,,works ,,of ,,william ,,elliot ,,griffis1 ,d4,d41 ,l4,h4,d4 ,,japan4 ,the ,mikado's ,empire2 ,history to #aijb and ,personal ,experiences4 7,harpers47 ,matthew ,calbraith ,perry1 a ,typical ,american ,naval ,officer4 7,houghton1 ,mifflin ,co47 ,townsend ,harris1 ,first ,american ,envoy in ,japan4 7,houghton1 ,mifflin ,co47 ,verbeck of ,japan2 ,a ,citizen of ,no ,country4 ,a ,story of ,foundation ,work ,inaugurated by ,guido ,fridolin ,verbeck4 7,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,co47 ,a ,maker of the ,new ,orient4 ,samuel ,robbins ,brown1 ,pioneer ,educator in ,china1 ,america1 and ,japan4 7,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,co47 ,japan1 in ,history1 ,folk-lore1 and ,art4 7,houghton1 ,mifflin ,co47 ,in the ,mikado's ,service4 ,a ,story of ,two ,battle ,summers in ,china4 7,w4 ,a4 ,wilde ,co47 ,corea1 the ,hermit ,nation4 ,part ,i4 ,ancient1 ,medieval and ,modern ,history4 ,part ,,ii4 ,social ,life1 ,literature1 ,art1 ,folk-lore1 ,proverbs1 ,recent ,events1 etc4 7,charles ,scribner's ,sons47 ,,holland4 ,the ,american in ,holland4 ,sentimental ,rambles in the ,eleven ,provinces of the ,netherlands4 7,houghton1 ,mifflin ,co47 ,brave ,little ,holland1 and ,what ,she ,taught ,us4 7,houghton1 ,mifflin ,co47 ,the ,student's ,motley1 being ,the ,rise of the ,dutch ,republic1 by ,j4 ,r4 ,motley1 condensed to #fij pages in six parts4 ,part ,,vii3 ,history of the ,dutch ,nation from #aehd to #ahig4 7,harpers47 ,young ,people's ,history of ,holland4 7,houghton1 ,mifflin ,co47 ,,american ,,history4 ,the ,romance of ,discovery2 ,a ,thousand ,years of ,exploration and the ,unveiling of ,continents4 7,w4 ,a4 ,wilde ,co47 ,the ,romance of ,american ,colonization4 ,how the ,foundations of ,our ,history were ,laid4 7,w4 ,a4 ,wilde ,co47 ,the ,romance of ,conquest4 ,the ,story of ,american ,expansion through ,arms and ,diplomacy4 7,w4 ,a4 ,wilde ,co47 ,the ,pilgrims in their ,three ,homes3 ,england1 ,holland1 and ,america4 7,houghton1 ,mifflin ,co47 ,america in the ,east4 ,a ,glance at our ,history1 ,prospects1 ,problems1 and ,duties in the ,pacific ,ocean4 7,a4 ,s4 ,barnes ,co47 ,the ,pathfinders of the ,revolution4 ,a ,story of the ,great ,march into the ,wilderness and ,lake ,region of ,new ,york in #aggi4 7,w4 ,a4 ,wilde ,co47 ,john ,chambers1 and ,his ,ministry in ,philadelphia4 #a vol4 #hvo4 ,pp4 #agb1 with two portraits1 index1 etc4 ,price1 one dollar1 postpaid4 7,andrus ,church1 ,ithaca1 ,n4 ,y47 ,sunny ,memories of ,three ,pastorates1 in 7,schenectady1 ,boston1 and ,ithaca71 with a ,selection of ,sermons and ,essays4 #a vol4 ,illust4 ,price1 #a4 ,ithaca1 ,n4 ,y4 7,andrus ,church47 ,,biblical4 ,the ,lily ,among ,thorns4 ,a ,study of the ,biblical ,drama ,entitled1 ,the ,song of ,songs4 7,houghton1 ,mifflin ,co47 ,,john ,,chambers ,,servant ,,of ,,christ ,,and ,,master ,,of ,,hearts ,,and ,,his ,,ministry ,,in ,,philadelphia ,illustration3 ,,john ,,chambers4 ,about #ahgc4 ,,john ,,chambers ,,servant ,,of ,,christ ,,and ,,master ,,of ,,hearts ,,and ,,his ,,ministry ,,in ,,philadelphia ,,by ,,rev4 ,,wm4 ,,elliot ,,griffis1 ,d4,d41 ,l4,h4,d4 ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,mikado',s ,,empire1 ,,brave ,,little ,,holland1 ,,corea1 ,,the ,,hermit ,,nation1 ,,the ,,pilgrims ,,in ,,their ,,three ,,homes1 ,,verbeck ,,of ,,japan1 ,etc4 ,,ithaca1 ,n4 ,y4 ,,andrus ,,church #aijc ,,copyright1 #aijc ,,by ,,andrus ,,church 7,,october7 ,,press ,,of ,,andrus ,,church ,,ithaca1 ,n4 ,y4 ,,john ,,chambers',s ,,favorite ,,psalm ,,psalm ,,cxxxiii ,behold how good and how pleasant it is ,for brethren to dwell together in unity6 ,it is like the precious ointment upon the head1 ,that ran down upon the beard1 even ,aaron's beard3 ,that went down to the skirts of his garments3 ,as the dew of ,hermon1 ,and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of ,zion3 ,for there the ,lord commanded the blessing1 ,even life forevermore4 ,,to ,,all ,,my ,,fellow ,,alumni ,,members ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,independent ,,church ,,of ,,philadelphia ,,who ,,in ,,hallowed ,,memory ,,of ,,the ,,past ,,or ,,in ,,hope ,,of ,,reunion ,,in ,,the ,,eternal ,,home ,,greet ,,john ,,chambers ,,as ,,their ,,father ,,in ,,god ,i ,,dedicate ,,this ,,little ,,book ,,preface4 ,john ,chambers was one of the first among popular preachers of the nineteenth century in ,philadelphia1 and the pastor for fifty years of one congregation4 ,not alone to delight those with vivid memories1 who knew1 loved and honored ,john ,chambers1 have ,i undertaken this work of filial piety1 but to tell to young men of to-day the story of a consecrated1 strenuous1 and successful life1 the secret of which was self-conquest and strength in ,god4 ,one great purpose and benefit of biography is lost if it does not clearly reveal the growth of character1 and1 in the case of a beautiful and successful life1 a personality worthy of being held up as an example4 ,it ought to show also self-conquest1 ripening in wisdom1 the philosophic mind that comes with years1 and the maturing and sweetening influences of honored old age4 ,it would be of little help to young men1 struggling against their own besetting weaknesses to gain self-mastery and attainment to true ,christian manhood1 to picture only the ,john ,chambers1 as we knew him1--in the serene evening of life1 when passions had cooled and reason reigned1 and the gray light of ,heaven's morning had settled on his head4 ,i have tried to show in the typical ,irishman1 the creature of heredity and the passionate patriot1 the aspiring ,christian and the child of ,god1 educated by unseen but potent influences1 winning steadfast victory over sin and self1 becoming king of men and master of hearts1 leading a host to triumph along the pathway to ,heaven1 able to do all things through ,christ his helper4 ,the wonderful character and personality of ,john ,chambers were not sudden creations4 ,they were growths4 ,he himself believed that while justification was instant1 sanctification was gradual4 ,he laughed at the man who professed never to have made mistakes4 ,he had always patience with those who slipped and fell4 ,he showed us how to neutralize the results of our missteps and gain new strength by painful and humiliating experiences4 ,i return my hearty thanks to one and all of the friends1 fellow alumni of the old ,first ,independent ,church of ,philadelphia1 who have aided me with reminiscences1 asking pardon for omissions and indulgence for possible errors4 ,w4 ,e4 ,g4 ,ithaca1 ,n4 ,y41 ,july #bj1 #aijc4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,i4 ,,philadelphia4 ,,the ,,historic ,,site #a ,,ii4 ,,ireland4 ,a ,,bonnie ,,bairn #g ,,iii4 ,,ohio4 ,,life ,,in ,a ,,log ,,cabin #ad ,,iv4 ,,maryland4 ,,student ,,days ,,in ,,baltimore #ai ,v4 ,,newtown4 ,,rejected ,,of ,,men #be ,,vi4 ,,new ,,england4 ,,ordination ,,at ,,new ,,haven #cd ,,vii4 ,,home ,,and ,,church4 ,,love ,,and ,,work #db ,,viii4 ,,the ,,war ,,horse ,,of ,,the ,,temperance ,,cause #ea ,,ix4 ,,the ,,master ,,of ,,hearts #fa ,x4 ,,boyhood',s ,,memories ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,church #fh ,,xi4 ,,the ,,master ,,of ,,assemblies #ha ,,xii4 ,,true ,,yoke-,,fellows #id ,,xiii4 ,,church ,,life4 ,,minor ,,personalities #aje ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,civil ,,war #aaa ,,xv4 ,,light ,,at ,,evening ,,time #abg ,,xvi4 ,,transfer ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,to ,,the ,,presbytery #ace ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,semi-,,centennial ,,and ,,farewell #aci ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,children ,,of ,,the ,,mother #add ,,chapter ,i4 ,,philadelphia4 ,,the ,,historic ,,site4 ,throngs of people daily pass along two of ,philadelphia's most imposing highways4 ,broad ,street spans the entire city from north to south4 ,chestnut ,street is the ,quaker ,city's most brilliant thoroughfare1 stretching between the ,delaware and the ,schuylkill4 ,those who traverse either may see the great twenty story building wherein is made and published the ,north ,american1 the oldest daily newspaper on the continent4 ,northward from ,broad and ,chestnut1 rise the imposing municipal buildings1 on the crest of whose mountain of stone and peak of metal is visible the bronze statue of ,william ,penn1 founder of the ,city of ,brotherly ,love4 ,though this son of a ,dutch mother was the beginner of the ,city of ,homes1 yet there have been many other makers of ,philadelphia4 ,not least among those who have builded the unseen but nobler city1 and who have stamped their names indelibly upon human hearts and lives1 even unto the third and fourth generation of its citizens1 is ,john ,chambers4 ,during forty-eight years he was pastor of the ,first ,independent ,church1 whose second edifice stood from #ahca to #ahii on the site of the twenty-storied sky-scraper at ,broad and ,sansom streets4 ,happily1 in the eternal fitness of things1 history and sentiment were not ignored in the uprearing of the mighty structure1 whose cornice is not far from the clouds4 ,in the two lower stories of the faade is a happy reminder of the old brown stone church of pillared front4 ,most felicitously does memory find here a sermon in stone and a stimulus in architecture4 ,indeed1 a former worshipper walking on the other side of the street1 who chanced to look no higher than the old familiar altitudes1 might imagine that the house of prayer1 with its ,ionic columns1 still stood to bless its worshippers4 ,even of the same hue and tint as in childhood's days1 eight columns of fluted brown sandstone renew in verisimilitude the old architecture4 ,thus the mighty edifice enshrines upon its front1 in imperishable masonry1 suggestions1 at least1 of former history4 ,to be exact1 whereas there were in old times six round fluted ,ionic columns1 resting on high square bases1 supporting a simple but imposing pediment1 there are to-day eight front columns supporting an architrave1 with two mightier upholding pillars within4 ,at first thought1 men might be tempted to see in this colossal structure1 whose roof is so much nearer the sky a symbol of the power of the press1 which is alleged to be more influential than the pulpit4 ,one political gentleman whom ,i knew well--even he who in #ahic1 raised the stars and stripes over ,hawaii--affirmed in my hearing1 that one newspaper was equal to three pulpits4 ,yes1 but that depends on which newspaper and which pulpit4 ,it is certain that in the eyes of some1 printing machinery and type1 and daily square miles of inked paper1 for which whole forests have been destroyed1 have more moral potency than worship1 prayer1 and preaching4 ,yet against this modern parable of the mustard seed become a tree1 phenomenal and imposing1 we have happily also the ,master's parable of the leaven1 or of might unseen1 of a kingdom coming without observation4 ,things seen1 even when dazzling are not really as potent as those which transform the life4 ,it could add little or nothing to the reputation of ,john ,chambers1 to put on paper with ink his words that kindled our souls4 ,yet1 did not our hearts burn within us when we heard8 ,can we forget them8 ,was not his a life unto life8 ,he being dead yet speaketh4 ,so then1 whether standing in the shadow of the great edifice--typical of the soaring twentieth century--or setting foot on its roof high in air1 many fathoms higher in the deeps of space than where once we sat or stood1 and thence gazing upon the sea of humanity beneath1 or over the great city set between the two silver streams1 and ever fascinating and beautiful with boyhood's memories1 let us stop to recall the past4 ,let us think of that busy and potent life of ,john ,chambers 7#agig-ahge71 and of that ,first ,independent ,church 7#ahbe-ahgc71 which1 like a spiritual storage battery1 still supplies the power that pulses in many thousand souls4 ,man and edifice1 though vanished from earth1 give by their visible potencies or inspiring memories1 in churches and ,sunday ,schools1 in hallowed homes and beautiful careers of men and women1 even to the fourth generation1 the shining and convincing evidence of an earthly immortality1 of life unto life4 ,in the ever widening circles of eternity1 that unspent influence will be felt4 ,let us now descend from the mountain to the plain4 ,until the first early autumn of the twentieth century1 one could see also on the east side of ,thirteenth ,street1 north of ,market and within a few feet of ,filbert ,street1 a four-sided1 plain gray stone or marble post1 in which even a casual passer-by could detect a survival4 ,it was an old-timer1 battered1 rubbed1 and chipped4 ,evidently it had once been a hitching post4 ,then1 after sundry paintings and daubings1 it had served for various advertising purposes1 setting forth the changing business carried on in the dwelling place itself1 in front of which it stood1 or1 in the cellar of the same4 ,the ,belgian block pavements1 the flagstone sidewalks1 the great ,reading ,railway ,terminal1 not far away1 and the lofty business edifices of steel and stone1 with a thousand modern suggestions1 all seem by their contrast to suggest antiquity in that horse post1 and possibly its descent from once more noble uses4 ,when1 however1 to the evidence of eyesight1 was added the play of memory and imagination1 then there rose upon the mind's vision the little brick church1 the ,church of the ,vow1 that stood directly opposite1 where ,john ,chambers1 master of hearts and transformer of human lives1 wrought and taught4 ,within its now vanished walls the sunny pastor1 the shining ornament in social life1 the soul-stirring preacher1 the unquailing soldier1 who fought evil in every form1 prayed1 preached1 and labored with men4 ,here he communicated quickening impulses not yet spent1 but ever urging on to vaster issues4 ,yes1 there is where the old church stood4 ,but this old battered horse-post1--so close by the curb stone as to wear ever fresh marks of tar and grease from passing wagon wheel hubs--what has it to do with ,john ,chambers and the ,first ,independent ,church of ,philadelphia1 which is almost forgotten before a brood of lusty children and vigorous grandchildren that now train thousands in the ways of holiness8 ,especially may we ask the question1 since the church and the post were on opposite sides of the street1 here a few feet wide4 ,well1 hereto hangs not only a tale1 but literally1 there hung a chain1 with associations4 ,before the ,first ,independent ,church--that church which1 according to scripture and reality1 though not in common parlance1 is not an edifice1 but a company of believers--was formed1 in #ahbe1 there stood at ,thirteenth and ,filbert streets1 a comparatively new building4 ,it had been reared in fulfilment of a vow made during a storm on the ,atlantic by a holy woman of prayer1 whose life was saved4 ,those who carried out her purpose were ,irish refugees1 seeking freedom in ,america4 ,being intense ,sabbatarians1 they would have no sound of passing wheel or hoof on the ,lord's ,day1 for theirs was the age1 also1 of ,delaware river cobble stones1 and of iron tires4 ,no pneumatic or sound deadening rubber-swathed wheels existed then4 ,hence1 to warn off all matutinal disturbers of the solemnity of worship1 and evening passers on wheels1 an iron chain was stretched across the street1 guarding either side1 north or south1 of the holy edifice4 ,thus1 in quiet1 the people within could worship ,god4 ,the same rule held in other neighborhoods as in this congregation1 and in front of the ,presbyterian church edifice at ,fourth and ,arch1 as the pictures show1 a similar stout iron chain was stretched4 ,it was the rule in ,sabbath-keeping ,philadelphia1 according to the vigorous law of #agih4 ,philadelphia was1 early in the last century1 a little place1 of only tens of thousands1 and so long as there were but few churches1 the chains seemed appropriate4 ,as the city grew1 the problem for the firemen1 mail wagons1 and ambulances increased4 ,in time not a single street running north or south1 even in case of a fire1 was open to the firemen1 who were apt to make quick work in removing obstacles4 ,a snow storm of petitions1 for and against the repeal of the ,acts of #agih and the removal of the street chains1 fell on the legislature and the law ceased to be operative1 ,march #ae1 #ahcj4 ,the old stone posts remained and occasionally one may be recognized by the keen-eyed antiquarian in dear old ,philadelphia4 ,both the first and second edifices1 in which ,john ,chambers labored in the ,gospel1 have been levelled and their sites built upon4 ,that old post1 effective ,sabbath guardian1 has gone2 the ,first ,independent ,church1 in edifice or organization1 is no more4 ,nevertheless1 its spirit lives4 ,like ,huldah's home1 our old church in its second quarter was a college1 and1 fellow alumni1 we shall try to tell the story of our ,alma ,mater1 mother of us all1 and sketch the life and work of the great and good man1 with whom the ,first ,independent ,church began1 continued1 and ended4 ,both church and pastor have become as leaven that transforms1 and in leavening is itself transformed1--lost to form and view1 while yet potent4 ,the eagle's cry is heard even after its form disappears behind the mountain1 says the ,chinese proverb4 ,the three measures of meal still abide4 ,from them is still supplied the bread of life to thousands4 ,to change from metaphor to facts that are as hard as stone1 and as enduring as human character1 there are1 first in point of time1 the ,bethany ,mission ,sunday-school and the ,bethany ,presbyterian ,church2 the ,john ,chambers ,memorial ,church1 an offshoot and outgrowth from the ,bethany ,church2 the ,presbyterian ,church at ,rutledge1 ,pa42 the ,st4 ,paul's ,presbyterian ,church in ,west ,philadelphia2 and the magnificent edifice and active congregation of the ,chambers-,wylie ,memorial ,church on ,broad below ,pine ,street1 which enshrines the name not only of ,john ,chambers1 but of ,t4 ,w4 ,j4 ,wylie--two noble preachers of the gospel1 sons of thunder and also of consolation4 ,shall we attempt to measure influence1 by even suggesting how three churches1 one ,presbyterian1 one ,baptist1 and one ,lutheran grew up out of the early prayer meetings before #ahdj1 sustained chiefly by ,john ,chambers' young men8 ,shall we hint at the missionary and educational impulses given at the ends of the earth by missionaries1 or of lives nourished or transformed in our home land by the forty or more ministers of the gospel1 who call ,john ,chambers their father in ,god8 ,nay1 our dear under-shepherd himself1 were he with us1 would say1 ,not unto us ,o ,lord1 not unto us1 but unto thy name give glory1 for thy mercy and thy truth's sake4 ,nisi ,dominus ,frustra4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,ireland4 ,a ,,bonny ,,bairn4 ,many a chairman1 clerical or lay brother1 in introducing ,john ,chambers to an always delighted audience1 referred to his big ,irish heart1 and indeed he had in him all the winning and fascinating elements which make the jolly ,irishman4 ,he was emotional1 clear-brained1 rich in personal magnetism1 and in general a good fellow4 ,he had in him also those traits which characterize the strong1 clean1 ,god-fearing and man-loving ,puritan1 whose career so often illustrates the highest type of manhood4 ,of superb and commanding figure1 six feet high1 and the most imposing individual known in the ,chambers clan1 he had an open illuminated face1 and eyes that penetrated one's inmost nature4 ,he was skilled in the handshake or shoulder pat1 that warmed one's entire being into personal loyalty and were inspirations to friendship for the man and his ,master4 ,his face made you believe in the immortality of the soul4 ,to these physical traits may be added an absolutely fearless mien and a flashing eye1 that made his enemies fear him1 even when they most hated his ways and words4 ,with leonine countenance and majestic presence1 was a tongue that beat the blarney stone1 and yet was made1 under ,god1 a unerring instrument in winning souls4 ,some one has written of ,the ,pastor as ,praiser4 ,john ,chambers by praising a boy made him a hero4 ,often a word from him came as ,paul's clarion call1 ,stand fast4 ,in brief1 ,john ,chambers possessed in person1 bearing1 and characteristics1 the noble heritages of that ,scottish race which settled in north ,ireland1 and which has shown itself1 especially in ,america1 one of the most distinctive of stocks1 rich in mental initiative and nervous energy1 with power of manifold adaptation and persistency4 ,in ,america the ,scotch-,irish have certainly influenced1 with power second to that of no other strain or nationality1 the making of the ,american republic4 ,the people of north ,ireland were noted for their ,calvinism1 which in practice is only another word for an inextinguishable love of freedom and democracy4 ,their faith fruited in free schools1 popular education1 family worship1 familiarity with the ,bible1 hatred of priest-craft1 ,romanism1 and ,british cruelty and oppression4 ,in their ,christianity1 some ,jewish notions in survival were perhaps put on a level with the teachings of ,jesus1 and their passionate devotion to ,sabbath-keeping seemed sometimes to run into idolatry4 ,they were not at all disinclined to controversy1 and many of them were rather fond of a bit of a fight4 ,among the less sanctified1 religion of a certain narrow sort and the contents of the whiskey bottle were very much in demand4 ,naturally the ,british government with its aristocracy and political church1 its absentee-landlordism and its corrupt parliament--which in the eighteenth century represented land rather than people--had much trouble with this insular people of many virtues and some glaring defects4 ,the more oppressive measures of the first half and middle of the eighteenth century sent tens of thousands of emigrants to ,america1 where they settled1 especially in ,new ,hampshire1 the ,carolinas1 and western ,pennsylvania4 ,only too glad to take up arms against the ,british1 they furnished from their ranks for the ,continental army and patriot partisan bodies1 probably a larger proportion of soldiers than those of any other nationality among the colonists4#a ,many thousands of the ,yankees of ,new ,england were ,irishmen4 ,in ,north ,carolina they were the ,regulators whom ,bloody ,billy ,tryon slaughtered4 ,in ,sullivan's ,expedition of #aggi1 one of the most important campaigns of the ,revolution1 four of the five generals1 and possibly a majority of the rank and file1 were born in ,ireland1 or were of ,irish stock4 ,at the banquet held in the forest1 on the ,chemung ,river on the site of ,elmira1 ,n4 ,y41 on ,saturday ,september #be1 #aggi1 in the pavilion of greenery1 one of the thirteen toasts drunk was this1--,may ,ireland merit a stripe in the ,american standard4#b ,footnote #a3 ,see ,romance of ,american ,colonization4 ,boston1 #ahih1 p4 #bgb4 ,footnote #b3 ,see the ,pathfinders of the ,revolution4 ,boston1 #aijj1 p4 #bif4 ,the general dissatisfaction in ,ireland1 not only among the ,catholics who suffered from oppressive penal statutes1 but also among the ,protestants1 broke out in #agih into a rebellion fomented by the numerous secret societies then in the island4 ,to read this page of history brings us to the parentage and birth of ,john ,chambers1 who sprung not from illiterate folk1 as some have ignorantly imagined1 but from intelligent and educated as well as patriotic parentage and ancestry4 ,william ,chambers1 the father of our ,american ,john1 was born in #agfh of fairly well-to-do parents1 and had a good education4 ,one of his ancestors was an officer in the ,british navy4 ,when about twenty-seven years of age1 he married a ,miss ,smythe1 or ,smith1 who was traditionally descended from ,robert the ,bruce1 being one of a family which has furnished a long succession of ,presbyterian ministers in ,scotland1 ,ireland1 and the ,united ,states4 ,their first son and eldest child1 they named ,james4 ,their second son1 ,john1 is the subject of our biography4 ,john ,chambers was born on ,september #ai1 #agig in ,stewartstown1 ,tyrone county1 ,ireland4 ,there are four towns of this name in the ,united ,states1 settled probably by ,irishmen1 and the original place in ,ireland1 in #ahhj1 contained #ica souls4 ,william ,chambers was a hot-headed1 impulsive man of great physical vigor1 a superb horseman1 and a leader in athletic sports4 ,in early manhood he was powerfully influenced in his political opinions and action by the ideas exploited in both the ,american and the ,french ,revolutions4 ,a fierce patriot1 he became a follower of the famous ,wolf ,tone1 and in their ups and downs on the wheel of politics1 both master and disciple found themselves in prison within a few days of each other4 ,william ,chambers by some means escaped1 but was soon involved in trouble with the ,british authorities1 and so engaged passage to ,america4 ,theobald ,wolf ,tone 7#agfc-agih71 orator and advocate of the freedom of ,ireland1 was educated at ,trinity ,college1 ,dublin4 ,he wrote pamphlets exposing ,british misgovernment1 joined ,protestants and ,catholics in political fraternity1 and founded at ,belfast the first ,society of ,united ,irishmen1 which ,william ,chambers promptly joined4 ,it is believed that at this time the green flag of ,ireland was adopted1 by uniting the orange and the blue4 ,it is certain that at this time1 green became the national color1 although an emerald green standard was used in the sixteenth century4 ,one of these ,united ,irishmen was ,samuel ,brown ,wylie1 who became the celebrated pastor1 preacher1 and ,doctor of ,divinity in ,philadelphia4 ,he left ,ireland in #agig4 ,in ,god's providence1 exactly one century afterwards1 the names of ,chambers and ,wylie were united in ,philadelphia in that of a memorial church4 ,wolf ,tone1 as secretary of the ,roman ,catholic committee1 had already entered into secret negotiations with ,france and had to fly to the ,united ,states in #agie4 ,he was afterwards captured on one of the ships of the ,french squadron1 which was to invade ,ireland4 ,the ,french having occupied ,holland1 had had a great fleet built in the ,zuyder ,zee to co-operate with the ,united ,irishmen1 but at the battle of ,camperduin1 off the coast of ,north ,holland1 ,october #aath1 #agig1 the ,british ,admiral ,duncan destroyed the ,french and ,dutch fleet1 and the high hopes of those who looked for ,irish independence were dashed to the ground4 ,hundreds of them fled4 ,tried and sentenced to death1 ,wolf ,tone committed suicide in his cell1 ,november #aith1 #agih4 ,his son afterwards served in the armies of ,france and the ,united ,states and wrote the biography of his father4 ,ever since #agig1 the ,british navy has had a ship named ,camperdown4 ,in ,scotland ,i have had the pleasure of visiting the ,duncan estate near ,dundee1 and in ,holland of seeing ,camperduin and its vicinity1 both of land and water4 ,the defeat of the ,french fleet and the imprisonment1 trial1 and sentence of their leader1 ,wolf ,tone1 drove the ,united ,irishmen into an insurrection of despair4 ,at the battle of ,vinegar ,hill1 in ,may1 #agih1 the revolt was crushed and the ,french general ,humbert surrendered4 ,forthwith the ,british constables began their hunt for each one and all of the ,united ,irishmen to land them in prison4 ,william ,chambers was1 as we have seen1 arrested and thrown into prison at ,stewartstown4 ,in some way he escaped and eluded those who were seeking him1 until he made his way down to the ship1 on which his family was leaving ,ireland for ,america4 ,besides his wife with her little boys1 ,james and ,john1 the latter an infant of three months at the breast1 were other emigrants on board4 ,in the hold1 there was a stock of cabbages and down among these vegetables the refugee father hid himself4 ,the ,british officers came on board and searched the ship from stem to stern to find their man1 but his wife had encouraged him to get so deeply under the material for sauerkraut1 and had covered him up so well1 that1 unable to find him1 they imagined he must have fled elsewhere4 ,it was not until the ship was well out at sea that ,william ,chambers rose up from among the cabbages and made himself visible4 ,in later years1 ,john ,chambers visited the ,stewartstown prison in which his father had been incarcerated4 ,in the slow ship they were knocked about on the wintry ,atlantic during a stormy voyage of fourteen weeks1 but happily arrived in the ,delaware ,bay1 just when the buds were bursting1 and the landscape of spring time putting on its fresh mantle of green4 ,after their sea weariness the peach-orchards of ,delaware must have looked as fair as a garden of the ,lord4 ,the ,mayflower1 which in #afbj bore the ,pilgrims to ,america1 was bound for the same beautiful region1 then vaguely called ,virginia but these people in #agii were pilgrims bound to the forests of ,ohio1 the first of the ,pilgrim states beyond the ,alleghenies4#c ,footnote #c3 ,see the ,pilgrims in their ,three ,homes1 ,boston1 #ahih4 ,landing at ,newcastle1 ,william ,chambers and his little family soon joined a great party of emigrants who were turning their faces westward4 ,ohio was then1 except for the river valleys and old maize lands of the ,indians1 an almost unbroken forest4 ,in those days1 when there was neither canal1 railway nor trolley1 such roads as existed1 traversed chiefly the long stretches of dark woods4 ,they were made of corduroy1 or logs laid crosswise1 with a surface covering of earth4 ,very few counties were as yet named or laid out in the ,buckeye ,state1 for it was only five years after ,general ,anthony ,wayne's great victory at ,maumee ,rapids over the ,indians1 and many of the red men were still in the land4 ,frontier life was still very rough1 both as respects material comfort and the relations of the settlers with the ,indians4 ,the second stage of territorial life was entered upon in this same year1 #agii1 and the ,state ,legislature had met for the first time in ,cincinnati4 ,slowly and painfully the caravan of home seekers made its way through ,pennsylvania over the great road through ,harrisburg and the ,juniata valley1 ,hollidaysburg and ,pittsburg1 where ,scotchmen and ,irishmen were still very numerous4 ,thence floating down the ,ohio ,river1 they reached the first county on the western side1 which was later named after ,thomas ,jefferson1 third president of the ,united ,states4 ,the ,irish pioneer from ,stewartstown helped to lay out the original townships of the county1 in which ,warren ,ridge was situated1 often going ahead to blaze some trees along the future road4 ,later1 in #agii1 he settled at ,smithfield1 and ultimately at ,mount ,pleasant4 ,it was to this last named place that the visits of ,john ,chambers1 notably in #ahdc and #ahfa1 were made4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,ohio4 ,,life ,,in ,a ,,log ,,cabin4 ,the little baby boy ,john's first ,american home was a log cabin and his cradle was made of part of a hollowed-out tree trunk4 ,when he began noticing things from the doorway1 his eyes took in a great space filled with a multitude of stumps1 the dark and lonely forest1 the new and strange fields of ,indian corn1 the tender green of spring1 the gold of autumn1 and the great white landscape of winter4 ,when he was but three years old1 ,ohio became a state4 ,remembering the witticism1 so common a generation ago1 that some men are born great1 and some are born in ,ohio1 we may believe that ,john ,chambers came very near a double inheritance1 though failing in but one share2 for1 to the end of his days1 he boasted that he was by birth an ,irishman4 ,among his earliest playthings were the buckeyes1 or horse-chestnuts1 from the particular tree1 so plentiful in the new land4 ,as the ,bible was then1 besides being in supreme honor as the ,word of ,god1 the one familiar volume1 library1 reference1 and text-book1 source of literary and intellectual recreation1 ,john1 as he learned to read1 was as much delighted to find the popular name of ,ohio in the ,bible1 as ,american tourists in ,japan are1 to hear the sound of this good ,state's name1 in the ,japanese for good morning4#d ,footnote #d3 ,see ,i4 ,chronicles ,,vi3#e1 about ,bukki1 the father of ,uzzi4 ,in after years1 in the freshness of his metropolitan fame1 ,john ,chambers visited several times his old home1 the log cabin in which he grew up4 ,the house is now a weather-boarded dwelling place1 but in the wooden walls is still to be seen the little hollow place or alcove1 where were kept the decanters or glasses1 containing cherry brandy and whiskey1 which were so popular and in such general use in those early days before teetotalism1 or prohibition or no license was known4 ,during the war of #ahab1 this house was used as a recruiting station for volunteers1 and here the young soldiers pledged their glass in token of their patriotism and comradeship4 ,against this phase of social life1 the boy ,john set his face from the first4 ,william ,chambers lived the life of a pioneer in the ,american forest4 ,he gained his bread by tilling the soil1 and a little ready money by burning the timber and leaching the potash out of the ashes1 and by other industries common to the forest4 ,indian cooking was soon learned and the food of the red man became popular4 ,in fact there are very few purely ,american dishes1 which are not evolutions from the ,indian originals4 ,sugar was plentiful from the maple trees1 but salt was very costly and hard to get4 ,by boring wells1 brine was found from which good salt could be made4 ,life on the frontier was necessarily rude in some points1 especially in moral relations with the ,indians4 ,as pretty much all ,irishmen are very fond of religion and whiskey and a bit of a fight1 there were often rough scenes4 ,william ,chambers was a strong character and his hot temper was easily roused1 but his wife1 an equally strong character1 but with finer strength1 was cool-headed and made a good balance for her husband4 ,she was a noted nurse and especially skillful in the sickroom4 ,hence she was often called upon for help by both friends and strangers in time of pain and misfortune4 ,malaria and homesickness were common woes4 ,devoutly pious1 she trained up her children in the fear and love of ,god1 and by them and even by later generations her memory is treasured4 ,the religion of these pioneers may have been narrow1 but it was strong and deep4 ,it was based on a first-hand knowledge of the ,english ,bible4 ,even in his early life1 as ,i remember ,mr4 ,chambers saying1 he revolted against bigotry and the kind of religion that was not rich in love to one's neighbor4 ,these were psalm-singers and not hymn-using ,christians1 but the ,methodist preachers and ,christians of other sorts than ,scotch-,irish ,presbyterians were in the land4 ,the boy ,john once heard an old gentleman say that he would as soon sit down to the ,lord's ,supper with a horse-thief1 as with a man who sang ,dr4 ,watts' version of the ,psalms4 ,little ,john also refused to touch liquor1 for he saw the awful effects of its use1 and grew to have a hatred of it4 ,on one occasion1 the little fellow rebuked a crowd of men1 including his own father1 for their drinking habits whereby the parent1 ,william ,chambers was greatly affected4 ,the heart of the child three years old is in the heart of the sage of sixty1 as says the ,japanese proverb1 was true of ,john ,chambers1 the metropolitan preacher1 but it was in childhood that ,god began to shape this bonnie bairn for a long life of usefulness4 ,the boy in the ,ohio forests was a hearty hater of all bickering and squabbling4 ,he was often called upon to settle differences4 ,he came to be known among neighbors and friends as the little peacemaker4 ,the child is father to the man1 and all his life ,john ,chambers was mighty as a reconciler4 ,john ,chambers's boyhood was thus spent in the wilderness in continuous hard work1 by which he toughened his thews and kept his cheeks rosy1 rising into brave1 pure1 and clean manhood4 ,he took his part in the hard work of the farm1 even to clearing the forest4 ,he knew what it was to lift up axes against thick trees4 ,with his other brothers and sisters1 he enjoyed life to the full4 ,politically1 in this ,jeffersonian era1 his parents took the ,democratic view of things1 so that their offspring had the spirit of democracy in their veins4 ,all his life the intensely patriotic ,john followed the faith of his father1 and was1 as he called himself1 a ,constitutional ,state-,rights ,democrat4 ,he was taught to read and write at home1 but with that true instinct for education1 which is inborn with ,calvinists and the ,scotch-,irishmen1 his parents wished to have him better educated4 ,they sent him1 therefore1 when he was but fifteen years of age1 to ,baltimore1 where lived some of their relatives4 ,a journey over the mountains in the early nineteenth century was like a trip to the ,philippines in our days1 but ,john gladly set out on horseback1 with a party1 in the spring of #ahac1 to the city on the ,patapsco4 ,it seems that he had no special purpose of remaining permanently there1 but ,providence made his a stay of twelve years4 ,after some experience at school1 he decided to learn the jeweler's trade4 ,thus with business1 and later with love1 and then a call to the ministry1 ,baltimore was to be the city in which his mind was shaped1 and which all his life was to him1 socially1 as magnet and star4 ,patriotism1 too1 had something to do with making the ,monumental ,city his home4 ,it was war time1 and the second struggle with ,great ,britain was on4 ,as a municipality1 the young city1 but sixteen years old1 had already become a famous place for the building of ships1 the timber being floated down from the heart of ,new ,york state and from northern ,pennsylvania1 along the old line of ,sullivan's march of #aggi1 by way of the ,susquehanna ,river4 ,immediately on the declaration of war by ,congress1 a swarm of privateers sailed out of the ,patapsco and ,chesapeake to prey on ,great ,britain's commerce1 especially in the ,west ,indies4 ,hence the ,british government early decided that one of the first places to be occupied was ,baltimore4 ,the stalwart youth from ,ohio arrived in good time to hold a shovel and dig earth to throw up entrenchments1 over which waved ,the ,star-,spangled ,banner4 ,he worked several days in the trenches4 ,in ,september1 #ahad1 the ,british forces made their attack under ,col4 ,ross1 a veteran under ,sir ,john ,moore and ,wellington4 ,their commander was killed and the assault given up4 ,the next day ,admiral ,cockburn's fleet bombarded ,fort ,mc,henry in vain4 ,the attack from ship by water was as ignominious a failure as was the attempt by land4 ,the happy result was the deliverance of the city and the birth of ,america's national song1 ,the ,star-,spangled ,banner4 ,francis ,scott ,key1 detained against his will on the deck of the ,british man-of-war ,minden1 was an indignant spectator of the bombardment1 but in the morning of ,september #adth1 saw his country's flag in full glory reflected 444 on the stream4 ,in #ahgf a bronze statue to his memory was erected and ,old ,defenders' ,day keeps alive the stirring memories of ,september #aath1 #ahac4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,maryland4 ,,student ,,days ,,in ,,baltimore4 ,soon after coming to ,baltimore ,john ,chambers became a member of the ,associate ,reformed ,presbyterian ,church1 of which the ,rev4 ,john ,mason ,duncan was pastor4 ,under the preaching of this eminent prophet1 the mind of the young man expanded4 ,indeed it was so shaped and moulded by ,dr4 ,duncan1 that we may consider him as the greatest of all ,john ,chambers' teachers1 and his direct influence as greater than all subsequent schools and teachings4 ,my honored father in ,christ was ,mr4 ,chambers' designation4 ,dr4 ,duncan saw in the young ,ohio lad an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures4 ,he persuaded him to study for the ministry1 which ,john1 soon after uniting with the church1 determined to do4 ,in pursuance of his plan1 the lad entered the ,classical ,academy of the ,rev4 ,james ,gray1 ,d4,d41 formerly of ,philadelphia1 who had established in ,baltimore one of the numerous first-class schools in the ,south1 almost every one of which was founded by people of ,scotch-,irish descent4 ,when it came to the study of theology and practical training for the pastorate1 ,john ,chambers followed the method which was then the common one in ,america4 ,very few theological seminaries then existed in the country4 ,that at ,new ,brunswick1 ,n4 ,j41 probably the oldest1 was scarcely fifteen years of age2 that at ,princeton hardly over two years old4 ,there were one or two in ,new ,england4 ,for a young man having the ministry in view1 it was the usual custom to study under his own pastor1 a method not without great benefits1 especially in this instance1 as ,dr4 ,duncan was one of the most eloquent ministers in the country4 ,john ,chambers learned how to preach by preaching4 ,he was successful with human beings because he knew them so well4 ,he was a master of the scriptures in the original ,english4 ,only those who afterward sat for years under ,john ,chambers' preaching so long as to be saturated with his ideas1 to know the basic principles of his thought and the workings of his mind1 and have also read and studied ,dr4 ,duncan's works1 can realize how greatly the pupil was indebted to his great master4 ,in fact it was ,john ,mason ,duncan who gave the keynote of the gospel message as to its form1 and it was ,john ,chambers who filled out the strain4 ,the theme was set in ,baltimore1 the variations given in ,philadelphia4 ,the pupil followed the master very closely in practical organization and discipline also4 ,dr4 ,duncan was suspicious of all creeds and confessions of faith when made instruments of ecclesiastical power4 ,his trust in the people was sincere1 profound1 intense1 and practical4 ,in theology he ever laid stress on the mediatorial reign of ,christ and his absolute ability and willingness to save all mankind1 which willingness it was his delight to demonstrate from the ,scriptures and to rescue the ,gospel call from false philosophy4 ,dr4 ,duncan was jealous1 almost to hostility1 of theological seminaries1 and also of the growing usurpations of power by synods4 ,he dubbed ,america the land of synods4 ,he wrote at the time when even the liberty of the presbyteries seemed endangered by the centralizing power of the synods3 ,to persevere in such a course is to raise up a class of men who1 from the nature of the case1 must be destitute of sympathy with the people2 who will rise above the people as being their superiors and governors1 and who will ultimately distract and divide the church by their philosophic subtleties and literary distinction4 ,verily the writer of those words was a prophet4 ,dr4 ,duncan's trust in the people was so great because1 as he believed and taught1 the ,bible is addressed to the people4 ,all of this ,john ,chambers believed1 carrying out1 even to a fuller logical conclusion1 his teacher's doctrines4 ,in his book entitled ,an ,essay on the ,origin1 ,character and the ,tendency of ,creeds and ,confessions of ,faith as ,instruments of ,ecclesiastical ,power1 ,dr4 ,duncan showed in his first chapter that the intention of this essay1 strictly political in character1 involves the great question of human liberty to think1 speak1 to write1 to act4 ,he delivered also a course of lectures on ,the ,general ,principles in ,moral ,government1 as they are exhibited in the first three chapters of ,genesis1 in which the same ideas are more fully carried out4 ,here is one of his passages3 ,supposing then a minister--blameless1 faithful1 apt to teach1 believing in the great truths now defined1 i4e4 'the ,word made flesh'--should come to preach1 who has a right to prevent him1 or to refuse to recognize him as a true bishop and to stigmatize him as a heretic8 ,the apostle ,john says he is of ,god1 and any trial to which the statute in question would subject him must result in the equivocal recognition of that fact4 ,presbyteries1 as they are now constructed1 will not and cannot admit such a man to ministerial and church fellowship without violating the principles of their party4 ,they will not and cannot ordain such a man without something more4444 ,what mischief would the most extensive liberality produce8 ,in a biography of ,john ,chambers we shall see the pertinence of this quotation when we come to the story of his ordination4 ,the instructor of young ,chambers was the ,rev4 ,james ,gray1 ,d4,d41 who published a book entitled ,the ,mediatorial ,reign of the ,son of ,god1 or the ,absolute ,ability and ,willingness of ,jesus ,christ to ,save all ,mankind1 ,demonstrated from the ,scriptures--an ,attempt to ,rescue the ,gospel ,call from ,false ,philosophy1 in which the grandeur1 glory and all-embracing nature of the divine call to salvation is set forth4 ,this ,dr4 ,gray1 born in ,ireland on ,christmas day1 #aggj1 had come to ,america in #agig1 two years before his pupil1 ,john ,chambers4 ,probably he had been one of the ,united ,irishmen4 ,after preaching at ,washington1 ,n4 ,y41 he settled1 in #ahjh1 in ,philadelphia1 over the ,spruce ,street ,associate ,reformed ,church4 ,in the ,quaker ,city he became a very popular leader in many good things4 ,he helped to found the ,philadelphia ,bible ,society and received the degree of ,doctor of ,divinity from the ,university of ,pennsylvania4 ,with ,rev4 ,s4 ,b4 ,wylie 7father of the ,dr4 ,wylie1 whose name is embalmed in the title of the ,chambers-,wylie ,memorial ,church71 he opened a ,classical ,academy which became famous4 ,after a few years he removed to ,baltimore4 ,besides his study of theology and writing of the book on which his reputation rests--the ,mediatorial ,reign of the ,son of ,god--7a favorite phrase of ,mr4 ,chambers1 even as the book was known by heart71 he started a theological review which lived but a year4 ,he died at ,gettysburg1 ,pa41 ,september #bj1 #ahbd4 ,it will be easily seen that under such teachers as ,duncan and ,gray1 men of national repute1 the ,ohio boy received no mean training4 ,on ,garfield's theory1 that a seat on a log1 at the other end of which ,mark ,hopkins was teacher1 might outrank the most showy university and apparatus1 ,john ,chambers was a college bred man4 ,under such direct1 constant and personal influence as the ,ohio boy in ,baltimore received1 the value of the quality of his education cannot be over estimated4 ,it is very certain that no number of brick or stone edifices on a university campus1 or profusion of apparatus in the laboratories1 or comforts and luxuries in the student's room of to-day1 can take the place of the personal influence of great teachers4 ,nor can these turn out men who excel in character and abilities the leaders of men in the ,united ,states of ,america in the early nineteenth century1 among whom the home-bred ,john ,chambers was a characteristic specimen4 ,yet1 though favored with such acute1 learned1 and inspiring teachers1 and kindled by fervor with ideas that made heat as well as light in his soul1 ,john ,chambers' idea of the religion of ,jesus was1 that first of all it must be practical4 ,there was no special division of it called applied ,christianity4 ,to him it was all application4 ,how it could ever be printed in a catechism and exist apart from life1 he refused to see4 ,he scorned professions of orthodoxy or of doctrine that did not quickly and permanently bear fruit in holy living1 and in service for souls4 ,with five or six other young men1 he started prayer meetings and evangelistic labors4 ,when ready for examination for the ministry ,mr4 ,chambers made his appearance before the ,second ,presbytery of ,philadelphia1 and in ,may1 #ahbd1 received his license to preach the ,gospel and to accept a call to the pastorate4 ,this body of ministers and elders which licensed him was dissolved in the autumn of #ahbd1 and ,mr4 ,chambers was then received as a licentiate under the care of the ,presbytery of ,baltimore4 ,it was about ten months after his first visit to ,philadelphia to receive license1 that is in ,march1 #ahbe1 that ,mr4 ,chambers was invited to preach in the ,margaret ,duncan 7,associate ,reformed7 ,church in ,philadelphia4 ,the little brick edifice had been erected in compliance with the will of1 and as a gift from1 the grandmother of ,dr4 ,john ,mason ,duncan1 and the latter as well as ,mr4 ,chambers' preceptor1 ,dr4 ,james ,mason ,gray1 had taken part in the dedicatory services in #ahae4 ,the church itself at this time1 #ahbe1 was a struggling one4 ,the edifice was in a poor and thinly inhabited part of the city4 ,there was no fund for the support of the building1 and the ,associate ,reformed denomination in the ,united ,states was weak and poor1 with a scarcity of ministers4 ,happily other ,presbyterians gave assistance and supplied the pulpit2 otherwise1 the building would have been often closed for long periods at a time4 ,the first regular pastor was the ,rev4 ,thomas ,gilfillan ,mc,innis1 who was called to the service early in #ahbb4 ,he died on the #bfth of ,august1 #ahbd1 and the flock was left shepherdless4 ,there was even better provision for the dead than for the living4 ,on the #gth of ,october1 #ahbd1 ,robert ,a4 ,caldcleugh and wife presented to the minister1 elders1 and fifty-two church members1 a lot of ground1 on the ,south side of ,race street between what was the ,schuylkill ,third and ,schuylkill ,fourth streets1 now ,nineteenth and ,twentieth1 for a cemetery4 ,this lot is eighteen feet six inches wide and one hundred and twenty-nine feet deep4 ,this was the situation1 when ,mr4 ,chambers was called1 in ,march1 #ahbe1 to preach as a candidate4 ,he came on from ,baltimore and on two ,sundays in ,april told the people of ,god's love in ,christ ,jesus4 ,his sermons were as a mighty stack of fuel1 with the breath of the ,lord on the first ,sabbath kindling it1 and the wind of the ,holy ,spirit on the second ,lord's ,day turning it into vehement flame4 ,a triple fire of love to ,god1 of the people to the young pastor1 and of his young heart to them began its glow1 which paled not until after fifty years of beacon glory it was quenched by death4 ,the flashes thereof are as flashes of fire ,a very flame of ,jehovah ,many waters cannot quench love1 ,neither can floods drown it4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,newtown4 ,,rejected ,,of ,,men4 ,since out of the ,margaret ,duncan ,church1 or ,church of the ,vow1 have grown1 it is believed1 at least ten other churches1 and since the tradition of her ocean experiences has taken varied shapes and forms in its transmission1 we shall give a narrative which is probably the most in accordance with fact4 ,mrs4 ,margaret ,duncan1 on the death of her husband1 a prosperous merchant of ,philadelphia1 determined to visit old friends in ,stewartstown1 ,tyrone ,county1 ,ireland1 in which she had been born4 ,she took with her her little grandson1 who was to become the famous ,dr4 ,john ,mason ,duncan4 ,returning across the ocean in the autumn of #agih1 the ship sailing from ,belfast1 ,ireland1 was loaded heavily with many passengers1 most of them poor emigrants1 but had little cargo in the hold4 ,it is said that the captain had never crossed the ,atlantic4 ,the compass was out of order1 and with head winds and wet and foggy weather1 the voyage was dangerously prolonged4 ,the passengers were put on short allowance and there was no water4 ,it is even said that in a severe storm the captain and crew deserted the vessel4 ,the people suffered from agonizing thirst4 ,they even talked of drawing lots to see who should be put to death and give his own flesh as food to the others4 ,mrs4 ,duncan was then a woman between seventy and eighty years of age4 ,late tradition says the lot was drawn and she drew it and expected to be a victim4 ,mr4 ,chambers1 though often referring to her experiences on the sea1 makes no mention of the lot or of this dire extremity4 ,going into her cabin she gave herself to prayer1 and vowed before ,god that if ,he would avert the impending blow and in mercy save her life and the ship's company she would forever consecrate herself and all that she had to ,his service2 that she would erect a church edifice for the congregation of the ,associate ,reformed people in ,philadelphia with whom she worshipped1 and that she would give and educate her little grandson for the ,gospel ministry4 ,not long after this1 rain fell1 and the agonizing thirst of those in the ship was relieved4 ,soon the shout1 sail ho was heard from the man aloft4 ,a vessel hove in sight and rescued them all4 ,the ship entered the ,delaware river and all reached ,philadelphia in safety4 ,true to her vows1 ,margaret ,duncan educated her grandson ,john ,mason ,duncan to preach the good news of ,god4 ,dying ,nov4 #afth1 #ahjb1 she left her money by will for the erection of a house of worship1 which she minutely described1 specifying that it was to be of the ,associate ,reformed communion4 ,by various names1 the ,margaret ,duncan ,church1 or ,the ,vow ,church1 or ,saint ,margaret's ,church1 the brick edifice on ,thirteenth street near ,filbert on the west side1 stood until some time in the fifties4 ,i can remember as a little boy going to see the debris of the ruins1 the piled up old brick partially cleaned of mortar1 the dust and the broken bits of lime1 and the great hollow place where the cellar had been4 ,in #ahge1 ,mr4 ,chambers spoke of the little church where we worshipped so long4444 ,it is a shame that the church was ever destroyed4 ,however it was torn down1 and we have nothing more to do with it4 ,his was the language of affection4 ,as matter of cold fact1 the house was of plain brick1 without the least trace of ornament and for many years was one of the gloomiest looking churches in the city4 ,the dimensions were fifty by sixty feet4 ,the edifice was opened for worship on the #bfth of ,november1 #ahae4 ,the dedication sermon was preached by the son of the vow1 and the grandson of her who made it1 ,rev4 ,john ,mason ,duncan4 ,as before stated1 ,rev4 ,james ,gray1 ,d4,d41 then with ,dr4 ,wylie at the head of a classical school in ,philadelphia1 also took part4 ,having been called to be the pastor of this church1 ,mr4 ,chambers surveyed his field to see what resources there were for sustaining permanent gospel work4 ,he found no organized effort4 ,there was no prayer-meeting1 no ,sunday ,school1 not a man to lead in public prayer1 and the three elders were all superannuated4 ,the congregation was made up of humble people1 poor1 hard-working1 industrious1 with only here and there one among them who might be called rich2 nor was there a family in which family worship was held4 ,it was necessary therefore that the young man from ,baltimore1 who did not know ten people in ,philadelphia when he first arrived1 should borrow two devout men1 ,presbyterians1 ,wilfrid ,hall and ,hiram ,ayres1 to help him in meetings for social prayer4 ,he then made application to ,mr4 ,hall for the use of a room on ,market street near what is now ,seventeenth1 in a district of vacant lots4 ,very few people were then living west of ,broad street1 and most of the streets now well known were not yet cut through4 ,he knew not whether any one would come to the meeting called for prayer1 but ,god gave him a gracious surprise4 ,when he arrived near the hour1 there was scarcely a spot for a human being to stand on4 ,there and then began the ,holy ,spirit's workings which resulted in a whole family of ,christian churches4 ,these prayer meetings were begun1 according to due announcement1 on the fourth ,sunday in ,may4 ,their good influences were seen in the immediate enlargement of the church audience4 ,by the beginning of ,july1 there were four men ready to speak or lead in prayer4 ,by ,august #ast1 over forty persons1 many of them young men and women1 had declared their faith in ,christ1 and were ready for ,christian work4 ,mr4 ,chambers found a friend in ,rev4 ,dr4 ,stiles ,ely1 a ,new ,england man1 the principal founder of the ,jefferson ,medical ,college1 and editor of ,the ,philadelphian4 ,from #ahja he had been pastor of the old ,pine street ,church1 and was at that time moderator of the ,presbyterian ,general ,assembly4 ,as ,mr4 ,chambers was not yet ordained1 ,dr4 ,ely preached the sermon and administered the ,lord's ,supper1 when the new converts were received4 ,as ,dr4 ,chambers told the story in #ahge1 ,the next move was for a ,sabbath ,school1 and the marvel was with what eagerness they took hold of it 444 and carried it on with vigor1 procured rooms and ,sabbath ,school scholars and teachers and entered their names1 and we went on and on from that very day after the institution of the prayer meeting1 and the consequence was that we very soon felt that ,god was with us4 ,when the people of the ,ninth ,presbyterian1 or ,margaret ,duncan ,church on ,thirteenth street1 met together to vote a call to ,john ,chambers1 it was under the care of the ,first ,presbytery of ,philadelphia4 ,of course1 therefore1 the call must be approved at the regular meeting of the presbytery1 and only after the usual examination of the candidate4 ,mr4 ,chambers came on from ,baltimore1 having accepted the call1 and began his work as pastor and preacher-elect on the #ith day1 or second ,sabbath1 in ,may1 #ahbe4 ,the presbytery was to meet in ,october in its semi-annual gathering4 ,by a strange coincidence this was at ,newtown1 near the ,neshaminy stream1 in ,bucks county1 ,pa4--the field of the evangelical and revival labors of the ancestor of his betrothed1 of whom more anon4 ,was the young preacher's imagination busy with the scenes of a century before8 ,the glories of autumn made lovely the landscape of this affluent agricultural county lying along the bend of the ,delaware1 rich in fruit1 in ,pennsylvania ,germans1 in ,english ,quakers1 and in ,scotch-,irish people4 ,its name1 that of ,penn's county in ,england1 is suggestive of the old world1 and it is historically famous for being on the line of ,washington's march to his great victory over the ,hessians at ,trenton1 and through it part of ,sullivan's men had moved for the chastisement of the ,iroquois tribes at ,newtown1 near ,elmira1 ,n4 ,y41 in #aggi4 ,yet the historical associations uppermost in the mind of the young licentiate must have been those with the great-grandfather of his betrothed1 who in this very region and near this very house of worship1 had labored with ,gilbert ,tennant in the gospel4 ,the young minister's call and the letter announcing it1 from the hands of the elders of the ,ninth ,church1 ,messrs4 ,ross1 ,hogg1 and ,reed1 in the name of the congregation1 was handed in to the assembled authorities4 ,no doubt the document was on genuine honest rag paper1 the only kind then known1 and on a letter sheet1 folded and dovetailed together and closed with sealing wax or wafer1 without an envelope1 directed on the outside and carried to him by stage coach4 ,no doubt he himself had to go to the office in ,baltimore to get it4 ,in compliance with its request1 the young licentiate's journey would be by stage through ,elkton and ,wilmington to ,philadelphia4 ,from ,philadelphia to ,newtown1 twenty-seven miles northeast of ,philadelphia1 the route would probably be up the well-known road crossing the ,neshaminy ,creek4 ,the young licentiate1 accustomed to do his own thinking1 appeared with clean papers from the ,presbytery of ,baltimore1 and asked that he might be taken under the care of the ,first ,presbytery of ,philadelphia1 with a view to ordination and installation as pastor of the ,ninth ,church4 ,nevertheless1 although he might be punctual and his papers clean1 ,dame ,rumor had arrived before him4 ,several of her thousand tongues had declared1 and even asseverated vehemently1 that ,john ,chambers was that strange1 curious1 and ever-changing thing called a heretic4 ,often that undefined thing is a babe thrust into the cradle1 while the orthodoxy of yesterday is turned out4 ,a heretic1 as ,saint ,paul was once called1 even as ,jesus was before him1 is very apt to be crucified to-day and glorified to-morrow4 ,indeed1 heresy is almost as protean and as undefinable as orthodoxy itself4 ,we shall see what kind of a heretic ,john ,chambers was4 ,his life for fifty years revealed the reality4 ,within that little company gathered at ,newtown there was1 in the language of old times many a heresio-mastix or scourger of heresy1 and a majority of the ministers present were already pre-determined to hereticate the young licentiate1 who had already made the bounds of the little brick church on ,thirteenth street too small to hold his hearers4 ,nevertheless our sympathies go out to all church bishops1 whose duty it is to show that sudden popularity is no proof of fitness or character4 ,it developed during the examination that the head and front of the young man's offending was his belief in the ,bible as an all sufficient rule of faith and practice4 ,in this position1 he was confirmed by the fact that the ,westminster standards1 the ,confession of ,faith1 the ,larger and ,shorter ,catechisms1 teach that the ,bible is the only infallible rule of faith and obedience4 ,these all unite in declaring that the ,scriptures are given by inspiration of ,god to be the rule of faith and life1 the rule of worship1 the only rule of faith and obedience2 which teach what man is to believe concerning ,god1 and what duty ,god requires of man1 and form the rule given us of ,god to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy ,him4 ,in a word1 to an independent thinker1 loyal to the ,bible as the word of ,god1 as ,john ,chambers was1 the ,westminster standards contain their own reductio ad absurdum to any one who puts creed1 catechism1 or confession above the ,holy ,scriptures1 or who makes certain parts1 or even a collection of parts1 greater than the whole4 ,mr4 ,chambers1 using his own words1 believed that nothing could exceed infallibility1 and was therefore satisfied with the infallible rule of the ,scriptures4 ,there was not then the freedom of faith1 and the liberty of private interpretation of ,holy ,scripture and the ,westminster symbols that is now happily the rule in the ,presbyterian churches4 ,the fault1 if fault it were1 was not solely on the young man's part4 ,the eyes of the fathers and brethren were opened and the heretic stood revealed4 ,one of the members1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,ely1 then proposed that the moderator should ask ,mr4 ,chambers whether at the time of his licensure he subscribed to the ,confession of ,faith4 ,he answered that he did not4 ,when the second question was proposed1 ,are you prepared to do so now8 he answered firmly1 ,i am not4 ,a motion was then made by ,dr4 ,ely that ,mr4 ,chambers and his papers be referred back to the ,presbytery of ,baltimore1 and that the pulpit of the ,ninth ,church be declared vacant4 ,rev4 ,messrs4 ,patterson and ,hoff were appointed a committee to perform the duty4 ,on ,thursday evening of the same week1 which was the regular evening for the weekly lecture1 the committee of the ,presbytery1 which had met at ,newtown1 appeared at the church4 ,although there were no telegraphs in those days1 it was quickly known in ,philadelphia1 and to all the people of the ,ninth ,church1 that ,mr4 ,chambers1 the man whom they had learned to love1 had been rejected by the ,presbytery4 ,the preaching of the young minister had already resulted1 under ,god1 in a deep and strong religious interest4 ,consequently there was a large attendance and not a little excitement in the little brick edifice1 so much so1 indeed1 that some of the congregation had quietly resolved to put the committee out in the street should they attempt to go into the pulpit4 ,punctuality with the young pastor had already settled into what proved to be a life-long habit4 ,he was at the church in good season4 ,finding the committee already there1 he explained to the two men the situation and told them what the consequences would be if they attempted to fulfil their mission4 ,happily1 however1 both gentlemen being more concerned with the coming of the kingdom of ,god than about obeying the letter of their orders1 did indeed go into the pulpit1 but it was at the request of ,mr4 ,chambers1 who made them his firm friends for life4 ,when there they co-operated with him1 assisting to conduct the services1 and not a word was said about the pulpit being vacant4 ,thus ,god1 through his servant1 quieted the ,irishmen1 and then and there magnified this man who had a genius for friendship and was an expert peacemaker2 all of which was for the coming of the kingdom and the good of souls4 ,as days passed by1 the people of the congregation1 realizing that if they wanted to have a minister they would have to be an independent church1 took prompt action4 ,after due notice had been given1 a congregational meeting was held4 ,by a vote of four to one the people declared themselves independent of all church courts1 with only ,christ as their ,master4 ,by another vote1 equally large1 they resolved to retain ,john ,chambers as their minister4 ,the minority1 led by ,mr4 ,moses ,reed1 one of the elders1 withdrew1 and in a room on ,race street organized themselves as the ,ninth ,presbyterian ,church4 ,in the law suit that followed1 the seceders won their case4 ,with the edifice1 given up in #ahcj1 went the possession of the small burying ground on ,race street1 above ,nineteenth1 in which sleeps the dust of the ,ross family and the father of the renowned soldier's friend1 ,miss ,anna ,ross1 whom defenders of the ,union from #ahfa to #ahfe1 and the survivors of the ,grand ,army remember so well4 ,in the writer's memory her name and face are not forgotten1 for she was his ,sunday ,school teacher4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,new ,,england4 ,,ordination ,,at ,,new ,,haven4 ,in ,nevins' ,presbyterian ,encyclopedia1 which contains a brief sketch of the career of ,john ,chambers and a wood-cut portrait of him in his prime1 it is stated1 that ,when ,mr4 ,duncan about this time renounced the jurisdiction of the ,presbyterian ,church into which the ,associate ,reformed1 with ,dr4 ,mason and others had been merged1 ,dr4 ,chambers followed his example1 from sympathy with his teacher4 ,was the pupil's sympathy stronger than were the preacher's convictions8 ,meanwhile the young minister1 then twenty-seven years old1 returned to ,baltimore to meet the ,presbytery and seek ordination4 ,here again another obstacle arose4 ,the theologians on the ,patapsco declared that ,mr4 ,chambers was no longer a licentiate under their care1 and handed him back his papers4 ,again was ,john ,chambers preacher of the gospel rejected of men4 ,was ecclesiasticism good order in this case8 ,did the true cause of this rather rough treatment lie in this1 that he had been a pupil of ,john ,mason ,duncan1 the independent8 ,what should the young man do8 ,disowned of presbyteries and looked at suspiciously by the fathers and lords in the church1 where should he go8 ,as he himself wrote on his fiftieth anniversary1 ,may #ith1 #ahge3 ,the prospect1 therefore1 was rather chilly4 ,i had left my home of many years in the city of ,baltimore1 where ,i received all the education that ever was bestowed upon me1 and where ,i sat at the feet of that ,gamaliel1 the ,reverend ,john ,mason ,duncan1 to whom under ,god1 ,i am indebted1 entirely by ,his grace1 for the position ,i occupy to-day4 ,my heart had been much interested in religious matters for two or three years before ,i left ,baltimore4 ,there were five or six of us young men1 as students of ,mr4 ,duncan1 and we had organized some meetings through the city of ,baltimore1 and ,god was with us2 and the warm heart--if ,i had any warm heart at all--that ,i brought to ,philadelphia1 was kindled at the altar of those dear young brethren4 ,how much we are indebted to ,god for young men6 ,how much1 my brethren1 are the eldership1 are you1 am ,i1 indebted to young men6 ,dr4 ,chambers's last words in this paragraph are especially appropriate1 because it is the tendency of most theologians and elderly men to teach that ,god was1 not that he is4 ,with young men1 ,god's existence is more likely to be in the present tense4 ,the ecclesiastical orphan1 thus cast fatherless and friendless upon the wide world1 began to inquire whither he should go to seek ordination4 ,happily there were other bodies of ,christians and a living church of ,christ1 besides the one which had withheld its blessing4 ,happily too1 there were men in the ,presbyterian ,churches of ,philadelphia1 warm friends1 who were able to direct him wisely1 one of them being the large-hearted scholar1 ,james ,patriot ,wilson1 ,d4,d41 pastor of the ,first ,presbyterian ,church1 predecessor of ,albert ,barnes1 and then fifty-six years old4 ,the other was ,rev4 ,thomas ,harvey ,skinner1 ,d4,d41 pastor of the ,fifth ,presbyterian ,church in ,locust street1 and who1 twenty-six years afterwards1 became the famous professor in ,union ,theological ,seminary of ,new ,york ,city4 ,both of these men were in hearty sympathy with those views of truth afterwards called the ,new ,school4 ,these brethren with ,dr4 ,duncan1 advised ,mr4 ,chambers to go into ,yankee land and there be ordained by ,congregational clergymen4 ,they gave him letters of introduction to the ,rev4 ,nathaniel ,w4 ,taylor1 the famous exponent of the new divinity and then of the theological department of ,yale ,college4 ,it was not ,presbyterianism only that was at this era being rocked on the waves of progress by the gales of the ,spirit4 ,about this time1 or shortly afterwards1 ,connecticut ,congregationalism was being excited and lifted out of torpor and routine by the breezy discussions of ,taylorism and ,tylerism4 ,the former expressed the views of ,dr4 ,nathaniel ,william ,taylor1 the successor of ,moses ,stuart1 and then holding the ,dwight professorship in the ,theological ,department of ,yale ,college4 ,the young seminary opened in #ahbb was therefore but three years old when ,mr4 ,chambers appeared to be ordained4 ,whatever may be the true label we put upon ,dr4 ,n4 ,w4 ,taylor1 he was one of the greatest of ,america's theologians when the appeal was being taken from ,calvin to ,christ4 ,he taught a modification of ,hopkinsism which many ,presbyterians regarded as hostile to ,calvinism and many ,new ,englanders as unsound4 ,as ,mr4 ,chambers had already done1 ,dr4 ,taylor repudiated the words predestinate and decreed and used the word purposed concerning ,god's desire to save men4 ,before he died1 in #aheh1 he had trained over seven hundred ministers4 ,ex-,president ,dwight1 in his recent book on ,men and ,memories of ,yale1 presents him felicitously in word and picture4 ,about the time also of rising ,taylorism the new methods of preaching and revival used by ,rev4 ,c4 ,g4 ,finney1 afterwards president of ,oberlin ,college1 excited much alarm among the men of the old school4 ,how strange are the variations and how curious is the progress of orthodoxy6 ,most of the great revivalists of this country were nourished in the ,congregational churches2 and1 from ,finney to ,moody1 they were at first looked upon with suspicion4 ,later they were welcomed and lauded as the saviors of orthodoxy4 ,verily the earthen vessel is sometimes more in evidence than the heavenly treasure4 ,to combat the views of ,dr4 ,taylor1 ,dr4 ,bennett ,tyler1 ex-president of ,dartmouth ,college1 and then pastor at ,portland1 ,me41 was hailed as the champion by all the leading spirits among the conservatives1 though both of these great teachers had modified the original ,calvinism4 ,of ,dr4 ,tyler it has been well said that ,in forming his system he began not with mind1 but with the ,bible1 and he looked for no advances in theology except such as come from a richer ,christian experience4 ,dr4 ,tyler founded a theological institute at ,east ,windsor1 ,conn41 in #ahcd1 so long and ably presided over by the cultured ,philadelphian1 ,chester ,d4 ,hartranft1 ,d4,d41 brother of ,pennsylvania's soldier and governor4 ,the monuments of these controversies between ,taylorism and ,tylerism1 now forgotten1 are seen in the superb theological seminaries of ,new ,haven and ,hartford1 but the points of difference1 as now discoverable only under the microscope of research1 are of no practical importance4 ,hardly any one except the hair-splitting philosophers can state them4 ,they have been forgotten in the larger vision of advancing ,christianity4 ,so will it be with most of the controversies of to-day1 especially those centering in the higher criticism4 ,it was to ,dr4 ,n4 ,w4 ,taylor1 that ,mr4 ,chambers had letters1 as well as to ,dr4 ,leonard ,bacon1 afterwards the famous opponent of slavery1 and author1 in #ahcc of the hymn1 ,o ,god beneath thy guiding hand ,our exiled fathers crossed the sea1 ,and when they trod the wintry strand ,with prayer and psalm they worshipped thee4 ,for over twenty years ,dr4 ,bacon was pastor of the ,first ,congregational ,church in ,new ,haven1 one of the professors in ,yale ,divinity ,school1 and the progenitor of a remarkably intellectual family4 ,until his death1 the day before ,christmas of #ahha1 he was a commanding figure in ,american history4 ,of the council which ordained ,mr4 ,chambers he was the scribe4 ,it will be seen at a glance that the ecclesiastical exile from ,philadelphia and ,baltimore was to stand before giants4 ,if these mighty men of ,god could give him ordination1 why need he mourn the loss of clerical favor nearer home8 ,thus armed with letters of commendation1 the young ,irish-,american proceeded to the ,city of ,elms1 in the opening week of ,december1 #ahbe4 ,it was the first year of ,john ,quincy ,adams's administration1 and the ,erie ,canal had joined the waters of the great lakes with the ,atlantic4 ,it was an era of mighty conquests over nature1 and the heart of the young man who was thrilling with the spirit of the age and of the ages1 beat high with hope4 ,he1 too1 wanted to do great things for ,god and help in making the world better4 ,he sought out those addressed1 and handed to them his letters4 ,two days afterwards1 the ,association of ,congregational ministers of the ,western ,district of ,new ,haven ,county was called together by the ,moderator1 and eight ministers were present in the assembly which was held in the ,centre ,church4 ,of the meeting1 the following official record was copied out for the biographer1 at the request of ,rev4 ,dr4 ,t4 ,t4 ,munger1 author of ,the ,freedom of ,faith1 and through the courtesy of ,rev4 ,franklin ,dexter1 librarian of ,yale ,university4 ,at a ,special ,meeting of the ,association of the ,western ,district of ,new ,haven ,county1 convened by letters from the ,moderator and holden in ,new ,haven1 ,december #gth1 #ahbe4 ,present--,messrs4 ,s4 ,w4 ,stebbins1 ,j4 ,day1 ,d4,d41 ,e4 ,scranton1 ,s4 ,merwin1 ,j4 ,allen1 ,e4 ,t4 ,fitch and ,l4 ,bacon4 ,mr4 ,stebbins was chosen ,moderator1 and ,mr4 ,bacon1 ,scribe4 ,the session was opened with prayer4 ,mr4 ,john ,chambers1 a licentiate of the late second ,presbytery of ,philadelphia1 now dissolved1 being introduced to the ,association by ,mr4 ,merwin1 requested to be ordained to the ministry of the ,gospel1 and producing proper testimonials of his standing as a member of the church of ,christ2 of his regular license to preach the ,gospel1 and of his having passed through a period of probation1 with proper acceptance1 the ,association1 after examining him as to his belief in the doctrines of the ,gospel1 his experimental acquaintance with religion1 and his motives in desiring the work of the ministry1 ,voted to proceed to his ordination this evening at half-past six o'clock4 ,voted that the parts be performed as follows3 ,the introductory prayer to be offered by ,mr4 ,scranton2 the sermon to be preached by ,professor ,fitch2 the ordaining prayer to be offered by ,mr4 ,merwin1 during which ,messrs4 ,stebbins1 ,fitch and ,merwin to impose hands2 the charge to be given by ,mr4 ,stebbins2 the right hand of fellowship by ,mr4 ,bacon2 the concluding prayer to be offered by ,mr4 ,allen4 ,adjourned to meet in the ,centre ,meeting-house at half-past six o'clock4 ,met according to adjournment4 ,the ordination took place according to the preceding votes4 ,mr4 ,chambers1 at his request1 was admitted a member of the ,association4 ,the minutes were read and accepted4 ,,test ,,leonard ,,bacon1 ,scribe4 ,the ordination sermon was duly preached in the evening by the ,rev4 ,professor ,eleazer ,t4 ,fitch1 ,d4,d41 ,livingstone ,professor of ,divinity in ,yale ,college1 and then ,mr4 ,chambers was ordained by the laying on of hands of the three appointed ministers of the ,association4 ,according to ,congregational usage an ,association of ministers does not ordain to the ministry1 but a ,council does4 ,the ,association may transform itself into a ,council for the time being4 ,in ,connecticut the ,consociation1 or standing council1 performed this function4 ,in any event1 ,john ,chambers was properly ordained to the ,gospel ministry according to due ,congregational call1 form1 and precedent4 ,furthermore1 by his own request1 he became a member of the ,association4 ,this did not make him a ,congregationalist1 but it showed his hearty sympathy with the principles and ideas of his fellow members4 ,for forty-eight years1 his only ministerial standing and connection was in the ,congregational body as an independent minister1 though his church was governed according to ,presbyterian form and usage4 ,so strong and deep was his faith in the validity of non-,episcopal and non-,presbyterian ordination that he showed it all his life by his works4 ,he ordained during the course of his ministry several young men to the work of the gospel4 ,one of these impressive ceremonies ,i myself witnessed1 probably about #ahei4 ,after preaching a sermon and reading the papers or certificates of the candidate1 ,mr4 ,chambers called his elders1 those grand men of ,god1 ,burtis1 ,luther1 ,steinmetz1 and ,walton around him4 ,then upon the head of the kneeling young man he and they laid their hands1 solemnly ordaining him to the gospel in true apostolic style4 ,years afterwards1 in #ahib1 one of his own boys1 even the biographer1 delivered the ,dudleian lecture at ,harvard ,university in ,appleton ,chapel on ,the ,validity of non-,episcopal ,ordination1 or1 more exactly1 the validity of ordination by the congregation1 according to the method of the primitive ,christian ,churches#e4 ,by a strange coincidence1 it was on the same night1 ,dec4 #g1 on which ,mr4 ,chambers was ordained1 and thus the sixty-seventh anniversary of his ordination4 ,footnote #e3 ,see the ,bibliotheca ,sacra1 for ,october1 #ahic4 ,mr4 ,chambers left ,new ,haven the next morning1 ,dec4 #hth1 #ahbe4 ,the elms were leafless1 but his heart was happy and his face radiant with joy4 ,coming back to minister to his constantly increasing flock1 he baptized on the first ,sunday in ,january1 #ahbf1 several new communicants and administered for the first time the memorial supper of ,jesus4 ,it was a day long to be remembered1 for between seventy and eighty souls were on this occasion added to the church1 and the young pastor1 in the joy of his initial service1 baptized the first child that ever received the dedicating waters from his hands1 ,john ,chambers ,arrison1 the first of a mighty host4 ,in #ahge1 the white-haired pastor who had welcomed #c1ehe members into his church1 said3 ,thus it seemed that the tide of ,god's favor was taken at the flood1 and it has brought us to where we are to-day4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,home ,,and ,,church4 ,,love ,,and ,,work4 ,let us now look into ,john ,chambers's inner life1--of the heart as well as the intellect4 ,we have seen how the vigorous and lusty twig which grew up in the classical academy of ,baltimore began to bend away from certain statements and formul in the ,westminster symbols1 as then interpreted to him1 which gave the afterwards robust and widespreading tree a tremendous inclination4 ,as a man thinketh in his heart1 so is he4 ,john ,chambers's convictions shaped his message and colored all his preaching4 ,there were probably reasons1 other than those merely intellectual1 for the young man's tremendous antipathy to the idea that the fullness of the ,christian life and the message of ,jesus could be compressed into the mathematical statements made at ,westminster during the days of the ,british ,commonwealth4 ,when ,i was a student at ,rutgers ,college1 ,new ,brunswick1 ,new ,jersey1 from #ahfe to #ahfi1 ,i was asked1 as an incoming freshman1 by the president1 ,rev4 ,william ,h4 ,campbell1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d41 concerning my religious training4 ,i told him how much ,i owed to ,john ,chambers in ,philadelphia4 ,a bland light overspread the full expanse of that face1 so seamed with thought and studious toil and which nothing but warm affection could call handsome4 ,indeed1 it seemed as though every wrinkle was smoothed out1 as a prairie-like smile suffused its whole area4 ,then1 laughing heartily1 he said1 ,well1 ,i can remember when he had orthodoxy taught him with the sole of a slipper4 ,evidently then1 according to the accepted and supposedly wholesome custom of the times1 the future preacher received at intervals what was expected to be a physical aid to faith1 though in reality the result was the reverse of what was expected4 ,whether the slipper was applied to the lad before or after intellectual defection1 its use induced reaction4 ,whether1 as is probable1 the correction by leather came from the employer to whom the apprentice was bound1 or from the schoolmaster is not known4 ,the boy would not accept ,westminsterism whole1 certainly not as then interpreted4 ,above all1 this young ,irish-,american lad had a big1 warm heart4 ,as he read the ,scriptures for himself he was early filled with that idea1 which afterwards he infused into the lives of thousands1 that the gospel is a glorious message to the individual1 that the ,christian life is a ,way1 as well as a belief1 that there are elements in religious life and experience which do not submit to exact definitions1 and that the mercy of ,god is the largest factor of the ,divine life toward wrong-doing man4 ,in this the time of his youth1 as well as all through his life1 he felt deeply rather than thought coolly4 ,whether we must ascribe most or all of the results to the towering personality of his teacher1 ,john ,mason ,duncan1 and of his long continued training at a most susceptible age under so forceful a master1 certainly1 whatever our philosophy of the known facts may be1 he was filled with an antipathy to creeds4 ,in a time and climate of theological severity1 and amid the rancor of controversy1 he was1 among his clerical brethren who set higher value than he did1 upon the form of sound words or logical formulas1 verily a pilgrim and stranger upon the earth4 ,he rejoiced to see by faith the day we live in1 even the work of the ,general ,assembly1 and of the ,synods and ,presbyteries of #aijc4 ,ever hoping and praying for the day to come when the creeds1 especially of the ,presbyterian body of churches1 in which he had been educated1 would be revised1 he lived and died in faith1 not having received the promises1 but having seen them and greeted them from afar4 ,the change of theological climate1 the revision of the ,westminster symbols and the simplification of theology into which we1 in this twentieth century have come1 even the work of the ,general ,assembly1 that met in ,new ,york in #aijb1 and in ,los ,angeles in #aijc1 was what he in hope long ago looked for4 ,he believed in expressing forms of faith in the language of living men1 not of dead ones1 for he ever taught not only that ,god was1 but that ,he is4 ,to recapitulate1 ,john ,chambers left the classical academy in #ahah1 after five years' instruction4 ,he remained seven years longer in ,baltimore1 active in church life and work4 ,during this time1 he was occupied also in business1 thus earning his livelihood1 for he had learned the trade of a jeweler4 ,during these years1 his life was made rich and joyous by one who had crossed his path1 and who was to be to him his beloved wife1 ,miss ,helen ,mc,henry4 ,she was the first of three noble specimens of womanhood who were to light his household fire1 irradiate his home1 double and share his joys and sorrows4 ,how often and how tenderly did our pastor refer to the partner of his life1 the beloved companion of his bosom6 ,what a refining power1 what a potent influence1 stimulating to marital purity and mutual love that lightens all distress1 was his steadfast example4 ,it was his frequent felicitous use of passages from the ,song of ,songs1 that so impressed one boy's mind that1 despite his vow1 registered in college1 never to write a commentary1 he composed and published ,the ,lily ,among ,thorns4#f ,footnote #f3 ,the ,lily ,among ,thorns4 ,a ,study of the ,biblical ,drama entitled ,the ,song of ,songs4 ,boston1 #ahhi4 ,let us look at the heredity of his affianced4 ,as early as #agce1 ,francis ,mc,henry1 an ordained minister of the ,presbyterian church came from ,ireland to ,america and was associated with ,gilbert ,tennant in the ,deep ,run1 or ,neshaminy1 churches in ,bucks ,county1 ,pennsylvania1 and also in the beginnings of the ,log ,college1 which by direct evolution became the great ,princeton ,university4 ,his grandson was ,francis ,dean ,mc,henry1 a shipping merchant of ,baltimore1 whose daughter ,helen was born in ,september1 #ahje1 when the boy in ,ohio was nearly seven years old4 ,when he met her in ,baltimore1 he had the lover's three ,t's or elements of success--propinquity1 opportunity1 and importunity4 ,those who knew ,john ,chambers in later life will not marvel why he won her1 rather might they wonder how any maiden could resist the urgency of the warm-hearted and handsome youth1 who was the largest and handsomest of the ,chambers family4 ,as matter of fact1 she made capitulation in due time and was led to the altar4 ,it was but a very short time after ,john ,chambers had reached the first stadium in his successful career and was an ordained minister1 that the marriage took place in ,baltimore1 ,march #adth1 #ahbf4 ,the young preacher brought his bride to ,philadelphia and enjoyed just three years and six months of wedded happiness with the companion of his youth4 ,those who remember ,mrs4 ,chambers speak of her beauty and animation1 and of her whole-hearted sympathy with her husband's work1 but her life was destined to be brief4 ,the first child born of the union was ,john ,mason ,duncan ,chambers1 whom the happy father joyfully named after his spiritual father1 under whom his soul life had opened and ripened in ,baltimore4 ,his second child1 a daughter1 ,helen ,frances ,chambers1 now ,mrs4 ,james ,hackett1 living at ,pomfret ,centre1 ,conn41 still survives him4 ,john ,mason ,duncan ,chambers1 born ,march #ae1 #ahbg1 married ,miss ,emma ,ward of ,winchester1 ,virginia1 in ,october1 #ahea4 ,he died ,november1 #aheg1 leaving three children1 of whom ,helen ,mc,henry is the only survivor4 ,she is married to ,mr4 ,george ,lothrop ,bradley1 of ,pomfret ,centre1 ,conn41 and ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,helen ,frances ,chambers1 born ,april #be1 #ahbi1 was married ,july #ag1 #ahdi1 to ,mr4 ,james ,hackett1 of ,baltimore4 ,their one surviving child1 ,helen ,mc,henry ,hackett1 married ,george ,f4 ,miles4 ,with ,mrs4 ,hackett1 these two grandchildren are the only descendants of ,john ,chambers4 ,the pastor1 elect and ordained1 brought his bride to ,philadelphia and took a house on ,thirteenth street1 below ,walnut1 and there began his home4 ,being on the same street as his church1 he had not been many months at work before scores of people living on ,thirteenth1 or streets parallel and crossing it1 were attracted to become worshippers with him as their pastor4 ,as one lady1 still lovely in her eighty years of life1 tells the story from girlhood's memories1 the ,chamberites1 as they were at first called1 were every ,sunday morning seen to be moving with their faces set northward toward the ,church of the ,vow2 and the preacher1 being from the first the soul of promptness1 led the procession4 ,between ,thirteenth and ,broad streets and ,walnut and ,locust1 had grown up the ,village1 where for lack of accommodation in the church edifice1 the ,sunday ,school was established4 ,on ,sabbath afternoons1 the whole school adjourned bodily to the church1 walking up ,thirteenth street to ,filbert4 ,yet even with a growing ,sunday ,school and enlarging church membership1 the way of the young pastor was far from smooth1 and the ,first ,independent ,church of ,philadelphia was in no danger of being smothered with kindness4 ,almost as a matter of course1 an industrious army of prophets arose to foretell failure to a church founded on the ,bible alone4 ,rather1 instead of prophets1 we should say a busy host of fortune-tellers1 since the ,hebrew and ,biblical word1 prophet1 does not mean predicter1 but the utterer of truth4 ,the little ecclesiastical infant1 rather foundling1 needed much warmth of prayer and devotion1 certainly during its first decade4 ,with shakings of the head and emphatic use of the hands in dreadful warning of calamity1 the ,philadelphia variety of soothsayers declared that in two or three years1 the ,first ,independent ,church would go to pieces4 ,both laymen and ministers were loud in declaring that such a church1 without a creed1 7though the ,bible is a very library of creeds71 could not thrive or live4 ,the idea of success in rearing a church1 with the ,holy ,scriptures only as a rule of faith and practice1 was scoffed at4 ,in our day1 it does indeed seem strange that ,protestant ministers should so talk1 but experience1 the great teacher1 showed the divine sufficiency of the ,bible as a rule of faith and practice1 and 444 also a bond of union holding together a large and flourishing congregation in ,christian love and harmony4 ,so wrote ,john ,chambers in #ahei4 ,however1 liberal1 or1 rather scriptural1 in his theological opinions1 the young minister was1 since especially he cared nothing for any man's boasted predestination or election to eternal life1 unless that same man showed the fruits of faith in holy living1 he was anything but liberal in his ideas of morals1 or as related to amusements1 or the keeping of the ,christian day of rest4 ,we shall see this clearly when we note how he dealt with one of his theatre-going elders4 ,in his fortieth anniversary sermon1 ,may #adth1 #ahfe1 which was printed1 ,mr4 ,chambers referred to this experience1 stating that during the two-score years of his ministry no word of disagreement1 or of an unpleasant character with his fellow-presbyters1 had ever been spoken1 with the exception that we are about to describe1 and which1 in order to make a perfectly correct record1 ,mr4 ,chambers himself would not omit4 ,shortly after administering his first communion1 the young pastor found that one of the original elders was in the habit of attending theatrical amusements and of taking his children with him4 ,what resulted from this discovery is given in his own words3 ,this conduct was so directly in opposition to what were then my convictions of what was right1 and which opinion ,i still hold--so directly in the face of the teachings of the ,bible1 that ,i could not remain silent under it1 but at once sought ,mr4 ----1 in order that we might have a mutual explanation of our views4 ,upon my putting the question to him1 as to whether he thought his course was a proper one--whether it was the love of ,christ which induced him to frequent such places1 and if in so doing he was bringing up his children in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord by making them his companions on such occasions1 ,i found that he was obstinate in his determination to adhere to his own course of action4 ,i referred him to ,second ,corinthians1 sixth chapter1 fourteenth to eighteenth verse1 and then told him that ,i could not and would not serve with him in the ,session2 that either he or ,i must resign1 and proposed that it should be left to the vote of the ,church4 ,if the ,church advocated or permitted indulgence in theatrical amusements1 if it was considered a means of grace and the proper school in which children were to be trained up for ,god1 there was but one path for me to pursue--to dissolve my connection with them at once4 ,if on the contrary they sustained me in my views1 ,mr4 ---- must resign4 ,he was unwilling to submit the matter to the vote of the congregation1 knowing only too well that their standard of piety was a high one1 and that his conduct would meet with their severe displeasure4 ,consequently he resigned his office of elder in the spring of #ahbf1 and from that day to this neither elder nor lay member has advocated visits to the theatre as the way to heaven1 and ,i am sure with the ,bible as their rule of life1 never will4 ,illustration3 ,,john ,,chambers4 ,about #ahef4 ,it soon became very evident that the young minister and his people were ,separatists of a strict sort4 ,they believed in being in the world1 but not of the world4 ,the passages in ,corinthians which had been quoted1 ,wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate1 was one on which the pastor preached many times in the course of his ministry4 ,his insistence was from the first that ,christian people ought to find their enjoyment in religion and be visibly different from those who had no scruples against cards1 dancing1 gaming1 or the theatre4 ,was not ,john ,chambers right8 ,he had a just fear of the real influence of these methods of killing time4 ,furthermore1 those who can remember the ,chestnut street1 of even as late as the sixties1 need not wonder at his earnest and pointed preaching--for every sermon-bullet of ,john ,chambers hit the target1 and usually the bull's eye4 ,in language not to be mistaken and often with tears1 he called upon young men and women to rise upon higher levels into a more spiritual life than was then common4 ,a realistic description of the vice1 that openly flaunted itself on ,philadelphia's gayest street1 would not here be in good taste1 or be relished if given2 but it was something horrible4 ,whether the world1 on the whole1 is getting better or worse1 it is quite certain that the houses of ill-fame1 the midnight street-walkers and the pictures once visible in public places and in the saloons1 inexpressibly obscene as they were1 are not found at the present time1 or if so1 are much more concealed1 for they have at least been driven to cover4 ,it seemed to be the idea of the young minister that he ought to know what was going on in the world1 and to teach his people to know1 while yet choosing the pure1 and avoiding the impure4 ,he was liberal enough in his attitude to his brethren of other names1 always working with them in practical religion4 ,some of the years of his first marriage were spent on ,arch street1 near #acth street4 ,in later years he lived on ,walnut above ,broad on the south side4 ,from about the time of the war and until his death1 he dwelt at the corner of #abth and ,girard street north of ,chestnut4 ,thus his whole pastoral life was spent in the very heart of the city1 seeing things as they were1 and with his eyes open to the manner in which the people amused themselves4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,war ,,horse ,,of ,,the ,,temperance ,,cause4 ,a large number1 and probably a majority of the large congregation which soon gathered around ,john ,chambers1 were people from ,scotland or ,scottish-,ireland1 and1 like most of this sturdy race1 were very fond of both religion and whiskey4 ,the customs of society in the thirties made the social glass very frequent4 ,the chief decoration of the sideboard was usually a decanter and glasses4 ,even a funeral was not considered complete in all its appointments1 unless there was plenty of liquor drunk before the corpse was taken out of the house1 much more being consumed when the company came back4 ,from the very first1 the young pastor took a firm stand against indulgence in any intoxicating liquor1 and spoke his mind most freely1 in favor not only of temperance but also of total abstinence4 ,he determined to use his oratorical talents in arousing public sentiment against the drinking habits of his day1 and he presided over the first public temperance meeting held in ,philadelphia4 ,he went further4 ,he gave notice from his pulpit that he should enter no house where liquors were provided1 not even to hold services over the dead4 ,this announcement made a tremendous sensation1 and no doubt some thought that the foundations of society were endangered4 ,soon after this ultimatum1 the pastor repaired to a house to conduct services over the dead1 and found that liquors were being served4 ,instantly going out doors1 he remained standing in a drenching rain1 refusing to officiate1 until the corpse had been brought to him4 ,throughout his long ministry1 he continued this work1 seeking by sermons1 addresses1 prayers1 the taking of pledges1 the assistance of reformed inebriates1 the training of young men1 and by every other lawful means to promote temperance and total abstinence4 ,not always abstemious in his language1 he made bitter enemies among the liquor dealers1 but although of superb physical frame and excellent muscular power he used no physical force or carnal methods of defence1 with possibly one exception4 ,once a publican seized him by the collar1 as he was walking along the street1 and swore vociferously at him4 ,pretty soon he had abused his victim so exhaustively1 that he was himself out of breath4 ,at the end of this verbal discharge1 ,mr4 ,chambers who had listened quietly1 lifted his hat1 thanked him1 said good morning1 and went his way4 ,in #ahdi he was introduced to an audience as the war-horse of the temperance cause4 ,ever after this he was known as the war-horse4 ,one elder left his church on this liquor issue4 ,it began to look as if an independent church 7which is very far from being a ,congregational ,church7 was1 as some had predicted1 anything that ,john ,chambers chose to make it4 ,certainly under the dominating personality of so bold and yet so tender a soldier of ,christ1 the church quickly rose to be one of the most aggressive in the city of ,penn4 ,after ten or fifteen years of service1 when his congregation had increased and lads and lassies were multiplied1 he organized in #ahdj the ,youth's ,temperance ,society4 ,it was made up of young people4 ,once a month or every two months1 alternating with the ,missionary ,society1 the afternoon ,sunday ,school service took the form of a temperance meeting2 at which1 besides prayer and singing1 addresses were made by speakers1 either from the congregation or without4 ,there were also occasionally recitations1 but the crowning event of the year1 for which preparations were made often weeks in advance1 was the anniversary4 ,this was held on the evening of ,washington's ,birthday1 ,february #bb;d1 either in the church edifice or at ,concert ,hall on ,chestnut ,street1 which is now occupied by the ,public ,library4 ,exquisitely lovely in memory rises the scene1 when after duly committing to memory and practicing1 cutting down to the right length and repeatedly rehearsing the speeches1 the dialogues and the musical parts1 the boys and the girls1 in a glow of excitement1 gathered in the rooms below the stage4 ,the little maidens in their best clothes and most bewitching adornments in hair and dress and slippers1 seemed to me most radiantly lovely4 ,the boys who were to be speakers had on their coats a rosette of quilled ribbon1 in the center of which was a tinsel star1 from which gushed forth a cataract of red1 white1 and blue satin pendants or streamers4 ,how gay and happy we all were6 ,how heaven-like it all appeared6 ,except for the thumping of one's heart under his ribs1 it seemed positive rapture to hear one's name announced by the superintendent1 ,aaron ,h4 ,burtis--that superb re-incarnation1 as we thought1 of ,george ,washington4 ,to make one's bow before a thousand human beings1 to speak his piece with high pulse and magnetic thrills1 were delights that filled a few triumphant moments4 ,stirring are the memories of the genial pastor1 ever ready to cheer the boys1 the portly form of ,robert ,luther1 the happy faces of ,john ,yard1 ,francis ,newland1 ,daniel ,steinmetz and ,rudolph ,s4 ,walton1 and the younger but constantly efficient ,robert ,h4 ,hinckley1 ,jr4 ,the ,youth's ,temperance ,society flourished until the close of ,mr4 ,chambers' ministry4 ,although all of the lads trained under ,john ,chambers did not as they grew up1 become ,prohibitionists1 yet a small army of good citizens1 earnest in temperance reform1 owe their strength of conviction to their noble pastor4 ,in this temperance work as in his preaching1 and his attacks on evil of any sort ,john ,chambers was as bold as a lion4 ,he spent much time and travelled to many places in order to take part in temperance meetings and encourage the workers4 ,in ,neil ,dow's reminiscences1 page #daf1 is an account of a great temperance meeting in ,new ,york on ,february #aith1 #aheb1 at which the ,philadelphia pastor was present4 ,dr4 ,crowell tells of another held at ,chester1 ,pa4 ,dr4 ,a4 ,a4 ,willetts and ,dr4 ,theodore ,cuyler were often with the ,war ,horse in his campaigns4 ,on one occasion when a barkeeper repeatedly sold liquor to one who was near and dear to the pastor and already a victim to physical decay and disease1 induced by his drinking habits1 ,mr4 ,chambers went into the saloon1 stated the exact case to the barkeeper and warned him not to sell any more liquor to the patient4 ,escaping from his nurse1 the wretched man entered the saloon1 again procured liquor and became decidedly worse4 ,finding what had been done1 ,mr4 ,chambers went to the barkeeper in fiery anger and said3 ,didn't ,i warn you not to sell liquor to ----8 ,then seizing him by his shoulders1 he gave the publican a vigorous shaking1 and again warned him1 threatening a severe penalty4 ,the barkeeper was so mightily impressed1 that he is said to have sold no more to the patient4 ,during all these early years1 ,mr4 ,chambers kept his young men busy in active evangelical work1 especially in the holding of neighborhood prayer meetings on what were then the outskirts of the city4 ,in #ahge1 ,rev4 ,j4 ,j4 ,baker1 pastor of a ,baptist ,church at ,navesink1 ,n4 ,j41 testified at the jubilee meeting to the intense activity of the young men of the church1 with which he had united in #ahbi4 ,four whom he named1 ,summers1 ,burnham1 ,hunterson1 and ,town entered the ministry4 ,he told of the zeal and activity of elders ,hibbert and ,arrison4 ,the young men of that time were interested in two prayer meetings1 one held in the 'old frame1' as it was called--a barn down town1 out of which effort grew ',the ,cedar ,street ,presbyterian ,church4' ,the other prayer meeting was held in ',the ,girard ,school ,house1' out of which grew two churches1 one ,lutheran and one ,baptist4 ,john ,chambers was also a rigid ,sabbatarian1 and in this1 it was not difficult to find an enthusiastic following1 for main in his congregation1 who remembered the strictness and severity of sabbath-keeping in the old countries1 warmly seconded his efforts to train the young people after their ideas of how the ,lord's day should be kept in ,america4 ,doubtless in the majority of the thousands of this ,israel1 the usual custom was to have baths1 washings1 the polishing of boots1 and the preparation of outer clothing done on ,saturday2 but a still grander triumph was won by the new pastor and a precedent set for fifty years to come4 ,sunday funerals had been the rule1 even to occasional disgusting excesses1 both in prolonging the preservation by icing the corpse1 and in the intemperate feasting and drinking after the return of the mourners--often a very mixed company4 ,john ,chambers saw the folly and the wickedness of unnecessary ,sunday funerals4 ,he exposed their true inwardness and refused to attend them4 ,this1 of course1 angered some of his people1 and a few left the church4 ,but how could they stay away8 ,out of love to ,christ and for the good of the working man and of horses1 ,john ,chambers had acted4 ,his motives were pure4 ,he went after his offended brethren and won them back4 ,so the peacemaker1 true child of ,god1 led his flock--so well indeed that his boys1 when pastors1 had to do the same thing4 ,they couldn't help it4 ,history repeated itself4 ,it was first firmness in the pulpit1 then offense1 next fair scripture argument and personal appeal1 followed by reconciliation1 with the result that ,god and ,his ,sabbath were honored4 ,it was ,god's pathetic appeal with ,jonah over again--and also much cattle4 ,even a horse should rest on ,sunday4 ,the fullness of energy could thus be given to divine worship and to the complete enjoyment of a day1 so different from all the other six days4 ,the ,sabbath1 as ,i remember it in church and home1 was a rubric on our week's page4 ,the normal family in the ,chambers church1 of which ours was one1 were all ready at home on ,sunday morning so as to be punctual at church4 ,after a good breakfast1 including the traditional ,dutch cake and coffee for the elders and grownups1 and plenty of the same sweet and nourishing food1 saving the ,mocha1 for the young folks1 we started off from home so as to be at ,sunday school a few minutes before nine o'clock4 ,the session lasted until quarter past ten1 which gave ample time for the breaking up and dismissing of the classes1 the social greetings of friends1 and a comfortable interval for getting into the larger auditorium above1 where service began punctually at #aj3cj4 ,the ,sunday school had been started as a novelty in the days of the old ,thirteenth ,street ,church by the pastor shortly after his coming to ,philadelphia4 ,although ,i do not remember that he ever taught a class himself1 or ever heard of his doing so1 yet there was one feature of his connection with and interest in the ,sunday ,school which has been to me and to many an inspiration for life4 ,not long after the preliminary devotional exercises were over1 our handsome leader1 of stately port and mien1 appeared on the scene4 ,going to each class he shook hands heartily with each and every teacher1 and often saluted1 or in some way noticed1 the children of the class1 speaking a pleasant word1 or inquiring after sister or brother1 parent or relative4 ,often to their delight he called the pupils by their first names1 for he was able to do this4 ,both teachers and scholars would look for the appearing of this grand man as regularly as they awaited the sunlight4 ,the pastor kept ever in vital touch with the ,sunday ,school1 generally remaining until near the time for his engagement upstairs4 ,thus he inaugurated a custom which was life-long and inspiring1 and which many another active pastor has followed in true apostolical succession4 ,would my readers wish to have a specimen of ,john ,chambers's preaching even in his early days8 ,to do this by presenting simply ink and paper is not to reveal thoughts that breathe and words that burn4 ,it is simply to point to a pressed flower1 bleached of its tints and with all its perfume exhaled1 for the sermon was the man himself4 ,nevertheless1 a faded and time-stained pamphlet of fifteen pages1 entitled ,sermon by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,chambers1 delivered at the ,presbyterian ,church in ,thirteenth ,street1 ,philadelphia1 on the evening of ,december #b1 #ahbg1 when ,universalism was then new and in the air1 from these words1 ,ye shall not surely die1 gives some idea of the general style and quality of the young preacher4 ,the discourse was taken in shorthand by ,m4 ,t4 ,c4 ,gould1 ,stenographer4 ,let us in imagination take our seat in the little brick church among his audience and listen to the discourse4 ,even the stenographer1 owing to the crowd1 was1 as he says1 in a very unfavorable position for hearing4 ,but who could not hear such a voice8 ,the sermon is a vigorous setting forth of religion in the genuine old-fashioned style1 in a torrent of emotional and not particularly logical oratory4 ,it is an assault upon the notions of those who would persuade you that the idea of future punishment is only the visionary dream of fanatics4 ,the especial reference is to those emissaries who are so industriously engaged in seeking to destroy the souls of men3 they are laboring by all the ingenuity of the arch fiend himself1 who first presented the forbidden fruit under such bewitching charms4 ,the new pastor believes that this system leads to the destruction of all morality and religion4 ,by him the ,eden narrative is read as a literal fact4 ,the young orator quotes from ,montesquieu1 ,lord ,bolingbroke 7though the reporter could not catch either the point or the words7 and ,hume1 by which he would prove that this system leads to the destruction of civil society and civil government4 ,warming to his theme1 he declares that all vice is the immediate offspring of the dogmas of ,universalism4444 ,the doctrine of universal salvation leads to all the vices and abominations under heaven4 ,reference is made to the fact that ,new ,york tells a mournful tale in consequence of this doctrine--the allusion being to a recent duel between a citizen of ,new ,york and a citizen of ,philadelphia4 ,the preacher even declares that a man holding such sentiments should never be entrusted with any civil office4#g ,footnote #g3 ,was this the duel of ,midshipman ,hunter and the brilliant young ,philadelphia lawyer1 ,miller1 the latter losing his life and the former becoming the famous ,alvarado ,hunter told of in the life of ,commodore ,matthew ,calbraith ,perry1 7,boston1 #ahhg7 p4 #bci8 ,against the background of fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest upon the wicked and ungodly he pressed the invitation to come to the ,redeeming ,saviour1 the ,divine ,saviour1 the ,glorified ,saviour4 ,the eloquent preacher closes his discourse1 which is from beginning to end directed to the conscience1 with a good1 warm1 direct appeal to his hearers for personal decision4 ,enough of proof is here given that from the first1 even to the last year1 if not the latest moment of his life1 ,john ,chambers never lost sight of the needy1 sinful1 human soul1 and that he always closed with a tender and affectionate personal appeal4 ,men might be as steel against his logic1 but their hearts melted under his winning importunity4 ,one great landmark in ,john ,chambers's life was his visit to ,europe in #ahcj4 ,his excessive labors and long-continued use of his voice in public discourse compelled him to cease both preaching and pastoral work4 ,as he said in #ahge3 ,in the year #ahcj ,i lost my voice so that ,i could not have been heard twenty paces from where ,i am now if you had given me the world4 ,my physician ordered me away and ,i was gone fourteen months4 ,when the announcement was made to my brethren that ,i had to go they instantly made arrangements4 ,they put into my purse twenty-five hundred dollars1 and into the hand of my dear friend and brother1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,ludlow1 the father of ,judge ,ludlow1 one thousand dollars to preach on the ,sabbath for one year1 making thirty-five hundred dollars down at once4 ,it was a noble and generous act on their part4 ,such generosity was as surprising to the young pastor as it was creditable to the people themselves4 ,to see the great ocean and the ,old ,world at a time of the fullness of his manly vigor and professional success1 travelling in a first-class steamer1 compelled contrast with his first crossing of the ocean as a helpless baby and with a father who was an exile and political refugee4 ,in ,england he was so fortunate as to see the royal maiden who had just been in #ahcj made heiress presumptive to the ,crown on the accession of ,william ,,iv4 ,possibly it was at this time that he made the acquaintance of ,richard ,vaux1 then secretary of the ,american legation1 whom ,i remember well in his later life as a prominent ,democratic politician and mayor of the city of ,philadelphia4 ,with his long1 flowing1 curled hair1--pronounced dress and astonishing necktie1 ,mr4 ,vaux was a picturesque figure in the ,quaker ,city4 ,he often boasted of having danced with the lady who became ,queen ,victoria1 though this was before she assumed the crown on ,june #bhth1 #ahch4 ,while in ,scotland ,mr4 ,chambers visited the ,free ,mason's lodges and enjoyed the mysteries of the ,scottish rite4 ,in ,ireland he visited his native place1 ,stewartstown1 the house in which he was born1 and the prison in which his father had been incarcerated and from which he escaped4 ,he was absent in all fourteen months1 and came back refreshed in body and enlarged in mind4 ,in physical righteousness ,john ,chambers stood before his boys and young men as an inspiring exemplar4 ,he neither drank1 chewed1 smoked1 or swore4 ,for fifty years he put to confusion those who preached the necessity or justified the use of alcohol or tobacco4 ,over six feet high1 in superb health and vigor1 always invitingly clean in person1 he reinforced every day the teaching of good fathers and mothers who strove to lead their sons to noble manhood4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,master ,,of ,,hearts4 ,in ,john ,chambers1 sanctified common sense was combined with spiritual fervor4 ,as a young pastor1 he had right ideas about finance and the honest support of a church4 ,money was needed for the salaries and expenses of keeping the edifice comfortable and in repair4 ,before the first year had passed by1 it was evident to the ,chamberites1 that a new building would be necessary1 even if the law suit had gone in their favor4 ,the voices of the croakers and prophets of evil1 at first loud and thunderous1 had sunk to the peep and mutter stage and were rapidly approaching silence4 ,in a new field1 larger financial resources would be necessary1 but from the first1 only manly1 honorable1 and truly scriptural methods of providing revenue were employed4 ,never in all the history of the ,first ,independent ,church was there a fair or supper to which admittance was charged4 ,those methods of raising money1 too often associated with religious societies1 to the scandal of faith1 the equipment of the jester1 and the furnishing of the ungodly with excuse for self-righteousness1 were tabooed by ,mr4 ,chambers4 ,he believed both that the laborer was worthy of his hire1 and that men ought to pay for their religious privileges4 ,he was so successful in this policy that within six years1 having paid all debts1 his people in the spring of #ahcj bought at ,broad and ,george 7now ,sansom7 streets1 that lot of land for four hundred dollars1 which afterwards was sold for over four hundred thousand dollars4 ,the land and house of worship1 the subsequent enlargement and repairs1 as well as the running expenses of the church1 so long as it was independent1 were paid for by subscriptions4 ,we have never in our lives1 said ,john ,chambers in #ahge1 gone abroad for means to help us4 ,the region west of ,broad street was then out in the country4 ,green fields1 or vacant lots1 stretched to the ,schuylkill ,river4 ,at ,broad and ,market were the ,water ,works4 ,when afterwards these were removed and the pumps and reservoir were established at ,fairmount1 four small parks1 with their trees and green sward1 made one of the city's breathing spaces4 ,even then ,broad ,street was considered the western boundary of the city of ,philadelphia4 ,bright and happy was that ,february morning of #ahcj when the young pastor1 with many of his flock around him1 took his place on the green sward at ,broad and ,sansom streets4 ,with his long hair brushed into lively motion by the matin breezes1 he poured out a prayer to ,heaven for the blessing of the triune ,god4 ,like all ,irishmen1 ,john ,chambers knew how to handle the spade1 and handle it well he did on that day when he turned up the first spadeful of earth4 ,after the diggers came the masons1 who built honestly a solid foundation1 and then the corner-stone laying in ,march1 #ahcj1 and finally the dedication in ,june1 #ahca4 ,dr4 ,john ,mason ,duncan preached first in the new house in the morning and the sermon was royally long4 ,one little boy1 now an honored pastor of eighty1 remembers that it ended at half-past one6 ,alas1 that ,saint ,paul's faults1 like that at ,troas1 should be more imitated by us preachers than his virtues6 ,in the afternoon ,rev4 ,james ,arbuckle preached4 ,the house was crowded to excess all day4 ,how one family1 and indeed a group of families allied by blood or marriage1 came to be life-long supporters of and worshippers in the ,first ,independent ,church1 we must now tell4 ,we shall speak of one member named ,mary4 ,it was in #ahcb1 the winter in which the famous ,english actress1 ,fannie ,kemball1 sister of ,mrs4 ,sartoris 7whose grandson1 in our day1 married ,nellie1 the daughter of ,general ,grant7 was starring in ,philadelphia in the old ,chestnut street theatre1 on the ,south side of ,philadelphia's most fashionable street1 above ,sixth4 ,mary had spent a winter of great gaiety1 revelling in the joys of the dance1 the theatre and every sort of worldly amusement--much to the grief of her mother1 a woman of unaffected piety1 who was praying that her daughter might look less at things perishing and more at the eternal4 ,yet no message from the ,unseen1 sent through a human preacher1 had yet reached the ears of ,mary's inner being4 ,it was while the anxious mother was most earnestly praying1 that ,mary was invited by a maiden friend1 whom she had met at a picnic and with whom she had formed a warm friendship1 to visit her and go to hear the new minister on ,thirteenth street4 ,mary came1 and saw1 and heard1 and was conquered4 ,at the first sermon she hung spell-bound on the lips of the emotional and electrifying young orator1 who during all his ministrations had also that peculiar unction1 without which1 preaching1 however logical and learned1 avails little4 ,on coming home1 after the service in the new church on ,broad street1 ,mary told her mother that she would never go to the theatre again2 she had heard the grandest speaker that she had ever looked upon in her life2 who outshone every actor she had ever seen1 and whose message had more charms for her than the theatre itself4 ,soon after this ,mr4 ,chambers with his wife made his first pastoral call at ,mary's home4 ,about this time1 late in the winter and toward the spring1 there was a revivalist assisting ,mr4 ,chambers1 who to eloquence and magnetic power1 added the power of the draughtsman4 ,he was an artist in words and with the chalk also4 ,he drew a cross on the blackboard1 and without the element of color1 but with the aid of music moved the emotions mightily4 ,he called upon the congregation1 led by sweet voices1 to sing1 ,alas6 ,and ,did ,my ,saviour ,bleed4 ,his appeals1 tender and powerful1 were responded to4 ,many were brought under conviction and declared themselves from that time followers of ,jesus ,christ4 ,on the day that ,mary united with the church1 one hundred persons were received at the communion table and into membership4 ,this is one sample picture of many of dissolving views of souls in ,mr4 ,chambers's ever enlarging congregation4 ,his ministry was from the first one of direct appeal4 ,it was emotional1 the personal element being powerful always1 but there was no leaving of the converts to themselves or to neglect4 ,behind and above the ,celtic fire and enthusiasm of ,john ,chambers1 was the life of the ,spirit moving them through him4 ,the converts were looked after4 ,they were personally warned1 exhorted1 instructed1 and taught4 ,during this first year1 yes1 during fifty years1 ,john ,chambers seemed an incarnation of ,paul's scripture3 ,whom we preach1 warning every man and teaching every man that we may present every man perfect in ,christ ,jesus4 ,no extra or special meetings were held in these early years1 and none that we can recall in the later days1 but the regular services were steadily the occasions of converting power4 ,i have intimated that the secret of the great preacher's power cannot be discovered by mere logical analysis4 ,one might as well try to explain ,john ,chambers's influence over human hearts and lives by his printed words alone or through mere description1 as to attempt to show1 by a simple knowledge of the properties of lead alone1 the astounding effects of a ,krag army rifle4 ,the venerable ,dr4 ,henry ,clay ,trumbull1 veteran editor of the ,sunday ,school ,times1 writes under date of ,june #aa1 #aijc3 ,an orator's or a preacher's power sometimes depends largely on his intensity of utterance or of manner4 ,he can actually throw himself into his hearers so that they will1 for the time1 think or feel as he does1 even beyond the meaning of his words4 ,thus it was said of ,whitefield as a preacher that he could move an audience to tears by saying the word ',mesopotamia'4 ,one who has felt the power of some preachers can understand the force of that statement4 ,rev4 ,john ,chambers was a man of power in this line beyond any other of the preachers ,i have heard in my more than seventy years4 ,i sometimes came from ,hartford to ,philadelphia to hear him in his church on ,broad street4 ,his voice would ring out with such intensity1 and his words would so thrill through every nerve of my being that it seemed to me that a more than human being was making an appeal4 ,on more than one occasion ,i have taken out my pencil to note such an utterance which had seemed to be inspired1 but there was actually nothing to write down4 ,no period could give the ring or the thrill4 ,it was simply ,george ,whitefield saying ',mesopotamia'4 ,it was an element of ,john ,chambers's power4 ,but ,i love to tell of that power4 ,the communion seasons were from the first occasions of the manifestation of spiritual power4 ,often the minister himself would be almost overcome by his own feelings1 or1 perhaps we should say1 by the vividness of his vision of the crucified ,lover of our souls4 ,often in such a case it was his habit1 during a pause in the rush of feeling to sit down upon his chair1 throw his head back and completely cover his face with his handkerchief1 his hands resting upon the arms of his chair until his tears and the storm of emotion had swept by4 ,these over1 he emerged as the embodiment of quiet grace1 dignity1 and calm strength1 the master of the assembly4 ,after the darkening of his home through the removal from it by death of his wife1 ,mr4 ,chambers1 left with two little children1 found consolation in even profounder consecration to the work of leading souls into the ,way4 ,his own spiritual life was deepened and his sympathies with suffering humanity widened by his own sorrows4 ,he had always a message for those1 who like himself1 knew the weight of known griefs or secretly borne crosses4 ,in later years he was to lose his only son4 ,my own recollections of the young physician1 whom my pastor always so tenderly referred to as my son ,duncan1 are of a handsome and promising man1 whose life was all too short4 ,i remember how keen and warm were the sympathies of great congregations1 during the time when the father's heart was wrung with grief1 as the telegrams and letters told of the ravages of disease and the approaching end4 ,the biographer never saw the first ,mrs4 ,chambers1 who is described by those who knew her as very lovely in person and manner1 but her children and the other partners in life--his favorite phrase--are well remembered4 ,the second marriage of ,mr4 ,chambers was on ,september #cjth1 #ahcd1 to ,martha1 the widow of ,silas ,e4 ,weir1 a merchant of ,philadelphia and the daughter of ,alexander ,henry1 a merchant in ,philadelphia1 and aunt to ,mayor ,alexander ,henry4 ,my impressions of ,martha ,chambers extend from the month of ,march1 #ahee1 until a short time before her death1 on ,friday1 ,march #af1 #ahfj4 ,i have dim remembrances of my being a very little boy1 when an august lady1 who wore her hair in bands low down on her cheeks1 as the fashion then was1 with a very sweet smile1 spoke kindly to me in the ,broad street ,church4 ,i recall how every ,sunday morning and afternoon1 the stately man of ,god with his companion in life1 a lady of equally imposing appearance with himself moved up the middle aisle and1 if ,i am not mistaken1 often arm in arm1 until reaching the space opposite the pew4 ,then the pastor would with his left hand1 open the door4 ,after ceremoniously seeing his consort well inside1 he would shut the pew door and then move briskly forward and up the pulpit steps to the sofa4 ,thus happy in his home life1 rich in sweet domestic influences having ever a true help meet for him1 ,john ,chambers1 during most of his mature life1 was helped not only of ,god but by woman's finer strength4 ,he was the master of hearts also in his home1 having ,browning's two soul sides4 ,martha ,chambers once told my mother that she envied even the washerwoman that washed her husband's clothes4 ,in ,philadelphia to-day there are many daughters and grand-daughters that do excellently1 and they have ,martha ,chambers in their name4 ,of each one of three noble specimens of womanhood1 in their appropriate time and sphere1 it could be said1 ,her husband is known in the gates1 when he sitteth among the elders of the land4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,boyhood',s ,,memories4 ,my earliest remembrances of the first church edifice on ,broad street1 except the grand pulpit and a general glory of galleries and chandeliers1 are rather dim4 ,the auditorium seemed to be a vast and awful place1 where a little boy would not like to be left alone in the twilight or the darkness4 ,nevertheless all my daylight memories of it are of the most genial sort4 ,the great middle aisle1 so well-fitted for a marriage or wedding parade1 but which afterwards1 when as a preacher1 from the marble memorial pulpit1 ,i looked down into its sheer length and emptiness1 ,i considered as a tunnel of waste space1 was carpeted red4 ,the enamel-white pew-doors1 with white porcelain number plates1 bright red pew facings and cushions1 and the lines of black silk hats of the gentlemen1 laid just outside the pew doors1 made a morning picture in which color was not lacking4 ,in the afternoons1 the aisles1 occupied by eager hearers1 were crowded with settees and chairs1 so the silk hats of pew owners had to be kept1 literally1 indoors4 ,on week nights ,i was often a witness of the ceremonies1 in which several of the twenty-five hundred or more couples which were yoked in wedlock by ,john ,chambers during his pastorate1 received the nuptial benediction1 and the bride the pastor's kiss4 ,at the orient end of the aisle1 before the enlargement of #ahec1 rose the great mahogany pulpit1 which swelled out in its capacious center and then rounded out with a still more generous curve at either end1 from which rose two short pillars1 as imposing to my youthful mind as those of ,hercules4 ,i remember how much ,i wondered1 my infantile intellect being confused1 when my father pointed out the pillars on the ,spanish silver dollars1 that two things so different1 coin marks and pulpit ornaments should be called by the same name4 ,on the top of these pillars at first was a globe lamp filled with oil1 though in the march of progress1 wick and chimney gave way to gas burners4 ,even to this day1 my mental associations of the lamps1 in the parable of the ten virgins1 are those of my boyhood's days in ,chambers ,church4 ,great crimson velvet curtains hung from near the ceilings1 and shining brass bands on the carpet of the pulpit stairs are also in my recollection4 ,my next impression of the dear old house of worship was in #ahec1 when not quite ten years old1 and living on ,girard avenue1 in the northern part of the city1 ,i was taken down town to the sacred edifice when it was undergoing a process of enlargement and change4 ,the fashions of #ahca were to give way to those of #ahec4 ,there was another great curtain1 this time not of velvet1 but1 if ,i remember right1 of coarse canvas1 which separated from1 but also allowed a partial view into a space in which masons1 plasterers and carpenters were at that time more familiar than were sitters and worshippers4 ,in the twenty-one years of its history1 the large building erected in #ahca had become too strait4 ,by resolution of the annual meeting in ,april1 #ahec1 the old pulpit had been taken away1 the eastern wall knocked out1 and the whole edifice changed in appearance by making an oriental extension of fifteen feet1 while in front1 on ,broad street1 the portico1 with its imposing platforms1 pillars and pediment were added4 ,during the interim1 when homeless1 the congregation worshipped in ,concert ,hall1 on ,chestnut street4 ,when ,i saw again the old church home1 simplicity had given away to luxury4 ,it was like the exchange from ,ben ,franklin's two-penny earthen porringer and pewter spoon for china and silver4 ,the enlargement at both ends gave fifty-four additional pews in the audience chamber and more abundant space in the new ,sunday ,school room1 which1 though a basement1 was well lighted through plenty of windows on three sides4 ,there was also a large infant school room1 or primary department1 over which my mother presided for several years1 besides the large committee room1 afterwards used for meetings of the ,session1 and also as a ,bible class conducted during many years by ,mr4 ,rudolph ,s4 ,walton4 ,these rooms fronted on ,sansom ,street4 ,on the north side1 lighted from the alley1 straatje1 or little street1 as the ,dutch would say1 were the library rooms4 ,in a word1 the building had been modernized1 with improved furnaces and gas lighting apparatus1 new carpets1 new cushions and large galleries1 etc41 so that when again ,i saw the edifice some months later it seemed not only a new and more gorgeous house of worship1 with the glory as of the second temple1 but everything was so shining and and clean1 that it struck me as being an unusual sin to do what the small boy is so tempted to do1--to scratch the varnish on the pew backs4 ,it is true that the very brightness of that varnish challenged the average urchin to see if he had not about him a pin1 or the nib of a broken steel pen1 to make his initials visible1 or possibly some music4 ,no carpet1 or terry1 or pew cushions ever seen on earth before1 as ,i imagined1 could be of a richer red1 and beside the white enamelled front of the pulpit platform1 nothing ever appeared whiter or glossier4 ,the pulpit itself was carved in foliations1 all as glistening white as if1 though in reality wood1 it were polished marble4 ,in later years this altar-like pulpit gave way to a square structure of more massive dimensions1 ,doric in outline and simplicity1 that extended across the whole space between the columns4 ,that end of the sacred edifice to which our eyes first turned and longest dwelt1 seemed to have passed through a veritable transfiguration4 ,my boyish fancy1 struck by the biblical phrase1 suggested its shining whiteness as having been blanched by fuller's earth--to me an entirely unknown and mystic substance4 ,as for the red velvet1 on which the big ,bible lay open1 nothing before or since seemed to have richer gloss or texture1 or more strikingly huge tassels4 ,two fluted white marble ,ionic columns rose from the pulpit floor space to the ceiling4 ,back against the wall1 instead of the old sofa1 ten or twelve feet long1 of veneered mahogany1 with cushions covered with horse hair cloth1 was a modern and more jauntily carved article of half the old length and apparently less comfortable4 ,but what has comfort to say1 as against fashion8 ,hanging beside the sofa1 against the wall1 on a white porcelain knob1 was the very large oval fan of crow feathers1 which1 while to the ungodly it represented a rather narrow handled ace of spades1 was then the thoroughly orthodox ornament of a pulpit1 with which the preacher was expected to cool his brow without chilling his zeal on hot days in summer4 ,indeed there were some very hot days1 when1 glued to the overheated cushion1 the small boy envied the freedom of irreligion of the flies4 ,as to the physical activity of the pastor1 while preaching it was very vigorous1 but it was too graceful to approach closely the reputed ideal of ,abraham ,lincoln1 who liked to have a parson discourse as if he were fighting bees4 ,nevertheless the fan1 at restful moments1 when he was seated1 came into requisition as often as did the historic white handkerchief in time of oratorical action4 ,to the right and left of the pulpit were two high windows1 with panes of colored glass4 ,rather long and narrow1 each consisted of two upright sashes or divisions1 like casements1 which could be easily opened in summer for ventilation4 ,so much color1 even to frivolity in the eyes of some1 looked positively gay and suggested modern luxury more than ancestral simplicity4 ,above the level of the floor and middle aisle was a large platform two steps high and probably six or eight feet wide1 on which was marshalled the range of chairs for the pastor and his elders1 who had ample room on it1 even with the communion table set about the middle of the stage4 ,at either end of this platform was a line of pews1 five or six in number1 at right angles with the eastern wall and entered from the west4 ,in later years1 these gave way to a screen of white painted wood and ground glass1 covering stairways into the lower room4 ,as for the ceiling1 it was truly imposing in its great central countersunk rotunda and depressed squares1 which showed how grandly the architect had treated this portion of the edifice4 ,the cost of the improvements was nearly fifteen thousand dollars1 but the number of pews became #bdb and the capacity1 including the galleries1 had increased so as to seat fifteen hundred persons4 ,nevertheless1 for many years1 it was not uncommon1 as ,i clearly remember1 to pack together under the one roof twenty-five hundred auditors4 ,this was done by sitting and standing1 by stowing away the children upon laps and down on hassocks1 filling the aisles with seats1 having rows of human wall flowers blooming upright all along the gallery1 aisles1 passage ways1 and steps1 and by cramming the vestibule1 which was often completely occupied by settees or with a standing crowd4 ,happily no fire broke out or panic ensued during these dangerous jams4 ,after the benediction the trustees1 church officers1 and boys and men were only too glad to volunteer as ushers1 sextons1 or laborers4 ,amen1 ,jacob1 carry out the benches1 was less a jest than a reality which we boys liked4 ,give a boy some muscular as well as spiritual occupation and he can stand the long services4 ,the most impressive scenes in the regular church services were those of the last ,sundays in ,march1 ,june1 ,september1 and ,december1 when the memorial supper of the ,lord1 as instituted by ,him1 was enjoyed4 ,this celebration of ,holy ,communion was an intensely dramatic as well as a moving scene4 ,indeed1 sometimes1 on the highly wrought imagination1 and under the melting appeals of the man who saw1 felt1 and lived the truth1 it was powerfully remindful of the ultimate division between the sheep and the goats4 ,all the lower part of the church was reserved for and occupied by the communicants4 ,in addition1 as ,i remember seeing more than once1 the aisles were thronged even to the pulpit stairs4 ,of the thirteen hundred and more members the overwhelming majority was likely to be present at communion seasons4 ,the gallery was reserved and usually filled1 yes1 often packed1 with the sinners1 to whom1 in the course of the services1 with streaming eyes and imploring hands1 ,john ,chambers would make intensely personal and moving appeals1 which1 perhaps in hundreds of cases1 wrought decision4 ,to this day the galleries in any edifice have to me a suggestion of impenitence about them4 ,nevertheless how1 and particularly why1 as ,i read1 the king was held captive in the galleries 7,song vii41 #e71 was utterly beyond my boyish comprehension4 ,one of these seasons1 which marked my own first participation in the sacrament1 ,i well remember1 being but fourteen years old1 the number uniting at this time being about forty-four4 ,we made two lines along the pew fronts on either side of the aisle4 ,another famous occasion was that of ,june1 #aheh1 in the time of the great revival which swept over the land1 and especially ,philadelphia4 ,of seventy new members added1 twenty-seven were baptized by the pastor4 ,of the seventy1 sixty-seven were received on first confession of faith after examination and three by letter4 ,a writer in the ,christian ,observer of ,philadelphia describing the scene1 remarks3 ,the pastor administered the ordinance of baptism4 ,the charges he gave them severally1 as he baptized them into the name of the ,father1 and the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost1 were various1 scriptural1 appropriate--words of hallowed counsel1 touching the great end of life--are never to be forgotten4 ,as the seventy stood before that immense audience1 professing their faith in ,christ1 their ever living1 reigning ,saviour1 and as the pastor addressed them and the large assembly of communicants in words of life and truth1 in which all seemed to feel a living interest1 the scene was solemn1 grand1 and glorious4 ,we were ready to exclaim3 ',this is none other but the house of ,god and this is the gate of ,heaven'4 ,the distribution of the bread and the wine to the thousand or twelve hundred communicants occupied nearly an hour4 ,the church was then briefly addressed by ,dr4 ,converse and again by the pastor4 ,all were reminded that as members of the church they were not their own2 they had been bought with a price2 redeemed not with silver and gold1 but with the precious blood of ,christ4 ,on his fiftieth anniversary1 ,dr4 ,chambers said3 ,the ordinance of the ,lord's ,supper has been administered every quarter of a year for the last fifty years1 and there has been but one communion during the whole time when there were not additions1 and that was one of the quarters when ,i was in ,europe4 ,we have never received at any single time fewer than seven1 and no more at one time than one hundred and twenty to the communion4 ,i state these facts that you see how good ,god has been to us1 and how great our debt is4 ,i am very frank to say that1 as a small boy1 the moment of dismission from the church service1 after three hours indoors1 was a very happy one1 and the event usually awaited with pleasure as the crowning circumstance of the function4 ,truth compels me to state that my facility and celerity in covering the distance along the north side aisle1 between the pew door and the vestibule1 was something that often amazed my elders4 ,our pew was third from the front1 but ,i reached the doorway1 not wholly out of breath1 nor usually mixed up in the crowd4 ,i always did have an admiration for ,elijah who could outrun ,ahab's chariot and horses4 ,the truth also compels me to add that my idea of happiness1 at #ab ,m41 was to join that amazingly large curbstone committee of boys and men1 often three or four deep1 which gathered on the edge of the pavement1 among and in front of the tree boxes--for ,broad ,street was lined with trees then--in order to see the thousand or more people come out of the vestibule and down two sets of steps to the pavement4 ,this was the time when1 in my eyes1 young girls were the prettiest1--even more than they have ever been since1 and nearly everything in the world was usually bright and glorious1 even though ,i had many boyish sorrows unknown to the world4 ,i must be self-righteous to confess that often it chanced1 that while ,i had been genuinely at church and inside of it1 not a few of the curbstone committee were young men 7with some older ones7 who had not been in church at all1 but had come to escort the pretty girls home1 or to meet their friends2 though of course the great majority around the tree boxes had been listeners1 if not worshippers within4 ,usually on the large stone platform1 between the entrance door and the columns1 the pleasant friendly interviews and final handshakes with pastor and parishioners and friends in general1 took place4 ,it was about half past twelve when we arrived home1 on ,twentieth street four doors south of ,chestnut4 ,father1 mother and seven children1 the normal family1 and often with guests1 enjoyed1 after due thanks to ,god1 the bountiful fare1 and the one hour of the week when the head of the house was present at the mid-day meal4 ,then about #a3dj ,p4,m41 we were off again to ,sunday ,school which opened at two o'clock1 and which once a month took the form of a ,temperance or a ,missionary meeting4 ,at times1 besides the appropriate singing and special addresses1 often from the ,master's envoys abroad1 but home on a furlough1 we had the missionary news from all parts of the world read to us4 ,i remember particularly the presence and words of two ,christian ,indians from ,kansas4 ,one speaker1 among many1 whom ,i well remember hearing1 was ,rev4 ,wilder1 the founder of the ,week of ,prayer4 ,among other enterprises1 in which my boyish energies were enlisted1 was that of securing contributions in money for the equivalent of one or more bricks in the ,american ,sunday ,school ,union building on ,chestnut ,street4 ,another was the financing of two and a half shares in the missionary ship ,morning ,star4 ,i remember how the pastor thrilled us with the news of the ,reed treaty of #aheh1 saying ,china is open to the gospel4 ,the ,yedo embassy of #ahfa1 giving me my first sight of men from the ,mikado's empire--and especially as ,i saw ,tommy and others at short range on ,chestnut street--powerfully impressed my imagination4 ,i little knew at the time that ,i should be an educational pioneer in the then distant archipelago4#h ,footnote #h3 ,see ,the ,mikado's ,empire1 ,townsend ,harris1 ,life of ,commodore ,matthew ,calbraith ,perry1 ,japan in ,history1 ,folk-lore and ,art1 ,the ,religions of ,japan1 etc4 ,the afternoon ,sunday ,school over1 the preaching and worship in the auditorium above usually attracted a much larger crowd than in the morning4 ,often ,i have seen every available space in the aisles1 stairways1 vestibule and pulpit platform taken up4 ,the afternoon exit to the small boy was even more interesting than in the morning1 for the pavement and church parade show was greater4 ,hence1 also1 for purposes other than of strict devotion the said small boy usually took his seat in the gallery1 near the head of the stairs4 ,the benediction over1 he was promptly on the side walk to see the largest number of pretty girls1 and other people more or less interesting4 ,at home1 from half past five until seven o'clock was a happy time1 sitting on father's knee1 while he told us stories of his voyages to ,manila or ,africa1 or ,holland1 or of his travels on different continents1 and among many kinds of people4 ,as we grew older the interesting library book1 and the bright chat and pleasure round the supper table made the time fly until #g3aj or #g3ae1 when we started for the prayer meeting1 which1 year after year1 was as ,i remember it1 held in the lower room4 ,it was attended by from four hundred to seven hundred people1 frequently every seat being occupied1 with settees down the aisles to hold those who could not get in the cushioned pews4 ,the old1 long and imposing mahogany pulpit from the old church auditorium1 but without its stairways1 had been set into the lecture room of the new and enlarged building4 ,while the leader of the prayer meeting occupied the space up and inside1 ,dr4 ,chambers sat below and in front on a large chair1 immediately outside the pulpit1 his head being just under the crimson velvet cushion on which the ,bible rested4 ,the front row of seats1 as ,i remember1 was usually filled by a dozen or so1 more or less1 of devoted women1 who probably1 next after ,god and as ,his most trusted representative on earth1 worshipped their pastor4 ,to the left1 or eastward on the first seat1 sat ,mr4 ,newland1 the choir master1 who started the tunes4 ,the storage battery of power was in the half-dozen or so pews running north and south over in the northeast corner1 at right angles to the general line of seats4 ,crowded with twenty to forty out of the nearly one hundred men in the church1 young and old1 who could and would take part in the prayer meeting1 they formed a reserve force of which any pastor might be proud4 ,those not sitting in these special pews were usually ranged somewhere near that famous corner1 though occasionally1 for best effect1 they chose seats more generally distributed throughout the audience4 ,men like ,burtis1 ,steinmetz1 ,smith and ,walton1 as ,i remember1 were always clear1 strong1 edifying1 speaking out of fullness as well as conviction4 ,some of their prayers will never be forgotten4 ,as the alabaster cruse of memory breaks from time to time into recollection1 the sweet aroma fills all the house of the soul4 ,among those in this citadel and stronghold of these delightful meetings who used most warmly to pray was an ,irish brother1 who once petitioned most fervently that upon the pastor might descend the fullness of the godhead bodily4 ,there were exaggerations in the old church1 but they were usually on the right side4 ,bliss1 ,wanamaker1 ,seldomridge and other young men1 as ,i see them in my mind's eye1 often sat on the western side4 ,almost invariably in times of spiritual interest1 which was1 as it seems to me1 pretty frequent1 constant and general1 and almost certainly so in the midwinter1 the pastor1 toward the end of the hour would retire into the committee room--not then called inquiry room4 ,those who wished to meet him1 or rather could not resist his appealing invitations1 would rise from their places and reach their waiting and praying leader4 ,this they did by passing westward1 either through the southern or the northern door and rooms leading out from the prayer meeting room4 ,after traversing some yards of a space1 short and direct on the south side1 longer and more diagonal on the north side1 the trembling sinner in whose breast a thousand thoughts revolve1 reached the friend of their souls4 ,sometimes1 indeed1 ,mr4 ,chambers had no one to meet him1 but usually there were from two to twenty persons with whom he had a word and perhaps a prayer4 ,in that room hundreds of decisions were made which affected souls for eternity4 ,i shall never forget my journey thither and the warm words that welcomed1 warned1 and secured decision4 ,that night the hymn was ,o1 to grace how great a debtor4 ,nor could ,i1 even if ,i would1 let slip into oblivion the meeting of the ,session a few evenings later in the same room4 ,the decision of the boy to turn to the right and go straight ahead1 seemed too sudden for one elder1 and he spoke against immediate reception and advised postponement4 ,so quick a change from mischief to seriousness seemed suspicious1 if not dangerous4 ,god bless ,rudolph ,s4 ,walton1 transparent in his honesty as ,japanese crystal6 ,how often we laughed over it afterwards--his brief mistrust of me--as holding forth the word of life we cheered each other on in the ,christian ,way4 ,although the ,sabbaths were thus filled up and strictly kept1 no days seemed more sunny and joyous4 ,the weeknight services were the lecture on ,wednesday evening and prayer meeting on ,friday4 ,often the first service took the form of a big social ,bible class1 when in the ,socratic way1 by question and answer1 we learned more of ,god and of ,his wonderful ,word4 ,all this work was made easy by the inspiration of our pastor4444 ,no one could continue long a member of this church without finding something to do4 ,nor was this all4 ,besides the untiring industry1 the earnest manner and the burning eloquence of the pastor1 he made us all as one family1 by his own fine manners and his training of us in sociability4 ,we had to be hospitable and act towards the unknown stranger1 in each case1 as if we might possibly entertain an angel unawares4 ,i remember once seeing1 about #ahef1 ,i think1 a slender1 bashful young man come to our ,sunday ,school4 ,he carried his lunch in his pocket1 so as to attend both sessions1 and church also1 for between #ab and #b1 there was not time to walk to and back from his home far distant in the south end of the city1 somewhere near the ,neck4 ,my mother spoke to him and invited him to our house to dinner4 ,i learned to know well1 to honor and to love the young man1 looking up to him for inspiration and cheer4 ,he became one of ,john ,chambers's three big ,w's4 ,he is now one of ,philadelphia's merchant princes1 a maker of the new ,quaker city1 a tireless worker for ,god and man4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,master ,,of ,,assemblies4 ,though active in the multifarious duties of the pastorate and along many lines of activity and reform in a large city1 always foremost1 both on the firing line1 or in the charge1 in that unending battle against evil1 ,john ,chambers made the pulpit his first thought4 ,he did this in his own way and according to his own methods4 ,he rarely if ever wrote out his sermons4 ,after due preliminary study and renewing of his strength by waiting1 in prayer1 upon ,god1 he entered the pulpit4 ,he depended largely upon being in first class physical condition1 upon the inspiration of the moment1 gaining much by induction from his audience and the circumstances1 while trusting heartily in the presence and blessing of the ,holy ,spirit1 upon whom he continually waited4 ,john ,chambers believed in thorough public announcement4 ,a true herald1 he first made sure of calling together the assembly4 ,by this he sometimes set as much store1 as he did upon the proclamation of the message itself4 ,on himself he laid the responsibility of his hearers' attention4 ,in the main1 his preaching was of the character expressed by the ,new ,testament ,greek word kerusso 7proclaim71 as well as by the word evangelizo4 ,john ,chambers was the first minister in ,philadelphia to advertize the subjects of his sermons as well as the hour and place of their delivery4 ,he thus initiated for their publishers a line of profitable revenue4 ,in the ,public ,ledger1 especially1 one may1 by looking over the files1 see the range and timeliness of his discourses4 ,the topics were sensational1 in the best meaning of that term4 ,being himself of infinite wit1 the pastor had an eye and a feeling for the humor of some of the situations which he created by his pulpit advertising4 ,as a matter of course and of human nature1 around so superb a beacon1 many bats and strange birds flitted4 ,parasites and hangers-on1 as well as men and women who wished to exploit themselves financially and for their own glory1 and rise into notoriety on his fame1 sometimes pestered him4 ,for example1 on seeing in the ,saturday morning's ,public ,ledger1 that the theme of the popular preacher in the ,first ,independent ,church was to be ,on the importance of a man's having his life insured1 one youth resolved to make gain of godliness4 ,mr4 ,chambers1 while in his study1 a front room in his house at ,twelfth and ,girard streets1 which opened into the hall near the front door1 was surprised to have ushered in upon him a young man with a small arm load of insurance literature and advertisements4 ,the visitor strove to prove that a certain insurance company of ,philadelphia was the best in the world4 ,having expected to get ,mr4 ,chambers to recommend from the pulpit this particular corporation1 he went away sorrowful1 for he had had great expectations4 ,nevertheless from the tact1 worldly wisdom1 persistence and importunity of even the average life insurance agent1 what lazy ,christian cannot learn a lesson8 ,mr4 ,chambers always knew of the great preachers1 not only in ,philadelphia1 but in other cities4 ,although1 very properly1 he never recommended his members to attend on the ministry of others1 he did warmly urge his nephew1 ,milner1 when visiting ,philadelphia1 to go and hear ,philips ,brooks1 and he himself went with him to listen to ,dr4 ,talmage4 ,when the grand rector of ,holy ,trinity called on me in ,boston1 as he did more than once 7for he1 too1 loved ,japan71 and saw hanging on the wall of my study a certain portrait of his ,philadelphia neighbor and friend1 he cried out3 ,what a ,grand old ,roman6 ,did you know ,john ,chambers8 ,then he burst forth into hearty panegyric of the old war horse1 and seemed delighted that ,i was one of his boys4 ,later on1 when our people in the ,shawmut ,church helped a native missionary to ,japan and several ,japanese lads from the ,u4 ,s4 ,white ,squadron1 then in ,boston harbor1 were present1 ,dr4 ,phillips ,brooks spoke to my people4 ,after my address in the ,chambers-,wylie ,memorial ,church on the ,historical ,night1 ,december #aa1 #aija1 ,i gave my people in ,ithaca an account of the great ,philadelphia pastor4 ,the brief notice of ,john ,chambers in the ,cyclopedia of ,temperance and ,prohibition 7,new ,york1 #ahij71 is also from the biographer4 ,it is only fair history to set down that in sermon preparation the pastor and his pen were not always closely acquainted with each other4 ,no two men were more different in this respect than ,albert ,barnes and ,john ,chambers4 ,much as they loved and admired each other1 their habits were very unlike4 ,the former spent from five o'clock until nine every morning of his life in his study searching the oracles of ,god in languages old and new4 ,it was his habit to throw down his pen in the middle of a sentence1 or even a word1 on the clock stroke4 ,the popular preacher made light of spending too much time in the study and urged more personal work with men4 ,more than once ,mr4 ,chambers passed his joke with the scholar4 ,yet to-day ,albert ,barnes is still teaching the ,gospel through his commentaries1 in many tongues and countries1 almost all nations1 after having educated a whole generation of ,american ministers and ,sunday ,school teachers4 ,on the other hand ,john ,chambers still preaches in the lives of his disciples1 in the church edifices which they have reared1 in the congregations they have gathered1 and in ever expanding circles of unseen but potent influence4 ,as a boy1 when ,albert ,barnes1 aged and venerable1 almost blind through his long-continued labors which had so tried his eyes1 met me on the street and asked me some question as to the place and person of the funeral of a friend mutually dear1 ,i remember with what reverence ,i looked up to the great scholar and the fearless champion of spiritual freedom4 ,i realized even then the shade of difference in feeling from that which ,i nourished toward my grand pastor4 ,nevertheless1 ,god needs both kinds of servants4 ,the suggestions of ,socrates1 as to writing both on the skins of animals and on the tablets of the human heart1 are in point here4 ,the comparison made between ,albert ,barnes and ,john ,chambers is much like that in the modern story of ,verbeck of ,japan and of ,samuel ,r4 ,brown1 ,a ,maker of the ,new ,orient1 perhaps1 also1 as the parable of the leaven in each case4 ,these were the days of the infidel's ,bible as well as the saints' ,word of ,god1 the era of ,king ,james's ,version and of the old crude theories of verbal inspiration4 ,it was on such theories and on such alone1 that such unlearned men1 meretricious platform speakers1 and ephemeral secularists1 as ,joseph ,barker1 ,robert ,ingersoll1 and ,charles ,bradlaugh could thrive4 ,the climates1 both of popular and orthodox theology and of infidelity1 were somewhat different from the cosmic influences of to-day4 ,the arguments of unfaith were1 for the most part at least1 the old common1 shallow1 and blatant ones4 ,the theological parasites and bacilli were as harmful1 and in ,god's providence as useful1 then as now1 but ,i think popular orthodoxy and the average pulpit furnished much of the food for the obnoxious microbes1 and even made congenial cultures for the peculiar varieties existing then4 ,the unbeliever fed his mind and starved his soul on the arguments of ,mr4 ,paine1--not the ,thomas ,paine of the ,american ,war of ,independence1 when he sounded the trumpet for freedom1 but the ,thomas ,paine of the ,french ,revolution1 who1 long after his stirring appeals to ,american patriotism1 wrote the ,age of ,reason4 ,in view of the fact that the little thoroughfare in old ,new ,york1 named in his honor1 ,reason ,street1 has long since become corrupted into ,raisin street1 7wherein we read a parable7 ,mr4 ,paine's arguments seem jejune enough4 ,for ,paine the patriot and public servant1 all ,americans should have the highest respect4 ,i remember that my ,english grand-father1 ,captain ,john ,l4 ,griffis1 of the ,mariner's ,society of ,philadelphia which usually met in historic ,carpenters' ,hall1 received his certificate of membership from ,thomas ,paine1 the secretary4 ,he had then no taint of theological rancor associated with his name1 which clericals1 who are not necessarily better ,christians than laymen1 are too apt to shorten to ,tom4 ,there was a society of biblical critics and amateur theologians1 commonly called infidels or even atheists1 who gathered under the name of the ,sunday ,institute4 ,these worthies met together on the ,lord's ,day in a hall in ,sixth street above ,race1 and frequently discussed the themes and sermons of ,mr4 ,chambers1 sometimes1 as it seemed1 in a blasphemous as well as irreverent style4 ,like ,mr4 ,chambers1 they advertised their subjects in the ,public ,ledger4 ,i remember one of them1 seeing ,i was a ,chamberite1 pointed out to me the discrepancies of the ,bible1 such as apologists on the one hand were in those days continually trying to explain1 while the sceptic on the other enlarged them under his microscope4 ,this old scorner called my attention to the fact that artillery 7,i ,samuel ,,xx3 #dj7 was mentioned in the ,bible as belonging to those early days4 ,hence it could not be inspired of ,god6 ,he prophesied that ,christianity as a delusion would soon pass away1 and he recommended me to read ,volney's ,ruins4 ,how tired such men must be waiting for the religion of ,jesus to die6 ,alas1 for them1 the corpse always fails to be ready6 ,many a time have ,i seen in the church gallery a ,voltairean looking old gentleman1 who took notes and seemed to be immensely tickled at some of the denunciations of himself and his fellows by the pulpit orator4 ,dr4 ,chambers was rather free in handling the ,english ,philosopher1 whom he usually spoke of as ,tom ,paine thereby making at least one boy determined that1 if ever he became a minister1 he would give1 if possible1 even the devil his due and speak of doubting ,thomas with his full name4 ,the ,sunday ,despatch was the first newspaper in ,philadelphia to practice seven days' journalism1 thereby shocking the feelings of those who could conscientiously read a ,monday morning paper printed during ,sunday hours4 ,of course the preacher fulminated against this innovation4 ,it is a curious commentary on the change in public sentiment and practice1 that on the spot in which ,sunday journalism was so often and perhaps righteously denounced1 there is published the popular newspaper which knows no ,sabbath in its issues4 ,the days either of the destructive higher criticism of consecrated critical scholarship had not yet come to this side of the ,atlantic1 nor had the grand work been done by ,dr4 ,charles ,a4 ,briggs1 the pioneer1 and the host of consecrated biblical scholars after him1 which has cut the ground from under the feet of ,ingersollism4 ,practically unanimous in brushing away the cobwebs of scholasticism and tradition1 these consecrated men have helped1 by ,god's blessing1 to make the ,bible the ,heavenly ,father's book as fresh as if written yesterday4 ,they have driven infidelity out of its old strongholds and compelled doubt and unbelief to find new excuses and fortifications4 ,in the wars of the ,lord the pastor liked nothing better than opposition and obstacles1 especially such as could be overcome by spiritual weapons4 ,with the inheritance of his fighting ancestors he had the true ,irishman's instinct for the martial fray2 only his inheritances were turned to a nobler use and grandly were they consecrated4 ,his preaching was just of the sort to equip his average hearer against the insidious attacks of unbelief1 the freezing effects of conventionalism1 and the paralysis of sinful pleasure4 ,many a mighty blow was delivered against the literature that undermined faith and morals4 ,i need not speak of the obscene books and papers which had not then met their ,comstock4 ,against such soul-destroying devices and their makers1 ,john ,chambers was as an unchained lion4 ,i remember how ,renan's ,life of ,jesus carried captive many a weak intellect4 ,though manifestly few men of discernment would be likely to misunderstand its animus1 some were mistaken as to its true import4 ,one lady who gave me a copy1 said as she handed it to me1 ,will1 this is a beautiful life of ,christ4 ,i hope it will lead you to ,jesus4 ,i need hardly say that in my work of leading men to the ,master and into truth1 ,i have never recommended this shallow romance1 medicated with a religious purpose1 which turns historic reality into cunningly devised fables4 ,against such insidious trash1 even under so grand a title1 and the writings which were the vehicles of sensuality more or less veiled1 the great pastor guided his flock into purity and strength of life4 ,perhaps the best idea of the general scope and tenor of the stated preaching of ,john ,chambers in his prime1 and the general method of his presentation of truth1 may be gained by collating from the advertising columns of the ,public ,ledger1 his announcements made on ,saturdays1 say1 from ,april #crd1 #aheh1 until the breaking out of the ,civil ,war4 ,only the afternoon subject was announced4 ,the pastor's idea was that in the morning edification1 thorough expository preaching and pastoral counsels to his own flock should be the rule1 while the second service might serve for stimulus1 appeal to the public conscience1 and the discussion of a wider range of subjects4 ,usually the text was given with the topic4 ,behold here a selection of topics from the ,ledger announcements4 ,i could greatly increase the list from my own diary1 but a few will suffice as specimens3 ,is the religious movement of the day1 of ,god8 ,acts ,v43 #cc1 #cd4 ,two sermons were especially for the benefit of those likely to be influenced by the ,sunday ,institute3 #a4 ,infidels4 ,the malignant deception of infidels against ,christianity4 #b4 ,christianity4 ,opposition to ,christianity has always been malignant and unreasonable4 ,matthew ,,xxvii3 #ai1 #bj4 ,this was the year of the spiritual refreshing following1 as great revivals in ,america generally do1 a financial panic--that of #aheg4 ,revival4 ,how ,god's people must work that the revival cease not4 ,previous to the war1 ,john ,chambers was exceedingly popular with most of the public bodies of men1 especially with the volunteer firemen4 ,sermon to firemen4 ,by request of the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 in ,national ,hall1 ,sunday ,evening1 ,may #bbnd4 ,like all of ,god's true children in ,christ ,jesus1 ,john ,chambers longed for the unity of the church1 and1 as ,i think1 did far more by his spirit and life for its accomplishment than most of those who talk much on this subject4 ,query4 ,can the world be converted until the ,church is united8 ,three famous ,june sermons were on the ,divinity of ,christ4 ,a champion of lay preaching and evangelism1 he treated the question3 ,is religious teaching to be confined to the ministry8 ,are the objections made to persons letting their religious wants be publicly known ,scriptural8 ,in #ahei1 beginning with ,october1 we find the following3 ,by request1 a sermon on ,,ii ,peter3 ,,ii1 #bj4 ,annihilation4 ,the doctrine that gives great encouragement for the wicked to live in sin4 ,how the ,apostolic ,church lived and acted and the results which followed4 ,acts ,,ii1 #da-dg4 ,prayer4 ,whom ,god will hear when they pray4 ,why are men so bitterly opposed to the religion of the ,bible8 ,early in the year #ahfa1 when the clouds of impending civil war were lowering to blackness1 some of the sermon themes reveal the situation4 ,one can easily read between the lines4 ,robbery4 ,will a man rob ,god8 ,liberty of ,speech4 ,religion4 ,the incompatibility between ,religion as taught in the ,bible and the lives of professed ,christians4 ,prejudice4 ,the effects of prejudice on the interests of ,christianity4 ,civil ,war4 ,is there anything in the commission given by ,christ to ministers that justifies them in encouraging civil war8 ,in ,march a notable course was given on the rearing of children4 ,the proper training of children4 ,how are children to be trained8 ,by whom and for what are children to be trained8 ,if children are properly trained will they depart therefrom when old8 ,how are the young men and lads who congregate about dram shops1 street corners1 engine houses1 etc41 etc41 to be saved8 ,not a little of his morning preaching was1 as we have said1 in the line of expository discourse4 ,this1 from a coldly critical point of view1 could not be called scholarly1 and was rather repetitious1 but it was thoroughly practical and characteristic1 and the love which the overwhelming majority of the people bore to their pastor made every word tell1 so that defects were largely forgotten4 ,he had certain pet words which he rather overworked1 and1 to say the least1 some mannerisms4 ,his method was to quote frequently from the scriptures1 and1 in his later days1 with many a page turned down at the corners of the big pulpit ,bible4 ,we can see him yet1 as with one hand on his eye glasses and nose near the page1 he quickly found the various texts desired to support his arguments4 ,mr4 ,chambers1 as ,mr4 ,moody would put it1 was a master of the original ,english of ,king ,james's ,version of the ,scriptures4 ,occasionally he slipped on a word1 the double p's seeming especially to bother him at times4 ,his particular bte noire was the tenet of the limited atonement1 and if there was anything he loved to pound at1 it was this4 ,what he gloried in was the proclaiming and strengthening1 with proof texts1 of the doctrine of the universal atonement1 such as ,i ,john1 ii41 #b4 ,in one instance1 after the word propitiation had on his1 for once recalcitrant tongue1 reached no further than the first syllable1 the full word came out as appropriation1 which was not so far from the idea of the apostle after all4 ,he was especially impressive in the reading of hymns1 and he was so1 because as it seemed to us1 he felt so deeply the sentiment expressed in the words4 ,memory will never allow us to forget his frequent rendering of ,oh to grace how great a debtor6 ,his favorite term for his ,best ,beloved was ,our ,lord and ,master1 but whatever name he used1 one always knew that our pastor was in close and daily touch with ,him and that was the secret of his godly life and his power for good4 ,other hymns1 ,there is a holy city1 ,my days are gliding swiftly by 7to the tune ,shining ,shore7 and some that are rarely heard now1 were also favorites4 ,there is proof to the memory that history is a resurrection4 ,john ,chambers was not only a natural orator and master in the pulpit1 but he also made an admirable presiding officer4 ,this was not only on account of his superb and commanding figure1 his leonine countenance and his eagle eye1 but also because of his ability to understand an audience and take in all the possibilities4 ,he knew just at what moment to test its powers4 ,his glance seemed to be an individual recognition of every face4 ,it was not until he was well into the fifties that he ever used spectacles or eye-glasses1 and even when his brows were frosty he was able1 by employing the best oculists and the right lenses1 to see apparently everything and everybody in the house4 ,many a time he turned what threatened to be a total failure of a meeting into a brilliant success4 ,by some witty remark1 a thrilling announcement1 a touch of blarney--of which he was always easy master1 or a dramatic action accompanying some winsome invitation1 he made himself master of the assembly4 ,by original and ingenious methods of silencing1 shortening1 or politely extinguishing bores1 platform burglars or a long-winded or unskilful speaker1 he saved the day1 or rather the night4 ,he was always the refresher of weary audiences4 ,i remember when a certain one of a delegation on some really worthy charitable enterprise1 after addressing an audience not specially interested in the matter presented to them1 made the remark 7in conclusion7 that thus far what they had received had not paid their travelling expenses4 ,this roused the big heart of ,john ,chambers1 and when that was warmed ,christians had to look out for their pocket-books4 ,striding forward from the sofa1 he cried out3 ,why1 brethren1 this will never do6 ,let the trustees come right up and empty out the baskets a collection had already been taken and go round again4 ,a burning plea of but two or three minutes for the cause followed from his lips4 ,then the previous contribution was tumbled out of the boxes on the carpet1 and a new and magnificent offering was made1 which happily proved a superb precedent1 so that the delegation went back happy4 ,as to the personal appearance of the preacher1 let us recall that in my childhood the stock and rolling collar were in fashion4 ,the former made of black satin was stiffened and made to spring on the neck with wire4 ,some of the old leathern stocks were still visible among elderly men1 many of whom still wore also the flap-front breeches and were unable to approve of the newer style4 ,usually this outer conservatism of dress1 was the index of inner conservatism of opinions1 theological or otherwise4 ,dr4 ,chambers made slight change in the cut of his clothes as he grew older1 yet somehow seemed always1 as to his outer garb1 a man of his age4 ,it was the era also of gold headed canes and of watch fob pockets in men's trousers1 outside of which hung the watch chain or ribbon1 with gold buckle or seal1 which1 by an ,americanism1 is called the fob itself4 ,most ministers1 and among them ,mr4 ,chambers1 wore in the pulpit1 a dress coat and a low cut vest showing considerable expanse of white shirt bosom1 which then had pleats an inch or so in width4 ,the watch and fob were taken out at the opening of the sermon1 laid on the cushion and invariably put back just before the sermon ended1 a sign which we small boys of course welcomed4 ,as a rule1 it was coarse manners to snap a hunting case watch in ,john ,chambers's presence1 for rarely did the pastor pass the bound of appointed time1 for he believed that punctuality was righteousness4 ,he kept within limits and his moderation was known to all men4 ,i do not remember that our pastor carried a gold headed cane1 though ,i think he possessed one or two4 ,his boots were always immaculate and shining4 ,standing up in black and white1 a commanding figure1 with ruddy1 or rather roseate face1 and stroking his hand through his magnificent hair1 which in later years he wore behind his ears1 the form and mien of ,john ,chambers are imperishable pictures in memory4 ,in hot weather it was his custom1 on going home in the morning1 to change his underclothing1 from socks to collar1 throughout4 ,though on oppressively hot days one might occasionally1 after a service1 see him with a wilted collar1 yet year in and year out1 the impression derived was of a physical personality as sweet as that attributed to ,alexander the ,great1 whose close acquaintance with water1 in its cuticular application1 was held up to us youngsters as a delectable example4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,true ,,yoke-,,fellows4 ,one secret of the success of ,john ,chambers lay in the power which he had under ,god of attracting good men1 capable and faithful men as helpers1 and inspiring them with loyalty to himself4 ,they followed him as he followed ,christ4 ,though independent in action1 his was the co-operative type of mind which was grandly shown in the continuous and faithful toil necessary for the growth and life of a church4 ,the government of the ,first ,independent ,church was ,presbyterian in cast and form4 ,indeed it is very doubtful whether a ,congregational ,church1 strictly so called1 could have been carried on by the people of such intensely ,presbyterian training and inheritance as most of his people were4 ,the congregation held a business meeting once a year and the trustees1 elected by the pew holders1 took charge of the property1 the edifice1 and the finances4 ,the elders were elected for life by the vote of the membership4 ,there were no deacons4 ,all the elders added to the eldership since #ahbe have been active praying men said our pastor1 in #ahge4 ,of the first elders ,i have no remembrance1 though ,i think ,matthew ,arrison and ,thomas ,hibbert1 ordained to the eldership in #ahbg1 were1 though aged men1 in active service when ,i was a little child4 ,i have dim remembrances of these two veterans1 and certainly from very early days their names in our home were household words1 so that ,i associate them with the aroma of things happy and lovely4 ,at the name of ,robert ,buist1 a dignified looking gentleman as ,i remember him1 and who married the sister of ,mr4 ,chambers1 there rise up visions of seeds1 bulbs1 flowers1 and gardens1 for he kept1 on ,chestnut1 or ,market ,street1 a seed warehouse2 and ,i am bound to say 7for we tried them in our gardens71 that his seeds would grow4 ,in #aheb1 he removed from the city and resigned his eldership4 ,in #aheg1 two years after ,i entered the ,sunday ,school1 the ,session consisted of ,robert ,luther1 ,aaron ,h4 ,burtis1 ,john ,yard1 ,jr41 ,francis ,newland1 ,daniel ,steinmetz1 and ,rudolph ,s4 ,walton4 ,after the death of ,mr4 ,burtis1 ,joseph ,b4 ,sheppard was elected to fill his place4 ,i remember the election1 on ,wednesday evening1 ,december #aith1 #ahfj1 and that ,i voted for the successful candidate1 who had been nominated by ,mr4 ,chambers4 ,after the resignation of four elders in #ahfa1 ,richard ,smallbrook1 ,thomas ,p4 ,dill1 ,alexander ,brown and ,edward ,h4 ,lawyer filled the places left vacant4 ,of ,messrs4 ,broome1 ,brown1 and ,smallbrook1 ,i have no clear remembrance1 being1 after #ahfa1 only a visitor1 though a very interested one1 at the old home church4 ,robert ,luther was for forty-three years elder4 ,he was a mason and builder with both bricks and men4 ,my mind's photograph of him shows a very portly man1 weighty in both body and mind4 ,my awe of his person was tempered by a knowledge of his perpetual kindness4 ,as master builder of the edifice on ,broad ,street1 he wrought with sad sincerity equal to him who groined the aisles of ,christian ,rome and1 like him1 builded better than he knew4 ,his son1 ,rev4 ,robert ,maurice ,luther is the well known ,baptist pastor1 missionary to ,burmah1 and professor of theology4 ,he is proud1 like myself1 to call himself an alumnus of the ,first ,independent ,church1 and has cheered me in this work of portraying our under-shepherd who led us to the ,bishop of our souls4 ,john ,yard1 ,jr41 was much smaller in figure and of quiet dignity4 ,joseph ,b4 ,sheppard1 always very neatly dressed1 ,i associated with manly repose1 fine language1 and a most attractive store on ,chestnut street1 where beautiful lustrous ,irish linens were sold4 ,somehow in my childish memories1 there are blended with ,mr4 ,sheppard's name and personality1 memories of those elegant tea parties1 made elegant1 ,i mean1 by the sparkling wit and grace of the guests who gathered in my father's home1 and over which my mother presided with such ease4 ,i can truly boast that our modest dwelling was often irradiated by those we were able to attract to it4 ,at one of these occasions1 on ,april #cj1 #ahee1 ,the ,young ,ladies' ,association presented their ,directress1 at the hands of the pastor1 with a handsome copy of ,the ,republican ,court--a book which tells much of ,philadelphia society in the days of ,president ,washington1 and of those men and women of national fame1 whom not a few of the very elderly persons in our congregation remembered4 ,as a little boy1 ,i always enjoyed the permission accorded me of coming in1 after the best part of the supper was over1 and listening to the conversation of the gentlemen and ladies1 who seemed to me like so many princes and princesses1 and from whose intellectual conversation1 ,i am sure ,i often profited4 ,my mother taught during many years1 a large ,bible class of young ladies1 which met in the ,sunday ,school room at the right of the pulpit1 between that and the northwest door4 ,it afterwards grew so large that teacher and pupils had to occupy a separate room4 ,looking along the perspective of years ,i can think of no faces more lovely or countenances more animated2 no dresses prettier and no hats smarter than those of these young maidens of marriageable age or near it4 ,to see them and their teacher when the pastor came around for his morning greeting and handshake with the ,directress was a sight worthy of a painter4 ,i fear that my readers will charge me with putting undue emphasis upon the material loveliness of what ,i saw and felt1 but then we were all taught by the grand man to be happy4 ,he used to insist that ,god wanted us to enjoy everything1 and for the good reason that ,he had made all things richly for us to enjoy4 ,he believed in love and marriage1 and in happiness as a thing to be pursued and cultivated4 ,he taught also that the richest1 deepest1 most constant enjoyment was most certainly found in a holy ,christian life1 and that a fruitful human career redounded to ,god's glory4 ,the blessings of the #abhth ,psalm were often insisted on4 ,he said1 when fifty years a pastor3 ,i have married #b1cbi couples4 ,i was not responsible for their future happiness1 but ,i believe and trust that in the main they have all been happy4 ,if they were not happy the fault is their own4 ,there is no reason why men and women cannot be happy when they ought to be4 ,concerning pre-eminence among the elders1 ,i feel sure that none will charge me with partiality when ,i record my impressions that in physical presence1 in dignity and polish of manner1 and in spirituality1 ,aaron ,h4 ,burtis led them all4 ,he seemed a veritable re-incarnation of ,george ,washington1 though possibly with more personal magnetism and easy familiarity than even the ,father of his ,country is credited with4 ,in any company his was a marked form1 while in the gatherings for social worship his words1 whether addressed to the ,heavenly ,father in adoration or to the people in exhortation1 or in opening the treasury of the ,scriptures1 which he knew so well how to do with point and grace1 were always acceptable4 ,francis ,newland was long the ,asaph of the house of ,god1 and lover not only of music but of all good things1 tolerant and charitable1 patient with the silliness of the young1 a noble father and friend1 a most winsome saint1 having many lines of conviction diverging from those of the pastor1 liberal in his thinking1 yet ever loving and beloved by ,john ,chambers4 ,i may truly say that he gave out stimulating and purifying influences like a mountain4 ,i saw him last on earth when in ,boston he visited his daughter and the ,shawmut ,congregational ,church1 of which ,i was pastor4 ,i remember that the sermon was on ,elisha and the ,shunammite woman's son4 ,he was then nearly blind4 ,yet1 very curiously1 he had on his retina a single spot still sensitive1 by which1 holding the dial of his watch in a certain position1 he could read the time of day4 ,in the case of ,messrs4 ,luther1 ,burtis1 and ,newland ,i felt that they were such good men largely because they had such good wives4 ,of all the elders1 ,daniel ,steinmetz seemed to me most steadily worth hearing in the prayer and missionary meeting4 ,steinmetz always had ideas4 ,he was a ,bible student and knew how to present a thought with admirable clearness and close practical adaptation to every day life4 ,he was an intense1 ardent patriot1 and a useful man in both private and public life4 ,he was one of that noble stock of cultured ,pennsylvania ,germans that has so enriched our national inheritance4 ,rudolph ,schiller ,walton was for many years my ,sunday ,school teacher to whom ,i owe a debt of gratitude1 though when ,i grew up and could think for myself and read the ,bible in the original tongues and draw upon the resources of scholarship1 ,i frankly disagreed with him upon some questions of church policy and the attitude of ,christians toward that critical scholarship which produced under ,luther and ,calvin one great ,reformation1 and is yet to produce1 by ,god's blessing and purpose1 a still greater one4 ,foreseeing easily in the early eighties what many ,presbyterian laymen could not then see1 that before many years the substance of the truth1 as held in cumulative unanimity by scholars1 would be accepted by the ,presbyterian ,church as it has been in these years #aijb and #aijc1 ,i could afford to wait until we should see eye to eye4 ,i knew him first as a teacher of a large class of unusually wriggly and often badly behaved boys4 ,they were such real boys that ,i1 with a touch of ,pharasaism1 believed them to be much worse1 in every way1 than those who made up our class1 which1 for a time1 was taught by ,mr4 ,charles ,painter1 a bookbinder4 ,when ,mr4 ,walton in #ahfj1 took his class out of the main school room into the separate southwest corner room1 ,i entered as one of his scholars4 ,in the afternoons we went through ,old ,testament history getting pretty well through the period covered by the ,book of ,kings and ,chronicles4 ,to this hour these parts of ,holy ,scripture are as vivid to me as ,durer's pictures1 because of ,rudolph ,s4 ,walton's teaching4 ,we studied the ,bible itself1 and not lesson helps4 ,one reason to-day why there is such a gulf between the ,sunday ,school and the pulpit1 and why the average scholar and even teacher is so apt to be scared at the higher criticism--even if indeed he knows what it is--is because he is fed1 not on the ,divine ,word itself1 but on those dilutions of it1 and those plates of hash called lesson helps4 ,instead of the pure milk and meat of the ,gospel1 even the teachers stuff themselves with pre-digested food and machine-prepared aliment of all sorts4 ,for years while ,mr4 ,walton lived1 ,i often dropped in at ,wanamaker's ,grand ,depot at ,thirteenth and ,market 7#ahgf-ahif71 when in ,philadelphia1 and always enjoyed his pleasant welcome and a handshake4 ,he sold hats for a living1 but his calling was to serve ,christ4 ,if ever a man loved his fellow men and wanted to do them good1 it was ,rudolph ,s4 ,walton4 ,as a benefactor1 dispenser of cheer and sunshine1 helper of all good causes1 and a citizen of renown1 his name will live4 ,he died in #aijb1 at the age of seventy-four1 leaving his fortune to help his fellow men4 ,mr4 ,thomas ,p4 ,dill was hard of hearing1 but his spiritual hearing was like that of ,samuel or ,paul4 ,he was very tender hearted1 ever faithful and true1 making every talent that he possessed1 whether one or more1 tell to the glory of his ,master4 ,he seemed never to weary in following me up1 cheering and encouraging me1 expressing his personal appreciation1 and joining also with me in sounding the praises of our pastor and the dear old church4 ,whether ,i went to college at ,new ,brunswick1 or came back from ,japan to live in ,new ,york1 or preached the ,gospel at ,schenectady or in ,boston1 ,brother ,dill1 who was a commercial traveller1 always sought me out to bring sunshine and delightful chatty news from the old bee-hive in ,philadelphia4 ,edward ,s4 ,lawyer was a man of ,god and the loving servant of his fellow church members1 and ,i recall his sunshiny presence4 ,he seemed always so buoyant in spirit1 so young in his feelings1 so active in his sympathies1 that it was long before ,i could think of him as an elder4 ,of him ,i have the pleasantest associations4 ,besides passing the money box in making the usual collections on ,sundays1 he was always active1 nimble1 and ready to help his pastor4 ,as the years increased1 he seemed to grow in divine grace and in all winning human graces4 ,of ,john ,c4 ,hunter1 modesty forbids me to speak at length1 as he was my uncle1 having married ,miss ,sarah ,clark1 who in the thirties had accompanied ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,chambers on their visit to ,ohio1 establishing a union ,sunday ,school at ,mount ,pleasant1 the first in the place4 ,with his wife1 ,mr4 ,hunter became deeply interested in ,chambers ,church4 ,a man of wealth and generous in his gifts1 besides being very devout and of simple and unaffected piety1 he was a valuable addition to the board of elders and among the trustees4 ,the son of ,john ,c4 ,hunter1 named after the senior elder1 ,aaron ,burtis1 entered the ,episcopal ministry1 and is now1 as he has been for years1 the efficient principal of ,st4 ,augustine's ,school1 at ,raleigh1 ,n4 ,c41 the director and manager of this industrial and religious settlement which is doing so much to elevate the negroes4 ,of ,fred4 ,j4 ,buck 7one of that great family that came from ,bucksport1 ,me41 one of whom ,i knew as a professor of ,sanscrit and another as the ,united ,states ,minister to ,japan7 ,i have also pleasant recollections1 as of a family physician1 and of a friendship extending through many years1 as well as of fraternal participation in the life of the church4 ,he was a cultivated gentleman and an able physician1 as well as helpful elder4 ,of ,robert ,h4 ,hinckley1 ,jr41 who ,i believe at this writing is the only surviving presbyter of the college of elders1 ,i have memories going back to the time when we were both boys in the ,sunday ,school1 where he was noted always for his punctuality1 activity1 and willingness to serve4 ,of the depth and tenacity of his friendships1 of his varied abilities1 of his untiring service as a practical worker in the ,master's vineyard1 of his wisdom in council1 propriety forbids me to speak in other than very general terms4 ,after a friendship of fifty years1 we both agree1 as fellow alumni of ,chambers ,church1 in our high estimate of the great preacher4 ,other remembered friends and brethren were ,mr4 ,purdy1 ,mr4 ,biles1 and others of whom ,i cannot say my recollection is very clear4 ,many excellent brethren have come and gone since the time of my active connection with the church1 so ,i am unable to do them justice4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,biles had a most interesting family of sons and daughters1 who were ever faithful workers in the church4 ,most of them ,i had the honor of knowing1 and one of them1 ,charles1 was a warm friend4 ,their daughters still follow the ,master in unwearying service4 ,another friend and man of force in the prayer-meeting was ,william ,smith1 whose sister is one of the good city missionaries of my native city4 ,to this day1 ,i remember many of his clear and earnest words4 ,on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary or jubilee of the pastor1 in #ahge1 the two great white columns were festooned with greenery1 and above the pulpit desk rose a great arch of flowers and foliage with potted plants at the base4 ,behind the open ,bible was the pastor1 the veteran and leader1 his hair a veritable crown of glory as he stood under the arch1 which was itself surmounted with a crown of fragrant flowers4 ,on the platform sat in the historic chair1 7which is still preserved in the ,chambers-,wylie ,memorial17 ,francis ,newland1 the senior elder and on his right hand in order1 seven of the church officers1 and on his left the same number1 making fifteen in all4 ,the elders were ,messrs4 ,newland1 ,hunter1 ,buck1 ,dill1 ,lawyer1 and ,hinckley4 ,the trustees1 7not naming those who were also elders7 who served within my recollection were ,george ,i4 ,young1 ,george ,f4 ,nagle1 ,charles ,yard1 ,john ,m4 ,snyder1 ,samuel ,campbell1 ,harrison ,purdy1 ,james ,evans1 ,john ,t4 ,beatty1 ,henry ,myers1 ,isaac ,bruce1 ,joseph ,t4 ,biles1 ,charles ,d4 ,supplee1 ,eliashib ,tracy1 ,william ,s4 ,williams1 ,charles ,d4 ,marrott1 ,augustus ,somers1 ,george ,allen1 ,edwin ,west1 ,j4 ,b4 ,johnson1 ,henry ,leslie1 etc4 ,in his semi-centennial anniversary sermon ,dr4 ,chambers said ,we have sent out from our church between thirty and forty young men who are in the ministry1 two of whom are in the pulpit with me this morning4444 ,a number of them have paid the debt of nature and gone home1 after they renounced the cross to have a crown4 ,it was during this memorable week that under arch and crown of greenery and between wreathed columns1 standing behind the pulpit1 while his elders and trustees--a noble band of helpers--sat or stood on the platform beneath1 that the last photograph of ,john ,chambers was taken4 ,happily for the present writer and for future historians the ,session of the ,church1 through their committee1 ,francis ,newland and ,robert ,h4 ,hinckley1 ,jr41 secured a record of the sermon and ,commemorative ,services and published a neat volume of one hundred and three pages1 which issued from the ,inquirer press and was presented to the pastor's friends as a keepsake4 ,dr4 ,chambers' third wife ,matilda1 who survived him1 was the widow of ,dr4 ,stewart1 and a daughter of ,peter ,ellmaker4 ,she had been reared in the ,episcopal ,church4 ,one of her sayings1 told in confidence to a friend who has told it to me1 was that she admired the ritual forms of the church1 in which she had been reared1 but had known many ecclesiastical dignitaries1 who became smaller as she knew more of them as men4 ,it came rather as a surprise to her that in a church where so little store was set on outward forms1 human character tended to enlarge4 ,as for her husband1 his true greatness steadily grew upon her mind as well as affections4 ,it was through her influence that the degree of ,doctor of ,divinity was conferred on him by the ,jefferson ,medical ,college of ,philadelphia4 ,for a number of years1 the most attractive courses of sermons were those to medical students4 ,frequently as many as twelve hundred students1 by actual count1 were present on these occasions4 ,yet no appraisal of the value of the services rendered by the comrades and helpers of the pastor could possibly be complete1 without a warm1 hearty and sincere tribute to the noble women of the ,first ,independent and the ,chambers ,presbyterian ,church4 ,it is for me to make reference only4 ,justice in detail ,i cannot do4 ,without their zeal1 devotion and tireless consecration1 there would have been no such church as that which became the mighty mother of many children in ,god4 ,to-day the majority of them have fallen asleep4 ,a few still remain on earth with us1 in vigor of body and mind1 some with the white light of ,heaven's morning on their hair4 ,they are only waiting the call of ,him who has forgotten to forget them1 or their unselfish service of love4 ,in ,his ,name they toiled4 ,in ,his ,name they still serve by waiting4 ,faint1 yet pursuing1 a handful even yet follow the ,undiscouraged ,one1 in active service for souls4 ,of the old mother church it could ever be said3 ,the ,lord giveth the word4 ,the women that publish the tidings are a great host4 ,does the reader complain that this chapter is already too long8 ,yet must ,i not omit the pastor's assistant at the other end--,william ,weaver4 ,i cannot tell how long or in how many edifices1 old or new1 he served as sexton1 but ,i knew him well and every truant knew4 ,he had stricter notions on the subject of behavior at any and all times than some of us boys had1 and his discipline occasionally was according to seventeenth century spirit and methods4 ,i cannot say that we boys made his life a burden or shortened it untimely1 for he lived to a good old age4 ,honored be his name and green his memory1 for he believed in plenty of light1 fresh air1 comfort1 cleanliness and order--the primitive articles of a sexton's creed1 and he honored his ,master and the house of ,god by his faithfulness4#i ,footnote #i3 ,see a fuller and more detailed account in the chapter entitled ,some ,sextons ,i ,have ,known in the forthcoming volume1 ,sunny ,memories of ,three ,pastorates4 ,ithaca1 #aijc4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,church ,,life4 ,,minor ,,personalities4 ,these were the days1 also1 before the war1 when expansion was the law of woman's apparel4 ,the hoop skirt had reached its maximum of periphery4 ,many colors were mingled on the same dress4 ,the ladies wore shoot-the-moon bonnets1 with small sized flower gardens stuffed inside the brim1 between face and frame1 and the ribbons necessary for adornment and fastening ran into yard lengths4 ,besides ribbon on the top of the head gear1 there must be great bows on either side of the chin4 ,many a time ,i remember seeing the choir singers untie their bonnet strings when they would praise ,god with the voice and understanding2 or1 to be more scientific1 they unlatched the hook and eye1 which really did the business of fastening1 the bows being for ornament rather than utility1 reminding one of ,gothic architecture made of timber in lieu of stone4 ,it was a grand thing1 at least one boy thought1 to go to a morning or noon wedding within a private house1 where at #aj ,a4,m4 the windows were shut tight and the gas lighted4 ,the girls were all in voluminous circles of flounced silks4 ,their bonnets spread out on the bed of the dressing room were veritable parterres1 with ribbons half a foot wide and a yard long4 ,inside the house of ,god the fripperies of fashion were as rampant then as now4 ,in one stylish family1 albeit1 according to common rumor of humble origin1 whose pew was near ours1 but further to the east1 there was the father1 who was a dandy in his dress4 ,he always sat during the sermon and those parts of the service not calling for a bowed head or the grasping of a hymn book1 holding his ridiculous little cane1 which had for its handle a lady's foot carved in ivory4 ,her toes were always in his mouth1 and the diligence with which he sucked that cane impressed a certain boy1 who passes over further description1 of oiled and perfumed ringlets1 amazing necktie or diamond-studded cravat and other vanities of life4 ,i never frankly accepted the statement of ,ecclesiastes1 until ,i saw this gentleman's cane and neck gear4 ,it must be confessed that the amount of time sometimes spent by young men on their neckties1 then often three or four inches wide and made to stick out so that the ends were continuous with the shoulders1 is a secret not to be told to the present generation lest we corrupt the youth4 ,but the psychical moment to the small boy was when the very stylish daughter of the family aforesaid with her sublunar bonnet1 her gorgeous mantilla1 her mighty collar of lace and resplendent brooch sailed up the aisle1 sending many a black silk hat spinning on its richochetting way before her4 ,when about two fathom's distance from the pew door1 which stood at right angles to the long aisle1 she would seize a handful of the various concentric steel circles of her dress1 and slightly tilting the metal bands would sail into her pew with as little collision against the wooden sides as possible4 ,within a busy period1 of possibly less than five minutes1 she was able to accommodate her crinoline to the dimensions allowed and get her spirit in tune with the sacredness of the hour and place4 ,nevertheless when in later days1 sorrow came to that same daughter1 now bereaved and fatherless1 she rose by divine grace into a very transfiguration of character1 through sisterly and filial devotion4 ,life is too short to tell of all the oddities and curious situations into which the hoop skirt led its wearer1 and one must read ,edward ,everett ,hale's amusing story of ,the ,skeleton in the ,closet1 to see what dire mischief these inventions of the evil one were capable of wreaking1 even when discarded4 ,they did indeed seem to be indestructible4 ,what glistening starry eyes1 what dewy and rosy cheeks1 what lovely faces dwelt inside of those bonnets6 ,even to-day in life's dusty pathway1 sweet influences like the breath of a ,may morning come back with the happy memories of ,sabbath days1 that were as the bridal of the earth and sky1 with the trees in white blossoms standing as bridesmaids4 ,in memory's glow the returning vision of youth make what the ,deuteronomist calls the days of heaven upon earth4 ,it was in that wonderful training school on ,broad street1 that so many lovely maidens were taught how1 by divine grace1 to be noble wives and mothers1 and useful women and workers for the coming of the kingdom of heaven1 and from which so many alumni went forth1 young men to preach the good news of ,god4 ,on the missionary field1 or at home1 in bustling cities1 or in quiet country charges1 many there are who to-day amid monotony and toil1 refresh their spirits at the fountains of memory1 taking inspiration from the past and its great personality1 thanking ,god and taking courage4 ,the traveller owns the grateful sense ,of sweetness near1 he knows not whence1 ,and pausing takes with forehead bare ,the benediction of the air4 ,they were not all sunny days for the pastor1 but rather many a dark and cloudy day1 for not all of the seed of the sower fell into good and honest hearts4 ,too many trusted in themselves and falling1 wallowed in the mire4 ,one favorite text and a very sincere utterance of both the ,christ's first ,john and one of his latest disciples so named1 was this3 ,i have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth4 ,when1 on the contrary1 his quondam church members dishonored their ,lord1 then the pastor's heart was wrung--alas1 too often--with anguish4 ,among memory's dissolving views is one of a young man who had been brought into the church and for a time gave promise of manly piety and a fruitful ,christian career1 but1 falling into habits of worldly pleasure he seemed to lose in girth of soul as he became larger in body4 ,he once boasted to me of his finely developed muscle1 ascribing his physical enlargement and1 as he thought1 improvement to good liquor and good women1 saying it without a blush1 and in such a statement horribly abusing the ,english language as ,i knew and felt it4 ,when the war broke out he became captain in a regiment which was made up chiefly of ,roman ,catholic ,irish soldiers from ,philadelphia1 men as devout in one way as they were reckless in another4 ,in leading them to the charge in their first battle1 he noticed not only how their faces turned pale as the spirit conquered the flesh1 but also how each man crossed himself1 and how1 as he described it1 the advance of his company into the thick of the fight could be traced by the packs of cards which they threw away4 ,they did not wish to lose their lives1 but they relished even less the idea of being found dead with these instruments of pleasure and of evil in their knapsacks4 ,the handsome young captain1 after going to moral wreck1 was mortally wounded in battle4 ,when his body was brought home and laid in ,laurel ,hill1 ,i remember the impressive final words of his saddened and disappointed pastor as he committed to the care of the ,resurrection and the ,life the relics of a once noble form3 ,alas6 there are wrecks on humanity's sea ,more awful than any on ocean can be4 ,yet the preacher's burning denunciations of sin and his praise of holiness helped us all to keep step with the ,infinite and hold to the right path4 ,whether in formal discourse or in the reading of a hymn he lost no opportunity to make sinners and false professors uncomfortable and to cheer well doers4 ,rev4 ,james ,crowell1 ,d4,d41 writes1 in #aijb3 ,i remember going in to hear ,rev4 ,dr4 ,chambers one ,sabbath afternoon1 and being much struck with a remark that he made while reading a hymn4 ,it was characteristic of the plain1 straightforward way in which he would sometimes rebuke what he thought was wrong among the people4 ,he was reading the hymn ',my soul1 be on thy guard ,ten thousand foes arise1' and when he came to the last verse1 beginning1 ',fight on1 my soul1 till death ,shall bring thee to thy ,god1' he suddenly laid down the hymn-book and said1 ',bring whom8 ,bring that cruel rum-seller1 who sells damnation to his fellow men for the sake of paltry gain8 ,bring that lazy lounging ,christian who was at church this morning1 but is now taking a nap in bed1 at home1 instead of being in the house of ,god8 ,no6' ,dr4 ,chambers was very active and prominent in connection with the ,noon-day prayer meeting in the old ,sansom ,street ,baptist ,church1 at the corner of ,ninth and ,sansom4 ,he attended that meeting with undeviating punctuality1 always insisted upon the exercises beginning exactly upon the hour1 and upon a strict adherence to the rule which required prayers and remarks to be limited to three minutes4 ,he was an inspiration in that meeting1 and by his spirit and his eloquent voice added much to its enthusiasm and success4 ,i remember when ,i was a little boy attending school at the ,west ,chester ,academy1 an announcement was made at one time that a great temperance meeting was to be held in ,everhart's ,grove1 a little piece of woods about half a mile from the end of the town4 ,the meeting was held on ,saturday afternoon1 and going down1 with a few of my schoolmates to attend the meeting1 upon reaching the outskirts of the town1 when yet more than a quarter of a mile distant from the place of meeting in the woods1 ,i heard ,dr4 ,chambers' clarion voice most distinctly1 as he was engaged in speaking4 ,he was for many years a leader in aggressive movements in the temperance cause1 and by his faithfulness in denouncing those who were engaged in the traffic he did much to promote the interests of that great reform4 ,he was also exceedingly faithful as a pastor in looking after the absentees from worship4 ,it was said that he could always mark those who were absent from the ,house of ,god on the ,sabbath1 and that his rule was on ,monday to look them up and ascertain the reason of their absence4 ,he was an earnest and faithful and aggressive worker in the cause of his ,master1 and by his eloquence and fervor succeeded in retaining his hold upon the large congregation that worshipped in the old church at the corner of ,broad and ,sansom streets4 ,i can add to ,dr4 ,crowell's testimony my own as to ,mr4 ,chambers's inspiring presence at the ,union prayer meetings in the ,sansom ,street ,baptist ,church for ,i attended many of them4 ,once when the hymn ,oh for a thousand tongues to sing had been finished he rose up and told us in a few burning words that we need not pray for a thousand tongues1 but that one tongue was enough1 if each used his aright4 ,his knowledge of the presence or absence of his parishioners was nearly infallible4 ,once when a very useful lady member had been absent during several weeks at revival meetings in another church1 her pastor said to her of her absence3 ,it was like pouring melted lead down my back4 ,mr4 ,chambers did not believe in extra meetings1 but in live ones all the time4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,civil ,,war4 ,the great ,civil ,war1 which divided the nation and the states1 families and households1 struck the ,first ,independent ,church like a hurricane4 ,in a sense1 the ,scripture was fulfilled as to the smiting of the shepherd and the scattering of the flock4 ,the result was to be a distinct lessening of ,john ,chambers's influence upon the city of ,philadelphia1 at least1 and his relegation to a comparatively limited sphere of influence4 ,one of his alumni writes3 ,if he had been in sympathy with the ,north in the ,civil ,war1 ,i believe he would have attained a national reputation4 ,as events turned out1 his ,southern affiliations and sympathy displaced him somewhat from his niche of peculiar influence in ,philadelphia1 and relegated him to a work of lessening circumference4 ,the biographer would gladly pass over the whole subject1 but true history requires that a just statement of the facts should be given4 ,whatever be the judgment1 all acknowledge that ,john ,chambers acted with a good conscience4 ,deo ,vindice4 ,despite his passionate love of liberty and his democratic sympathies1 he had imbibed in ,baltimore and held in ,pennsylvania the general ideas of the ,south concerning slavery4 ,this institution was considered as orthodoxy itself4 ,it was defended from the pulpit and set forth as divinely ordained4 ,mr4 ,chambers sincerely believed that the black man must ever be a servant of servants unto his brethren4 ,his passionate appeals to the supremacy of the ,constitution as against the higher law1 and his hearty profession of admiration for the law-abiding citizen were all on the side of upholding and protecting slavery as an ,american institution to be sacredly safe-guarded4 ,just before the war1 when calling at our home and finding the book ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin lying upon the sofa and bearing evidences of being well perused1 he condemned the reading of such a vile work in no measured terms4 ,by nature a sincere man of peace and in practical life a consummate peacemaker1 our pastor professed great abhorrence of war4 ,nevertheless1 these denunciations of slaughter and his oft-expressed horror of brethren imbruing their hands in each other's blood1 were discounted in the minds of those who knew his bitter denunciations of all things ,british and monarchial1 and remembered his keen interest in the ,mexican war4 ,some hostile critic of our national policy with ,mexico1 on seeing the ,philadelphia recruits marching away to serve under ,general ,scott1 called them dough faces4 ,mr4 ,chambers heard of this and1 on the contrary1 praising warmly the bold soldier boys of #ahdf said that if the body of the man who had called such soldiers 'dough faces' were made into bread1 there wouldn't be a dog in ,philadelphia that would eat a pound of it4 ,the slow coming events cast long and great shadows which rapidly shortened as the year #ahfa drew near4 ,the situation was critical and the political sky was fast gathering blackness4 ,in politics ,john ,chambers was a strong ,democrat1 sympathizing strongly with the president1 ,james ,buchanan1 ,pennsylvania's favorite son1 with whom he was personally acquainted1 as well as with his niece1 ,harriet ,lane1 of whose decease ,i read in ,july1 #aijc4 ,he spent several summers with the president at ,bedford ,springs1 was often a guest at ,wheatland1 and at ,washington was known at the ,white ,house1 and once1 at least1 opened the ,house of ,representatives with prayer4 ,it is certain that our pastor suffered greatly in his mind over the thought of a disruption of the ,union4 ,thanksgiving day was the elect season at which preachers discussed political themes1 and ,dr4 ,chambers's sermon of ,november #bd1 #ahei1 was printed in a pamphlet4 ,i remember the occasion as if it were yesterday4 ,his rendering of the eighth chapter of ,deuteronomy was with such impressive power that to this day ,i feel as if no other chapter ought to be read on similar occasions4 ,he also read the second chapter of ,first ,timothy1 after which he offered his fervent prayer4 ,as ,i peruse again the printed discourse ,i can hear his ringing voice and see the superb and graceful gestures4 ,this was his opening sentence3 ,i have announced to you my purpose to relieve my heart of a burden that has long oppressed me4 ,as an ,american citizen1 an ,american minister of the ,gospel1 ,i love this ,bible2 and the ,god of the ,bible4 ,my country1 its constitution1 and its laws1 ,i love4 ,as a man of peace ,i have a heart for the nation4444 ,i love it as a unit4 ,i am ready to live by it as a unit2 and am ready to put the blood of my heart fresh upon its altar rather than see it anything else than a unit4 ,he then went on to dwell on the worth of the ,union to ourselves and the world of mankind1 and upon the jealousy which ,european nations1 especially the monarchies1 and more particularly ,england1 had of us4 ,their hope of triumphing over this ,western continent was by triumphing over us4 ,he then dwelt upon the importance1 solemnity and value of an oath1 declaring that one of the most alarming signs of the times was the utter indifference to the value of an oath4 ,now1 for example1 the ,constitution most positively and absolutely1 in the plainest and most unmistakable manner provides that a fugitive from labor escaping from one state to another shall be delivered up4 ,this is the ,constitution4 ,i am not to-day touching slavery right or wrong4 ,i am looking as a practical man at things as they are4 ,every citizen who winks at its evasion1 if he aids or abets the fugitive in his flight1 he is before heaven a perjured man and the waters of the ocean could not wash out the stain4 ,the fugitive slave law had been often resisted in ,philadelphia1 as ,i remember well4 ,in the same city1 the first anti-slavery society had been formed1 and within its present limits the first ecclesiastical protest ever raised against slavery was signed in the ,mennonite meeting house in ,germantown1 where in summer ,i sometimes worshipped4 ,the agitation of the abolitionists1 and the burning down of ,pennsylvania ,hall were all matters of fresh memory to adult listeners in #ahei4 ,i now take up that question of questions--can this ,union be perpetuated8 ,i answer 'yes'4 ,take the ,bible for our rule and guide4 ,let it be the sheet anchor of our hope4444 ,no tempest that crowned heads or despotic sceptres can invoke will ever throw our ship upon the lee shore or put out the light of this ,american ,union4 ,after a fling1 by the way1 at the divine right of kings1 a right which ,god gave in his wrath1 he quoted the legend of ,franklin's calling for prayer in the constitutional convention1 noted the incident of ,jesus and the tribute to ,csar1 and then dwelt on the necessity of the adopted citizen1 especially1 keeping his oath4 ,he intimated that those immigrants who did not like our constitution had better pack up and go home4444 ,the constitution and laws of this country are our ,csar and on us rests the solemn duty of obedience4 ,he then passed to the duties of husbands and wives1 of children to their parents1 and to the duty of training the youth to speak with respect of rulers and laws4 ,his final exhortation was to the sacred obligation to obey the constitution and the laws4 ,he pointed out the danger of the dissolution of the ,union1 showing that the peril was great unless our pulpits cease their clamor against the constitution and the laws4 ,ministers must not urge the higher law 7as they call it7 of instinct1 but preach ,god's revealed word1 and cease1 too1 from declaring from the altar that it is better to put into a man's hand a rifle1 a death weapon1 rather than a mother's ,bible4 ,he urged that we cease the agitation and abuse1 that arrays state against state1 and that sectionalism be abandoned4 ,the conclusion was made with tremendous effect4 ,if ,i were on the banks of the ,potomac1 standing by that vault at ,mount ,vernon1 ,i would say it over the sacred dust of the immortal ,washington1 the man that would labor or would wish for the dissolution of the ,american ,union1 let him be anathema1 maranatha4 ,but neither rhetoric1 nor eloquence1 nor professions of loyalty to the constitution could prevent secession1 or that firing of the shot on ,sumter which unified the ,north4 ,the news of this overt act of hostility at once sharply divided the congregation1 and a number of the very best men and women in the church1 some of them ,mr4 ,chambers's oldest and warmest supporters1 withdrew into other churches1 mostly ,presbyterian1 or united themselves with the ,central ,congregational ,church1 where they and their children and grandchildren form a notable element in that honored church4 ,others1 like ,anna ,ross1 the soldiers' friend1 became actively identified with patriotic measures4 ,the loss to the ,first ,independent church was a rich gain to other churches4 ,four out of six of his elders1 ,daniel ,steinmetz1 ,joseph ,b4 ,sheppard1 ,rudolph ,s4 ,walton1 and ,john ,yard1 ,jr41 among his ablest laymen1 withdrew into ,presbyterian churches to help build them up with their talents1 generosity1 and consecration1 or initiated new enterprises4 ,others1 though they did not take away their letters of membership1 never again or rarely1 worshipped in the church edifice4 ,probably the number thus lost to the congregation ran into the hundreds1 but the break was because of conscience and conviction4 ,nevertheless ,god was glorified and ,christ honored even in farewells4 ,the partings were in friendship4 ,these were not personal quarrels1 and the relations between man and man for ,christ's sake were always maintained4 ,john ,chambers's own testimony on this point is clear4 ,in #ahge he said ,we did not dispute4 ,they treated me and they have always treated me with the greatest respect and they were among our most useful men 444 and we have been on the terms of the most perfect friendship since4444 ,we did not have any trouble with each other--we parted in peace4 ,the most striking manifestation of the sentiment hostile to the pastor was shown by some of the trustees1 yet in a way not approved of by the congregation4 ,there was possibly some ground for the apprehension felt by the trustees1 as one of them told me1 that ,southern sympathizers might get control of the property of the copperhead church4 ,therefore1 a flagstaff was erected on the roof and the stars and stripes were unfurled1 and for some months waved in the breeze from morning till sunset4 ,i was passing down ,chestnut street that very morning1 just as the flag was run up and a few gentlemen standing on the tin roof gave three cheers4 ,it was a surprise and not wholly a pleasant one to me4 ,this procedure hurt ,mr4 ,chambers's feelings1 but he said little about it4 ,not a few others1 including the biographer1 thought that peculiar kind of patriotism was1 in its manifestation1 entirely unwarranted4 ,at the next election1 the trustees most prominent in the flag pole business were quietly dropped4 ,the excitement about the copperhead church died away1 and the pole was taken down and disposed of1 the flag ever remaining in honor4 ,on the other hand ,mr4 ,chambers did some things which his friends deemed highly unwise4 ,on one occasion1 it is said1 he paraded publicly with the ,keystone ,club1 a prominent political organization1 which had been influential in the nomination of ,james ,buchanan4 ,none of the young men of his church who enlisted in the ,union army received any encouragement from their pastor1 who was never known in his public prayers to pray for the success of the national cause in arms1 though always petitioning the throne of grace in behalf of the ,union of the ,states4 ,one after another and sometimes groups of young patriots together would put on the national uniform1 shoulder their muskets and march off to battle1 quite frequently never to return again4 ,on one occasion1 being called on for public prayer in the large ,wednesday night meeting1 though but eighteen years of age 7,mr4 ,chambers always encouraged his young men to pray publicly7 ,i petitioned the ,father of us all1 as was my daily custom privately1 and as some of the others of us did occasionally in public1 for the success of the ,union arms in the field1 and the defeat of the slave-holder's rebellion1 and that their covenant with death might be annulled and their agreement with hell not stand4 ,i meant of course slavery and slavery only1 but perhaps particular offence was taken by the pastor1 because ,william ,lloyd ,garrison had in these words characterized the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 ,mr4 ,chambers was visibly displeased and afterwards referred to the prayer in terms of rebuke4 ,it was in the first year of the war1 on ,sunday1 ,may #e1 that either a company or a regiment1 or portion of one--my diary says part of the ,scott ,legion and the ,national ,guard came to our church to worship before going to the front4 ,i do not know just how or why the invitation was sent or accepted4 ,probably it was to draw out the exact sentiment of ,john ,chambers4 ,in any event the patriots ready to die for their country received no direct encouragement 7except to maintain the constitution and laws of the country71 but rather1 as we all thought1 discouragement1 when the pastor told them he could not encourage them to go forth to shed their brother's blood4 ,when ,robert ,lee1 with his ,confederate veterans1 invaded ,pennsylvania1 and was statesman as well as general enough to give battle on northern soil at ,gettysburg1 ,philadelphia was in a white heat of excitement4 ,captain ,griffiths1 one of the handsomest men in the congregation1 whose pew was directly in front of ours1 received his death wound in this battle4 ,in ,june1 #ahfc1 ,i was in ,baltimore visiting at my uncle's and trying to recuperate after an attack of chills and fever1 resulting from spending a summer on the other side of the ,delaware4 7,i am now thoroughly persuaded1 by the way1 of the efficiency of mosquito's as carriers of malarial poison74 ,i had recovered1 but on hearing that ,lee's army had marched towards ,pennsylvania1 my native state1 ,i immediately resolved to go home and enlist in the army4 ,riding into the city and through the barricades guarded by ,union soldiers1 ,i took the train for ,philadelphia1 reaching my house on late ,saturday night4 ,early ,monday morning ,i enlisted in ,company ,h of the ,merchants' ,regiment1 #ddth ,pennsylvania ,militia4 ,within a day or two ,i received uniform and arms and was on my way to ,camp ,curtin at ,harrisburg1 ready to march to the fords of the ,potomac4 ,before leaving ,i called to see my former minister1 ,john ,chambers1 to tell him what ,i was about to do1 hoping to receive his blessing4 ,as yet ,vicksburg seemed impregnable1 and apparently ,lee was to march victoriously through ,pennsylvania4 ,mr4 ,chambers argued against the possibility of putting down the rebellion1 and descanted upon the impregnability of the terrific fortifications at ,vicksburg1 which were able1 as he thought1 to bid defiance to any force that could be brought against them4 ,our interview was ended by the entrance of his friend the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,william ,swan ,plumer1 a handsome man of magnificent bearing1 whose white beard swept his breast and whom ,i had more than once heard preach4 ,he was a voluminous and popular writer1 who had held pastorates in ,richmond1 ,baltimore1 and ,allegheney ,city1 ,pa4 ,from the close of the war until #ahhj he was professor in the theological seminary at ,columbia1 ,s4 ,c4 ,before ,i had been a day in ,camp ,curtin at ,harrisburg1 ,lee was driven back from ,gettysburg1 and our war-governor himself in the camp announced to us the fall of ,vicksburg4 ,years afterward in ,ithaca1 ,i wrote ex-governor ,curtin a sympathizing letter on the death of his daughter1 ,mrs4 ,william ,h4 ,sage1 of our little city4 ,he replied in a long letter full of appreciation and memories of #ahfa-'fe4 ,no memorial tablet was ever put up in the ,chambers's church to the memory of the young men from the congregation who gave their lives to their country4 ,it is perhaps on the whole better to dwell lightly upon the record of ,john ,chambers during the war1 partly because it is a blessed thing to know how to forget4 ,even the battlefields nature has long since healed and reconciled to herself in the sweet oblivion of flowers4 ,we have now a united country1 the ulcer of slavery is a thing of long ago1 and some things are seen more clearly4 ,possibly brethren of ,john ,chambers who publicly refused to shake hands with him have since been sorry4 ,it is also quite certain that in the days of heat and bitterness1 ,mr4 ,chambers was held responsible for some things which members of his family1 or relatives1 said or did1 and not himself4 ,afterwards1 when charged with holding certain sentiments1 or appealed to to vindicate his reputation1 he refused1 as he said to hide himself behind a woman4 ,he was too much of a man to say women did it4 ,mrs4 ,martha ,chambers1 his second wife1 had died in ,march1 #ahfj4 ,during the war or most of it1 he was a widower4 ,within this period1 his daughter-in-law1 a ,virginia lady1 the wife of ,duncan ,chambers1 presided over his household4 ,our pastor's nephew1 ,duncan ,chambers ,milner 7now pastor at ,joliet1 ,ill47 a soldier in the ,union army1 was wounded1 and spent some time during his convalescence in his uncle's home1 afterwards entering upon the work of the ,united ,states ,christian ,commission4 ,he bears witness how his uncle1 with rock-like convictions1 strove1 in spite of the obloquy of enemies and the coldness of friends1 to be patriot1 pastor1 and ,christian1 bearing all things1 hoping all things1 enduring all things1 in a trying time1 when political slander was busy1 going on with his work as usual4 ,in all the separations and differences between the great pastor and some members of his flock1 there was no personal bitterness or angry word4 ,it was only on questions of national policy that they differed4 ,their brotherly regard remained the same1 and ,god was glorified4 ,this certainly was true4 ,john ,chambers1 the hero quailed not before threats of being hanged at the lamp post4 ,he went about his duties as usual4 ,like most men whose lives are threatened1 our pastor died quietly in his bed4 ,rev4 ,thomas ,de,witt ,talmage came to ,philadelphia during the war1 in #ahfb1 and at once attracted much attention and great crowds to the church edifice on ,seventh ,street above ,brown4 ,i was one of the number who was drawn under his influence1 and1 from patriotic and personal reasons1 ,i took my letter away from the ,first ,independent ,church to unite with the ,second ,reformed 7,dutch7 ,church1 of which ,dr4 ,talmage was pastor4 ,i met him in camp when he was a chaplain of the ,coal ,regiment1 raised in ,philadelphia during ,lee's invasion4 ,no one could ever doubt ,talmage's loyalty to the ,federal cause4 ,in the darkest days of the war1 when it seemed as though the slave owners' rebellion would succeed he uttered a fervent prayer for the ,union1 winding up with the petition1 ,blast the ,southern ,confederacy4 ,these were the days when on each ,sunday1 one went to the house of ,god1 expecting to see a new widow in black and freshly made orphans in the congregation4 ,i saw ,mr4 ,talmage first and heard him speak on the platform in ,concert ,hall1 where also sat ,john ,chambers4 ,i remember how he sent some old ladies home to hunt for the sixth chapter of the book of ,nicodemus4 ,mr4 ,talmage quickly found out who were the popular preachers of ,philadelphia--,phillips ,brooks1 ,herrick ,johnson1 ,a4 ,a4 ,willetts1 ,john ,chambers1 and others4 ,he was so struck with ,dr4 ,chambers's position of influence that he made investigation into his methods and hired a man to look over the files of the ,public ,ledger to make a list of the subjects on which he had preached in previous years4 ,all this was very interesting to ,mr4 ,chambers when told him by his nephew1 to whom the facts were communicated by ,mr4 ,talmage himself4 ,famous visitors to the church and preachers in the pulpit of the ,first ,independent ,church made variety4 ,some of these sermons heard ,i can never forget1 such as that by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,schenck1 who set forth the example of ,caleb1 faithful found among the faithless1 faithful only he4 ,the ,rev4 ,henry ,grattan ,guinness impressed me more with his fluency than his ideas4 ,dr4 ,daniel ,march1 whose ,night ,scenes of the ,bible ,i read with delight1 and who replied so spiritedly to ,hepworth ,dixon's foolish charges1 ,i met again in ,boston1 after his tour around the world in the late eighties1 and from him ,i have lately heard in praise of his old theological friend4 ,dr4 ,plumer gave us good biblical sermons4 ,so did ,dr4 ,leyburn4 ,dr4 ,neill1 a ,methodist1 always pleased and fed us4 ,professor ,w4 ,g4 ,fisher1 ever popular1 and author of many well-known tunes1 was also frequently seen by us4 ,i have felt free to mention the faults1 failings1 and defects of the man we all loved so well1 partly because he himself instilled early in us the love of absolute truth1 and because his career is in itself a mighty lesson to all young men4 ,it is a story that shows self-conquest and mastery of difficulties1 for ,john ,chambers was ever rising on stepping stones of his dead self to higher things4 ,out of his own faults1 by ,god's grace1 he made a ladder by which he mounted up to ,god4 ,it is because his strength was made perfect in weakness that his life speaks even yet so powerfully4 ,though he has been dead much more than a quarter of a century1 his influence is to-day like wave on wave of ever widening circles1 and the force of his life is reproduced in scores of other human lives in all parts of the earth4 ,even in intellectual edification he builded better than he knew4 ,when the higher criticism came1 with its imaginary terrors1 as of hoof1 horn1 and teeth1 ,i for one1 felt able to tame1 manage1 and use it as a faithful beast of burden1 both for the history of ,japan and of ,israel1 largely because ,john ,chambers used to say to me3 ,will1 study the ,bible1 and don't be afraid of what you find there4 ,where some see only the chestnut burr1 ,i have found food and sweetness4 ,out of the eater has come forth meat1 and out of the strong1 sweetness1 largely because of the atmosphere which ,john ,chambers suffused around my youthful head4 ,mr4 ,chambers's fortieth anniversary sermon on ,may #ad1 #ahfe1 was published in a neat pamphlet1 with a sketch of the history of the church4 ,he was then in his sixty-eighth year and in vigorous health4 ,about eight or ten of his original parishioners out of the seventy-one who1 in ,april1 #ahbe1 had voted to call him to be their pastor1 still survived4 ,despite the subtraction of removals1 dismissals and deaths the church rolls showed an active membership of twelve hundred4 ,the church edifice1 on a lot seventy-six by one hundred feet1 had cost1 for building and enlargement1 about fifty thousand dollars1 all raised by direct subscription4 ,about three thousand persons had been received into membership1 nine-tenths on confession of faith4 ,other statistics are interesting--#b1eji funerals1 #f1bdg sermons1 #b1djj funeral addresses1 #c1jjj addresses on missionary1 temperance and ,sunday ,school subjects1 and about #bh1jjj pastoral calls4 ,in forty years1 excepting his absence in ,europe1 he had been out of the pulpit for ill health only three times4 ,in the foulness of strength and prosperity the spirit of this discourse is best set forth as he expressed it1 ,oh1 to grace how great a debtor and ,hitherto the ,lord hath helped us4 ,the salary of our pastor1 at first very modest1 had been increased to #a1ejj1 then to #b1ejj1 and for a few later years1 he received #d1jjj4 ,it was about this time1 #ahfe1 that the gentlemen of the congregation presented him with a tea set of silver4 ,almost as a matter of course1 ,john ,chambers was often approached by pastorless church committees seeking a popular and efficient leader2 but never1 for one moment1 did he encourage the thought of leaving his people for another field4 ,nevertheless the gossips sometimes imagined otherwise4 ,concerning one particular instance1 which was the occasion of a witty and very remarkable sermon1 my fellow-alumnus1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,robert ,maurice ,luther1 writes me1 under date of ,july #af1 #aijc3 ,as a preacher1 ,dr4 ,chambers was1 by voice and personal presence most attractive4 ,his voice was indescribably rich1 full and sonorous4 ,he was frequently charged with taking lessons from celebrated actors4 ,this he indignantly and most emphatically denied1 frequently in my hearing4 ,on the other hand1 ,i more than once heard an actor of some prominence1 afterward a teacher of elocution1 assert that he was in the habit of attending the ,first ,independent ,church1 for the purpose of getting hints on the management of his voice1 from ,dr4 ,chambers's method4 ,one sermon1 much criticised1 ,i remember distinctly1 to-day4 ,it must have been delivered about the year #ahef4 ,the occasion was a persistent report1 widely circulated1 that ,dr4 ,chambers was about to accept a call to a more largely remunerated pastorate in ,baltimore4 ,the theme was ,the ,immortality of the ,scandal ,monger4 ,the text was1 ,it is reported among the heathen1 and ,gashmu saith it4 ,neh41 vi1 #f4 ,the pastor said that ,gashmu had never been heard of before1 and did not appear again1 yet he was immortal4 ,i4 ,how an unknown man may become immortal4 ,does any one of you say that the work of the ,lord offers no compensation in the way of personal fame8 ,he is correct in the main4 ,do your work as faithfully as you may1 and the probability is that you will die1 and the world will give your memory not a second thought4 ,men will forget where you are buried4 ,the newspapers will not stop their presses long enough to record the fact of your death unless they are paid for it4 ,wicked men will say1 ,there1 we told you so6 ,that foolish fellow who made himself1 and all good fellows miserable by his religion is dead at last4 ,he caught a cold going to prayer-meeting1 and he is gone1 religion and all4 ,the world will not greatly concern itself about you1 or your memory4 ,but just invent a new lie about one of ,god's saints4 ,it may be as improbable as this one which ,gashmu invented1 that the ,jews were about to rebel1 and at once you take your position among the famous men4 ,your name will go down to posterity1 as one whom the world will not willingly forget4 ,unborn generations will read your name1 and believe the lie which you invented4 ,,ii4 ,how should the ,christian man meet scandal8 ,in the way in which ,nehemiah met it4 ,he said nothing to refute the scandal4 ,he kept right along1 doing the work of the ,lord4 ,he knew that any attempt to answer the charge would only give advantage to the enemy4 ,if a dog barks at you in the street1 it is bad policy to turn round and bark back at him4 ,the dog is always a better barker than you are4 ,if you lower yourself to his level1 you must not complain if he beats you at his own game4 ,keep on doing the ,lord's work4 ,they sent for ,nehemiah to come down and have an interview with them at one of the villages of the plain of ,ono1 but he replied ,o no6 ,i am doing a great work3 ,i cannot come down4 ,imitate ,nehemiah4 ,you may not have the immortality of ,gashmu1 but that is an immortality of infamy4 ,better be remembered by ,god1 than by ,his enemies4 ,the effect of this sermon was immense and immediate4 ,the daily press took it up1 and made frequent and pungent comments1 but the sharp wit of the good preacher had forestalled all criticism4 ,there were many special sermons1 about election time1 and in civil crises1 which were equally bright and witty4 ,it was not by these that the reputation of the good man was made1 however4 ,none who heard1 can ever forget his sermons for the young4 ,as a rather dull boy of nine1 or ten1 ,i listened as if he were talking directly to me4 ,hearing once a pretentious young man1 criticising ,dr4 ,chambers1 and saying that he was not an intellectual preacher1 my wonder was what intellectual meant3 and ,i was greatly helped by my mother1 who told me that the young man did not know enough to be able to understand our pastor4 ,after all these years1 ,i am inclined to think that my mother was entirely right4 ,his sermons for the culture of the ,christian ,life1 ,i have never heard equalled4 ,he anticipated everything in this line which ,drummond afterward wrote4 ,after fifty years1 his form1 his face1 his voice1 are all as vividly present as they were in my childhood1 and ,i am sure that the spiritual lessons of his life1 survive just as strongly in the hearts of hundreds of us boys of the old ,first ,independent ,church4 ,john ,chambers was much more than a preacher4 ,his pastoral work1 and his intimate personal knowledge of each member of his large congregation1 were as remarkable as his pulpit utterances4 ,thursday was his day for coming to our house1 and it seems to me now1 that he came every ,thursday1 but that is1 of course1 impossible4 ,however1 we children always expected to see him on ,thursday1 and usually at dinner4 ,i well remember the homelike frankness with which he would express his appreciation of some of the dishes which my mother1 who was a notable1 and old-time housewife1 would have prepared for him4 ,i remember even more distinctly how it seemed to me that he knew everything that went on at our school and the events of our little cosmos4 ,he seemed to be as much interested in them as we boys were4 ,he seemed to know everything that we did4 ,the only time in my boyhood that ,i went to ,welch's circus1 down ,walnut street1 ,i became disgusted with some coarse jokes of the clown1 and went out before the performance was over4 ,i ran down the stairway from the dress circle1 out of the door1 and plump into the arms of ,dr4 ,chambers6 ,did he scold me8 ,not much4 ,he simply said in that voice of his1 the tones of which were like an organ1 ,my boy6 ,you in that place6 ,come now1 you did not like it1 did you8 ,i should not think that you would care for such things4 ,i should think your telescope would show you finer sights than anything you would see there4 ,how did he know that ,i had a telescope1 and that ,i had made it myself1 and that ,i used to be up on the roof of our old home all night1 only creeping into bed just in time to avoid being caught8 ,i never told him4 ,i went no more to the circus4 ,in our church life it was the same4 ,on the ,sunday on which ,i united with the church1 there were seventy-two who were received2 yet this great man found time to say to the boy of fifteen1 as we left the church1 that he would expect me to take part1 preferably by engaging in prayer1 in the ,sunday night prayer service1 a fortnight from that day4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,light ,,at ,,evening ,,time4 ,in the seven or eight decades of work for the ,master by ,john ,chambers and his alumni1 besides those who have finished their work on earth and whose names ,i do not remember1 not having known them1 or known them but slightly1 there are others1 preachers of the ,gospel1 probably twenty or more1 still in active career4 ,it is interesting to look down the list of those who are1 with the writer1 fellow alumni of the ,first ,independent ,church1 and to see also in what varied paths of service they follow the ,master4 ,in the list of eighteen ,christian ministers known to the writer1 six are ,presbyterian1 two are ,methodists1 three ,baptists1 two ,congregationalists1 and three ,episcopal4 ,the first of those attracted to the gospel ministry by the pastor was ,thomas ,irvine1 who died about #ahbg or #ahbh4 ,the second was the ,rev4 ,charles ,brown1 who united with the church ,october #a1 #ahbf1 and was ordained ,june #cj1 #ahcc4 ,thus began1 in true apostolical succession1 a line of prophets of the good word of ,god4 ,it was one of the unanswerable proofs of the genuineness of ,john ,chambers's ,christianity1 that he taught the religion of ,jesus as something more than a set of opinions1 or even of convictions4 ,he showed us all how to agree to disagree1 to be friends1 and keep the unity of the ,spirit in the bonds of peace1 even when we could not see eye to eye4 ,he cared very little what denomination his boys entered as preachers of the ,gospel4 ,what he rejoiced in was their bearing witness to ,christ4 ,intense as he was1 in his ethical earnestness and in the reality of religion1 tenacious of his own ideas as is ivy to the wall1 he accorded the same liberty of conscience and action to others that he allowed himself4 ,in this1 our leader was large minded as well as big hearted4 ,i am inclined to think that his real generosity of mind and breadth of theological sympathy were greater than those of many laymen1 whose mental view and habits have long been fixed4 ,for an absolutely judicial opinion on this subject1 ,i should trust the men in the pulpit rather than those in the pew4 ,if this view seems a novelty1 let us turn to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,edgar ,levy1 the venerable pastor of the ,berean ,baptist church of ,west ,philadelphia4 ,now over four score1 he united with the church about #ahce4 ,he said at the semi-centennial or jubilee of ,may1 #ahge3 ,dr4 ,chambers has always been the counsellor and friend of young men4 ,what pastor ever had the power of drawing around him1 to the same extent1 the young men of our city8 ,eternity alone will disclose the army of young men who have lighted their torches at this altar1 and who have gone forth to enlighten and save a dying world4 ,many of these young men have entered other denominations2 but our pastor never seemed otherwise than glad that they had found fields of usefulness in other directions4 ,his only concern seemed to be that they might be true men1 useful men1 faithful to ,god and to duty4 ,and here1 ,i cannot refrain from an allusion to my own change of church relations1 as illustrative of his generosity4 ,when ,i felt called upon to leave this home of my youth and unite with another people who bear a different name1 ,i called on him to tell him of my purpose4 ,and while he could not accept of my views1 ,i shall never forget with what a largeness of heart he took my hand in both of his1 and bade me go and preach the everlasting ,gospel to perishing men4 ,our great teacher was a man of continuous spiritual growth1 in his old age ripening in the wisdom that helped and in the faith that makes faithful4 ,some things were seen by himself more clearly when ,god had given him the perspective of experience4 ,this was so notable1 that it excited the surprise of those who remembered only the former fiery days4 ,he became less impetuous and abusive of his enemies4 ,one alumnus writes1 ,a few years before his death1 ,i asked him 7,dr4 ,chambers7 why he had fallen away from his strenuous and frequent utterances in behalf of total abstinence4 ,he replied that experience had taught him that to make a man 'every whit whole' was almost as easy as to save him from a single evil habit1 or to correct a single fault1 and that he had come to feel that the utterance of a complete gospel was more necessary than preaching temperance4 ,i think that this showed ,mr4 ,chambers to be a less narrow-minded man than he had sometimes appeared to be4 ,his nephew writes3 ,after ,i graduated at college in #ahff1 ,i went to the ,union ,theological ,seminary and visited him a number of times4 ,i was not quite clear about entering the ,presbyterian ministry4 ,he urged me to do so and told me confidentially the plans to get his own church into the ,presbytery before his death4 ,when ,i asked him how he could advise me to subscribe to the ,westminster ,confession when he could not do it himself1 he said3 ,my son1 ,i can swallow some things now ,i could not forty years ago6 ,in a word1 ,john ,chambers saw as clearly as ,whittier3 ,the letter fails and systems fall1 ,and every symbol wanes2 ,the ,spirit overbrooding all ,eternal ,love remains4 ,with prophetic eye he perceived also that the individualism of the middle of the nineteenth century was soon to belong to the past1 and that unity and co-operation were to prevail over competition and independency4 ,yet to suppose ,john ,chambers was ever a sectarian would be to misjudge him wholly4 ,his very life breathed out the prayer3 ,o ,lord and ,master of us all6 ,whate'er our name or sign1 ,we own thy sway1 we hear thy call1 ,we test our lives by thine4 ,during the last decade of his life ,dr4 ,chambers withdrew somewhat from public speaking outside of his own pulpit4 ,about four years before his death came a stroke of paralysis which somewhat weakened him4 ,his physician was the celebrated specialist and author who1 like ,dr4 ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes1 has enriched both science and literature4 ,dr4 ,s4 ,weir ,mitchell4 ,the patient was particularly touched by the tender solicitude of his ,quaker friends1 whose meeting house on ,twelfth street was just across from his home4 ,on recovery he sent out to his host of enquiring friends a circular containing his thanks in print as follows3 ,a ,,card ,,from ,,the ,,rev4 ,,john ,,chambers4 ,for many days my mind has been exercised how ,i could in the most ,christian and modest way reach the eye and ear of a very large number of friends whose solicitude for my restoration to health and continued life has been so marked4 ,i have concluded that a simple card1 sent out through the press1 from an honest heart1 would be acceptable to all4 ,first1 then1 ,i owe a debt of undying gratitude to the ,ministers of the ,prince of ,peace1 who came like doves to the windows of my tabernacle with the inquiry late and early3 ',how is he2 any change for the better8' ,again my gratitude is due to a large number of ,god's ,israel1 who called again and again without any other object than to know whether the light was beginning to burn brighter in the house of sorrow4 ,how ,christian-like was this6 ,then1 again1 ,i wish to acknowledge1 as best ,i can1 my debt of gratitude to that large class of my fellow-citizens1 beginning with the learned jurist and reaching down to the humblest man of toil4 ,in this enumeration ,i take more than ordinary pleasure in including a large number of the ,society of ,friends1 especially the members of the ,twelfth ,street ,meeting4 ,while memory lasts those fond inquiries of old and young will not be forgotten4 ,kind words never die4 ,as to my own beloved people ,i may say of them1 as ,jesus said of the faithful woman3 ',they have done what they could'4 ,there has been nothing left undone to relieve the anxiety of a pastor's heart4 ,the ,press1 too1 has been most kind and generous1 for which ,i thank them4 ,nor can ,i pass unnoticed the eminent services of my physician1 ,s4 ,weir ,mitchell1 ,m4,d41 whose skill and devotion1 under ,god1 have brought me into a state of convalescence4 ,glorious ,christianity6 ,how unlike all other systems of religion4 ,,john ,,chambers4 ,philadelphia1 ,march #bh1 #ahga4 ,on reaching his seventy-sixth year1 in #ahgd1 the young people of the congregation planned a delightful surprise1 of which he thus told1 at the semi-centennial of his pastorate3 ,they converted these two figures '#g--f' into gold dollars1 and they presented me the '#gf' beautifully made up of gold dollars1 containing one hundred and eleven in all4 ,the glory of young men is their strength and hope4 ,it would hardly be fair to expect an old man of seventy-two1 who had borne the heat and burden of the day1 and was already broken in health and by many sorrows1 to feel as hopeful and buoyant concerning things at the end of the earth as a young man not yet thirty4 ,yet none more than himself felt humiliated and took rebukes gladly1 when he realized that he had not honored his ,master by as large a measure of faith as he ought to have done4 ,late in #ahgj1 just before leaving for ,japan1 to which country ,i had been invited by the lord of ,echizen1 to organize the education of the lads of his province according to ,occidental principles and in modern methods1#aj ,i called on my old pastor to receive his blessing and take farewell4 ,always hearty in his welcome and kindly in his interest1 ,i felt that his faith was not as strong concerning the educational and missionary conquest of the ,far ,east1 as his preaching and long-continued interest had led me to expect4 ,as with the war for freedom and national life1 so in the war for the ,everlasting ,kingdom1 it seemed to me he took a too local view of a great subject4 ,i was genuinely surprised that1 instead of heartily cheering me1 he seemed to discourage me4 ,he spoke gloomily of the vast masses of untouched heathenism and said that anything ,i could do was only as a drop in the bucket4 ,footnote #aj3 ,see ,verbeck of ,japan1 ,chapter ,,xi4 ,nevertheless1 by the grace of ,god1 ,i intended to make that drop tell1 and ,i felt that what man could not do1 ,god would4 ,i entered the ,japan1 in which no native ,christian dared then to make confession of his faith1 in which no more converts to ,reformed ,christianity than could be enumerated on the fingers of one hand were known1 and in which descendants of the ,roman ,catholics of the early seventeenth century were still in the crypts1 undiscovered yet1 even by the ,french missionaries then on the soil4 ,at that time1 #ahgj1 feudalism with its medival ideals was the rule of society4 ,a half dozen government schools on ,western principles1 and only one or two of missionary origin1 were in their infancy4 ,i went out to live four years in the ,east1 one of them as a lone exile in ,fukui4 ,this was the ,japan which ,verbeck1 ,brown1 and ,hepburn by ,christian teaching and healing1 which ,satow1 ,aston1 and ,chamberlin through scholarship1 and which ,kido1 ,okubo1 and ,iwakura by political action were reconstructing1 and where all the fascinations and horrors of the pagan world were rampant4 ,no life insurance company in ,america would then insure my life1 except at a heavy premium4 ,when ,i came back home in #ahgd1 and in the still grandly attended ,friday night meeting spoke to ,dr4 ,chambers' people1 ,i told them of ,christian churches with nearly a thousand members enrolled1 of ,christian schools and hospitals1 and of a new ,japan4 ,i called the attention of the now venerable pastor to this fresh illustration of the truth he had so often proclaimed1 how much greater ,god was than our feeble faith1 and how superbly the kingdom of heaven was marching on4 ,after the benediction1 a hearty right hand shaken and left shoulder patted in the ancient style1 with words of glowing friendship1 made for my soul a picture set in diamonds of delight--the last of the great man that has framed itself in my memory4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,transfer ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,to ,,the ,,presbytery4 ,for forty-eight years the congregation to which ,john ,chambers ministered had formed an ,independent ,church4 ,the time had now come when the same company of ,christian believers1 which had been the ,ninth ,presbyterian ,church1 was to enter upon the third stage of its history1 and become the ,chambers ,presbyterian ,church4 ,on the #ith of ,may1 #ahbe1 ,mr4 ,chambers had received his call4 ,amid all vicissitudes1 the removing to a new neighborhood1 the building first1 and then the enlarging1 of the church edifice1 the terrible storm of the ,civil ,war1 and the removal of a large number of his people elsewhere1 nothing had seriously interfered with his work or threatened its stability or continuance1 but in #ahgd the pastor began to think seriously about the future of his flock4 ,the whole trend of population in all three directions1 north1 south1 and west was away from ,broad and ,sansom1 while business was steadily encroaching upon the neighborhood once wholly occupied by homes4 ,john ,chambers had overstepped the limits of three score years and ten4 ,a stroke of paralysis was nature's first warning that the best days of his strength were over4 ,the time seemed now to have come when an independent church1 of the type which had for nearly half a century demonstrated its power to live and grow1 was no longer needed4 ,it was not self-conceit1 but dire necessity that compelled ,john ,chambers to reflect and to ask the question whether1 after the removal of his own personality and the snapping by death of the ties which bound three generations to him in love and loyalty1 the church could exist as an independent body4 ,long he pondered the matter4 ,he breathed his thoughts at first to no one1 not even to his wife1 but looked to ,god for light4 ,he waited for the vision4 ,while he was musing1 the fire burned4 ,he has himself told the story3 ,for a whole year ,i did not even say to the beloved companion of my bosom what my object was1 what ,i was thinking about1 but ,i was casting around to know what was to become of this house4 ,i thought of that little house down at the eastern end of ,girard street1 where the venerable and godly ,samuel ,wylie1 ,d4,d41 lived and preached ,jesus ,christ1 and ,i remembered the degradation which afterward fell upon it4 ,i remembered the beautiful church on ,seventh street1 below ,arch1 where our honored friend1 ,dr4 ,beadle1 preached1 and ,i remembered that it was converted into a place for negro minstrels4 ,i recollected the house where my once remarkable and eloquent and noble friend1 ,thomas ,h4 ,stockton1 preached ,christ ,jesus1 and how it was desecrated from the service of ,almighty ,god to the service of the devil1 and ,i said one morning1 as ,i sat upon the summit of a hill away off yonder in the state of ,new ,york1 just as the sun was going down1 and ,i looked out upon that beautiful country3 ',god helping me1 when ,i go home ,i will tell my brethren the conclusion ,i have reached after a whole year's study and thought and prayer4' ,that conclusion that ,i had come to was that we would go into the ,presbyterian ,church of ,philadelphia1 we would change our charter1 and we would put this church in such a chartered position that we should never lose it1 but it should stand firm and fixed upon the immutable principles of the ,lord ,god1 firmly consecrated to the holiness of the atonement and the blood of the saints4 ,we did it4 ,we went into the ,presbyterian ,church4 ,those men of ,god threw their arms around us1 almost with shouts of hallelujah1 in the room just back of our house4 ,the ,presbytery met us and welcomed us1 and ,i had the satisfaction of seeing this church taken into fellowship with that denomination where they are to-day1 and where ,i trust the church will ever abide and prosper under ,god's blessing4 ,i say devoutly that we did not lose our membership by the change4 ,i believe there were two communicants who took some offense4 ,one of them1 poor fellow1 has gone to ,heaven1 ,i believe1 but there were but those two who left us1 and ,i am as certain as ,i can be that if that dear brother had lived1 they would have1 both husband and wife1 been with us now4 ,it is very certain that the step was a wise one4 ,it is still more certain that had such a transfer taken place before1 or during the war1 there would have been a much larger procession of members into the ,congregational ,church1 wherein scores of ,chamberites could from the opening of the war be counted4 ,deeply indoctrinated in primitive and apostolic ideas1 they who remained with the pastor until #ahgd would1 if the change had been made twenty years earlier1 have gone like those who in #ahfa went out from the ,first ,independent ,church1 largely because of their ideas as to ,union and secession1 and entered the ,central ,congregational ,church4 ,the ,presbytery dealt very leniently1 as a ,doctor of ,divinity told me in #aijc1 with the old ',war ,horse'4 ,dr4 ,herrick ,johnson tells us that when1 at the ,presbytery's invitation1 ,john ,chambers gave his reminiscences of fifty years' service for ,god in ,philadelphia1 the address was a revelation and inspiration and a benediction4 ,we insert here his letter to ,dr4 ,chambers's nephew3 #ajgj ,north ,halsted ,street1 ,,chicago1 ,jan4 #ast1 #aijc4 ,dear ,dr4 ,milner3 ,my personal knowledge of the ,rev4 ,john ,chambers is limited to the later years of his life4 ,during my ,phila4 pastorate1 he held a unique and conspicuous place in the city1 as pastor of an independent ,presbyterian ,church1 ,presbyterian in its form of ,government1 yet independent of ecclesiastical authority4 ,he grew some great men in that period4 ,he was the sturdy champion of some great causes4 ,his intense and stalwart contention for civic and social righteousness could always be counted on4 ,the rush and force and downright abandon with which he flung himself against every form of evil made him a leader of men and a winner of victories4 ,he was as bold as a lion1 and had the heart of a child4 ,his emotions were not born blind1 and therefore1 while intense1 were under curb and bit4 ,his preaching was often the quiescence of turbulence4 ,he himself might well be characterized a phlegmatic fanatic4 ,his talk before our ministers' meeting one day1 after he had returned to the ,presbyterian fold1 and when he had been invited to give us some reminiscences of his fifty years service for ,god in ,philadelphia1 was a revelation1 an inspiration and a benediction4 ,we felt there was but one ,john ,chambers1 whom ,god had sent into this world1 marked 'not transferable' and 'good for this trip only'4 ,,herrick ,,johnson4 ,it was soon after this event1 that he received the title of ,doctor of ,divinity1 and henceforth we called him ,doctor ,chambers4 ,a ,congregational minister1 one of the alumni of ,john ,chambers ,independent ,church writes3 ,i think he must have been pained when he turned his church over to the ,presbyterians4 ,yet here was practical wisdom4 ,at his death there was no longer room for an independent church in ,philadelphia of the type of the church which he had founded4 ,he did not lack practical wisdom4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,semi-,,centennial ,,and ,,farewell4 ,when1 like ,ruth leaving her native land to dwell with ,naomi--mother in love1 as well as in law--,john ,chambers plighted his troth to the church that became orphan for his sake2 he made ,ruth's words his own1 and in his heart said to his people3 ,the ,lord do so to me and more also1 if aught but death part thee and me4 ,for fifty years his one congregation was his first and only love4 ,deaf to all calls--and they were many--his one answer to his people was ,ruth's to ,naomi1 and to those seeking him1 the ,shunammite's1 ,i dwell among mine own people4 ,how often have ,i heard him say1 said ,dr4 ,levy in #ahge1 that though you could give him only a crust of bread and a cup of cold water1 he would continue to be your pastor4 ,love begets love1 and unfailing confidence1 tender sympathy and ardent love 444 made this union enduring and fruitful of everything sweet and precious4 ,it was in the year #ahge that1 after long preparation1 the pastor's semi-centennial anniversary was celebrated4 ,we here reproduce the programme as printed3 #ahbe #ahge ,,commemorative ,,services ,,on ,,the ,,semi-,,centennial ,,anniversary ,,of ,,pastorate ,,of ,,rev4 ,,john ,,chambers1 ,d4,d4 ,,over ,,one ,,congregation ,,may #i,,th ,,to #ad,,th1 #ahge ,sabbath ,day1 ,may #ith1 #aj ,a4,m4--,anniversary ,sermon--,rev4 ,john ,chambers1 ,d4,d4 ,service #d ,p4,m41 ,sermon1 ,rev4 ,t4 ,j4 ,sheppard1 ,d4,d4 ,service #g ,p4,m41 ,sermon1 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,blackwood1 ,d4,d4 ,monday ,evening1 ,may #ajth1 ,services #g4--,reminiscences of ,early ,days--,short addresses by ,rev4 ,edgar ,levy1 ,d4,d41 ,rev4 ,joseph ,baker1 ,rev4 ,john ,bliss1 ,rev4 ,thomas ,j4 ,brown1 and ,rev4 ,r4 ,g4 ,s4 ,mc,neille1 who were formerly members of the church4 ,tuesday ,evening1 ,may #aath1 #ahge4--,sabbath ,school ,jubilee4 ,half past seven o'clock--,singing and ,addresses4 ,half past eight o'clock--,refreshments for ,scholars of ,sabbath ,school4 ,wednesday ,evening1 ,may #abth at #g o'clock4 ,social ,re-union with a ,festival1 for ,members of the ,church and ,congregation1 at ,horticultural ,hall4 ,thursday ,evening1 ,may #acth1 #g o'clock4 ,general ,praise and ,thanksgiving meeting--participated in by ,ministers of different denominations4 ,friday ,evening1 ,may #adth1 #h o'clock4 ,the ,congregational ,prayer ,meeting1 in the body of the church4 ,in a sermon marked by the usual graces of delivery1 ,dr4 ,chambers1 as he was then1 recounted in a touching manner the wonderful goodness of ,god enjoyed during a half century4 ,he was surrounded by his church officers and congregation and his young alumni in the ministry4 ,his old friend1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,t4 ,j4 ,sheppard1 with singular grace and power1 preached from the fitting text3 ,he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season2 his leaf also shall not wither4 ,monday evening was devoted to epistolary communications or addresses by pastors who had formerly been members of the church1 such as the ,rev4 ,charles ,brown1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,levy1 ,rev4 ,joseph ,j4 ,baker1 ,rev4 ,william ,j4 ,paxson1 ,rev4 ,john ,c4 ,bliss1 ,rev4 ,s4 ,p4 ,kelley1 and ,rev4 ,r4 ,g4 ,s4 ,mc,neille4 ,tuesday evening was for the participation of the ,sunday ,school children in the jubilee service4 ,on ,wednesday evening the social reunion at ,horticultural ,hall took place1 when besides the singing1 led by ,prof4 ,william ,g4 ,fisher1 and appropriate words from ,rev4 ,dr4 ,eva and ,rev4 ,william ,r4 ,stockton1 ,francis ,newland1 the life-long friend and elder of the church1 presented in the name of the people a golden tribute in the form of one thousand dollars4 ,one of his young men1 ,john ,wanamaker1 on the eve of his departure for ,europe1 had the day before sent his pastor a five hundred dollar bill on the ,united ,states ,treasury4 ,the audience1 numbering a thousand1 after promenading and shaking hands with their beloved minister1 partook of refreshments1 each lady receiving a handsome memorial bouquet4 ,on ,thursday evening there was another feast of reason and flow of soul in the greetings by pastors of neighboring churches4 ,rev4 ,george ,dana ,boardman was in the chair1 and ,rev4 ,dr4 ,breed1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,newton1 ,dr4 ,hatfield1 and ,william ,r4 ,stockton showed by word and look their love and fellowship4 ,dr4 ,breed1 in the course of his address1 read the following original lines3 ,a stranger boy from ,erin came-- ,he made our land his chosen home4 ,he heard the ,master's gracious call1 ,he seized the banner1 climbed the wall1 ,he blew the trumpet1 drew the sword1 ,he fired the shot1 he preached the word ,by grace divine1 thro' toils and tears1 ,with ardent hopes1 defying fears1 ,in holy scorn of scoffs and jeers ,he's held the fort for fifty years6 ,and if the ,god whom we adore1 ,but grant what thousand hearts implore1 ,he'll hold it yet for many more6 ,amen and amen6 ,the time honored ,friday evening prayer meeting was held this week on ,may #ad in the upper auditorium and ,rev4 ,dr4 ,plumer of ,columbia1 ,s4 ,c41 and ,rev4 ,charles ,brown of ,philadelphia made addresses4 ,it was at the golden jubilee1 as we have shown1 that ,dr4 ,chambers having on other occasions recounted the gifts of his people to their pastor--the furnishing of his house1 the table set of silver1 the expense money for a trip to ,europe1 the carpeting of his house1 study and parlors by the ladies1 the young people's birthday offering of #aaa in gold pieces was treated to a fresh surprise1 the golden token--one thousand dollars4 ,in the grand old pastor's speech in response to his unexpected golden shower1 he made it clear what radiance it throws around this old man's evening of life4 ,entering upon his seventy-eighth year1 ,dr4 ,chambers still kept up his abundant labors1 though it was manifest1 especially after the funerals of old and beloved parishioners and the great drain on his sympathies1 that his powers were failing fast4 ,in the month of ,august1 #ahge1 he had an attack of paralysis of the bladder1 which induced severe inflammation of the kidneys1 resulting in blood poisoning1 from which he died in his home1 at ,girard and ,twelfth streets1 after an illness of several weeks1 at #aa4ae ,p4 ,m41 ,september #bb1 #ahge4 ,it was on ,communion ,sunday1 the last of the month1 that asleep in ,god his mortal remains awaited their burial4 ,his body was brought to the church1 and thence from the spot where he had1 a few weeks before1 celebrated his golden anniversary4 ,the last words uttered by him and set to music were sung by the quartet as the remains of ,john ,chambers were taken from the church3 ,farewell1 farewell1 farewell1 ,we meet no more on this side of ,heaven4 ,our parting scene is o'er1 ,our last fond look is given4 ,farewell1 farewell1 farewell4 ,i have copied these words as kindly contributed by one of the original quartet1 ,mr4 ,a4 ,gunning4 ,dr4 ,chambers died ,september #bb1 #ahge1 four months after his fiftieth anniversary4 ,his successors in the pastorate have been ,rev4 ,henry ,c4 ,westwood1 ,d4,d41 #ahgf-ahgh2 ,rev4 ,j4 ,m4 ,b4 ,otts1 ,d4,d41 #ahgi-'hc2 ,rev4 ,thomas ,a4 ,hoyt1 ,d4,d41 #ahhd-aijb4 ,on this very day1 ,june #cj1 as ,i finish revision of the manuscript to hand to the printer1 ,july #ast1 #aijc1 ,i read of his decease yesterday4 ,the executor of the estate of ,john ,chambers1 ,robert ,h4 ,hinckley1 ,jr41 attended to the settlement of the earthly affairs of his teacher and friend1 including the distribution among his grandchildren of the pieces in the set of silver presented by the congregation in #ahfe4 ,in the central part of ,laurel ,hill ,cemetery1 in a small lot just off the main driveway1 with four granite posts to mark the corners1 is the very modest monument made of three blocks of granite1 set one upon another1 the whole indicative of solidity1 strength and symmetry4 ,the top piece is uninscribed4 ,on the center piece one reads3 ,,rev4 ,,john ,,chambers ,,for ,,fifty ,,years ,,pastor ,,of ,,chambers ,,presbyterian ,,church1 ,dec4 #ai1 #agig4 ,sept4 #bbnd1 #ahge4 7,on the ground block is inscribed17 ,they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever4 7,on the other side1 on same block with the name is37 ,i am the resurrection and the life4 ,,matilda ,p4 ,,chambers ,wife of ,rev4 ,john ,chambers ,died ,march #d1 #ahgg4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,children ,,of ,,the ,,mother4 ,john ,chambers used to boast of his three big ,w's--,walton1 ,wanamaker1 and ,whitaker4 ,the two first-named are known to most of my readers4 ,the third1 who made a vow to give to the ,lord all he had or made over the amount of sixty thousand dollars1 was a generous helper of the pastor4 ,the first great offshoot from the mother church on ,broad ,street is the ,bethany ,presbyterian ,church1 in which ,messrs4 ,wanamaker and ,walton1 were generously interested and unceasingly active4 ,in #ahge ,mr4 ,chambers said1 ,connected with our movements as a church1 no single event in our history exceeds in point of grandeur or importance ,bethany mission1 444 ,a very few1 some thirty1 of the young workers of our church headed by that remarkable young man1 ,john ,wanamaker1 left us and after there being a selection made in the southwestern part of the city1 they started a ,sabbath ,school in the working room of a little ,irish shoemaker1 with some ten little ragged children to begin with1 and in the course of a very few weeks they had to take all the room in the little ,irishman's home1 pretty much1 and then they had not enough4 ,a tent was erected that would contain some four or five hundred1 and then the congregation agreed that there should be a house put up1 and a one-story house was put up that would contain some five or six hundred4 ,it seems almost like a fairy tale when one contrasts the condition of things in the ,bethany neighborhood1 as ,i first saw it in #ahee1 and as it is now4 ,after our family had moved from ,girard ,avenue to the house on #bjth street four doors below ,chestnut on the east side1 my mother took me one day to enter the public school situated1 ,i believe1 at #bbnd and ,shippen4 ,just as we turned the corner at ,twentieth and ,pine ,street1 ,i looked across to the southwest4 ,for many hundred of acres1 there was an expanse of vacant lots occupied here and there with squatters' cabins1 goose pastures and roaming cows1 the streets not being yet cut through4 ,still in the days of the volunteer fire company1 with all its lawlessness and also of abundance1 yes1 superabundance1 of liquor saloons1 it seemed one of the least promising portions of the city4 ,now1 it is densely built up with elegant homes and is the center of wealth1 comfort1 and culture4 ,i remember well1 too1 when the first band of workers went out from the mother church and on the #adth of ,february1 #aheh1 in two second story rooms of the house at ,no4 #bace ,south ,street1 began a ,sunday ,school1 with twenty-seven scholars and two teachers1 the seating capacity being eked out1 if ,i remember rightly1 with rough scantling brought up out of the cellar and laid upon bricks4 ,long before hot weather1 the rooms1 halls1 and stairway were crowded1 so on the #ahth of ,july a tent was set up on the ,north side of ,south street4 ,after a summer under canvas1 the corner stone for a chapel was laid on the #ahth of ,october1 ,dr4 ,chambers with his brethren1 ,leyburn1 ,brainerd1 and ,mc,leod making addresses4 ,the chapel which measured #dj by #fj feet was dedicated on ,january #bgth1 #ahei1 and on ,january #dth1 #ahfb1 ,rev4 ,augustus ,blauvelt began his labors as city missionary1 becoming after a year a missionary to ,china4 ,i remember him as preaching a remarkable sermon on the kingdom of ,satan4 ,he died in ,april1 #aijj4 ,the growth of ,bethany was continuous and surprising4 ,i remember how those most interested conversed with each other about the name of the child now fully born and ready for its clothing and christening4 ,the walks and talks and experiences by the way1 in going from the old home to the new enterprise1 called up the words of the ,scripture3 ,he led them out as far as ,bethany and lifted up his hands and blessed them4 ,so the name of ,bethany was decided upon4 ,on ,september #be1 #ahfe1 the enterprise was organized into a ,presbyterian ,church under the care of the ,presbytery of ,philadelphia1 ,old ,school4 ,the lot at the southeast corner of ,twenty-second and ,bainbridge streets1 #aab by #ach feet1 was purchased1 and on ,february #ac1 #ahgj1 the new and commodious edifice was dedicated4 ,to-day1 with its large eldership1 boards of trustees and deacons1 its doormen and tithemen1 its leaders of ,christian bands1 its college established in #ahha--the first of its kind in ,philadelphia1 and of which for many years its vice-president1 ,rudolph ,s4 ,walton1 was chief friend and benefactor1 ,bethany is a center of blessing to thousands4 ,of the ,deaconesses' ,home1 the ,men's ,friendly ,inn1 and other details of the great work we have not space to speak4 ,at his decease in ,november1 #aijj1 ,mr4 ,walton left about #bjj1jjj for the erection of a new college building4 ,no sooner was ,bethany ,church grown to adult life than it began to send forth colonies4 ,the ,bethany ,mission was its first namesake4 ,by this time1 in the twentieth century1 the boy that ,i once knew as no richer or poorer than the average1 had become one of ,philadelphia's princely merchants1 with hand ever open for gifts and help4 ,a lot at the northeast corner of ,twenty-eighth and ,morris streets1 measuring #aad by #acf feet1 was secured4 ,it was far away from any human dwelling1 but it was in the direction of growth4 ,the skilled fishers of men let down the net just where they knew the fishes would be in shoals--a method and policy following out that of their great teacher1 ,jesus ,christ1 and of their earthly exemplar1 ,john ,chambers4 ,on this lot ,mr4 ,john ,wanamaker and ,mrs4 ,wanamaker 7at whose wedding ,i remember being present1 as a boy71 in gratitude to ,god for the wonderful preservation from fire of the great ,wanamaker store1 have erected1 since the streets were opened1 a superb edifice with all modern equipments and furnishing4 ,this1 at the present time1 serves as a church and ,sunday ,school and for social gatherings4 ,the main church edifice is to be erected later on the southern portion of the still unoccupied lot4 ,how gratifying this was to the ,presbytery of ,philadelphia is seen in the records given below4 ,from the minutes of ,october #cj1 #aija1 we make extracts of the ,,proceedings ,,of ,,the ,,trustees ,,of ,,the ,,presbytery ,,of ,,philadelphia4 ,mr4 ,robert ,h4 ,hinckley presented the following preamble and resolution3 ,as a member of the special committee who reported ,june #a1 #ahii 7see folio #bbh7 on the proposed location of a church at #bhth and ,morris ,streets1 ,i desire to report that in accordance with the permission therein granted1 ,mr4 ,john ,wanamaker has erected and dedicated to the memory of the late ,rev4 ,john ,chambers a church building on the ,north ,east corner of #bhth and ,morris ,sts41 which affords ample space for a congregation of fifteen hundred worshippers1 also for a large ,sabbath school and several large rooms suitable for reading rooms and for the general purposes of an institutional church4 ,the ground and building cost ,mr4 ,wanamaker over eighty thousand dollars1 all of which has been paid and the building was dedicated during the third week of ,october1 free of debt1 as ,the ,john ,chambers ,memorial ,church4 ,i suggest1 therefore1 that we recommend to ,presbytery the following ,resolution3 ,resolved1 ,that a special ,committee of three members of this ,presbytery be appointed to wait on ,mr4 ,john ,wanamaker and extend to him the thanks and appreciation of the ,presbytery for his princely liberality and his magnificent recognition of the work and services of one of our most devoted ministers who has long since been called to his reward4 ,this was unanimously agreed to and the ,committee appointed4 ,in the above record1 the name of ,robert ,h4 ,hinckley is that of the surviving elder of the ,chambers ,presbyterian ,church and still an indefatigable worker in ,christ's name4 ,on ,saturday afternoon early in ,may1 #aija1 in the presence of a large gathering of ,bethany ,church people and about five hundred children1 ground was broken at ,twenty-eighth and ,morris streets4 ,besides addresses from ,john ,wanamaker1 ,rev4 ,messrs4 ,wm4 ,patterson1 ,john ,thompson1 ,george ,van ,deurs1 and the laymen ,edwin ,adams1 ,robert ,boyd1 and ,r4 ,m4 ,coyle1 there were prayer and singing4 ,i visited this as yet unbuilt portion of the city on ,friday1 ,jan4 #bcrd1 #aijc1 which1 besides being the #cbdth anniversary of the ,union of ,utrecht1 our great national precedent for federal government and the date of the dinner of the ,holland ,society of ,philadelphia1 was for me a veritable ,john ,chambers day4 ,starting from ,thirteenth and ,filbert1 the site of the old ,church of the ,vow1 and moving through the ,city ,hall buildings and ,wanamaker's ,grand ,depot and big store1 ,i came to ,broad and ,sansom1 where in #ahcj1 towards the setting sun1 there were but unoccupied lots1 or only a few scanty buildings4 ,further down ,broad ,street1 near ,spruce1 ,i passed1 having already studied the interior of1 the new and imposing structure1 the ,chambers-,wylie ,memorial ,church4 ,thence southwestwardly1 ,i walked to ,bethany ,presbyterian ,church which1 when started1 was amid brickyards1 vacant lots1 and with a great area of the open country stretching to the southwest4 ,i then boarded a ,gray's ,ferry car and rode past the ,united ,states ,arsenal and into a region where the streets had only very recently been cut through1 and were but partially paved or curbed4 ,i found the ,church of the ,love of ,god1 the ,john ,chambers ,memorial ,church1 standing alone in its glory4 ,no human dwellings were nearer than a quarter of a mile1 though houses of worship could be discerned rising out of the fringe of dwellings4 ,but this pioneering1 preparing in the desert a highway for our ,god1 was exactly what the ,first ,independent ,church people and the ,bethany ,mission colony of #aheh1 had done before4 ,it was simply planting the standard for the hosts to follow4 ,what grand faith to go ahead of population and to be literally a forerunner of the gospel6 ,outwardly the edifice1 built of a combination of light brick1 ,scotch granite1 and terra cotta1 seemed but little like a church1 yet only1 as it were1 to impress upon the mind the absurdity of ever calling an edifice--a thing built by masons and carpenters--a church1 which is a company of human souls called to do ,god's will4 ,yet for such uses1 and for such a company1 and intended to be helpful to the education and training of the young in social holiness and for the worship of ,god1 what could be better8 ,in the basement was a gymnasium1 with generous facilities for physical exercise1 and that which is next to godliness4 ,there were also a great entertainment room1 a kitchen1 tea room1 and apartments for the janitor and his family4 ,upstairs1 on the first or main floor was the great ,sunday ,school room proper1 divisible1 by movable partitions and curtains1 into class rooms and able to hold in unity about twelve hundred people4 ,offices1 reading rooms1 places for mothers' meetings1 and1 oh blessed modern addition--fulfilling at least one pastor's dreams--rooms1 where invalids or mothers with small children might come1 see the minister but not be seen by the congregation1 stay as long as they could and leave1 whenever they wished1 through a side door without disturbing any one4 ,kindergarten rooms and also those for the junior classes completed this modern instance of consecrated common sense expressed in a building4 ,after the courteous janitor had shown me about1 ,i went up on the roof1 whence projects many feet in the air a rotating star with electric lights showing at night1 the red1 white1 and blue in alternation1 while east and west along the ridge pole rises in large letters1 electrically illuminated at night1 the ,church of the ,love of ,god--though the corporate name of the completed enterprise is to be the ,john ,chambers ,memorial ,church4 ,on the roof also is a great bell cast at the ,mc,chane foundry1 in ,baltimore4 ,this is the gift of ,miss ,kate ,wentz1 who1 with her aunt ,miss ,cousty1 were as ,i remember1 among the most faithful worshippers during many years in the old church4 ,its silvery tones made the air quiver with melody first on ,christmas ,eve4 ,facing the south and the sunny hours is a superb stained-glass window1 with the medallion portrait of the great pastor1 as he looked in his prime1 when his hair was just beginning to turn gray4 ,thus1 in a southwesterly line1 through the city of ,philadelphia1 from near the spot where to-day stands the great ,reading ,terminal1 has issued a chain of sweet influences1 which1 like those of the ,pleiades1 cannot be bound4 ,the dedicatory services of the ,john ,chambers ,memorial ,church1 erected as a thanksgiving offering to the praise and glory of ,god1 and in memory of the life and good works of his servant1 the ,rev4 ,john ,chambers1 were held during the week beginning ,october #ai1 #aijb1 on entering the new house of the ,lord4 ,the published pamphlet1 which is richly illustrated with portraits and pictures of the church edifices1 is a valuable souvenir of both old times and new4 ,yet this is not all4 ,on ,june #i1 #ahih1 some of the ,christian workers of ,bethany ,church began services in a tent in ,west ,philadelphia1 near ,baltimore avenue and ,fiftieth street1 and out of that beginning has grown ,saint ,paul's ,presbyterian ,church1 which flourishes with high promise4 ,its edifice was dedicated ,march #bd1 #aija4 ,here again the great pastor is commemorated by a superb memorial window which sheathes the light and color that set forth most gloriously the ,good ,shepherd4 ,it has been reared to the memory of ,john ,chambers by ,mrs4 ,john ,hunter1 the widow of ,mr4 ,john ,c4 ,hunter1 so long the faithful elder in the old ,broad ,street ,church4 ,the basement of ,saint ,paul's ,church1 furnished and fitted up by the ,brotherhood of ,andrew and ,philip1 is named ,walton ,hall and contains a marble tablet in memory of ,rudolph ,s4 ,walton1 which reads as follows3 ,,in ,,loving ,,remembrance ,,of ,,rudolph ,s4 ,,walton4 ,a wise counsellor4 ,a loving friend4 ,a just man4 99 99 99 99 99 ,unto the life beyond--,november #ajth1 #aijj4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for ,i know whom ,i have believed1 and am persuaded that ,he is able to keep that which ,i have committed unto ,him against that day4 --,,ii ,,timothy1 i3#ab4 ,still further at ,rutledge1 ,delaware county1 ,pa41 is another ,chambers ,memorial ,church1 established and carried on chiefly by young men and women who are alumni of the ,first ,independent ,church and of the ,chambers ,presbyterian ,church4 ,it has been liberally assisted by the trustees of the ,chambers-,wylie ,church and contains stained glass memorial windows in honor of the pastor and also of the elders of the old ,broad ,street ,church4 ,in the handsomely printed and illustrated pamphlet1 entitled ,dedication ,souvenir of the ,chambers-,wylie ,memorial ,presbyterian ,church1 prepared by ,rev4 ,thomas ,a4 ,hoyt1 ,d4,d41 pastor emeritus1 and published for the ,building ,committee in #aija1 one will find much interesting information concerning the two churches merged into one and still occupying a home in the commodious edifice on ,broad street1 below ,spruce4 ,after due conference the two congregations executed formal articles of agreement ,may #bg1 #ahig1 and their action was ratified by the ,presbytery4 ,for a short time they both become one1 worshipped in the edifice of the ,chambers ,church1 and when that was sold and torn down1 the old ,epiphany ,church building at ,fifteenth and ,chestnut streets 7wherein so long ,dr4 ,richard ,newton1 a favorite writer of children's books1 ministered71 then owned by ,mr4 ,john ,wanamaker1 was made use of4 ,from this temporary abiding place the united congregation moved into their new and splendid temple1 enjoying the first dedicatory services on the ,sabbath day1 ,december #h1 #aija1 and continuing them during the five succeeding evenings4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,chambers-,,wylie ,,memorial ,,church4 ,the principal dates and items of financial interest are as follows3 ,of the sum of #dab1ejj received from the sale of the property at ,broad and ,sansom ,streets1 the sum of #bjj1jjj was set aside as a perpetual endowment for the use of the ,chambers-,wylie ,church1 and #fj1jjj were applied to extinguish the mortgage debt4 ,the sum of #f1jjj was given to the ,rutledge ,presbyterian ,church4 ,on ,december #bfth1 #ahii1 the congregation instructed the ,board of ,trustees to proceed with the erection of a new church edifice1 according to an estimate submitted by ,j4 ,e4 ,a4 ,l4 ,pennock1 the cost of same to be #aja1jjj and in ,april1 #aijj1 the erection of the building was begun4 ,on ,august #hth1 #aijj1 the corner stone was laid and on the first ,sunday of ,december1 #aija1 the ,church building was formally dedicated1 the ,rev4 ,thomas ,a4 ,hoyt1 ,d4,d41 preaching in the morning1 and ,rev4 ,henry ,c4 ,minton1 ,d4,d41 in the evening4 ,the entire cost of the church building was #ajc1iae4ff4 ,the cost of ,organ1 #aj1jjj2 ,cost of ,pews1 #c1bfj2 ,pulpit ,furniture1 #fjj2 ,stained ,glass1 #a1ejj2 ,heating ,system1 #b1djj2 ,carpets1 #c1deg4 99 99 99 99 99 ,within two years after preaching the dedication sermon1 the pastor emeritus fell asleep in ,god1 and funeral services were held in the new edifice4 ,the ,board of ,trustees of the ,chambers-,wylie ,memorial ,church met in the pastor's study1 at noon on the same day1 and passed the following resolution3 ,the ,rev4 ,thomas ,a4 ,hoyt1 ,d4,d41 our ,pastor ,emeritus and for seventeen years our pastor1 whose death occurred in ,bryn ,mawr on ,monday1 ,june #bith1 was beloved by us all and by the church we represent4 ,he came to us in #ahhc and by his untiring devotion to the interests of this church and his skill in carrying into effect the union of the two churches now one in this present organization has made possible our present prosperity and position of influence4 99 99 99 99 99 ,now1 during the pastorate of ,rev4 ,e4 ,trumbull ,lee1 with a few of the old ,chamberites and many new followers of the ,master the work goes on4 ,god bless and prosper them one and all4 99 99 99 99 99 ,not unto us1 ,o ,,lord1 not unto us1 but unto thy name give glory1 for thy mercy1 and for thy truth's sake4 ,clasp1 ,angel of the backward look ,and folded wings of ashen gray1 ,and voice of echoes far away1 ,the brazen covers of thy book2 ,the weird palimpsest old and vast1 ,wherein thou hid'st the spectral past2 ,where1 closely mingling1 pale and glow ,the characters of joy and woe2 ,the monographs of outlived years1 ,or smile-illumed or dim with tears1 ,green hills of life that slope to death1 ,and haunts of home1 whose vistaed trees ,shade off to mournful cypresses ,with the white amaranths underneath4 ,even while ,i look ,i can but heed ,the restless sands' incessant fall1 ,importunate hours that hours succeed1 ,each clamorous with its own sharp need1 ,and duty keeping pace with all4 ,shut down and clasp the heavy lids2 ,i hear again the voice that bids ,the dreamer leave his dream midway ,for larger hopes and graver fears2 ,life greatens in these later years ,the century's aloe flowers to-day6 ,,index4 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been corrected4 #b4 ,page #ah3 ,the name ,thomas ,scott ,key has been replaced by the correct name of ,francis ,scott ,key4 #c4 ,italics are shown as text4 #d4 ,hyphens have been left in the words to-day and to-morrow1 as in the original4