In Memoriam.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5190, 22 December 1884, Page 3

In Memoriam.

I THE RANGIORA ACCIDENT. j At the John Knox Presbyteiian Church, ■ Eangiora, "yesterday, the services in con- ; nection with the funerals of those who i lost their lives in the recent railway accident were held, the pulpit and organ being ; draped in black. In the morning the Rev J. Elinslie, M.A., of Christchurch, conducted the service, and preached from the text — Malachi, 3 eh., 6 v., " I am ■ the Lord, I change not." In the evening the Rev J. A. Dawson officiated and preached a comforting sermon from the text— Corinthians, 15 eh., 57 v. At the conclusion of his sermon he said : I have now, my hearers, to di'aw your atten- : tion more immediately to the sad event ' whiah occupies every mind here this night with serious thoughts, and every heart with feelings of grief more or less painful. : Let me speak therefore first of David Niven Koir. There is something in the suddenness of | his decease which reminds us of the prompt obedience of Mose3 to the command ' of the Lord, "Go up to Mount Nebo and die •" only in the case of our departed friend there was not given the smallest warning of the near approach of death. Like Moses, he was 'i called away in the midst of his labours; not ! advanced in years, like the great leader, but in ,the brightaess of youth, full of ; bodily strength and mental activity. Like Moses, I believe he was prepared to die. The new creation in Christ Jesus was made manifest in his life of purity, temperance, brotherly kindness, and charity j and many a time there came full from his heart the expressions of sentiments which showed that he had been trained in the school of Christ. When we consider all this, and in connection with it the various relations in which he was placed, and the duties the relations imposed upon hira, we are ready to think and say that he has left a blank which cannot. soon be supplied. . He was an affectionate son, brother, and friend. He was a most devoted adherent of this Church, and from his boyhood an earnest worker in the Sabbath school. He most cheerfully applied his whole strength \ to further and complete 'every enterprise \ in which as a congregation you have been i engaged ; and in all his intercourse with ! members and families of this congregation, as many will bear witness, he sought to • promote and did promote peace and goodwill. What a blank here ! He was a true friend to me, ever helping, cheering, and comforting. No doubt whatever, the loss sustained by his family, his friends, and his church is great, but it is not » all loss. To that family, now overwhelmed with grief, he has left a legacy of sacred memories ; and, brethren, j if the spirit which moved him in all the duties he so faithfully discharged here has been imparted to thispeoplej and especially to his fellow teachers and workers, so as to i lead them on to labour unceasingly for the 1 best interests of this people, will not the blank which now seems so dark and discouraging, {by his death be filled up? Brethren, the greatest tribute of respect which you can pay to the memory of the departed is to cherish with fond affection his life of Christian usefulness and selfdevotion, and strive to be a follower of him as he was of Christ. The choir here sang Hymn No. 28i ] from Sankey's collection, "'t will not be long — our journey here," which, was a favourite with both the deceased. •• Mr Dawson then Baid let me now refer to that other friend who has been taken away from this church and community, and from that home in which I have lived almost continually since* coming to the Colony — Margaret Morrall. I have often said before from this pulpit in regard to character and life — j What is the tincture of the skin • j If all's not peace and Imppiness within j and so thinking, I find it not difficult to put into a few sentences a just estimate of that life which wa3 so deeply hid and yet so often beautifully and cleaily exhibited' by manifest fruits of righteousness. In her character lay a goodness, a sweetness, a breadth of love which made her presence pursuasive, influencing all who enjoyed her acquaintance, and making them feel happier for the association. She won the heart by no effort of her own, but by the attraction of her genuineness. Many and many a home ha 3 been adorned and gladdened by her presence in their midst. From her earliest years she feared and loved God, and from him she received strength in her greatest/ need. As a member of our church choir since its organisation, she has ever displayed a most lively interest in its progress, and in the welfare of its members. .One of her companions has well said, " To know Margaret Morrall was to love and respect her, and there is no one left to fill her place." The choir then sang, " Are you Coming Home To-night," No. 397, Sankey's collection, this being the last hymn the deceased young lady sang on earth. During the time the offertory was being taken Mr Dawson referred to the widespread sympathy displayed towards the bereaved and sufferers, reading, letters received from the Rev Father Binsfeld, and from the Rev Dr Stuart, of Knox Church, Dunedin. The _choir afterwards sang " Vital Spark," the service concluding with the well-known hymn " For ever with the Lord " and the Benediction, the " Dead March" being played as a retiring voluntary. At both services the church was crowded, several being unable to gain admission in the evening. A large choir, composed of the members of the different church choirs in the town, led the service of praise in the evening, under the conductorship of Mr T. G. Smith, of Ashley. The sad event was referred to in all the churches in the place, special sermons being preached in some.