LIFE OF REV. THOMAS M. EDDY, D.D.
By CHARLES N. SIMS, D.D.
With an Introduction by BISHOP SIMPSON,
D.D., LL.D,
New York: Phillips & Hunt. Cincinnati: Hitchcock & Walden.
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NOTICES OF THE WORK.
The story of Dr. Eddy's life, in its every part, as well as whole, is an inspiration to the reader in the direction of the most untiring activities and the intensest personal devotion to the best interests of Church and country.—Christian Advocate.
What a man! what a book! Nearly all the great men I have ever known grow smaller in books; but Dr. Eddy is certainly an exception. Exalted as were my ideas of the man, since reading the book they are higher and broader than ever before.—J. T. PECK, Bishop M. E. Ch.
The life of Dr. Eddy, whose praise is in all the Churches, has been very finely sketched in these pages by his earnest friend and admirer, Dr. Sims. The author indulges in no fulsome praise, but gives a picture of the distinguished preacher, in all his eloquence and power, as he appeared to those who listened to his inspiring words, as an editor wielding the ready pen, and as a man in his social, family, and private life. As a whole, it is an intensely interesting biography, gratifying to his friends, satisfactory to the Church and to all who knew him, and a valuable addition to Church literature. A very life-like steel portrait accompanies the book.—Western Christian Advocate.
Let every young preacher read these pages. They will direct, encourage, cheer. Not to every one, not to many, are given his talents, but all can use those given them as faithfully as he used his, and with their one win as happy a prize as his ten gained him.—G. HAVEN, Bishop M. E. Church.
If you wish to review your pleasant associations connected with Dr. Eddy, do not fail to obtain and read this biography. It is a leaf of life, and, if you knew the man, your own life has taken some color from it, as the living leaf reflects its brighter hues in the stream below. —Methodist.
page: 2[View Page 2]Mrs. Eddy has given years of patient labor in gathering materials, which have been woven with rare taste and judgment by Dr. Sims. The vivid picture of this life is not overdrawn, and it will rank with the few biographies that will long edify the living, and all denominations may read it with profit and instruction.—Pittsburgh Telegraph.
Dr. Eddy's high personal qualities, his singleness of heart, the cordial humanity of his nature, his abounding hopefulness, his prompt and unfaltering courage and contagious enthusiasm, exercise their potent influence from the written page. He has been singularly fortunate in his biographer, who clearly, concisely, and vivaciously portrays his subject without ever veiling him behind his own personality. Certainly this book will do great good.—L. M. VERNON, Rome, Italy.
His biographer has, with admirable delicacy of touch, given us the delineation of his character. The book is written in the spirit of warm, admiring friendship, but with evident candor and just discrimination. It is a capital book for Sunday-school youth, preachers—and every body. Loving hearts have culled wisely, and outlined the book, and Dr. Sims has let the story tell itself.—Northern Chris. Advocate.
This is a very handsomely published volume. It is the biography of a man whose life was, with large intelligence, devoted to doing good. —Chicago Inter-Ocean.
The perusal of this biography is very encouraging indeed to a Christian reader of any period of life.—Interior.
For more than sixty years I have been reading the lives of English and American ministers. Permit me to say that Dr. Sims' "Life of Eddy" is fully up to my ideal of religious biography.—Rev. AARON Wood, D.D.
The thousands who drew so closely to Dr. Eddy will read this book with a feeling that they are again almost in his presence. Accurate dates, public and private letters, personal incident, and clear portraiture, give the book a keen relish.—North-western Christian Advocate.
It is well done and exceedingly interesting. It is a just tribute to the memory of one whose name will long live in the annals of the Church.—J. M. REID, D.D., Miss. Sec.
The "Life" of this eminent minister, compiled from authentic sources by his early friend, Rev. Dr. C. N. Sims, of Brooklyn, is just page: 3[View Page 3] issued. It is a deeply interesting and edifying narrative, and presents the character of the lamented missionary secretary in its most impressive traits.—Central Christian Advocate.
Dr. Sims has displayed the rare talent of investing every incident of life with an interest which charms the reader, and at the same time of giving his more public and important acts their due prominence and position. The book will certainly be extensively read, and will prove a blessing to the Church.—Mrs. BISHOP HAMLINE.
The volume of Dr. Sims is an appropriate tribute to this highly esteemed Christian minister. The Introduction by Bishop Simpson is graceful and impressive, and the biography is characterized by good taste, simplicity, and a judicious selection of the most interesting facts and traits in the life of a truly good and great man.—Chicago Tribune.
This book commends itself especially to the Methodists of Baltimore, where the subject of it was so greatly honored and loved. The first thing that strikes you on opening it is the life-like picture which adorns the front. Scarcely less life-like is his portrait in the pages of the book, as drawn by the appreciative pen of his life-long acquaintance and friend, Dr. C. N. Sims, the author. From commencement to close his life was one of singular beauty, and of entire devotion to the service of his Master.—Baltimore Methodist.
The first book I have read since the close of my lecture season is the "Life of Dr. Eddy." So many-sided he was in all ecclesiastical relations, more than a man in each of the quadruple positions he filled so grandly, minister and church dedicator, editor and missionary secretary. And the racy sketches of his early pastoral life in Southern Indiana in the pioneer times are more charming than pictures of romance. Not the least interesting of all are the glimpses into his inner life through his letters.—SCHUYLER COLFAX, Ex- Vice-President.
Dr. Eddy was a man of the present time, a real, living character, in fullest sympathy with his age and environments; active, earnest, and of sufficient abilities to make his career in life worthy to be recorded and studied. The author has honored himself in honoring his departed friend.—Rev. D. CURRY, D.D., in National Repository.
Like his Master, Dr. Eddy is still "with us," and with us "to abide." All that was most Christ-like and precious as an influence of grace is page: 4[View Page 4] still doing its work in the wide world as well as in the hearts "that have made for him a shrine." And that work which he loved can hardly fail to receive a fresh impulse from this book.—Mrs. MARY LOWE DICKINSON.
The life of the late Rev. Dr. Eddy I have read and reread with increasing interest. His life and history are a priceless legacy to his family, as they are also to the Church and to the world.—WM. L. HARRIS, Bishop M. E. Church.
The volume will be read with melancholy pleasure by those who have still a vivid memory of the man, and with profit by all, as the picture of a truly manly man, an earnest Christian, an eloquent pulpit orator, and a faithful and eminently successful minister of the Gospel.—Zion's Herald.
I hope this book will have a large circulation, for whoever reads it cannot fail to consecrate himself more fully to the service of the Master.—Mrs. L. H. DAGGETT, Boston, Mass.
It is a book which interests me deeply, stimulates to a more active zeal, suggests new thoughts, and new views of old truths. I wish it could find its way into all youths' libraries throughout the land.—JAMES HARRIS, Canada.
Were it for nothing else, the work of Dr. Sims would merit praise for the method it pursues. The plan is not labor-saving. It contemplates a portraiture of Dr. Eddy as a man and Christian worker, to be drawn from whatever material can be laid under contribution. The execution of it leaves the reader with a pleasing impression that it has well achieved its aim. The narrative is of cumulative interest, enlivened at times with incident, and garnished here and there with extracts from his correspondence. The style is well adapted to its purpose; is simple, perspicuous, at times rising into eloquence. While the book bears throughout the impress of ardent personal friendship, and at times takes on a chastened tone of admiration, it is singularly free from any thing like mere panegyric. The specimens of Dr. Eddy's work, as writer, preacher, and platform speaker, presented in the book, will pleasingly recall their gifted author to the thousands once familiar with his voice and pen. A warmly appreciative and finely written essay by Bishop Simpson on the life and work of Dr. Eddy page: 5[View Page 5] forms a valuable introduction to the book.—Rev. J. A. M'CAULEY, D.D., President of Dickinson College.
The biography of Rev. Dr. T. M. Eddy is a real contribution to missionary literature, and a memorial monument of a burning and shining light in the Church.—Western Christinn Advocate.
The thanks of the Church are due to Rev. Dr. C. N. Sims, for the admirable manner in which he has executed the trust reposed in him, of writing the "Life of Dr. Thomas M. Eddy." It has evidently been with him a labor of love. I have just read every word of it, and, from the beginning of the volume to its close, was thoroughly and intensely interested. I feel that I have renewed my acquaintance with the great soul of Dr. Eddy. From my heart I commend the book to all, young and old, ministry and laity. It is the record of a successful life in the pastorate of our Church, begun in ill-health, continued in toil, sacrifice, and suffering, and closed in wonderful triumph. I advise that the chapter which records the dying scene be read first of all; that the reader may then begin the book, and advance, step by step, along a pathway lit up by the glory of that dying hour, and the exceeding brightness of that crown that, in the very presence of the weeping Church he loved so well, descended upon his victorious brow. Since the day that Edward Payson lay panting in bodily anguish, yet crying in fullness of joy and certainty of faith, "The celestial city is full in view; its odors are wafted to me; its songs strike my ear; its spirit is breathed into my heart!"—since that day there has been no such instance of complete, sustained victory in death, lasting for days, until the very gates of heaven were kept open long enough to flood the Church with a light "that is not born of sun or star." May this book find a place in every pastor's library, in every family library, in every Sabbath-school library, in the whole Church. It will quicken zeal, kindle faith, inspire hope, mold character, nerve to high purpose, and bring many souls to Jesus.—Rev C. C. M'CABE, D.D.
This is a work of singular value to the whole religious public. We have here the picture of one of the most intense and devoted lives in our whole Methodist history. Every young man who hopes to serve the Master's cause ought to read it, and think over the real grounds, for the rare usefulness of this noble character. The author has been page: 6[View Page 6] both just and appreciative. He has used his materials with discrimination, and has made the Church his debtor for the setting in which he has placed this jewel.—JOHN F. HURST, D.D., President of Drew Theological Seminary.
I knew Dr. Eddy well, and esteemed him very highly. He was a man to be not only admired, but enjoyed and loved. Few men inspire or bestow such friendship as he did. His biographer has caught the subtle aroma of his spirit, and has drawn him to the life; rather has photographed him truly, for he is made to shine in his own light.—CYRUS D. FOSS, D.D., President of Wesleyan University.
This was an admirable and industrious life, sketched in an admirable way by a no less industrious Methodist preacher. Long and intimate acquaintance, added to a vivid sympathy with the laborious methods of Dr. Eddy, makes his biographer perhaps the most fitted, among all the friends who survive Dr. Eddy, to write his life. Dr. Eddy was a typical Methodist preacher—"in labors abundant," in enthusiasm unfailing, sympathetic with the individual, and magnetic in presence of the crowd—he went from position to position, cheerfully acquiescing in the habit of the Church, and adorning each succeeding place which he filled more than the one which he vacated. He was a growing man, and died in his prime. A man of less energy would have yielded long before to ill health, and few robust men would have accomplished so much. Perhaps the twelve years in which Dr. Eddy was editor of the North-Western Christian Advocate were the most arduous, and certainly the most influential, of his life. He was eminently suited to be the editor of a religious newspaper in the North-west. For in the editorial chair, as well as in the pulpit, his eloquence was free from bombast, his religion devoid of cant, and his cheerfulness never offended by familiarity. Dr. Sims has done the work of a biographer well. He has put into the simplest form his own admiration of his friend, and has given to the young men of the Church an excellent picture of a devoted, gifted, and industrious Methodist preacher. The perfect likeness engraved for a frontispiece for the book is not a more striking picture of the original than are the pages of "The Life" themselves. An introduction to Dr. Sims' work is written by Bishop Simpson.—Christian Union.
page: [][View Page []] page: [][View Page []] page: [][View Page []] page: [][View Page []][View Figure]T.M Eddy
THE LIFE
OF
REV. THOMAS M. EDDY, D.D.
BY
CHARLES N. SIMS, D.D.
WITH AN INTRODUCTION
BY REV. BISHOP SIMPSON, D.D.,
LL.D.
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"He was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people
was
added unto the Lord."
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NEW YORK:
PHILLIPS & HUNT
CINCINNATI
HITCIICOCK & WALDEN.
1880
Copyright 1879, by
MRS. ANNA W. EDDY,
Chicago, Ill.
[View Figure]Frontispiece
EPIGRAPH
"Life's more than breath and the quick round of blood;
'Tis a great
spirit and a busy heart.
*********************
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."
PREFACE.
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A LIFE-LONG acquaintance with Dr. Eddy, a familiarity with the localities amid which he spent the years of his early ministry, a residence near him during the period of his editorial life, a pastorate in the same city most of the time he was in Baltimore, a home in a neighboring city while he was engaged in the missionary secretaryship, and an intimate personal friendship with him for more than twenty years, are the reasons why the writer, when asked to undertake it, ventured upon the task of preparing this volume.
He has not consciously exaggerated a virtue or talent in presenting the character of his subject. He knew of no faults which could throw a shadow over that bright name, whose luster ever increased until he who bore it went up to put on the crown and the white robe of the redeemed in heaven.
Great care has been taken to verify, as far as possible, every statement, date, and incident, and we hope that few mistakes have crept in.
page: 6[View Page 6]To Mrs. Eddy, his widow, we are indebted almost wholly for the materials from which the book has been prepared. She brings this offering as a tribute of affection to the dear one gone, having determined to devote any profits that may arise from the sale of the work to the missionary cause, which he loved so well, and to whose service his last years were given.
We believe that the story of this noble, consecrated, intensely busy life will be a blessing to all who come to know it.
C. N. S.
BROOKLYN, March 1, 1879.
page: [7][View Page [7]]CONTENTS.
* * * * *
CHAPTER I.
ANCESTRY.
CHAPTER II.
BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD OF THOMAS MEARS EDDY.
CHAPTER III.
LIFE ON THE FARM.
CHAPTER IV.
FIRST YEAR IN THE MINISTRY—MANCHESTER
CIRCUIT.
CHAPTER V.
CANAAN CIRCUIT.
CHAPTER VI.
LEXINGTON CIRCUIT AND SALEM STATION.
CHAPTER VII.
RISING SUN STATION.
CHAPTER VIII.
A GROUP OF PEN PICTURES.
CHAPTER IX.
VEVAY CIRCUIT.
CHAPTER X.
JEFFERSONVILLE STATION.
CHAPTER XI.
THIRD-STREET, MADISON.
CHAPTER XII.
BROOKVILLE STATION.
CHAPTER XIII.
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY AGENCY.
CHAPTER XIV.
PRESIDING ELDERSHIP.
CHAPTER XV.
EDITORIAL LIFE.
CHAPTER XVI.
OUTSIDE WORK.
CHAPTER XVII.
A BROKEN YEAR.
CHAPTER XVIII.
CHARLES-STREET, BALTIMORE.
CHAPTER XIX.
HIS LIFE IN THE FAMILY.
CHAPTER XX.
METROPOLITAN CHURCH.
CHAPTER XXI.
MISSIONARY SECRETARYSHIP.
CHAPTER XXII.
LIFE IN NEW YORK.
CHAPTER XXIII.
CLOSING LABORS.
CHAPTER XXIV.
ILLNESS AND DEATH.
CHAPTER XXV.
A WREATH OF IMMORTELLES.
INTRODUCTION.
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TO preserve some trace of departed loved ones is a longing of the human heart. It is an instinct that prophesies of immortality. Our friends have left us, but we feel that they are not wholly gone. Their presence seems to linger about us with a hallowing, sacred influence, as a conviction of continued being, and as a hope of anticipated reunion. The ancient Egyptians embalmed their dead, and for long years retained their presence. At an early period monuments were erected, of costly and enduring character, to perpetuate the name and deeds of the illustrious departed. But time has made a mockery of these monuments, in that, while the structures remain, the memory of those for whom they were erected has utterly perished. The tombs in the vicinity of Jerusalem, the massive pyramids near Cairo, are without tenants. The names of the builders are, in many instances, unknown. The Roman poet aptly said of the work which he had written, "Exegi monumentum perennius œre;" and his works are in the hands of students long centuries since monuments, tombs, and epitaphs have passed away. The written page embalms our friends more perfectly than the physician's art with costliest preparations. It preserves, also, not so much the memory of the physical form and features, as of the page: 12[View Page 12] nobler parts of being—the mind and heart, the lofty conceptions, the noble aspirations, the earnest affections and sympathies, which glowed in life's happiest hours. The Bible sanctifies this longing of the heart in its utterance, "The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance." The biographies of those who by their efforts obtained distinction and eminence are of great interest to the young. They wish to know how such men commenced their career; what were their habits, their studies, their associations; by what steps they rose, slowly or rapidly, to eminence and fame. The example of such men stimulates the young to exertion; and a noble life thus reproduces itself in the aspirations and exertions of others. Though we have no record of a word which fell from the lips of Abel, yet his devotion to worship, his obedience to the divine command in the midst of danger, have come down the ages, and it is said of him, "He, being dead, yet speaketh." So, a noble life: the resistance of temptation, the struggling amid difficulties, the constant and steady upward ascent displayed in a beautiful Christian career, afford lessons of instruction and profit to the young.
As we press a beautiful flower, and recall by its form the memory of the perfume which it once exhaled, so, as we read the events and utterances in the life of a loved friend, we recall his presence, we see again the sparkle of his eye, we listen to the intonations of his voice, we see his form in all the intense earnestness of active life. His words, though choice and beautiful of themselves, have to us their chief interest in the associations which they awaken, and the memories of life which they bring back to us again.
page: 13[View Page 13]For these and other reasons I was gratified to learn that the life of my friend, the Rev. Thomas M. Eddy, D.D., was about to be published; that the materials had been carefully collected and arranged, as a work of love, by Mrs. Eddy, who from his youth up had not only shared his sorrows and his joys, but had sympathized with him in all his efforts—who had ever co-operated with him by her affectionate tenderness and her wise counsels. I was also pleased to learn that the preparation of the work had been confided to the Rev. Dr. Sims, whose earlier life had been spent in the same State, and who had been identified with many of the interests for which Dr. Eddy, in his earlier years, had labored. Prepared by such hands, I have no doubt the work will be a valuable one; not only portraying the characteristics of our departed friend, but so exhibiting them as to exercise an influence which shall linger about us for years to come. It is one of the properties of the atmosphere that, by its refractive power, it gives us a view of the sun after it has passed below the horizon. So by these sketches the images of loved ones and the memory of their virtues remain with us after they have passed beyond the boundaries of life.
I was for many years acquainted with the father of Dr. Eddy, who was one of the prominent members of the Ohio Conference, and who was subsequently transferred to Indiana. He was a man of more than ordinary stature and physical power; he enjoyed excellent health, had traveled extensively on circuits and districts, and had also filled a number of the most prominent stations. His voice was clear and melodious, his manner was persuasive and oftentimes deeply pathetic, and he was page: 14[View Page 14] recognized as one of the most active and influential members of his Conference. He was an early and intimate friend of Bishop Morris, and of the older and more influential members of the Ohio Conference; and when he removed to Indiana he at once took rank among the leading minds of the Conference. I had the pleasure of serving as a co-delegate with him in the long and exciting General Conference of 1844.
Owing to the position and associations of his father, Dr. Eddy was brought into personal acquaintanceship with the leading minds of the Church, and was early inspired with a love for the doctrines and economy of Methodism, as well as with a strong attachment to, and reverence for, the older ministers. Early in life he received a fair education, and, being fond of reading and study, made such improvement as gave promise of coming usefulness. I remember well the Conference at which he was admitted on probation, and which sat, in 1842, in Centerville, Indiana. His father was presiding elder of the district, and the son was present during the Con- ference. He was then slender and lithe, had a bright, sparkling eye, a manly and frank countenance, and displayed great vivacity of spirit. The session of the Conference was an interesting one. In addition to its ordinary services he listened to a beautiful and thrilling address from the lips of Bishop Janes, who at that time was Secretary of the American Bible Society, and who was visiting the western conferences in discharge of his official duties.
Dr. Eddy received his first appointment from Bishop Morris, and was second preacher on the Manchester Circuit. His first three appointments were as junior page: 15[View Page 15] preacher; two of these years he was under the charge of his father as presiding elder. Thus, under the tuition and supervision of experienced ministers, he learned, practically, the work of a Methodist preacher. He pursued his conference studies with diligence, and preached with energy and zeal, and was early instrumental in promoting revivals of religion. The old circuit system was well calculated to indoctrinate and develop the younger ministers, who gave their time and attention to study and preaching, without being burdened with the cares of administration, or the responsibilities of directing the affairs of the Church. The exercise on horseback, the invigorating influences of the open air, the change of company and scenery, the diversity in the training and character of the people, were advantageous for health, for the study of human nature, and for social and mental improvement. The supervision of the older ministers, their spirit of deep devotion, their practical example and instruction in the work of preaching and of the pastorate, had some advantages which cannot be gained even in the best theological seminaries. The association of Dr. Eddy in these formative years of his ministry was with men who, without great culture, were wonderfully successful in winning souls for Christ. He early imbibed their spirit, caught what was excellent in their manner and plans, and he retained through life the impress thus received. Well would it be for the Church if, in addition to its changes and improvements, there might be some way in which this practical association and supervision of older ministers could still be secured.
Being frequently on the examining committee, I page: 16[View Page 16] enjoyed the opportunity of noticing his progress in theological study, as well as in other elements of ministerial power. Year by year he added to the stores of his knowledge, and by his singleness of purpose and devtion to his work became both successful and popular. A few months after I left Indiana, in 1848, he was stationed in Jeffersonville, and from that time forth occupied the prominent positions of the Conference. While youthful in appearance, cheerful and sprightly, he was ever watchful over all the interests of the Church, and his mind was prolific in measures for its prosperity and enlargement. During the sessions of Conference he was present to witness the deliberations, and he carefully noted whatever occurred, modestly taking part in the discussions and deliberations, and thus he early became a general favorite.
After the death of Dr. J. V. Watson, Editor of the "North-western Christian Advocate," in 1856, Dr. Eddy was selected by the Book Committee and the Bishops as his successor. From that period onward his life and history were more fully known to the Church. As an editor he displayed unusual tact and sprightliness. He fearlessly discussed all questions of public interest, being thoroughly conservative in his attachment to the doctrines and usages of the Church, while, at the same time, he was an early and unwavering friend of the cause of freedom and of human rights. In the antislavery controversy his editorials were sharp and ringing, and he helped, in no small degree, to form the opinions of the North-west. He was, also, the early and consistent friend of Lay Delegation in the general councils of the Church, and labored efficiently in promoting its interests, page: 17[View Page 17] until he had the pleasure of seeing the measure consummated, in the General Conference of 1872. It was my lot to reside from 1859 to 1863 at Evanston, in the vicinity of Chicago, and I had the full opportunity to witness his personal and editorial career during that season of unusual anxiety and excitement. His love for the Union led him to its most earnest advocacy. Both by his pen and by his public addresses he encouraged the soldiers in the army, and aided the Christian and Sanitary Commissions. So active was he, and so widely known and appreciated were his exertions, that at the close of the war he was selected to write the part which Illinois had in that great conflict. In the meantime he was diligent in editorial duties. I frequently saw him in the city, both in his office and in his pleasant and hospitable home, and had the opportunity of noticing how closely and earnestly he was devoted to his work. He was so popular as a pulpit speaker that his services were sought in all directions. So successful was he in collecting money at the dedication of churches, and in assisting those which were embarrassed, that few new churches were erected within two or three hundred miles of Chicago, at the dedication of which his services were not sought. Not unfrequently, after writing all day in his office, he took the cars in the evening, and, riding from one hundred and fifty to two hundred miles, preached the next day; soliciting money, and returned again by night, to be in his office the succeeding morning. He also felt a deep interest in the founding of literary institutions, and he labored earnestly and effectively to place them on broader foundations.
Retiring from his editorial career in 1868, he took page: 18[View Page 18] charge of the Charles-street Church, in Baltimore, and under his ministerial care the congregation erected the beautiful edifice known as the Mount Vernon Place Church, an edifice which is second to none in the United States. I had full opportunity during his pastoral term to observe his unusual energy, devotion, and tact. While that edifice stands he will need no other monument.
In 1872, Dr. Eddy was elected by the highest ballot as one of the three missionary secretaries. From his youth he had felt a deep interest inthe missionary cause; he had frequently plead for it in the pulpit and on the platform, and the work was in entire harmony with the whole tendencies of his mind. To it he gave with unwavering fidelity the last two years of his life, writing in the office, corresponding with missionaries in the field, traveling to and fro to stir up the Church. He thus aided in infusing energy and activity wherever he went. He was always a welcome visitor at the Annual Conferences. His frank manner, his cordial greeting, his sympathetic interest in his brethren, and his readiness to speak or preach when duty seemed to require, inspired toward him unusual esteem and affection. His missionary addresses were clear, instructive, and powerful, and frequently awakened great enthusiasm.
I last saw him alive at the Chicago German Conference, some two or three weeks before his death. He had been visiting the Conference in Wisconsin, delivering addresses, and preaching to various congregations. When he stopped at Chicago he told me he had been suffering occasionally great pain, the cause of which he could not well understand; but in the midst of his page: 19[View Page 19] sufferings he was so earnest in his duties that while speaking no one would suspect that he was under the influence of pain. His whole heart was engaged with earnest solicitude for the success of the cause of missions, and I never saw him more deeply pious and more thoroughly devoted to his work than during the period of that last visit to the Conference and to my own room. No marvel that on his dying bed he often exclaimed, "Forward is the word!"
In his personal habits Dr. Eddy was diligent and systematic, a close student, a ready writer. In his family he was the center of social influences, tender and affectionate, and yet firm and decided. In society he was a general favorite, and he was greatly beloved by the Churches which he served, as well as by those who were intimately associated with him in labor. He wrote with great rapidity and unusual sprightliness, and a racy style marked all his pulpit utterances. He was a man of strong convictions, deeply in earnest, and his whole powers were concentrated on the work of doing good. In the young people of the Church he ever felt a deep interest, and was successful in drawing them closely around him. A lover of Sunday-schools, he was ever happy in addressing them. His mind was unusually fertile in devising ways and means to edify and strengthen the Church. He was a special favorite at camp-meeting services. His voice was clear and strong, and, when excited, it rang out with unusual power, holding immense audiences completely under control. He had much of that magnetic influence which is not easily described, but which powerfully impresses large congregations.
page: 20[View Page 20]Personally, I prized him highly. He was, from our first acquaintance, my true and devoted friend. I spent many hours with him in pleasant conversation, and frequently he was associated with me in ministerial services. I ever found him ready to take more than his full share of labor and toil. In all his associations he dispensed sunshine wherever he went—cheerful and buoyant, sprightly and vivacious, and yet at the same time deeply and devotedly pious. Seldom have I been more shocked than when, on my return to the East, I learned that he was in a dangerous condition, and the next day the telegraph brought news of his death. Seldom have I been called upon to speak on an occasion, to me, of more mournful interest than when, at St. Paul's Church, New York, I attended the last services connected with his funeral rites. Why such a workman was cut down in the midst of his usefulness, when the Church so greatly needed his labor and his counsels, we are not now permitted to know. We can only say, "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."
I trust that this biographical volume may have a wide circulation, and that the example of his life, his early devotion to the cause of Christ, his unwavering attach- ment to the Church, and his manifold services in its behalf, may inspire many a young man to follow his glorious example.
M. SIMPSON.
PHILADELPHIA, March 3, 1879.
