, 
 during my visit to Boston, impressed me deeply with 
 his earnest consecration and sincere devotion. 
 
 His abihties also fitted him to stand in his Father's 
 place, which is the highest praise that could be given 
 to ordinary mortals. 
 
 His loss will be deeply felt, not only by his friends 
 but by thousands who knew him only as the gifted 
 son of a gifted father. 
 
 TRIBUTE FROM A FRIEND. 
 
 •'The memory of' the just is blessed." 
 
 Precious to my heart are the memories that cluster 
 around the acquaintance I have had with Mr. Adams. 
 
 It was at a time when my heart and faith were 
 being sorely tried that he commenced his loving min- 
 istrations among us. His affectionate grasp of the 
 hand, his soothing words of comfort in the social 
 walk of life, and .spiritual notes of warning and en- 
 couragement from the pulpit fell like a balm upon 
 my troubled soul. 
 
 Never has he left me wherever we chanced to meet. 
 
20 
 
 that life has not seemed dearer and Heaven nearer 
 through the influence of his conversation. 
 
 He preached in a style rather savoring of the " old 
 school" theology, and though to some it was uncon- 
 genial truth, I always felt roused to stricter action, 
 and more grateful for the precious promises by the 
 train of thought which he presented. 
 
 While with us he was often requested to preach 
 less doctrinal sermons, and has said that he had often 
 seated himself, pen in hand, to frame a different dis- 
 course, but the hand of God seemed to restrain him ; 
 he must preach the whole truth, and impelled by the 
 spirit that filled the immortal Luther he could not do 
 otherwise. 
 
 Had it been ^ven him to foreknow that he was 
 speaking \\\s last messages to the Church militant, he 
 could not have spoken with a more certain sound. 
 He often said that he must preach as a " dying man 
 to dying men." 
 
 Blessed is the memory of the smiling face which 
 evei went in and out among us. 
 
 Though over-tasked by labors and having drank 
 the cup of grief, he gave others the sunshine, and 
 "told Jesus the rest." 
 
 " The heart that trusts forever sings. 
 And feels as light as it had wings." 
 
 And it was this sweet trust which enabled him to 
 cheer the despondent and strengthen the faint, for he 
 made God 
 
 ''The spring of all his joys, 
 The life of his delights." 
 
 His affection for our beloved pastor found expres- 
 sion in word and deed. 
 
21 
 
 Their loving walks, taking sweet counsel together, in 
 such true sympathy, must have been a sight to rejoice 
 the angels ; now the one is taken and the other left, 
 and " surely the ways of God are past finding out." 
 He has entered the portal of that immortal city which 
 has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine 
 in it, for One is there who is 
 
 "The soul's bright morning star, 
 And He the rising sun." 
 
 Let US walk in the footseps of our departed friend, 
 wait upon God as he did, — 
 
 " Feel as He did when his teet 
 
 Were slipping over the brink, 
 For it may be we're nearer home. 
 
 Nearer now than we think " 
 
 A. W, M. 
 
 TRIBUTE FROM A FRIEND. 
 
 Impelled b)' a desire to give expression to ni)^ high 
 appreciation of the life and character of the beloved 
 and lamented Adams, and my sense of the loss sus- 
 tained by this community in his death, the writer 
 would ask, for this humble tribute, a place among the 
 many others which will be offered at the Memorial 
 Service. 
 
 Commemorating departed excellence is the last .sad 
 office we can perform for those who in life were bound 
 to us by the ties of friendship and sympathy. 
 
 Altho' a member of another Communion, the 
 writer deems it a prixilege to unite with his own 
 
22 
 
 people in bearing testimony to the high esteem with 
 which he was regarded while he labored in our midst, 
 and the deep sorrow experienced in his removal by 
 the ruthless hand of death. 
 
 He was possessed of the highest and noblest quali- 
 fications of a minister of the Holy Gospel ; a devo- 
 ted untiring Pastor, a genial companion, a warm friend 
 an earnest, faithful preacher. 
 
 Of a gentle disposition, and sympathetic nature, he 
 was ever ready to lend a listening ear to the cry of 
 distress and to ciitcr into the sorrow of each stricken 
 heart, offering in the name of the Master, all the com- 
 fort and consolation which religion affords, and which 
 when offered in the gentle, sympathizing manner so 
 characteristic of this faithful man of God, were doubly 
 comforting and consoling. 
 
 When called, himself, to pass through the waters 
 of deep sorrows, he saw in them the hand of a merci- 
 ful Father, ever proving by his life and conduct that 
 tiie religion which he preached had power to sustain 
 him even amid the bitterest trials of life. Such were 
 his qualities as Pastor, Citizen, Friend, that he was 
 beloved by the whole communit\ as witli a single 
 heart. 
 
 In the providence of God, he has been called to a 
 higher life, and we must bow in submission to the 
 Divine decree, but, even while we mourn our loss, we 
 may rejoice to know that it is his eternal gain. 
 
 His life was comparatively short, but his life's work 
 was " well done," and we know that he has " entered 
 into the joy of his Lord." 
 
 After an absence of two years, which were spent in 
 the land of his birth, he returned to the home of his 
 adoption, and the hearts of his friends were made glad. 
 
_ 
 
 23 
 
 at his return; but, even in the midst of the rejoicing 
 the summons came and we were called to give him 
 up, to see him on earth no more. 
 
 Even in death we claim him ours, for we have laid 
 him to rest in our beautiful "Silent City." Ever will 
 his memory be cherished by those who knew and 
 loved him, here. 
 
 December 6th, 1880. 
 
 MEMORIAL OF REV. WILLIAM HOOPER 
 ADAMS. 
 
 BY REV. JOHN R. DOW. 
 
 Adopted by Charleston Presbytery, November 18, 1880. 
 
 At the meeting of our Presbytery, in Columbia, 
 S. C. last spring, we had in attendance our beloved 
 fellow-presbyter, Rev. William H. Adams; a few 
 days after the adjournment of our body, his spirit 
 passed tranquilly from time to eternity, and we 
 would now, by suitable action, embalm his memory 
 for the good of those of us who survive 
 
 * * * ''■'■ * * 
 
 Bro. Adams had been for weeks looking forward 
 with great pleasure to the meeting in Charleston of 
 the General Assembly of the Church to which he 
 belonged, expecting to see face to face at the convo- 
 cation of the tribes of our Israel, many dear brethren 
 and cherished friends ; but, five days before the 
 
famous third Thursday in May arrived, he had gone 
 to join " the General Assembly and Church of the 
 first-born which are written in Heaven." We feel 
 assured that he died as he had lived, in the full faith 
 " of the glorious gospel of the blessed God." 
 
 The funeral services were held on the following 
 Monday, in the Second Presbyterian church, Charles- 
 ton. A large congregation filled the lower part of 
 the sanctuary and the colored people crowded the 
 galleries. Almost all the ministers of the various 
 denominations of Christians in the city were in atten- 
 dance, and felt that they had lost a beloved brother 
 and a faithful fellow-servant in the Lord. After 
 impressive services, conducted chiefly bv Dr. Brack- 
 ett, his remains were borne to Magnolia Cemetery ; 
 and there they were left under the watch and ward of 
 Zion's King, who has doubtless already crowned his 
 steadfast follow^er and loj-al cross-bearer, and now : — 
 
 " Tht love that lingers o'er his name 
 Is more than tame," 
 
 Brother Adams served Charleston Presbytery for 
 five years as Stated Clerk of our body, and his suc- 
 cessor in the office now takes pleasure in testifying to 
 his faithfulness and ability in discharging the onerous 
 duties of his office. 
 
 On Sabbath the loth of June, 1877, Mr. Adams 
 was in Georgia on a visit to friends in that State, and 
 by his invitation the writer of this memorial preached 
 in the pulpit of the Circular Church, Charleston. I 
 had prepared to expound the closing clause of Matt- 
 hew's gospel, being the words, " And, Lo, I am with 
 you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." 
 When I enterec^ the'sacred desk ni)- eye was attracted 
 
-'> 
 
 by a card hanging inside of the pulpit, in full view of 
 the minister, but unseen by the congregation, and it 
 contained the words of my text for the day. This 
 " exceeding great and precious promise " of the 
 risen Redeemer doubtless often cheered and strength- 
 ened our dear brother's heart amid his arduous labors 
 and numerous tribulations. The gracious presence 
 of the sympathizing Saviour appeared to be his con- 
 stant joy. ',' /-^^ / (lyi ivitli you ahvav" seemed to 
 take the bitterness out of his grief, the heaviness out 
 of his care, the sharpness out of his trials, and the 
 sting out of his death. 
 
 Brother Adams was a heavenly-minded, cheerful 
 and loving Christian, and as a minister of the gospel, 
 was able, earnest, and zealous. It can truly be said 
 of him, as it was said of another preacher of Christ 
 after his decease, " There was no taint of bigotr}' in 
 his nature. All followers of Christ .were Christians to 
 him, and in every sinner he saw a possible saint, and 
 hoped and prayed that the possibility might be real- 
 ized." 
 
 Mr. Adams was twice married. First to Miss 
 Pauline Thomas of Athens, Ga..and afterwards to Miss 
 Margaret E. Holmes, of Charleston, S. C, who, with 
 two young children, a boy and a girl, survives him, 
 and to whom this Presbytery now extends its most 
 affectionate sympath)', and upon whom we invoke 
 the blessing of tiie Gracious One, of whom it is writ- 
 ten in the bo(jk of truth, " A father of the fatherless, 
 and a Judge of the widows is God in his holy hab- 
 itation." 
 
26 
 
 TRIBUTE BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE 
 CHARLESTON BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 Charleston, Dec, 21st, 1880. 
 Rev. Dr. G.R. Brackett : 
 
 Dear Sir : I understand that you are preparing 
 a memorial of the late Rev. W. H. Adams, late Pas- 
 tor of the Circular Church in this City. 
 
 Mr. Adams was for many years one of the Man- 
 agers of the Charleston Bible Society of which I am 
 President, and I would respectfully propose to add 
 my tribute of respect and regard for his memory. 
 Mr Adams was one of the most zealous of our Man- 
 agers in extending the distribution of the Bible 
 among the destitute, particularly among the seamen 
 who came under his jurisdiction, and the kindness of 
 his manners combined with his zeal to make him one 
 of the most useful and beloved of our members. Our 
 warmest sympathies attend him to that Rest whither 
 his works have followed him. 
 
 Respectfully Yours, 
 
 C. G. MEMMINGER, 
 President of tJie Charleston Bible Society. 
 
27 
 
 The following arc the resolutions passed by Man- 
 cock Church, in reference to the death of Mr. Adams: 
 
 Whereai. Our Heavenly F.ither, in His mysterious wisdom, has called 
 home the Rev. William Hooper An.Mvis, who so faithfully labored amongst 
 us in the ministrations of the Gospel during the absence of our Pastor — 
 
 Reiol-ved, That we, the members of the Hancock Church, Lexington, 
 at a meeting called for the purpose. May 28, 1880, do hereby express our 
 deep sense of the loss we have sustained in the death of one who was an 
 able preacher and expounder of God's truth; one whose heart was in his 
 chosen work, and one whose whole life was devoted to the cause of Christ. 
 
 Resolved, That we extend to the bereaved family our sincere sympathy 
 in this great sorrow, commending them in our prayers to the tender care of 
 the great Comforter whose compassions fail not. 
 
 Resol-ved, That this action be entered upon the records of the Church; 
 and copies be sent to the family of the deceased, and also furnished for pub- 
 lication. 
 
 W. R. CUTTER, Clerk of Church. 
 
 Lexington, Mass., May 29, 1880. 
 
 EXTRACT FROM A MEMORIAL ADOPTED 
 BY THE SYNOD OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Brother Adams was an earnest preacher of the Gos- 
 pel, an active Presbyter, a faithful Pastor, a true and 
 faithful friend, a polished scholar, and a refined and 
 eleo-ant <^entleman. It was his constant endeavor to 
 advance the cause of his Redeemer in the city where 
 he lived, and was ever foremost in all good works. 
 1 lis loss is greatly folt by his brethren in the ministry, 
 and by many true friends within the bounds of this 
 Synod. He leaves a dependent family to mourn his 
 early death, for whom the prayers of the members of 
 this Synod are earnestly desired. 
 
 C. E. CHICHESTER, Chairman. 
 
28 
 
 * 
 
 FROM GRACE TO GLORY. 
 
 BY REV. J. H. MARTIN, D. D., OF ATLANTA, GA. 
 
 '■ Grace, grace, grace — grace and glory, in the great Congregation. 
 Last words of Rev. Wm. H Adams. 
 
 Grace, grace, free grace, 'tis all of grace 
 
 That I have been forgiven, 
 A sinner of a mortal race, 
 
 And made an heir of Heaven. 
 
 'Twas grace that fixed its love on me 
 
 In God's eternal plan, 
 Ordained that I His son should be, 
 
 Before the world began 
 
 'Twas grace that shed a Saviour's flood, 
 
 A fountain full and free. 
 That washed me in the cleansing blood. 
 
 The stream of Calvary. 
 
 'Twas grace that quickened me when dead, 
 
 A captive unto sin, 
 And raised me up vvith Christ my Head, 
 
 Renewed, alive within. 
 
 'Twas grace that brought me on my way, 
 
 And kept me to this hour, 
 The cross I've borne from day to day, 
 
 Supported by its power. 
 
 I nov,' have reached my journey's end. 
 
 My work on earth is done p 
 From grace to glory I'll ascend, 
 
 A crown of life I've won. 
 
 I'll join the ransomed holy throng 
 
 Around the throne above. 
 And sing the everlasting eong 
 
 Of Jesus and his love. 
 
29 
 
 A SERMON, 
 
 ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF THE REV. WM. 
 H. ADAMS, AT CHARLESTON, 5. C, PREACHED IN LEX- 
 INGTON, MASS., MAY 3O, 1880., BY THE REV. EDWARD 
 PORTER. 
 
 Ps. Iv 14. " We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the 
 house of God in company." 
 
 Since I last .spoke to you from this pulpit, we have 
 received intelligence from South Carolina, which has 
 brought surpri.se and grief to our hearts. Mr. 
 Adams left us so recently in the full pos.session of 
 manly strength, with much promise of a long career 
 of usefulness in his chosen work, that we in common 
 with all his friends, were astonished to hear, by one 
 and the same announcement, of his brief sickness and 
 sudden death. When the news reached me at For- 
 tress Monroe, I said to my informant, " It must be 
 some other Mr. Adams, for my friend was perfectly 
 well a short time ago when he wrote me from Char- 
 leston." But the next mail confirmed the sad tidings 
 and cast a long, deep shadow over my path. 
 
 I have returned to you, my dear friends, from this 
 brief absence, laden with many tokens of God's good- 
 ness, but I have returned also with a weight of sorrow 
 which craves expression as I come before you again 
 with a message from the word of God. 
 
 And the message is not of my choosing. Whatever 
 text I take, God is to-day preaching the sermon by 
 this solemn event of His Providence. Oh ! that it 
 may be so inscribed upon our heaits, and consciences, 
 
tliat we may all be chastened and sanctified, and 
 made meet for that inheritance to which our beloved 
 brother has so suddenly been called. 
 
 1. My first thought, in the commotion of feeling 
 which this news awakened, was concerning the 
 stricken family who have thus been bereft of husband, 
 father, and brother. He was so kind, so true, so 
 loving in all these relations that his removal must 
 create deep, and it would seem incurable wounds. 
 
 Since we are so situated that we cannot extend the 
 hand of sympathy as we would, let our prayers con- 
 tinue, to ascend to the throne of Grace for the afflicted 
 widow and fatherless child, that the Father of mercies 
 may strengthen them in their weakness, and abund- 
 antly minister to their wants. 
 
 2. My next thought concerning this event was my 
 own personal loss. This brother was peculiarly dear to 
 me. Our early acquaintance, fostered bv an occasional 
 correspondence, ripened into an intimate friendship 
 during tlie last three or four years, as we had more 
 frequent opportunities of meeting. During my visit 
 to England last year, he wrote me many brotherly 
 and affectionate letters, giving me all the details of 
 the pastoral work which he had undertaken amongst 
 you, never omitting any little incident which he 
 thought would give me pleasure. He often wrote me 
 the subjects of his sermons, and in many ways des- 
 cribed his methods of labor, all of which convinced 
 me that the L,ord had sent to you a faithful and zea- 
 lous messenger of His grace. 
 
 On my return, he met me so cordially and handed 
 over the Avork with such expressions of encourage- 
 ment and sympathy that I saw, at a glance, how de- 
 votedly he had given himself to it. For this I 
 
4 
 
 31 
 
 loved liim, and for this 1 shall ever retain his image in 
 my memory, thankful to God that I have had such a 
 friend, one that was not only true to me, but true to 
 111}' work. 
 
 I know many ministers who might have assumed 
 temporary care of this church, and some who would 
 doubtless have done it well, but, I frankly tell you, 
 T do not know of one who would have given himself 
 more unsparingly to the task than this brother, who, 
 as we all know, labored with the single purpose of 
 maintaining and promoting the highest interests of 
 the Church. 
 
 There are not many such men ; so unselfish, so' 
 affectionate, so true; and, as it was partly for my 
 sake that these noble qualities were manifested here, 
 I am glad, publicly, to recognize them on this 
 occasion. 
 
 Yes, brethren, you will understand how near this 
 death comes to me, and how deeply I feel it. Some 
 other man might have been taken from the circle of 
 ministerial fellowship in which I am accustomed to 
 mingle; some other friend might have been chosen ; 
 " but, it was thou, a man mine equal, my friend, and 
 mine acquaintance, we took sweet counsel together 
 and walked unto the house of God in company." 
 
 This text expresses more than any other, when I 
 recall the relations which existed between us since I 
 returned home in September last. As our friend 
 proposed to himself the execution of a filial and sacred 
 duty in preparing the memoir and writings of his 
 honored father, he cho.se to continue his residence 
 with us, from the interest he had in the place and the 
 people. During these months I have had many 
 precious opportunities of fraternal intercourse with 
 
32 
 
 him, which I shall never forget. We were often in 
 each other's study, talking over the affairs which 
 most intimately concerned iis anti our work. We 
 took frequent walks and occasionaly a drive together. 
 We usually met on the train Monday morning on 
 our way to the minister's meeting in Boston. He 
 would always refer apprcciatingly and minutely to 
 the services of the previous day, showing how much 
 he himself valued the preaching of others, and how 
 responsive he was as a member of the congregation. 
 
 I invited him to attend the meetings of my clerical 
 association (the Suffolk North), and he always enjoyed 
 seeing so many of our bretheren, and participating in 
 our deliberations. We attended Ecclesiastical Councils 
 together, as at Cambrige and Newton, where he was 
 much stimulated by the theological statements and 
 spiritual thoughts developed in the exercises. I 
 greatly valued his presence at the stated meetings of 
 our church. On Friday evening he was often with us, 
 much to our profit. His pra3/ers and remarks were 
 uttered in such a calm, trustful, spiritual tone thit I 
 could always lean upon him as a sure guide, a " fellow- 
 helper to the truth." As our houses were nearly ad- 
 jacent, we often walked to church together, talking 
 freely upon the themes that were nearest our hearts, 
 so that I can truly say, as I think of him whom I 
 shall see no more on earth, " we took sweet counsel 
 together and walked unto the house of God in Com- 
 pany." 
 
 3. But while I have dwelt thus upon my sense of 
 the loss which has come to me, I do not forget that 
 you, the members of this congregation, are sharing it 
 with me. Yes, many of you know Mr. Adams, in 
 some respects even better than I did. For a year 
 

 you came directh' under liis influence as a mHiistcr 
 ofthe -ospcl.and durin- that time you had ample 
 occasicm to observe how unremitting were his endeav- 
 ors to discharge foithfully the obligations which per- 
 tained to his position, lie instinctively sought out 
 those persons who most needed his aid— the sick, the 
 afflicted, the aged, the young. In some of your homes 
 he was a freciuent and always a welcome visitor. You 
 will not forget those fervent prayers which he offered 
 for you. and your families in your dwellings ; nor will 
 your children forget the kindly notice he always 
 took of them, not only in his public nunistrations. but 
 also in the special plans and appointments which he 
 made to secure their personal and hearty interest in 
 the blessed Redeemer. 
 
 May these labors and prayers be accepted ot God, 
 and graciously sanctified to us who remain. 
 
 A minute delineation of the life and character of 
 our esteemed brother will hardly be expected from 
 any one in this place, where so small a portion of h.s 
 life was spent. Elsewhere, this service will be, or 
 probably has already been, performed. But I know I 
 meet the wishes of many here, if I speak now of some 
 of the principal events of his life. 
 
 William Hooper Adams was the son of Nehemiah 
 and Martha Hooper Adams, and was born in Boston 
 January 8, 1838. His early education was obtained 
 at the Brimmer and Latin Schools. During the last 
 year at the latter school, he received a decided intel- 
 lectual impulse which remained with him through 
 hfe He entered Harvard College in 1856. and the 
 same vear became a member of Union Church, then 
 located in Essex Street, where his father was so long 
 the honored pastor. In college he was known as a 
 
34 
 
 man of remarkable religious fidelity. He inter- 
 ested himself earnestly for the " Society of Chris- 
 tian, Brethren," of which he was succesiveiy a mem- 
 ber of the Library Committe, Secretary and President. 
 One of his classmates, (Mr, George H. Whittmore), 
 writes me, " I recall a very pleasant occasion when 
 the liberal hospitality of his father's house in Boston 
 was extended to the Society." 
 
 Mr. Adams was also a member of a Greek Testa- 
 ment class which met privately at the house of the 
 Rev. Dr. Albro on Thursday evenings, for the pro- 
 motion of critical scholarship and spiritual culture 
 under the admirable guidance of this well-known 
 Cambridge pastor, who for years aided many of the 
 undergraduates in their religious life. 
 
 Young Adams completed his course with honor 
 and was graduated in the class ot i860. 
 
 In the Autumn of the same year he entered the 
 Theological Seminary of Andover. 
 
 Three months later, his father received a letter 
 from Samuel Barnett, Esq., of Washington, Wilkes 
 Co. Ga., (where his second wife, Sarah Williston 
 Brackett had taught) asking him if he knew of a 
 suitable young man for a preceptor for the children 
 of some of the families there. After much leflec- 
 tion and prayer, Dr. Adams replied, projjosing his 
 own son, who he thought would be benefited by the 
 change, and experience of teaching. 
 
 Events were then hastening which, a few months 
 later, culminated in the memorable outbreak of hos- 
 tilities ; but until the shock actually came, no one 
 really anticipated a war. When it came, Mr. Adams 
 endeavored to return home, but it was found to be 
 impossible, and so he continued to perform his duties 
 
35 
 
 with ardor, teaching his pupils, and also supplying 
 the pulpits of two or three churches in the vicinity, 
 whose jKistors were serving as chaplains in the army. 
 In January, 1863, he entered the Theological Semi- 
 nary, at Columbia, S. C. After completing his studies 
 he was settled at luifala, Ala., pursuing a quiet, ear- 
 nest life, devoted to study, and the preaching of the 
 (losi)cl. In the summer of 1865, he returned to Bos- 
 ton, but finding no opportunity then for a settlement 
 here, he accepted an invitation to the pastorate of the 
 Circular Congregational Church, of Charleston, S. C, 
 where he remained twelve years. 
 
 In 1S77 he published " The Seven. Words from the 
 Cross," a work of great tenderness and merit. 
 
 In 1878 he resigned his charge and came North to 
 be near his father, whose failing health was the occa- 
 sion of grave anxiety. 
 
 The previous year, Dr. Adams had listened to the 
 public ministration of his son, at the Central Church, 
 for the first time in Boston, with one exception at the 
 old South. His fatherly tribute to him was, "I know 
 of no minister with whom I should so much like to 
 change i)laces." At this time, a devoted parishioner 
 remarked to him, "Why, Doctor, he goes beyond 
 your During an engagement with the Vine Street 
 Church, in Roxbury, the privilege of listening to his 
 son was further enjoyed by Dr. Adams who was, 
 however, so feeble as to require to be supported by 
 Hlial arms and placed in a comfortable position in the 
 Pastor's room, where he could see and listen unob- 
 served. 
 
 Before coming to Lexington, IMr. Adams supplied 
 the pulpit of Middleborough, in this State, for several 
 months. 
 
When I was about leaving home for England, at 
 the close of the Summer of 1878, the request was 
 quite generally expressed that Mr. Adams tnight be 
 secured to take my place; and the committee of sup- 
 ply consequently corresponded with him upon the 
 subject. He was not a stranger to you. Twice he 
 had preached here during my vacations — once on the 
 great Centennial July Sunday, in 1876, when the pul- 
 pit was covered with the American flag, and the special 
 patriotic significance was given to all the services. 
 
 Of the character of his ministry during his year 
 with you I need not now speak. You have already, 
 at the last two weekly meetings of the Church, given 
 full and generous expression of your appreciation of 
 his sterling worth and faithful service. 
 
 The resolutions which you have officially adopted 
 and sent to the bereaved family set forth, in brief, but 
 sincere terms, our deep sorrow and heartfelt sympa- 
 thy. You all know how earnestly he laboured while ^ 
 he was with you, how ably he presented the great 
 doctrinal truths of the Gospel, and how affectionately 
 he illustrated and appled them. I can distinctly trace 
 the result of his years work in the quickened activity 
 of some of our brethren in the new-born hopes that 
 have been cherished in the hearts of young believers, 
 in the increased religious susceptibility of many, and 
 in the respect felt by all for the faithfulness and sin- 
 cerity with which he prosecuted his arduous under- 
 taking. It was not a year of rest to him. Far from 
 it. He told me that he never worked so hard in his 
 life before ; and he urged me, on my return, to reduce 
 the number of engagements, especially on the Lord's 
 Day, or else admit the brethren of the Church to a 
 more responsible share in the conduct of the services. 
 
17 
 
 He felt also the burden of our mission work at Bur- 
 lington, although he conscientiously carried out my 
 plan of holding a religious meeting there every 
 Wednesday night for the benefit of the faiiiilies that 
 live at a distance from anyplace of worship. 
 
 Yet, with all the demands upon his time, and 
 strength, he often said he had never spent a happier 
 year since he entered the ministry. He spoke of the 
 people here as the " beautiful flock," which he de- 
 lighted to lead in the ways of righteousness. He 
 appreciated the harmony of sentiment that he found 
 here, and the cordial feeling of attachment to the 
 Church that prevailed amongst all the members. It 
 will ever be a genuine, though now a saddened pleas- 
 ure to us, to remember that this lamented servant of 
 God gave us tlie last )'ear of his ministerial labors to 
 Lexington. I hope, ere long, to be permitted to read 
 some of those excellent sermons of his, of which I 
 have heard you speak with such approval. There 
 have been two occasions, since my return, when he 
 preached here, by your request. One was on the 
 closing night of tlie old year, when a few of us gath- 
 ered in a driving snow-storm, and felt amply repaid 
 by his devout utterances concerning God, as our Ref- 
 uge. The other was on the last Sunday of his stay 
 with us, March 28, (Easter Sunday), when he preached 
 with unusual power and pathos from Luke xxiv. 32, 
 "And they said one to another. Did not our hearts 
 burn within us while He talked with us by the way, 
 and while he opened to us the Scriptures ?" We can 
 now make that language our own and apply it to him, 
 grateful for the companionship that brought us so 
 near to the Saviour and His disciples in oiu- contem- 
 plation of that ever memorable walk to I'^mmaus. 
 
;<s 
 
 After takinn- his leave of the friends and neighbors 
 here, Mr. Adams proceeded with his family to 
 Charleston, to take charge of the church upon Sulli- 
 van's Island, where he had formerly spent some of 
 his summers. He foi:nd a cordial welcome, and 
 began to make arrangements for his work. Appa- 
 rently, he was well equipped in bodily health and 
 vigor ; and no one of my acquaintance gave more 
 promise of long continued activity and usefulness. 
 But, " O Lord, I know that the wa}' of man is not 
 in himself; it is not in man that walketh to 
 direct his steps." After arriving at his cottage 
 home on the island, our brother was attacked with 
 jaundice, which afterwards developed symptoms of 
 t\'phoid. On Friday, the 14th inst., the crisis seemed 
 to have been passed, and he again relished his food 
 and talked of his summer plans and hopes. 
 
 He was calm and happ)-, singing at times his fa- 
 vorite hymn, " My God the spring of all my jo\'s," 
 and offering his evening praj'er with his wife as usual. 
 The devotional habit of his life accompanied him to 
 the last. The blessed Saviour was near to comfort 
 and support him as the hour of his departure drew 
 near. Though he slept quietlx' that exening, the 
 summons came before the morning watch. His last 
 audible words were " Grace and Glory ! Grace and 
 Glory ! in the great congregation — great congrega- 
 tion !" And so peacefully and triumphantl}' his spirit 
 winged its flight to the throne of the Most High. He 
 left the dear home on earth which had been sanctified 
 by grace for the home in glory, radiant with the pres- 
 ence of the Redeemer; and as he went, yes, before he 
 went, he seemed to have caught a glimpse of the 
 heavenlv host, " the great congregation," as did the 
 
39 
 
 inspired seer of Patmos, who wrote: " After this I 
 beheld, and lo, a great multitude which no man could 
 number, of all nations, kindreds and people and 
 tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, 
 clothed with white robes, and palm in their hands." 
 Blessed vision ! Foretaste of the glorious reward 
 given to believers ! Who would not be willing to 
 exchange this scene of earthly toil and conflict for 
 that heavenly " rest that remaineth for the people of 
 God?" 
 
 Give me the wings of faith to rise 
 
 Within the veil, and see 
 .The Saints above, how great their joys, 
 How bright their glories be." 
 
 The mortal remains of our departed brother were 
 the next day conveyed to Charleston by special 
 steamer, and placed in the Second Presbyterian 
 Chrch, where the funeral services were attended 
 on Monday by a large number of the friends and 
 formei' parishioners of the deceased. 
 
 Kight ministers of different denominations acted as 
 pall-bearers. The Rev. Dr. Brackett, pastor of the 
 Church, and an intimate friend of Mr. Adams, de- 
 livered the Memorial Address with great tenderness 
 and depth of feeling. Other ministers of Charleston 
 participated in the service, at the close of which the 
 sad procession wended its way to the beautiful Mag- 
 nolia Cemetery, in the suburbs, — ajipropriate resting 
 place for one whose ministry had chiefly been among 
 the people who are there to await the resurrection of 
 the just. 
 
 '• Brother, though from yonder sky 
 Cometh neither voice nor cry. 
 Yet we know from thee to-day 
 Every pain hath passed away. 
 
;40 
 
 Not for ihee shall tears be given 
 Child of God, and heir of Heaven ; 
 For He gave the sweet release, 
 Thine the Christian's death of peace. 
 
 Well we know thy living faith 
 Had the power to conquer death ; 
 As a living rose may bloom 
 By the border of the tomb. 
 
 Brother, in that solemn trust, 
 We commend thee, dust to dust ! 
 In that faith we wait, till risen, 
 Thou shalt meet us all in Heaven. 
 
 While we weep as Jesus wept, 
 Thou shalt sleep as Jesus slept ; 
 VVith thy Saviour thou shalt rest, 
 Crowned, and glorified, and blest ! 
 
 FROM GRACE TO GLORY 
 
 A MEMORIAL DISCOURSK, PREACHED IN THE SECOND 
 PRESUVTEKIAN CHURCH, CHARLESTON, S. C, SABBATH 
 XICHT, DECEMBER 12 111, I 88o, BY THE REV. G. R. 
 BRACKETT, D. D. 
 
 Ps. Ixxxiv, II. He will give grace and glory. 
 
 " The upper i^alleries at Vcisaille.s,'" .says a travel- 
 er, " are filled with portraits, many of them extreme- 
 ly valuable and ancient. These are the likeness of 
 the greatest men of all lands and ages, drawn bv the 
 ablest artists. Yet most visitors wander through ihe 
 roonis with little or nc^ interest." l-5ut a great change 
 
4r. 
 
 was observed when they entered the hall " where the 
 men and women are not inactive portraits, but are ac- 
 tively engaged." The warrior and the statesman, who 
 attracted only a passing notice as quiet figures on the 
 canvass, are here represented amid the stirring scenes 
 of the battle field and the Senate Chamber. 
 
 The portrait, which our unskillful pen has attempted 
 to draw for your contemplation to-night, belongs to 
 that crowded galleny whose walls are adorned with 
 the likenesses of living men, and active scenes, brave 
 warriors in the heat of battle, and laborious workers 
 in the busy vineyard. 
 
 The real value and significance of a man's life is 
 measured by the amount of virtuous and holy energy 
 developed and expended for the good of his fellow 
 men, and for the glory of God. " An honest man " is 
 not "the noblest work of God." That life is noblest, 
 which is not only true and right, but which is most 
 earnest in the cause of truth and righteousness. 
 When a conscientious regard for truth and a heroic 
 fidelity to princi'ple are combined with moral earnest- 
 ness and Christian zeal, the humble.st life becomes 
 noble and sublime. Tlie biographies of Harlan Page 
 and Howard will be read with fresh interest to the 
 end of time; while the lives of men distinguished for 
 genius and learning, who played no active {)art in the 
 open field of duty and warfare, will excite only a tran- 
 sient notice. The true symbol of such a life is not the 
 oak that braves the storm, or the mountain unmoved 
 by the shock of the elements ; but the rushing river, 
 that spurns every impedimen'f, dashes on in its bold 
 career, staying, nor slackening in all its course, until 
 it i)ours its impetuous torrent into the bosom of the 
 sea. There are few men, who, like the Amazon and 
 
 - 
 
42 
 
 Mississippi rivers, traverse a whole continent, carry- 
 ing the commerce of a nation, bidding towns and 
 cities rise, and plenteous harvests wave along their 
 banks. But whatever may be the volume of the river, 
 the law of its life, is the same. It must have an on- 
 ward, ceaseless flow, struggling for a deeper bed, and 
 a wider channel, and hastening with increasing rapidi- 
 ty to the ocean. 
 
 Such was the noble life that so long blessed and 
 gladdened our city with its bounty and refreshment, 
 which so latel}' touched the happy shores and min- 
 gled with the Eternal Sea. 
 
 In the removal of our lamented Brother Adams, we 
 feel that our community has sustained a common loss ; 
 and we are doing only an act of justice to the memory 
 of a common benefactor, when we meet together to 
 contemplate his blameless character and com- 
 memorate his life and labors. 
 
 William Hooper Adams, the son of the Rev. Dr. 
 Nehemiah and Martha Hooper Adams, was born in 
 Boston, Mass., January 8th, 183S. 
 
 He began to talk at fourteen months, and had a 
 peculiar fanc)- for hard words, articulating them more 
 distinctly than easier ones. Some picture cards of 
 animals were giveh him, pasted together in the form 
 of a book. He named the book after the animal 
 which had the name most difficult to pronounce. 
 " He would also imitate sounds and parts of words, 
 leading me to think," said his mother, " that if he 
 ever became a student, he would excel in the lan- 
 guages. It continued a peculiarity with him for 
 years to catch at the great words of a sentence, when 
 company were present, and he, apparently not listen- 
 ing, would repeat aloud some big word heard in con- 
 
 h 
 
4.S 
 
 versation, unconsciously as it were to himself He 
 had a read)' and retentive memory, and his knowl- 
 edge of Scripture was far beyond his years. One 
 day, he was with his father at the carpenter's bench ; 
 Willie was boring a hole in a bit of shingle, ' In the 
 grave who shall give thee thanks,' he ejaculated, and 
 went on boring away as if he had not said a word. I 
 had read stories from the Bible to him, and the chil- 
 dren had questions asked them at family worship ; 
 but these advantages do not entirely account for his 
 command of Scripture language. 
 
 He was very sick with the measles, nearly three 
 months, and, of his own accord, in the worst stage of 
 his sickness, instead of his little prayer, lie would 
 substitute the text from which his father preached 
 at liis baptism : ' Therefore, also, have I lent him to 
 the Lord," adding ' as long as Willie li\es, he shall be 
 the Lord's.' 
 
 He was much interested, at the early age of six, 
 in committing to memor)' the W'estminster Catechism. 
 His Sunday-school lessons were always perfect, and 
 he was always ready to talk on religious subjects. 
 He often came to me, and asked me to read the Bible 
 and pra\- with him. Once, he whispered, ' Mother, 
 let me go into >'our chamber with )'ou, when you 
 read your Bible.' The passage in course was, ' He is 
 able to keep that which I haxe committed unto him. 
 against that day.' His prayer was affecting. He 
 gave his soul to Christ to keep against that day. and 
 asked the Sa\ iour that he might remember, if he 
 were ever sick, or when he came to die, that he had 
 committed his soul to Christ.' 
 
 His principal faults were, quickness of temper, 
 and incessant restlessness ; but he was a generous 
 
44 
 
 boy, and gave all he had, at one time, for foreign 
 missions. 
 
 In his seventh year, he wrote in his first letter, 
 just after his birth-day: ' My dear mother: 1 hope 
 that you will pray for me, that I may be one of Jesus' 
 flock.' When eight years old, he confessed a' false- 
 hood told about the loss of his cap. He said : ' 1 
 could not sleep, it worried me so, and I t^^'ought I 
 never could be a Christian till I told you of it; and 
 I prayed to the Lord to forgive me, and to help me 
 tell you. I have felt all day like Pilgrim with a bur- 
 den on his back.' A year later, on his father's birth- 
 day, he wrote: ' Dear Father: You have done a great 
 many things to make me happy, and I am going to 
 make }'ou happy by being obedient. Dear father, 
 with your love to me, I cannot fail to grow up a good 
 man.' A few months after, he came to his father and 
 said : ' I hope I am a Christian. This morning, I felt 
 I was a great sinner, and went to my chamber and 
 asked to be forgiven, and gave myself to the Lord.' 
 He incidentally told his father, that when he gave 
 himself away to the Lord, he sang ' Jesus, save my 
 dying soul.' " 
 
 The next year he said to his father again, " I do 
 think I am a Christian. I believe I have taken the 
 Lord as my portion." Shorth- after this, he had an 
 affecting conversation with his father, and then fol- 
 lowed him in prayer, beginning, " My sins are more 
 in number than the sand of the sea-shore." After- 
 wards, he begged his sister to pray with him, weep- 
 ing freely, and saying, "Oh, Anna, you don't know 
 what a sinner I am !" 
 
 The following year he wrote to his father, " I have 
 been led to know how wicked I am, and that Jesus 
 
45 
 
 cleanseth from all sin. I have cast my burden on the 
 Lord, and the Saviour seems dear to me. I will trust 
 in lliin all the days of life. He is a good Saviour. 
 My dear father, >ou have been the means of my 
 lovin'^ the Saviour. You heive showed me the way, 
 and I have followed it. Before. I did not know what 
 a Saviour was; now, I see Him nailed to the Cross, 
 bleeding and dying for me. If I live to grow up, I 
 will go fir and wide and tell the poor heathen what a 
 Saviour thou art. My father, the Lord has taken me 
 up. I will go through my eleventh year with the 
 Saviour." His school teacher noticed a great change 
 in him after this. He watches for opportunities to do 
 good to others. On one occasion he gave a tract to 
 one of his schoolmates and induced him to leave off 
 swearing. His mother died when he was eleven 
 years old, and here her journal closes. 
 
 From another member of the family we have re- 
 ceived the following statement: 
 
 " When about sixteen years old, on his eldest sis- 
 ter's birthday, and under her influence, he had a re- 
 li'TJous experience, which he always referred to as his 
 conversion, and there was a marked change in him 
 afterward. Naturally passionate and impatient, he 
 became gentle and forbearing — a wonderful trans- 
 formation. Considering his sensitive and impulsive 
 nature, and the religious atmosphere in which he 
 lived, his early religious experience may seem some- 
 what morbid and unnatural. But we cannot doubt 
 that he was the subject of Divine influences, and 
 genuine experiences, although his last experience was 
 of a more independent and natural character, becom- 
 iiig his maturer years.' 
 
 He evidently dated his conversion from this expe- 
 
46 
 
 ricnce, as, seven years later, he records in his diarv : 
 " This is the seventh anniversary of my spiritual 
 birth." 
 
 " He was very popular A\'ith the boys, at this age; 
 a leader in the sports, with power to command. He 
 was courageous, and once separated two boys in a 
 street fight, surrounded by a crowd of spectators, and 
 received the commendation of a gentleman who was 
 passing by. He was a ready speaker, of great cool- 
 ness, and assurance. He would deliver impromptu 
 orations in circles of young people." 
 
 He received the rudiments of his education in the 
 Brimmer School, in Boston, and was prepared for col- 
 lege in the Latin school of that city, which offered 
 superior advantages for a thorough academic train- 
 ing. The bracing atmosphere of this noble i-nstitu- 
 tion quickened and invio-orated his mental faculties, 
 and it was under this inspiring influence that he felt a 
 literary career was open before him. 
 
 In 1856, he entered Harvard University, Cambridge, 
 Mass. It was during this year that he made a public 
 profession of his faith in Christ, and became a mem- 
 ber of Union Church, Essex street, Boston, of which 
 his honored father was pastor the greater part of his 
 protracted ministry. The type of piety which was so 
 characteristic of his later years, was strongly mani- 
 fested at the begining of his religious life-communion 
 with God, Christian fellowship, and earnest, practical 
 work. He was a zealous member of the " Society of 
 Christian Brethren," and for some time its President. 
 He also availed himself of the exegetical and reli- 
 gious instructions of the Rev. Dr. Albro, an eminent 
 and devout Cambridge pastor, who invited the stu- 
 dents of the University to join his Greek Testament 
 
47 
 
 class, which met weekly at his residence. It was, 
 doubtless, under the guidance of this able Biblical 
 scholar, that our young brother imbibed a taste for 
 those critical studies for which he afterwards evinced 
 a hearty relish and enthusiasm. 
 
 In i860 he completed his University course, and 
 was honorably graduated. He had cliosen the minis- 
 try for his profession, and in the Fall of i860, he 
 entered the Theological Seminary, at Andover, Mass. 
 He had been a member of this institution but a few 
 months, when lie was advised by his father to accept 
 the position of a private tutor in a famii}- in Georgia, 
 believing that a change of climate, and the expe- 
 rience of teaching would prove a benefit to him. 
 
 Although the political atmosphere at that time was 
 dark and threatening, yet there were few. if any, who 
 anticipated actual hostilities, and a prolonged war. 
 
 Cut off from all hope of return to his kindred, he 
 cheerfully accepted the will of Providence, and con- 
 tinued teaching, and also preached the Gospel as he 
 had 0[)portunity, supplying the vacant pulpits of several 
 churches whose pastors were serving as chaplains in 
 the army. 
 
 In January, 1861, he entered the Theological Sem- 
 inary, at Columbia, S. C, a Presbyterian institution. 
 It was here that we first met. Residing near Colum- 
 bia, several months after completing my studies. I 
 was brought into frequent and pleasant intercourse 
 with him. The homes of our childhood were but a 
 (vw miles apart, and mutual friendship and local asso- 
 ciations, dear to us both, formed a bond of sympathy 
 which was strengthened and hallowed by Christian 
 love. His warm and genial nature, his sincere and 
 earnest piet}', his noble and manly bearing soon won 
 
48 
 
 the confidence and esteem of his brethren. We know- 
 not a single instance in which this confidence was 
 shaken, or this esteem cooled by sectional suspicion 
 or prejudice. 
 
 He was licensed to preach the Gospel, September 
 27th, 1862, at Greensboro', Ga., by the 'Presbytery of 
 Hopewell, of which the Rev. James Woodrow, D. D,, 
 was Moderator. In November 2 1st, 1863, he was or- 
 dained as an Evangelist of the same Presbytery, at its 
 adjourned meeting during the Synod of Georgia, con- 
 vened at Athens, Sunday afternoon, Rev. David Wills, 
 D. D., being the Moderator of the Presbytery. The 
 sermon from P^ph. iii. 19, was preached by the Rev. 
 Dr. Joseph R. Wilson, of Augusta, and the charge to 
 the pastor was delivered by the Rev. A. D. Mont- 
 gomery. 
 
 Referring to his ordination, Mr. Adams wrote in 
 his diary : " This was, without exception, the most 
 awfully solemn moment of my life— never, never to be 
 forgotten. 1 devoted my all to the service of my 
 glorious Redeemer in solemn covenant, while the 
 hands of Presbytery were still on my liead The Rev. 
 Dr. Leighton Wilson said to me, that though not a 
 member of the Presbytery, he had laid his hand on 
 my head for my father's sake. This deeply touched 
 me, and now 1 am in the ministry of reconciliation, an 
 embassador of Christ. How joyful I am that I am so 
 young, only twenty- five — a life-time to spend in the 
 Master's service. O, that I may be spared many 
 years to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ." 
 
 Immediately after his ordination he ministered, as 
 an t^vangelist, to the churches of Danielsville, Sandy 
 Creek, and to the people of Paolia and Beth Haven, 
 Georgia. 
 
49 • 
 
 Mr. Adams began his ministry at Eufaula, Ala.. 
 November 15th. 1865, where he labored with i,^reat 
 fidelity and acceptance. This "dear people," to 
 whom he often affectionately referred, he served one 
 vear. X'isiting his Hither in the summer of 1866, he 
 found it necessary to remain with him and, con.sc- 
 quently, resigned his ch.arge. and never returned. A 
 member of that church writes, that' " he was greatly 
 beloved by his own people and highly respected for 
 his urbanity, courtesy, humble piety and high Chris- 
 tian character by all who knew him. He was a pat- 
 tern of modesty and Christian deportment, an earnest 
 worker for Christ, an acceptable minister and pastor. 
 We regretted very greatly the necessity of parting 
 with him." 
 
 During his ministry at Kufaula he was married, 
 October 3d, 1866, to Miss Pauline Thomas, daughter 
 of Judge Thomas, a well known and highly respected 
 citizen of Athens, Ga. Miss Thomas was a young 
 lady of rare intellectual gifts and literary culture, an 
 accomplished musician, and of fine poetic sensibility. 
 " Her chief attraction was her fervent piety, .spirituali- 
 ty of mind, entire con.secration to Chri.st, and hearty 
 sympathy with her hu.sband in his .saered calling." 
 But an incurable di.sease was already forging chains 
 for her disciplined and con.secrated powers that un- 
 fitted her for active Christian work. The imprisoned 
 spirit, however, lost none of its native vigor, as the 
 caged bird with clipped wings retains the gift of song; 
 and her suffering life only furnished an occasion for 
 the exercise of her husband's tender sympathy and 
 unwearied devotion, that only she could appreciate, 
 and Heaven reward. It was the wonder and admira- 
 tion of us all. The cloud that shadowed their home, 
 
50 
 
 so dark to us, reflected to them the charmed light of 
 poetry and romance, brightened with the glory of the 
 Cross. • 
 
 The remainder of his ministerial life, covering a 
 period of twelve years, was spent in Charleston, S. C. 
 He came to this city February 20th, 1867. Two in- 
 vitations to preach awaited him from Dr. Smyth and 
 Dr. Dana. The former being prior in time was ac- 
 cepted, and he preached his first sermon in Charleston, 
 in the Second Presbyterian Church, from the text : 
 " Behold, I stand at the door and knock." It will be 
 numbered among the precious memories of this church 
 that his last sermon, also, was preached in this pulpit. 
 
 The following Sabbath, February 10th, he dedicated 
 the Lecture Room of the Circular Church, which was 
 just completed. He preached to a full house from 
 the text : " For without me ye can do nothing." In 
 the evening his text was : " I tell you nay, but ex- 
 cept ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." These 
 first sermons were appropriate preludes of the lessons 
 of instruction and warning which characterised his 
 subsequent ministry. He gratefully records, " The 
 Lord blessed these efforts, giving me exceeding 
 strength and .grace. The congregations were large 
 and solemn." 
 
 To this little flock he devoted the best years of his 
 life, the strength of his manhood, and the fruit of his 
 laborious studies. It was his cherished hope, bright- 
 ening with the rolling years, that he might rebuild 
 the Church, which for so long a period had been a 
 beautiful ruin. What precious and hallowed associa- 
 tions cluster around these dilapidated walls, like the 
 luxuriant vines that cover them, whose leaves are 
 ever fresh, and ever green. The inuses of history 
 
51 
 
 and poetry seemed to him to guard the ancient ruin 
 as a monumental record, to arrest the curious eye of 
 the traveller, and as a sacred lyric, to be translated 
 into immortal verse. But the voice of religion spoke 
 with a higher authority, and with a more irresistible 
 appeal. He could not rest while the house of God 
 was lying waste and there was a reasonable prospect 
 of rebuilding the walls. A beautiful and commodious 
 house of worship, centrally located and "pointing its 
 >pire of faith to heaven," would be an ornament to the 
 city and a blessing to the community. It might be 
 called the " Church of the Strangers." It w'ould fur- 
 nish a refuge for many wandering souls not identified 
 with an\- church, and a Sabbath resort for Congrega- 
 tionalist who visit our city and are seeking a church 
 of their own order. But the star of hope that lured 
 him on was suddenly quenched, and the cherished en- 
 terprise to which he had devoted twelve years of his 
 life, vanishetl like a beautiful dream. From this mo- 
 ment his early resignation was a foregone conclusion. 
 Among the events which combined to hasten this 
 inevitable step was the failing health of his venerable 
 father, which required the personal presence of his 
 son to minister to him in his enfeebled condition, 
 to aid him in settling his temporal affairs, and to 
 confer with him respecting his posthumous publica- 
 tions. 
 
 We have often marvelled that a minister of Mr. 
 Adams' ability, scholarship and learning, could be 
 contented for so many years to circumscribe the 
 sphere of his usefulness, when larger and more im 
 portant fields of labor were open to him where his 
 talents and accomplishments would have found full 
 scope. It is difficult for us to measure the sacrifice 
 
52 
 
 that he made to achieve the life-work to which he 
 beh'eved God had clearlj/^ called him in this city. 
 
 During- the absence from his church in 1877, to be 
 near his father during his remaining days, he was la- 
 boriously engaged in ministerial and literary work. 
 He prepared for publication his " Seven Words from 
 the Cross," which has been criticised as a " work of 
 great tenderness and merit." At the same time he 
 supplied the vacant [uilpit of Vine Street Church, 
 Roxbury, Mass., near his father's home. His minis- 
 trations to this people were acceptable and edifying. 
 It was my privilege to preach in this pulpit one Sab- 
 bath during his absence, and to hear many kind ex- 
 pressions of their appreciation of his services. It was 
 an unspeakable satisfaction to his father that he was 
 permitted before his departure to listen to the preach- 
 ing of his son during these months, and all hearts 
 were deeply moved at the touching spectacle of the 
 aged patriarch entering the sanctuary supported by 
 the son of promise upon wiiom his mantle was so 
 soon to fall. 
 
 During the summer of 1877, he supplied the 
 church of Middleboro', Mass., and afterwards, the 
 Hancock Church, of Lexington, Mass., during the 
 absence of its esteemed pastor, Dr. Porter, in Europe. 
 
 The character of his ministry during this year is 
 sufficiently indicated in tiie resolutions officially 
 adopted by the church. In the language of Dr. Por- 
 ter in his touching memorial discourse; "yon all 
 know how earnestly he labored while he was with 
 you, how ably he preached the great doctrinal truths 
 of the Gospel, and how effectively he illustrated and 
 applied them. I can distinctly trace the result of 
 his year's work in the quickened activity of some of 
 
53 
 
 our brethren, in the now-born hopes that have been 
 cherished in the hearts of young believers, in the in- 
 creased rch'o-ious susceptibility of many, and in the 
 respect felt by all for the faithfulness and sincerity 
 with which he prosecuted his arduous undertaking. 
 It was not a year of rest to him, far from it. He told 
 me that he never worked so hard in his life before." 
 
 While he was engaged in these laborious duties, 
 preaching twice on the Sabbath, conducting • the 
 prayer-meeting, and holding a weekly service in fhe 
 country, at a mission station, and performing daily 
 pastoral ministrations, he was, likewise, preparing 
 for the press a volume of " Walks to Emmaus," the 
 first of a series which he was selecting from his 
 father's manuscript sermons. 
 
 In the prosecution of this literary work, he had pro- 
 cured a type-writer, which he had learned to use with 
 crreat facility. He had also commenced the Biogra- 
 phy of his lamented father, a labor of love upon 
 which he entered with all the zeal of filial devotion, 
 and was expending his best energies. 
 
 In March, 1880, he was invited to supply the 
 Union Central Church, on Sullivan's Island, near 
 Charleston, S. C, where he owned a summer resi- 
 dence, and to this cottage home he now removed his 
 family and was making arrangements for his work. 
 He was most cordially welcomed back to Charleston, 
 and there was geneial rejoicing that he was again to 
 gladden us by his genial presence, and earnest mmis- 
 try. He was invited to preach in one of the city pul- 
 pits the first Sabbath after his arrival. 
 
 The circumstances of his brief, but painful illness, 
 and of his peaceful, triumphant death, have already 
 been detailed in the published address delivered at 
 
54 
 
 his funeral. Ministers of every denomination — 
 Methodist. Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran. Unitarian, 
 and a Jewish Rabbi, acted as pall-bearers. The fune- 
 ral services were held in the Second Presbyterian 
 Church. More than a thousand people, of all creeds 
 and classes, crowded the galleries and pews of this 
 spacious church, and mingled their tears in the ex- 
 piession of a common sorrow. The children of the 
 Orphan House, to ^^'hom he often preached in their 
 chapel services, brought their floral offerings to lay 
 upon his grave. 
 
 Mr. Adams was a geneial favorite with the colored 
 people, in whom he had always manifested a kind, 
 considerate interest, and they were largely represented 
 on this mournful occasion, and their expressions of 
 love and grief deeply affecting. This universal mani- 
 festation of mourning, was a splendid tribute to the 
 memory of the beloved and honored dead, and an 
 eloquent testimony to the respect and esteem in which 
 the deceased was held. A thousand loving and sor- 
 rowing hearts are pledged to keep his memory green. 
 He sleeps peacefully in the Magnolia Cemetery, near 
 the " City by the Sea," where he had passed the 
 greater part of his active ministry. and near the beloved 
 people to whom he ministered, many of whom rest 
 by his side. 
 
 To us short-sighted mortals, it seems a mysterious 
 providence that he should be suddenly cut down in 
 the warm, bright summer of his years; in the very 
 efflorescence of his powers and accomplishments, 
 teeming with life, and full of plans and projects just 
 bursting into blossom ; and feeling that all his pre\'i- 
 ous stud)', labor, and suffering were but a preparation 
 for a loner and useful life. 
 
55 
 
 He longed to live, not only to preach the Gospel, to 
 piiblisii the results of his own special studies, but also 
 to tlischar^e the filial trust which had been committed 
 to him of writing his father's biogiaphy, and editing 
 his p'osthimious works. But, doubtless, all mystery 
 will instantly vanish in the light of Heaven, when we 
 shall see clearly the relation of our earthly labors and 
 sufferings to the future life. We may then learn that 
 Isaac Taylor was indulging in no vain speculation, 
 when he affirms his' belief, that "the same qualities 
 which are here so sedulously fashioned and finished, 
 will be actually needed and used in that future world 
 of perfection ; and, therefore, the removal of individ- 
 uals in the vcrv prime of their fitness for useful labor, 
 ceases to be impenetrably mysterious." The fitness 
 for earthly labors may proi^e to be a fitness for the 
 service of Heaven. As we are not permitted to view 
 the life of our lamented brother from the Heavenly 
 heights, where the hori7.>)n widens into eternity, let us 
 make the most of our earthly point of observation, as 
 we stand on the little hillocks of time, and contem- 
 plate his character and labors. 
 
 Mr. Adams had the advantage of a prepossessing 
 personal appearance; of medium stature, he had a 
 stout, portly frame that betokened a greater fullness 
 of health and strength than he actually possessed. 
 His handsome, regular features, his round, ruddy 
 face, the very index of a large, generous soul — now 
 flashing with humor, and now kindling with smiles — 
 will live forever in tlic memory of his friends, a pic- 
 ture that time will never fade. His habitual expression 
 bespoke a cheerful, buoyant spirit. Trouble and sor- 
 row, of which he hao his full share, onl)- momenta- 
 ril}^ saddened liis countenance, like clouds moving 
 
56 
 
 across the face of the sun. Coldness and indifference 
 might suddenly chill his features into an icy expres- 
 sion, but the warm heart within ever melted it away, 
 and his face resumed its wonted brightness. He held 
 it as a Christian duty to ''avoid the appearance" of 
 gloom, and to put on a cheerful courage. The dark- 
 est night of adversity is starlit with love; so, he 
 thought ; if the love of God is shed abroad in the 
 heart, it ought to shine through the darkest experi- 
 ences. 
 
 As a preacher, he " determined to know nothing 
 but Jesus Christ and him crucified," in the compre- 
 hensive sense of the apostle's resolution. The Cross 
 was the radiant centre of all his discourses. His 
 elegant and scholarly tastes naturally moulded his 
 thoughts into rhetorical forms, and chaste, graceful 
 diction; but his "excellency of speech," and "en- 
 ticing words " were throbbing with the life-blood of the 
 Gospel. He had a natural abhorrence of dry, abstract, 
 theological discussion, )-et his sermons were full of 
 the marrow of Christian doctrine. 
 
 Whenever lie touched upon the doctrines of de- 
 pravit}^ regeneration, atonement, and eternal retribu- 
 tion, his trumpet uttered no uncertain soiuid. He 
 had a deep and tender sympathy for the \\-eaknesscs 
 oud errors of men arising from natural infirmity and 
 educational bias ; but he was never known to do 
 \'iolence to the prejudices of his hearers, or ridicule 
 their cherished beliefs. Ife never uttered the lan- 
 guage of denunciation. In this he may have erred, 
 Sut he was always sure to err on the side of love. 
 He preached the terrors of the law and the wrath of 
 God with tenderness and tears. His chosen model 
 was the apostle John, rather than the apostle Paul, 
 
J 
 
 57 
 
 and, like the beloved disciple, he made Jesus and his 
 love his all absorbiii<( theme, but delivered his mes- 
 sage of \v.u'iiin<:^ to thoutrhtless and worldly-minded 
 unbelief, with all tiie fidelity of the "Son of Thun- 
 der." We may apply to him the language used in a 
 criticism of his father's works, wiioiii he is said to 
 have "resembled so much in mind and heart:" "The 
 peculiar charm of Dr. Adams' writings is, that thej^ 
 reflect so much of the image of the living, personal 
 Saviour. He never deals in dry formulas, or ab- 
 stract propositions. He does not undervalue them as 
 expedients for discriminating truth from error, or as 
 repositories for the preservation of acquired knowl- 
 edge. But he is endowed with the pure gift of 
 touching the heart's deepest and tenderest emotions, 
 and of introducing a personal Saviour, warm with 
 human sympathy, into personal intercourse with the 
 soul that is yearning for divine fellowship." 
 
 His sermons were thoroughl}' scriptural. He found 
 no room for the discussion of secular themes, for 
 social and political questions, and current events. He 
 believed in the inspiration of the whole Bible, and, 
 during his twel\-e )-ears ministry here, he .traversed, 
 in his Sabbath and weekly services, the Old and New 
 Testament from Genesis to Revelations, inclusive. He 
 was a diligent student of God's Word. Making a 
 specialt}' of philological and exegetical studies, he 
 aimed to subject the sacred text to a thorough critical 
 anal}'sis. Believing that the average mind appre- 
 hended truth most readily in concrete forms, his ser- 
 mons aud addresses abounded in metaphorical lan- 
 guage and apt illustrations. For this purpose he kept 
 his library well supplied with the latest cyclopedias 
 and books, illustrating Scripture truth from nature. 
 
58 
 
 He also kept a commonplace book, in which he treas- 
 ured up elegant and instructiv^e extracts, that he 
 might enricli his sermons with the best thoughts of 
 the best authors. He was, indeed, " a workman that 
 needed not to be ashamed, thorougly furnished unto 
 good works, rightly dividing the Word of Life, giving 
 to each a portion in due season." The weekly re- 
 sults of such abundant and exhaustive labors must 
 have been interesting, instructive, and edifying. 
 
 As a pastor, Mr. Adams will be remembered with 
 peculiar affection. He made it his first care to be- 
 come thoroughly acquainted with all his flock, to 
 know their exact temporal and spiritual condition. He 
 was interested in everything that interested them. He 
 was no respecter of persons on account of age, 
 condition or color. Like his Master, he felt that his 
 first duty was to those who needed him most. When 
 laboring as an Evangelist among a poor, uncultivated 
 people, a friend writes: " He endeared himself to them 
 by his thoughtful attention to their temporal as well 
 as their spiritual wants ; by his read}' sympathy and 
 ingenious suggestions, in times of privation and trial. 
 Among this simple, affectionate, good people, his 
 memory is cherished with tenderest devotion. Often 
 in their visits to the city for trading purposes, they 
 come to ask me about their " little preacher," alvva}'s 
 expressing the greatest love and gratitude to him. 
 His heart was tenderly moved towards the children of 
 the poor. I have often been amused at the familiar 
 and affectionate greetings in the streets between the 
 bare-footed boys and himself" 
 
 No church in this city, since the war, retained so 
 many colored members. Their strong attachment to 
 the pastor of the Circular Church doubtless arose 
 
59 
 
 from tliis personal and tender interest shown to them 
 indiviciually. I liave frequently been stopped in the 
 street b}' his colored friends, who have spoken of their 
 attachment to him in the warmest terms, and of his 
 personal love and care for them. 
 
 As a pastor, Mr. Adams was the confidante of his 
 people, to whom they could entrust the most sacred 
 secret of the household. They opened their hearts to 
 him, because his own heart was always wide open to 
 them. His smiling face, his cordial giasp of the hand, 
 his cheerful words and .sympathetic manner made you 
 feel that you had in him a warm, sympathizing friend, 
 whom you could take into your confidence, and to 
 whom }'ou could unbosom all your griefs. His prayers 
 at the family altar and at the sick bed will be treasured 
 as among the most precious memories of his people. 
 
 His love for children was one of his most interest- 
 ing traits. He could hardly pass them in the street 
 without taking them in his arms and blessing them. 
 He was tenderly devoted to the lambs of his .flock, 
 and could call tliem by natne. He never failed to recog- 
 nize them on all occasions, and to have a pleasant 
 word for them. " He was a child among children," 
 and drew them to himself, thus securing their confi- 
 dence. One who knew him intimately writes: " His 
 love for children was as marked a peculiarity as his 
 filial devotion. With children in their merry sports 
 he was a child again, and his rippling laughter was 
 merriest and loudest of all. Still he was ever watch- 
 ful for any incident which he could tui n to account, 
 and drop a word in season of spiritual profit. The 
 children loved him e\-erywhere, and I h^ve thought 
 that the good seed sown in Sunda)' Schools will 
 probably yield him his richest harvest." 
 
Go 
 
 Our portraiture of Mr. Adams would be incom- 
 plete without a passing reference to his domestic 
 character. His ideal home was an abode of gladness, 
 where nothing should intrude to mar its peace and 
 harmony. We have already spoken of the shadow 
 ■that rested upon his hearth, while he hovered like an 
 angelic presence above his invalid wife. Rut his 
 genial and mirthful temperament glowed like a per- 
 petual fire, and the chamber of sickness was never 
 dark or gloomy. His assiduous care for the comfort 
 and happiness of those who shared his hospitalit)-, 
 his thoughtful sympathy for the poor, the ignorant 
 and lonely, illustrated tlie Gospel conception of genu- 
 ine Christian courtesy and politeness. If he erred, it 
 was in an overweening desire to please all, to make 
 every one feel happy who came within the sphere of 
 his influence. In June, 1876, his suffering com- 
 panion was called to her heavenly rest. We all know 
 the calm resignation, the brave and manly spirit with 
 which he bore this great sorrow, and the subsequent 
 trials that deepened the shadows of bereavement. 
 These days of darkness were partially relieved by his 
 constant and absorbing ministration to his dying 
 father. This fih'al devotion to his honored parent 
 was something remarkable. W/ien he returned from 
 preaching in a neighboring town and was apprised of 
 his father's death, his demonstrations of grief were 
 deeply affecting. In 1878, after his return to Charles- 
 ton, he was married to Miss Margaret Holmes, of this 
 city, for many years a devoted friend, and one of the 
 most zealous and efficient members of his Church. 
 This congenial and happy union was blessed by the 
 birth of a beautiful and lovely daughter. The open- 
 ing of this long sealed fountain of joy in his lieart and 
 
6i 
 
 the voices of children in his household, completely 
 realized his dream of earthly happiness. He did not 
 live to seethe face of the dear son. William Hooper, 
 who bears his name, and on whom we eainestly pray 
 the father's mantje may fall. 
 
 We have alluded on a tbrmer occasion to Mr. 
 Adams' passionate devotion to the cause of Christian 
 union, on the basis of Christian love, drawing the 
 disciples of a common Saviour into the fellowship of 
 prayer and Christian work. He delighted in these 
 public services in which all denominations could for a 
 season forget their ecclesiastical differences, and heart- 
 ily unite their prayers and praises. He was the 
 most diligent and laborious of us all in the clerical 
 union, the "Bible Society," the Young Men's Associ- 
 ation and the " Evangelical Alliance." We feel that 
 a valuable stream of social and religious influence has 
 been cut off in our midst, and a channel left dry 
 which may never again be filled. It was a stream 
 upon whose waters the sunlight ahvays glistened, 
 which dispensed an influence peculiarly its own, and 
 being confined by no fi.xed channel, overflowed in 
 numbeiless streamlets that ran in all directions, 
 searching for dry and thirsty places that needed most 
 to be refreshed. 
 
 As a Christian man, the character gf Mr. Adams, 
 with all its womanly sweetness and tenderness, was 
 built on the strong foundation of Christian principle. 
 The fair and fragrant blossoms sprang from roots 
 that were nourished with the sap of truth and right- 
 ousness. If any one supposes that this affable and 
 amiable brother was a weak sentimentalist, the opin- 
 ion is grounded in ijjnorance of iiis real character. 
 
62 
 
 The gentler virtues were jewels that had a strong 
 setting. Many will be surprised to know that Ps. 
 xxvi. was his favorite, which he carried in his pocket 
 during the greater part of his ministerial life. The 
 burden of this beautiful song is indicated in tlie first 
 two ver.-^es : "Judge nie, O Lord; for I have walked 
 in mine integrity. I have trusted also in the Lord; 
 therefore I shall not slide. Examine me. O Lord, and 
 prove me, try my reins and my heart." Integrity of 
 character, such as vvould stand the searching exami- 
 nation of God's holy ej-e, this was his ideal. His 
 prayer was answered. God did " examine and prove 
 him." He proved hmi by disappointment, adversity, 
 bereavement and bitter trials. Mistakes and errors of 
 judgment are common to erring humanity, but the 
 integrity of motive, purpose, and principle, shone like 
 gold and silver tried by fire. His steadfast integrity, 
 combined with an unfaltering " trust also in the Lord," 
 constituted the granite basis of his unyielding resolu- 
 tion and obstinate perseverance. His indomitable 
 will never seemed to be embarrassed by difficulties, 
 nor intimidated by the most formidable opposition. 
 Yet in the expression of his opinions, and the advo- 
 cacy of his cause, his modesty and calmness were 
 equal to his firmness and courage. His equanimity 
 was never ruffled by the excitements of passion, and 
 he scorned the mean and cowardly spirit that contends 
 for victory by abusing the character and impuning 
 the motives of his opponent. He never "returned 
 railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing." He 
 could obey the injunction, " bless them that curse you, 
 do good to them that hate you, and pray for them 
 that despitetully use you and persecute you." He 
 would put the most charitable construction upon the 
 
63 
 
 motives of those from whose h'ps he suffered wron<^ 
 and injustice. 
 
 He requited the slanderer with prayers and good 
 wishes, and attributed the calumny to ignorance or 
 prejudice, or a mistaken zeal in the cause of truth. 
 Wc do not regard it as, in itself, any credit to a man 
 who has led a public life, to die without an eneni}'. 
 It w^is the glory of the Ideal Man that he died with 
 so fjw friends to mourn liim, and the glorious apostle 
 made a host of enemies " by telling them the truth." 
 If there be one living who can cherish a feeling of 
 enmit}' towards this beloved brother, it must have 
 been excited by what he regarded the faithful dis- 
 charge of iiis duty, not by any natural disposition of 
 his character. 
 
 And now, dear friends, let me close this " labor of 
 love." which you have been pleased to entrust to me, 
 because I knew your lamented pastor so well, which 
 I could wish had been committed to abler and 
 v/orthier hands. But justice to our honoied friend 
 requires me to add, that had he been an entire 
 stranger to me, I could say every word that I have said 
 to-night, from the materials which his numerous 
 friends, Noith and South, have placed in my hands. 
 This feeble portraiture, of one whose memory de- 
 serves to be better honored, was not drawn from my 
 own conceptions of his character, nor is it modified 
 by the paitialities of friendship. I have only mixed 
 and put u[3on the canvass as well as I coulci the colors 
 that were given to me by others. There remains only 
 one finishing stroke. I believe I have vindicated his 
 title to be placed in the gallery of earnest men, by 
 showing that he lived a life of active, untiring indus- 
 trv. He was never idle. He was hard at work, and 
 
64 
 
 preparing for new labors, when the Master called 
 him. His triumphant death was a fitting close to 
 such a life. So faithful!)' did he preach and illustrate 
 the gospel of Grace, that a member of his Presbytery 
 remarked that Bro. Adams was " peneti-ated with the 
 Gospel through and through." Death to such a 
 man is but a step from Grace to (jlory. He has gone 
 to join the "great congregation," which he saw in his 
 heavenly vision— the " great multitude wliich no man 
 can number, of all nations, and kindred, and people, 
 and tongues, standing before the throne, and before 
 the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palms 
 in their hands." 
 
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES ! 
 
 This book is due on the date indicated below, or at the 
 expiration of a definite period after the date of borrowing, as 
 provided by the library rules or by special arrangement with 
 the Librarian in charge. 
 
 DATE BORROWCO 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
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 DATE DUE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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SS^lt7'^:^^«s,ry 
 
 U0355 19940 
 
 938.21 
 
 Adl94 
 
 A memorial of the late Rev. 
 William H. Adams, for twelve 
 years pasto r of the Cir cular 
 "^^i^rch, «harlestdnr"S. C 
 
 BWTTLEDOjiOt 
 PHOTOCOPY 
 
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