Class F \ 2.^ 
 
 Book ■ SiS2 4 
 
'ULFIT OF UNITED PKFISBVTERIAN CHURCH. SALEM. N. V 
 
 Decorated for the Anniversary Service. 
 
 Rev. William A. Mackenzie, Pastor. 
 
 Strc)i<riJi and beauty are in His Sanctuary .'' 
 
ANNIVERSARY 
 SOUVENIR 
 
 TO KEEP IN MEMORY THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE 
 
 TWENTY-FIFTH AND TWENTY-SEVENTH OCTOBER 
 
 MDCCCXCVI 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 PRESS OF T. A. WRIGHT 
 1896 
 
•ox 
 
INDEX OF SUBJECTS, 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introductory, i 
 
 Anniversary Sermon : By Rev. William A. 
 
 Mackenzie, Pastor, 3 
 
 Address of Welcome: By Hon. Thomas 
 
 Stevenson, 22 
 
 Presbytery's Greeting: By Rev. Dr. Rey- 
 nolds, 23 
 
 Response : By the Pastor, 28 
 
 Addresses on the Five Periods of the 
 Pastorate : 
 
 First Period. By Rev. Dr. Gordon,. . , 31 
 
 Second Period. By Rev. G. M. Wiley, . . 34 
 
 Third Period. By Rev. W. S. McEachron, . 36 
 
 Fourth Period. By Rev. Dr. Turnbull, . . 39 
 
 Fifth Period. By Rev. D. S. McKay, . . 43 
 
 Letters of Congratulation from : 
 
 Rev. Dr. Sprague, Brick Church, . . .45 
 
 Rev. Father Donahoe, Roman Catholic Church, 46 
 Wife and daughters of Rev. Thos. Farrington, 
 
 deceased, 47 
 
 Rev. Richard H. Steele, 48 
 
 Rev. John R. Fisher, 50 
 
 Rev. Dr. Anderson, 53 
 
 vii. 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 desire seemed hopeless. But the Heavenly Father 
 kindly dispersed the clouds, quieted the winds, granted 
 us perfect weather from Saturday till Wednesday. 
 
 " E'en so, methinks, the Sabbath brings 
 A change o'er all familiar things ; 
 A change — we know not whence it came — 
 They are, and they are not, the same." 
 
 And it was on the Lord's Day that a great congre- 
 gation, 
 
 " Catching the simple chime which calls 
 Our feet to the old Church's walls, 
 Then passed within the Church's door. 
 Where poor are rich and rich are poor, 
 To pray the prayers, to hear the Word 
 Which there our fathers prayed and heard." 
 
 Twenty-five years ago, the people had hastened 
 thither with thankful hearts ; for many months they 
 had been as sheep without a shepherd ; the feeling 
 of settlement and content that they were once more 
 under the care of a man of God, in October, 1871, 
 came back to the memory now. With intensified 
 gratitude, because of all the blessed years that lay 
 between, they lifted up their voices aloud in praise, 
 bowed their heads in prayer, uttered by the same 
 voice that led their supplications then ; after which 
 
U, p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 they listened to one of Mr. Mackenzie's sermons. 
 The Church was intensely still, as he spoke the 
 following words : 
 
 John iii. 14-18. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent 
 in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be 
 lifted up ; that whosoever believeth in Him should not 
 perish but have everlasting life. For God so loved 
 the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that 
 whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but 
 have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into 
 the world to condemn the world ; but that the world 
 through Him might be saved." 
 
 These words were spoken by our Lord to Nico- 
 
 demus. This man was a Pharisee and ruler of the 
 
 Jews. Fearing what the Jews might say and do if he 
 
 were seen coming to Jesus, he approached Him by 
 
 night, and thus addressed Him, " Rabbi, we know that 
 
 Thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can 
 
 do these miracles which Thou doest except God be 
 
 with Him." The knowledge which the Pharisee had 
 
 gained, of the teachings and doings of the Lord, had 
 
 been sanctified, at least to the extent of his becoming 
 
 a sincere inquirer after the way of life. Had he not 
 
 been sincere, I do not think that Jesus would have 
 
 spoken to him as He did. The account given of this 
 
 interview would lead us to believe that the whole 
 
 conversation had not been recorded. I can only 
 
 account for the character of the Lord's address to this 
 
 man, on the supposition that he had made some in- 
 
 3 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 quiry in reference to the kingdom of God, and the 
 conditions of entrance thereinto. What Jesus said to 
 him, most certainly, was called forth, rather by some 
 such inquiries, than by the statement, " Thou art a 
 teacher come from God." With this sincere inquirer 
 before Him, Jesus could not trifle. He would tell him, 
 in unmistakable terms, what must take place in him 
 if he would be numbered among the children of the 
 kingdom. He told him that he must be the subject 
 of a supernatural change, and of the one Divine power 
 through the agency of which this change could be 
 brought about. And having so done, in the words 
 which I have read as my text, Jesus presented to the 
 view of this man the one foundation of the super- 
 structure of a saved life. And what wonderful words 
 these are ! How much they contain ! The devout 
 and the scholarly of the Christian ages have regarded 
 them as an epitome of the gospel, and such they are. 
 They are the very heart of the Bible. I have chosen 
 this passage of inspired truth as the subject of dis- 
 course this morning, because it suggests matter for 
 reflection which seems to me appropriate to the occa- 
 sion. On the last Sabbath of October, 1871, 1 occupied 
 this pulpit for the first time as your pastor. This is 
 the last Sabbath of October, 1896, and is therefore the 
 twenty-fifth anniversary of my settlement among you. 
 How quickly the years have gone ! How they seem 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 as a tale that is told, or as a dream when one awaketh ! 
 I know not how it may seem to you, but I can scarcely 
 realize that twenty-five years have come and gone 
 since I first stood before you — that is to say, some of 
 you, now before me — and spoke of Jesus as the resur- 
 rection and the life. I say some of you, because by far 
 the larger proportion of the congregation that greeted 
 me that morning, twenty-five years ago, is not with us 
 to-day. When I came to occupy this pulpit as your 
 stated pastor, I think that I came in obedience to the 
 order of the Divine Master, " Go and preach the gos- 
 pel" to that people whose call you have received. 
 I wish, then, first of all, this morning, to call your 
 attention to this gospel as outlined in these words of 
 our Lord to Nicodemus. To the question. What is 
 the gospel ? or. What is it to preach it ? we have the 
 answer returned in the passage before us. If I were 
 to define the gospel in a single word, I would say it is 
 " Christ." He is its sum and substance. To preach 
 it, therefore, is to hold up Christ to the view of men. 
 " As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
 even so must the Son of man be lifted up." In the 
 text, as I view it, the Lord refers not to His death 
 upon the cross when He says " the Son of man must 
 be lifted up." This certainly is implied, but He refers 
 to the fact, that, as the crucified one. He must be lifted 
 up in the preaching of the gospel, that the death-struck 
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ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 may see Him and live. It was that the bitten IsraeUtes 
 might see the serpent, that Moses put it upon a pole 
 and set it up in the camp. The lifting up of the ser- 
 pent was not to prepare a remedy, but to put in a 
 position to be seen, a remedy already prepared. And 
 so our Lord here tells us, that for such a purpose He 
 must be lifted up, even that the sin-sick may see Him, 
 and seeing Him be healed. The preaching of the 
 gospel is, therefore, in comprehensive terms, the lifting 
 up of Christ, and the preaching that does not do this 
 is not the preaching of the gospel as the Lord defines 
 it, neither is it efficacious in the salvation of men. But 
 in what light is Christ to be lifted up ? According to 
 our text He is to be lifted up as the Son of man. In 
 order that He might be a Saviour, He became bone 
 of our bone and flesh of our flesh. The eternal word 
 was made flesh and dwelt among us. And not only 
 did Christ become man, but He was the only perfect 
 man who ever here lived and died. Which of you 
 convinceth me of sin ? was the challenge thrown out 
 to His enemies. And although they watched Him 
 with eagle eye, they were unable to show Him any- 
 thing else than holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate 
 from sinners. No sign He ever gave, no word He 
 ever spake, no act He ever did, implied even the sense 
 of a single defect. He was the Lamb without blemish. 
 He was the one raised from among the people, to 
 6 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 whom the unblemished sacrifices of the olden time 
 all looked, and in whom they all had, in so far as they 
 were typical and prophetic, their complete fulfillment. 
 This is the Christ of the gospel. He is the Son of man, 
 and as such embodying in Himself all perfections, as 
 was necessary that He should, would He meet the 
 demands of our sinful, suffering, sorrowing, exposed 
 humanity. And so all true preaching must hold up 
 Christ, in the perfection of His human nature, other- 
 wise such as have the true conception of a Saviour 
 see Him not as the one to whom they can give the 
 confidence of their hearts, and upon whom they can 
 rely to meet all their needs. " Inasmuch as the 
 children were partakers of flesh and blood. He like- 
 wise took part of the same, that we might have a 
 merciful, as well as a faithful High Priest, in things 
 pertaining to God." But when we present Christ as 
 the " Son of man," we have not told all. He is at the 
 same time the " Son of God." It is here stated that 
 " God sent His Son into the world." He is at once 
 the Son of Mary and the Son of God, and must there- 
 fore be lifted up to the view of men in His Divine, as 
 well as in His human nature. While upon earth He 
 claimed and exercised the prerogatives of God. He 
 healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, loosed 
 the tongues of the dumb, stilled the storm and raised 
 the dead. His own words are, " He that hath seen me 
 7 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 hath seen the Father." " I and my Father are one." 
 And when for such utterances the Jews took up stones 
 to stone Him, He did not deny the claim that He had 
 put forth, but He did deny, that, in putting it forth. 
 He was guihy of blasphemy. When Thomas came 
 out of doubt into faith, he was not rebuked for his 
 confession, " My Lord and my God." The person of 
 Christ, in this twofold nature. Son of God and Son of 
 man, lies at the very basis of the whole Christian 
 system. And not only so, but the true conception of 
 Christ, in His twofold nature, is that, and only that, 
 out of which can come a true Christianity. And 
 because this is true. He must be so presented to the 
 view of sinful men. 
 
 But further, as Emanuel, God with us, Christ must 
 be lifted up for a great purpose. This purpose, as 
 set forth in the text, is salvation. " That whosoever 
 believeth on Him should not perish, but have ever- 
 lasting life." " That the world through Him might 
 be saved." " Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He 
 shall save His people from their sins." " The Son of 
 man is come to seek and to save that which was 
 lost." Christ is to be preached, therefore, not merely 
 as a great teacher, but first and above all as a Saviour. 
 He came into this world for the purpose of rescue. 
 The good news and glad tidings of the gospel are not 
 that He came to teach or reform the world, but that 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 He came to save it. But to save from what did Christ 
 come ? Twice we are told in the text that it was 
 from perishing. And what does that word mean, to 
 which such emphasis is given ? We get the answer 
 by looking a little closer at the text. You will notice 
 that over against perishing, Christ places salvation, 
 and in each instance He calls salvation everlasting 
 life. Perishing, therefore, must mean everlasting 
 death. This is what the salvation is from. Not so 
 much from misfortune, trouble, ignorance, degrada- 
 tion, and into their opposites— all this, but infinitely 
 more : that death is the wages of sin, and the sin the 
 wages of which is death. Salvation from that death 
 of which an apostle speaks when he says, "and sin 
 when it is finished bringeth forth death." It is sal- 
 vation from the experience of that region where our 
 Lord Himself tells us, that "their worm dieth not and 
 the fire is not quenched." And just here comes in 
 that part of the gospel against which the carnal heart 
 revolts. While the exposure is real, yet the exposed 
 are unwilling to listen to its portrayal. Still men 
 must be told in the plainest terms what they are, and 
 what is before them if they reject the one remedy for 
 sin. And never was there greater necessity for em- 
 phasizing this truth of the gospel than now. The 
 lifting up of Christ, as a Saviour, implies that sinners 
 are lost, that they are dead in sin and that they have 
 9 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 no power to save themselves. And as this is true, to 
 such as neglect the great salvation, there can be no 
 escape. To all such, the final word of the Lord Him- 
 self will be, "Depart from me, ye cursed into ever- 
 lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." 
 
 Again, a true gospel holds up Christ as saving by 
 His death. "God gave His only begotten Son." To 
 what did He give Him ? In the story of the cruci- 
 fixion we have the answer. "While we were yet 
 sinners Christ died for us." " The Son of man came 
 not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give 
 His life a ransom for many." " He died the just for 
 the unjust that He might bring us to God." Christ 
 came to save by dying, and the hour of His death was 
 the crisis hour of the world, the pivotal point in the 
 history of the race. Nowhere did the Lord ever in- 
 timate that His power to save lay in the wisdom of 
 His instructions, or in the perfection of His example. 
 He lived a holy life indeed, the one example for all 
 time. He gave Divine instruction, indeed, out of His 
 mouth flowed the most gracious and wonderful words. 
 But of the gospel this is not the inner and most central 
 substance. A pure gospel presents to the view of 
 men an atoning sacrifice. It holds up not only Christ, 
 but Christ crucified. It is not enough that we preach 
 His life and character. Preaching Him as a Divine 
 incarnation even, leaves still a mutilated gospel. The 
 
 10 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 central fact of the gospel is the death of Christ, and it 
 is only a gospel that presents Him to the view of men 
 as "bearing our sins in His body on the tree," as de- 
 livered for our offenses and rising again for our 
 justification that becomes the power and wisdom of 
 God unto salvation. How the first preachers gloried 
 in the cross ! How they held up to the view of men, 
 " Christ Jesus and Him crucified ! " How they dwelt 
 on the death of Christ, as the necessity of the world, 
 the one and only foundation and hope of salvation ! 
 How they boldly cast their all, for time and for 
 eternity, on the redeeming cleansing power of the 
 blood of Jesus ! This was regarded by them as the 
 central, essential, fundamental gospel truth, and they 
 preached it everywhere and with marvelous power. 
 This was the secret of their success. And from 
 Pentecost on, salvation through the merit of the 
 atoning death of Christ has been the gospel's potent 
 truth, and this it must continue to be until the world's 
 complete redemption, and the kingdom of glory shall 
 have come. 
 
 But as we look at the text again, we find that the 
 gospel makes faith the one condition of our salvation. 
 The Son of man is lifted up, that whosoever believeth 
 on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 
 God gave His Son, that whosoever believeth on Him 
 should not perish but have everlasting life. And 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 again it is said in the verse following the text, "He 
 that believeth on Him is not condemned, but he that 
 believeth not is condemned already because he hath 
 not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of 
 God." "And still further it is written. He that 
 believeth shall be saved, but he that believeth not 
 shall be damned." Thus we see how the truth is 
 emphasized, that they are they who believe who shall 
 be saved. It is no wonder that Paul, getting his 
 theology directly from Jesus as he did, emphasized in 
 his writing the doctrine of justification by faith, that 
 doctrine which in the reformation period revolu- 
 tionized the church. It is no wonder that when in the 
 prison at Phillippi, the question was asked, "What 
 must I do to be saved ? " the answer was returned, 
 " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." Nor is it strange, 
 that the orthodox Christian world, ever since, has 
 held faith to be the vital thing on man's part, in the 
 gospel scheme. It is the appropriating act of the 
 soul by which Jesus is received and rested on for 
 salvation ; the first in the order of the Christian 
 graces ; the hinge that turns the whole soul about ; 
 the trustful commitment of every interest for time and 
 for eternity to the Lamb of God ; the one determining 
 condition of everlasting life. 
 
 And although it is not explicitly stated in the text, 
 yet it is very plainly implied, that this gospel is also 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 a call to separation from all evil. To save from a 
 life of sin evidently means to save into a life of holi- 
 ness. And that gospel that would be instrumental in 
 doing this, must unsparingly condemn sin and call 
 upon those to whom it addresses itself to put it away. 
 " The grace of God, or in other words, the gospel hath 
 appeared unto all men, teaching us that denying un- 
 godliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly 
 and righteously and godly in the world ; looking for 
 the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the 
 great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave 
 Himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity, and 
 purify us unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of 
 good works." 
 
 And then too, it is important for us to remember 
 that this whole gospel scheme is the fruit of God's 
 love. "God so loved the world." "To God's love for 
 us must be traced all that has been wrought in the 
 way of our rescue from the ruins of the fall. The 
 coming of Christ, His death upon the cross. His being 
 lifted up as the object of our faith, that salvation that 
 is ours through trust in Him — all is to be thought of 
 as the practical working out of God's wonderful love. 
 God commendeth His love toward us, in that while 
 we were yet sinners Christ died for us." 
 
 Such then is the gospel as outlined by our Lord 
 Himself. And I have so far spoken of the gospel 
 13 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 itself, because it is just the gospel that I have been 
 preaching from this pulpit for twenty-five years. It 
 was with such a thought and purpose that, in response 
 to your call, I came to this church twenty-five years 
 ago, and my aim, at least, through all these years, has 
 been to lift up Christ to the view of those who have 
 heard me, as set forth in the text, Christ crucified as 
 the one and only Saviour ; faith the one and only con- 
 dition of salvation ; God's love the source of all, and a 
 holy life the one, the only proof, the one, the only sure 
 evidence of vital union of the Lord. I think that I 
 can say here and now what the apostle said to the 
 Corinthians, " And I, brethren, when I came to you, 
 came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, 
 declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I de- 
 termined not to know anything among you , save Jesus 
 Christ and Him crucified." And I cannot recall a 
 single sermon of these twenty-five years, in which the 
 cross was not made prominent, and the way to ex- 
 perience its saving power made plain. And looking 
 back over this quarter of a century's ministry, I think 
 that I can again use the apostle's words, when he says, 
 " And I was with you in weakness and fear and much 
 trembling. And my speech and my preaching was 
 not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in de- 
 monstration of the spirit and of power ; that your faith 
 should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the 
 14 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 power of God." My ministry among you, I know, 
 has been but an imperfect one. It has not been in 
 all respects what it should have been — what it might 
 have been. In many instances actual doing has fallen 
 behind desire and purpose. Mistakes have been 
 made, but they have been errors of judgment rather 
 than of heart. One aim, through all these years, has 
 been over all — the glory of God, in and through the 
 highest well-being of the Church. And I wish just 
 here to make grateful acknowledgment of the con- 
 siderate way in which you have borne with faults and 
 failings and weakness and imperfections. And 
 especially do I wish to make public record of the 
 evidence of your devotion and loyalty, during the past 
 five years, in view of the providences which have 
 entered into my experience. All this will be grate- 
 fully treasured so long as memory is capable of 
 performing its office, and wherever I may be. The 
 privilege of preaching this gospel for twenty-five 
 years, and the privilege of hearing it for the same 
 length of time ; how suggestive ! I know not how the 
 reflection may impress you, but to me, it is almost 
 overwhelming. How precious the privilege and yet 
 how solemn ! How joyful, and yet how sad the out- 
 come may be! Says Paul, "We are unto God a 
 sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved and in 
 them that perish. To the one we are a savor of 
 15 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 death unto death, and to the other we are a savor of 
 life unto life." What wonder that the author of these 
 should exclaim, " And who is sufficient for these 
 things ? " O Lord and Master of us all, we come to 
 Thee with both the pulpit and the pew of these twenty- 
 five years, and beseech Thee, that in Thine infinite 
 love and mercy, Thou wouldst remove the many 
 blemishes and defects, by the application of Thine 
 own precious blood, and accept for the glory of Thine 
 own great name, all that has been right in Thy sight. 
 It is not my purpose to speak of results, in this ser- 
 mon, this has been left to other hands, and they will 
 be set before you later. I wish you however to note 
 the changes which the twenty-five years have wrought 
 in the complexion of the congregation. How different 
 its make up to-day from its make up this day twenty- 
 five years ago ! How many who sat in these pews on 
 that day do not sit in them to-day ! They have gone 
 to swell the company beyond the flood. There are 
 none of our homes to-day as they were that day. 
 From the patriarch of five score years, down to the 
 infant of a few days they have gone. Fathers, 
 mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, parents, 
 children have been cut down by the sweep of the 
 great reaper's sickle. And then too, a large proportion 
 of those who go to make up our membership to-day, 
 were twenty-five years ago unborn. But a multitude 
 i6 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 of thoughts crowd upon me to which I cannot give ut- 
 terance now. I can only wait to say, that I hope that 
 the result of this twenty-five years' ministry has been 
 to bring many souls to Christ. I hope that, in the 
 experience of some, dark days have been made 
 brighter. 
 
 I hope that some have gotten a deeper insight into 
 the solemnity and importance of life. I hope that 
 the gospel as preached through these years has been 
 instrumental in moulding Christian life and character. 
 I hope that in the case of those who have drifted be- 
 yond sight and reach they have been helped to meet 
 death in peace. 
 
 One sad thought however comes to me now. Some 
 in so far as I can see have refused to yield to the 
 claims of the gospel through these years. From the 
 very beginning of my ministry here, the Lord has 
 been knocking at the door of your hearts. O ! if you 
 only knew the gifts of God, and who He is, who has 
 thus been knocking for admission, you would long 
 ago have opened and let Him in. Will you not listen 
 now ? He knocks here, in the hush and still of this 
 quiet, sacred, solemn hour. Here amid the memories 
 of the hour, as well as by the words I utter, Jesus 
 urges Himself upon your acceptance. O, I beseech 
 you, yield to His claims, open the door of your hearts, 
 and permit Him to enter and fill them with His peace. 
 17 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 And now as we turn away from the past and look to 
 the future, what of it ? What will be its experiences ? 
 What will be its revelations ? I do not know. Close 
 up to the place where we stand its secrets are locked 
 and we have no key with which we can unlock them. 
 But this I do know and of it I am sure, embracing and 
 living that gospel I have outlined, we shall be ready 
 for anything which the future may hold for us. And 
 if it were my last word to you who are here this 
 morning, I would say, let the lifted up Christ be the 
 object of your faith, in the merit of His atoning death 
 rest your all, to Him give the love of your hearts and 
 the earnest devoted service of your lives, then, living 
 or dying here or elsewhere, you are His ; the outcome 
 will be peace here, and unmingled bliss up there, in 
 that bright and happy world, the center and sun and 
 light and joy of which will be the Lord Himself. 
 
 t ^ ^ t 
 
 There were present that day in the audience 
 some whose affection had drawn them many miles. 
 James Robertson had traveled away from the New 
 Hampshire hills, leaving his own flock for a little 
 while that he might be "a boy again" in Mr. 
 Mackenzie's congregation. One came from Mas- 
 sachusetts to represent her family, formerly promi- 
 i8 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 nent in White Church work, especially in choir 
 and Sabbath School. Time would fail to mention 
 all the visitors, some on the 25th, others here for 
 the 27th. But even counting them in, had those 
 persons who attended the service that morning in 
 1871 been called upon to rise, the number could 
 hardly have reached twenty. 
 
 Let the sorrowful thought pass; and as a token 
 of the pleasant changes which the years have 
 wrought, glance at the church in the evening In 
 old times, there used to be morning and afternoon 
 service continuously, with Sabbath School be- 
 tween; now, after Young People's meeting, a 
 goodly throng began to fill the pews, till, at seven 
 o'clock, scarcely any remained unoccupied. In 
 the pulpit stands the talented son of our Minister ; 
 with burning words he addresses the congregation, 
 who, as they listen, grow more deeply solemn. 
 " These that have turned the world upside down 
 have come hither also . . ." The text, his 
 theme, the revolutionary power of the gospel, turn- 
 ing that upside down which needs overthrowing, 
 was most powerfully treated ; sin painted in all its 
 blackness ; the remedy set forth with thrilling, 
 compelling tenderness. There was but one opinion 
 when the sermon was ended — that " Mr. Mackenzie 
 must be proud of his son." But what is of in- 
 19 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 finitely more importance, the conviction was forced 
 upon all minds that the young preacher has a 
 great work before him ; " not as pleasing men," 
 but of drawing souls unto Christ. 
 
 Passing over Monday, which was given up to 
 preparations for the more social part of the cele- 
 bration, we take up the tale on Tuesday morning. 
 Invitations had been issued to 
 
 Rev. T. B. Turnbull, D.D., at Argyle. 
 Rev. A. A. Graham, Cambridge. 
 Rev. Henry Gordon, D. D., Coila. 
 Rev. C. C. French, East Greenwich. 
 Rev. A. W. Morris, Greenwich. 
 Rev. G. M. Wiley, West Hebron. 
 Rev. G. W. Bovard, North Argyle. 
 Rev. J. B. Reynolds, D. D., Putnam. 
 Rev. D. G. McKay, D. D., Shushan. 
 Rev. Wm. J. McMichael, South Argyle. 
 Rev. W. S. McEachron, Hebron. 
 
 Nine of these came. Rev. W. B. Shortt, of 
 Cambridge, was obliged to decline his invitation. 
 Rev. W. Henning, now residing in Glens Falls, 
 whose name also is still on the roll, was not 
 present. Neither was Rev. J. B. Scouller, D. D., 
 renowned for his History of the U. P. Church : he 
 lives too far away ; — as does Rev. John Crawford, 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 nominally belonging to Argyle Presbytery ; his 
 home is in Damascus, where he labors as a foreign 
 missionary. 
 
 The "Apostolic number" was made up by 
 brethren outside of our denomination, instanced by 
 Rev. John Anderson, Dr. Richard Turnbull, and 
 others to be mentioned later. 
 
 There also arrived by train and carriage (pos- 
 sibly on the bicycle) multitudes of those once 
 members of the White Church, living near enough 
 to spend the day here, and revive old associations. 
 We may not single them out personally, but re- 
 mark that their presence added to our great 
 pleasure, making the day the more complete ; and 
 what they said to us, as hand met hand in earnest 
 pressure, revealed that the happiness was reciprocal. 
 
 The Music Committee was under the leadership 
 of one of the Church's " sons of song," aided by a 
 "daughter of music;" co-operating with all those 
 who love to praise the Lord, they had cheerfully 
 spent evening after evening in practice, had 
 selected most appropriate Psalms : " All People 
 that on Earth do Dwell " of course, and : " In 
 Salem Praise His Name." There were no elaborate 
 attempts at musical display ; but, besides the afore- 
 said Psalms, congregationally sung with the aid 
 of choir and organ, two Psalm-Anthems lifted our 
 
 21 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 hearts to heaven while our lips were mute and the 
 trained voices uttered the words. 
 
 The Chairman, Hon. Thomas Stevenson, then 
 arose in the embowered pulpit, and said : 
 
 The object of this meeting is for the purpose of 
 celebrating the 25th anniversary of the pastorate of 
 the Rev. William A. Mackenzie over this congre- 
 gation. 
 
 A pastorate made prominent and impressive not 
 so much by its long duration, as that it has been 
 so conducive, in the providence of God, to the 
 spiritual interest and growth in grace of this 
 people, and made eminently so by the every-day 
 life of their pastor, which has gained for him, not 
 only the esteem and affection of his congregation, 
 but of this community. Such conditions in the 
 minds of his people seem to call for something 
 more than a passing notice ; and in order that the 
 occasion may receive the consideration its impor- 
 tance suggests, and that we may testify to our ap- 
 preciation to such conditions, we convene to-day, 
 within the walls of this old historic church, made 
 historic by its many associations, its noble line of 
 ancestors, its long life, and by the lives of its sons 
 who have gone out from it, and add one more 
 page to its time-honored history ; to this anni- 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 versary, in behalf of this congregation, I, as Chair- 
 man of this meeting, extend to you all a cordial 
 welcome. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 It had been arranged that the speakers of the 
 morning should be for the most part the co-tem- 
 poraries of the Salem pastor ; but departing slight- 
 ly at the outset from the order of time. Rev. Dr. 
 Reynolds, of Putnam, was chosen to bring Pres- 
 bytery's greeting ; the reason for this choice was 
 geographical : he had the longest journey to take, 
 yet he made it with alacrity, and was one of the 
 first of the ministers to arrive. His speech is 
 given below: 
 
 Brothers and sisters of this Church, and you. 
 Brother Mackenzie, its venerated pastor : I come 
 this morning bearing to you the greetings of your 
 Presbytery. 
 
 It will be better for me, I believe, for I find 
 most of the members of the Presbytery are present, 
 to acknowledge my credentials are hardly Presby- 
 terial. Ordinarily in such a position, I should be 
 able to show the signatures of moderator and clerk 
 at the bottom of my commission. I ardently hope 
 however, that the Presbytery will both admire the 
 23 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 wisdom of those who selected me, and also vote 
 my commission sufficiently regular. 
 
 As a Presbytery, we esteem it a high privilege 
 to meet with the most venerable of our congrega- 
 tions. Most venerable, for in addition to 130 years 
 of existence on American soil, we must add its 
 years previous in Ireland, where it was born and 
 reared until it was a fair lassie of 13 or 14 years 
 of age. 
 
 We honor this Church also for the pastors it 
 has had as well as for the pastor it has. Clark, 
 the Proudfits, Lillie, Halley, Farrington, Forsythe, 
 Mackenzie! What an array of worthy names! 
 Names representing, too, in the majority of them 
 all, great men as well as good — pious men, devoted 
 and exemplary pastors — men of discretion as well 
 as of piety, who built up Zion because using more 
 gold and silver than hay and stubble. 
 
 We also honor you for the length of your pas- 
 torates. For a long pastorate is generally as 
 creditable to the church as the pastor. Long pas- 
 torates come about in one of three ways: i. By 
 the congregation holding on to the pastor, saying: 
 "We will not let thee go;" or 2. By the pastor 
 holding on to the congregation, his motto being : 
 "I stick;" or 3. By a mutual, tenacious embrace, 
 springing of equal affection. 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 So far as I know, your long pastorates have 
 been of this third class. The relation has been 
 formed with the feeling that it shall last, may be 
 not "till death do us part," but until God in His 
 providence makes it plain we should part. 
 
 I say we honor you for these long pastorates, 
 running, if we count alone your American history, 
 i6, 20, 40, 2, II, 8, 13 and 25 years. But if we 
 count Dr. Clark's pastorate in Ireland as well as in 
 this country, then instead of 16, he served this con- 
 gregation 32 years. While Proudfit's (the 2d 
 Proudfit) 40 lapping back into his father's term 7 
 years, his time as sole pastor is about 33 years. 
 The three quite long pastorates being those of 
 Thomas Clark, Alexander Proudfit and W. A. 
 Mackenzie. 
 
 We honor you for your achievements in connec- 
 tion with your pastors. The numbers you have 
 been instrumental in bringing to Christ, many of 
 whom from time to time have gone elsewhere to 
 continue, in connection with other churches, the 
 work they began with you ; for the contributions 
 you have made to the Boards of the Church : al- 
 ways, I believe, up to the requisite average per 
 member, and sometimes over ; for the energetic 
 example you have furnished to the other churches 
 of this Presbytery ; for the honor you have done 
 25 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 our denomination — representing it before those other 
 Churches of Salem; for the societies you have or- 
 ganized, as your "C. U." and " L. M. S." Here 
 allow me to notice what two of your pastors have 
 done. 
 
 In Scouller's Manual, after giving a list of Alex- 
 ander Proudfit's pamphlets and public addresses, 
 the record proceeds : 
 
 " In addition to these he wrote nine or ten 
 tracts, which were printed and circulated by a 
 female tract society in his congregation before The 
 American Tract Society was organized." 
 
 Thus Dr. Proudfit laid some of the foundation 
 stones in the wall of this great institution, which 
 has done so much to enlighten the world in the 
 knowledge of Jesus — The American Tract Society. 
 
 But your present pastor is no whit behind him, 
 for he, too, did pioneer work on another, a great 
 and noble institution which is the marvel, not to 
 say miracle of the present decade. I refer to 
 The Society of Christian Endeavor. Years before 
 (you of this Church will recall the time) this 
 Society's birth was announced, it was in existence 
 here, in your Church, organized by the wisdom of 
 your pastor, inspired by the Spirit, no doubt. It 
 was not called, I believe. The Society of Christian 
 Endeavor, but it was one, and has remained that 
 26 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. Y. 
 
 during all these years . . . They call Dr. Fran- 
 cis Clark, "Father Clark." Without wishing to de- 
 tract an iota from his honor, yet in the light of 
 Salem's Society, he is only " Brother Clark," and a 
 younger brother of your pastor, Mr. Mackenzie. 
 
 Our greeting would be too long, dear Church 
 and dear pastor, were we to tarry to tell you all 
 we honor you for. In short, we honor you for 
 what you have been and what you are ; for what 
 you have done and what you are doing. 
 
 We come to you with greeting, dear pastor, be- 
 cause we love you, our fellow-pastor, and we look 
 up to you — you have been in the Presbytery so 
 long — as to our elder brother. We wish you many 
 farther years of usefulness. And knowing that 
 God of late years has sent a thorn in your flesh 
 to try you, we pray that he will remove it, or 
 encist it, that it may not be grievous unto you. 
 And we pray that you may still find His grace 
 sufficient for you. 
 
 And we come to you, dear Church, with greet- 
 ing because we love you. Argyle Presbytery 
 represents a family circle of twelve fair daughters. 
 Of these you are the eldest, though not an " old 
 maid," for Christ is your husband. 
 
 27 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 This was Mr. Mackenzie's reply : 
 
 Brethren of the Argyle Presbytery, I feel that I 
 cannot, this morning, find fitting words with which 
 to respond to the kindly greetings which you bring 
 to me and my people through your representative. 
 As I look over the Presbytery now and then go 
 back in my thought twenty-five years, my sensations 
 are very similar to what they were last Sabbath 
 morning as I looked over the congregation that 
 was assembled before me. The congregation then 
 assembled, and the one assembled to greet me 
 twenty-five years ago, although the same in name, 
 was not the same as to its make-up. The years 
 had wrought their changes. Some had gone to 
 other places, but far the larger part had passed 
 over the Jordan. And so the Presbytery that 
 comes with kindly greetings on this anniversary day, 
 although the same in name, as to its composition, 
 is yet not the same. Then the roll of the Presby- 
 tery read thus : Henning, Shortt, Gordon, Andrews, 
 Fisher, Bigger, Wiley, Clapperton, Gladstone, Ure. 
 I mention only those who were in the active 
 ministry, and who were present to receive me as 
 one of their number and install me as pastor of the 
 Salem congregation. Of that number only two. 
 Brother Gordon and Brother Wiley, are here to-day. 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 But as the absent ones from time to time went to 
 other fields, others have come to take their places 
 who have been their worthy successors. From the 
 first day until now my associations with the brethren 
 of the Presbytery have been the most pleasant. 
 Although in matters which have come before us 
 for consideration, we have sometimes differed, and 
 each has contended earnestly for what he believed 
 to be the faith, yet the contention has not been in 
 bitterness but in love. We have had respect for 
 each other's convictions and views, and however 
 wide have been our differences, still these have 
 never been permitted to stand in the way of the 
 most kindly feeling and the most brotherly treat- 
 ment the one of the other. It is a great pleasure 
 for me here and now to say, that I cannot recall a 
 single word spoken in anger during all my associa- 
 tion with the Presbytery of Argyle. Most heartily, 
 therefore, do I in my own behalf and in behalf of 
 my congregation thank you for your kindly greet- 
 ings. The years that have come and gone have 
 been years which have been full of labor. I re- 
 member the sermon preached by Brother Shortt 
 on the occasion of my installation, from the text, 
 " Feed the Church of God, over which the 
 Holy Ghost hath made you Overseer." That I 
 have tried to do. I think I can say that my 
 29 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 preaching has not been with enticing words of 
 man's wisdom. Jesus Christ and Him crucified 
 has been my theme. I have not found it necessary 
 to go outside of the inspired word of God, to get 
 the food convenient for hungry souls. I have not 
 deemed it necessary to depart from the old faith, 
 in order to interest and help the people committed 
 to my charge. I have always remembered one ex- 
 pression in the charge to me by Brother Wiley on 
 the day of my installation. It was this, " Fill up 
 the cask, fill up the cask." I have found that a 
 necessary admonition. My brother, the cask has 
 been filled and emptied a great many times. I 
 could speak long on the importance of this ad- 
 monition to any minister, and of the absolute 
 necessity of heeding it, if he would be successful. 
 But I am admonished that I must not take the 
 time of others. My brother, in bringing the greet- 
 ings of Presbytery, you have seen fit to refer to the 
 societies and organizations of the congregation and 
 the work which has been accomplished through 
 them. From the very first, I have taken a deep 
 interest in the young, and have sought to have 
 them trained in active Christian work. In this I 
 think I have to some good degree succeeded. I, 
 twenty-two years and more ago, organized our 
 Young People's Society ; a society having all the 
 30 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 features of the more modern societies, and one 
 which has been a great power for good in the 
 Church. In all these years there has not been the 
 omission of a single weekly meeting for prayer and 
 praise and conference. Had I cared to take out a 
 patent right, it might to-day have been Father 
 Mackenzie instead of Father Clark. But I must 
 not talk longer. My brethren, again I thank you 
 for your kindly greetings. Wherever I may be I 
 shall always cherish feelings the kindest and sen- 
 timents of the highest esteem for the Presbytery of 
 Argyle. May the blessing of God rest upon you, 
 and may we all at last be found in the General 
 Assembly of the Church of the first born whose 
 names are written in heaven. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 Dr. Gordon was then announced. It requires but 
 a little stretch of imagination to hear in fancy the 
 rich brogue of the Doctor as the torrent of eloquence 
 rolled off his tongue. Let his address speak for 
 itself : 
 
 Such an anniversary as this is most worthy of 
 being observed, and must be beneficial in its results. 
 That a pastor, in an age characterized for restlessness 
 31 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 and for an Athenian curiosity for something new, and 
 relying only on the simple truths of the gospel, should 
 continue for a quarter of a century in one place with- 
 out any decrease of usefulness or in the confidence 
 of the people, is an event worthy of being held up 
 as a beacon-light to others in the ministry. 
 
 The ministry is not a failure. I do not undervalue 
 other instrumentalities ; but the Head of the Church 
 has never said of any appliance, what He has said 
 of the ministry, " Lo, I am with you always." 
 
 But I am to say a few words on the first five years 
 of the pastorate in this Church. I believe the first 
 five years of a minister's labor in the congregation 
 will either prepare the way for his further usefulness, 
 or make it easier for him to move to another field 
 with little objection on the part of the people. We 
 would mention some of the things that are followed 
 by permanent usefulness. 
 
 ist. That he be contented; feeling that it is the 
 place assigned by the Head of the Church, and that 
 his best efforts are to be put forth for the welfare of 
 that place. When a people get the idea that a mm- 
 ister is making them a waiting-place, until he can 
 procure a more desirable field, the pastor's interest 
 in the place will lead to no great effort, and the 
 people's interest in that pastor will not be very 
 strong. 
 
 32 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 2d. There are two parts to his charge : those 
 entering Hfe and those leaving it. Systematic in- 
 struction is absolutely necessary. It is not only a 
 means of diffusing the pastor's influence, but the 
 most delightful part of a pastor's life, to see a gen- 
 eration growing up, imbibing those ideas that elevate 
 the life and prepare for all the possibilities of the 
 journey here below. This seems to be one of the 
 strongholds of the pastor of this Church. 
 
 3d. The pastor who expects to be permanently 
 useful must rely on the gospel and on the duties 
 growing out of the office. Artful management may 
 succeed for a while, but it will end in disappointment. 
 Let him act so as to secure confidence. Let him 
 stand by the Bible, and the Bible will stand by him. 
 A pastor who scatters the manna of revealed truth, 
 and a people who gather it and appropriate it by 
 faith, will hold a very endearing relationship to each 
 other. It will outlast every other relationship. The 
 hearer whose soul is being refreshed, from week to 
 week, is never found to be a troubler in Israel. 
 
 4th. But what is a minister without the aid of his 
 congregation ? He may be zealous and faithful, but 
 there are congregations that are most opposed to the 
 best acts of the pastor. But this people have rejoiced 
 in the message, and naturally prized the messenger. 
 The lesson which this day teaches is, that nothing 
 33 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 lasts like the gospel. The truths and methods of 
 instruction that have produced the strong men and 
 women, who have occupied and still occupy these 
 pews, should not be given up. The world needs such 
 persons more than anything else. In the present day 
 there is a desire to prune the gospel, recast it to 
 make it more acceptable to the tastes. We hope 
 that there will always be a generation here that will 
 resist such ministrations, and hold up the old banner 
 of light and salvation to a perishing world. 
 
 t t ^ ^ 
 
 Dr. Gordon having retired, Rev. G. M. Wiley was 
 called on to give the history of the next five years. 
 His remarks, though briefer, were as entirely appro- 
 priate to the occasion as were those of the former 
 speaker. 
 
 He began by facetiously complaining that all his 
 thunder had been stolen. He had himself intended 
 to speak about that charge he had given, as to 
 "filling up the cask;" he remembered using those 
 very words ; not often did he so distinctly recollect 
 things he had said, neither were his remarks ordi- 
 narily so well kept in mind. Probably this sentence 
 had impressed itself because it was not original with 
 
 34 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. K 
 
 him. Very few things were born at first hand in the 
 brains of the preachers who uttered them ; they could 
 and did borrow and adapt : it was well they might, 
 for such thoughts were better than their own would 
 be. 
 
 As to the period which he had been chosen to 
 describe: it is the time when the novelty of the 
 situation has worn off, the freshness has gone, the 
 tinsel vanished — " hard-pan " is reached. This state 
 of affairs shows the man as he is ; it is the man 
 behind the message that hereafter produces the 
 effect. 
 
 So when a minister continues, as this one has 
 done, preaching with undiminished success, awaken- 
 ing increased interest, with greater results, it proves 
 the 'worth of the material beneath. 
 
 It was the simple story of the cross, which has 
 been told, week after week, year after year, from 
 this pulpit; no sensational means resorted to, to 
 excite popularity; no tampering with the truth, no 
 softening of unpalatable doctrines. Christ and Him 
 crucified has ever been the theme; the pure Word 
 of God the source whence every sermon has been 
 drawn. 
 
 So much for the past. Glancing at the future, 
 the hope was expressed that physical strength might 
 be renewed, so that the man might be permitted 
 35 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 still to give the same message ; " but," the speaker 
 added regretfully, " the prospect is not bright." 
 
 ^ ^ ^ t 
 
 It might appear strange that so young a man as 
 Rev. W. S. McEachron should be asked to personate 
 the next period — that of from fifteen to ten years ago. 
 The reason why this was a happy selection can be 
 gathered from his own recital : 
 
 It is hardly possible, nor do I deem it necessary 
 to attempt any detailed history of this period. After 
 a man has been in a field for ten years, he finds the 
 demands upon his time and energies growing more 
 varied and numerous, so that each year is marked 
 by more abundant labor. During these years many 
 helpful words were spoken, many kind acts per- 
 formed, many blessings experienced, which are well 
 worth recalling to-day ; but no words of mine are 
 needed to suggest them to your minds. This period 
 is peculiarly attractive to me, because it marks the 
 beginning of my association with Mr. Mackenzie as 
 a brother presbyter. When I was licensed to preach 
 the gospel, he was the one appointed to examine me 
 in regard to my motives in entering the ministry. 
 The manner in which he performed that duty won 
 36 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 my heart. Shortly after this he invited me to preach 
 in his Church; and the impressions received from 
 him that day have been helpful to me in all the years 
 of my ministry. I have always remembered the 
 tender earnestness with which he prayed for me 
 before the service that morning. I entered the pulpit 
 feeling, as I had never felt before, " Truly, God is in 
 this place!" In the autumn of the same year I was 
 called to my present charge ; and from that day I 
 have found in Mr. Mackenzie a wise counselor and 
 a faithful friend. I therefore esteem it a special 
 pleasure to have this opportunity to express my 
 gratitude to Mr. Mackenzie for the personal help 
 and inspiration I have received from fellowship with 
 him, and my high appreciation of the splendid service 
 he has rendered the cause of truth and righteousness 
 in this community. In the first year of my ministry 
 I received two impressions from your pastor, which 
 have since become convictions with me ; and I think 
 I may appropriately mention them on this occasion. 
 Every true minister is sent of God. His creden- 
 tials bear the golden seal of the Trinity, and are 
 signed by Him who bled upon the cross. Such a 
 man goes not forth alone. The divine call is sup- 
 plemented by the divine presence. His power is 
 not eloquence merely. Men are moved by eloquence, 
 but they are saved by powers that are invisible. 
 37 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 The chief power of the preacher is not in the strength 
 of his mind, nor in the eloquence of his speech, but 
 in the fact that God is with him. 
 
 Then the minister comes to his work equipped 
 with a divine weapon, quick and powerful, sharper 
 than any two-edged sword. While the Bible is God's 
 gift to every man, the Christian minister is its chosen 
 custodian. He is to unlock its secrets, declare its 
 promises, and preach it as the very Word of God. 
 Since Christ is the door, he is to open the door and 
 let men see the Saviour. Since Christ is the bread 
 of life, he is to offer Him to this famishing world. 
 This Book will never become obsolete. These are 
 the thoughts of the Almighty. This is the weapon 
 God has chosen to subdue the universe. Although 
 old and tried, it has not lost its edge. The substance 
 of its message is : " God was in Christ reconciling 
 the world unto Himself, not imputing unto men their 
 trespasses." This Word of reconciliation is com- 
 mitted unto us. Such is the message our brother 
 has delivered, with all earnestness and unction. He 
 has never been ashamed of it; never tried to hide 
 any of its distinctive features; never allowed any 
 tampering with its claims. He has held on his 
 simple strain, rejoicing that he "had been allowed 
 of God to be put in trust with the gospel ; " and he 
 has declared it exactly as he received it. This is 
 38 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 the test and touchstone of all true gospel preaching 
 in every church and every age. 
 
 I congratulate the members of this congregation 
 that you have a pastor who is faithful to God's Word, 
 and who relies upon divine power to give it moving 
 effect; and therefore the foolishness of preaching 
 has become the power of God unto the salvation of 
 many in this place. 
 
 I heartily congratulate Mr. Mackenzie on these 
 most successful years of pulpit and pastoral labor; 
 and I join with my brethren in the prayer, that God 
 may give him health to continue the work, so dear 
 to his heart, for many years to come ; and that what- 
 ever may be in the future, he may finish his course 
 with joy and the ministry he has received of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 The next representative speaker was Dr. T. B. 
 Turnbull, who for twelve years has occupied the 
 pulpit of the Argyle Church. Any who were deprived 
 of the pleasure of listening that morning to his strgng, 
 melodious voice, will be glad to read what he then 
 said : 
 
 It was a happy thought of the Committee of 
 Arrangements for this occasion that the subject be- 
 39 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 fore us this morning should be presented on " the 
 installment plan," for who would have hoped to have 
 coped with so important a subject alone, or in the 
 compass of a single address? It is a real pleasure 
 to be here, and to share with you the joy of this 
 happy occasion. Geographically it has not been my 
 privilege to be as near to the Salem congregation or 
 its pastor as have some of my co-presbyters. We 
 have been separated by some lofty hills, yet I have 
 esteemed both him and you as near friends. 
 
 Among the good brethren in the Argyle Pres- 
 bytery there have been none whose counsel and 
 fellowship I have more highly esteemed than that 
 of our dear brother Mackenzie. 
 
 When I came into the Presbytery, a stranger, 
 he took me in and was the first, if I mistake not, 
 to invite me to assist at a communion season, It 
 was then I began to know the man who has for 
 the past twelve years continued to impress him- 
 self upon me as a spiritually-minded Christian 
 brother in whom the heart could trust. There 
 were others with whom you would become ac- 
 quainted more readily, but perhaps none whose 
 acquaintance would wear better. When he dropped 
 into the Argyle manse with his boys and dog and 
 gun, as he was wont to do on his summer trip 
 to the Adirondacks, his visits were always greatly 
 40 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. Y. 
 
 enjoyed socially; but it was his coming on com- 
 munion occasions to preach the word, that he ap- 
 peared at his best. 
 
 Then his spiritual power was manifest and he 
 was to us the harbinger of blessing. 
 
 The deep spiritual awakening, and large acces- 
 sions to the membership of some of our congre- 
 gations in connection with the labors of our 
 synodical evangelist is still fresh in our minds. 
 
 No one of our members had so much to do 
 with the preparing of the way for these great re- 
 sults as did the Salem pastor. He not only ar- 
 ranged as the Synod's Committee for the meetings, 
 but threw his whole soul into the work in his own 
 and neighboring Churches. We are glad to be 
 able to acknowledge, even at this late hour, the 
 service which he rendered to the cause of the 
 Master, in the Argyle congregation, in connection 
 with the great revival of the winter of 1894-95. 
 
 Allow me to add my congratulations to those 
 which have already been presented. I congratu- 
 late you as pastor and people on this long, happy, 
 and fruitful pastorate. 
 
 The divorce craze, which has been rampant 
 among the churches in many places, has not dis- 
 turbed you. "What God joined together" has not 
 been put asunder. There has been here neither 
 41 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR, 
 
 "incompatibility" nor "lack of support." Our 
 brother has not complained, as I once heard one 
 who was leaving his pastoral charge, and who had 
 a reputation for flitting from church to church, say 
 "that he had not room to spread himself." No 
 complaint of this kind has ever to my knowledge 
 escaped your pastor's lips. In this village and 
 community he has found ample room to work, and 
 here his labor of love has been reciprocated by a 
 people worthy of the man. 
 
 Reference has been made by a former speaker 
 to the fact that the out look for a long continuance 
 of this happy pastorate is somewhat clouded to-day 
 by the precarious condition of your pastor's health. 
 May Providence kindly dispel that cloud and give 
 to our brother many years more of successful labor 
 in this field if it be His will. 
 
 You will pardon me in throwing out the hint, 
 that possibly you could arrange to relieve the 
 pastor of the second service on the Sabbath — the 
 one which draws so much the most heavily upon 
 his nervous powers — and give the evening meeting 
 into the hands of your well-equipped Young People's 
 Society. 
 
 In many places the Young People's meeting has 
 proven a most satisfactory substitute for the second 
 sermon. Should the adoption of this suggestion. 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 or some other plan, aid in prolonging this present 
 happy pastorate by helping to lift some of the 
 burdens from shoulders which are not so strong as 
 they once were to bear them, we will all have 
 occasion to rejoice together. 
 
 May our kind Heavenly Father, if it be His will, 
 grant you many returns of this happy anniversary. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 Rev. D. G. McKay was then requested to step 
 forward. It was an interesting moment when the 
 final half decade of the quarter century was to be 
 passed in review by one whose work in the vicinity 
 was on the verge of being finished. To congratulate 
 Mr. Mackenzie on his long stay with his people, while 
 saying farewell to us as his neighbors, might seem a 
 delicate and difficult task. But it was well performed. 
 The reverend Doctor referred particularly to the work 
 in which the Shushan and Salem pastors had been 
 coadjutors in promoting the cause of temperance and 
 good citizenship. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 After prayer and singing, which closed the morn- 
 ing hours, the chairman had an important announce- 
 ment to make concerning the mid-day repast. The 
 
 43 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 "feast of reason" may satisfy mind and soul, but 
 the exhausted body needs refection. So the audience 
 was invited to Proudfit Hall. No fitter place could 
 have been named for White Church people. When 
 the guests arrived thither, they found tables commo- 
 diously arranged, neatly set, loaded with bountiful 
 provision : with which, thanks to numerous skillful 
 waiters, every one of the three hundred and fifty 
 were quickly supplied. In the center of the room 
 the eyes of all were attracted by the sight of four 
 roast pigs, with curly tails and a corn-cob in each 
 mouth; white-aproned carvers deftly put these in 
 shape for eating. 
 
 From the gallery of the Hall, Rev. Thomas 
 Mackenzie's two little sons looked down to see 
 " Grandfather " sitting at the head of the board. 
 Years afterwards, we wonder, will some dim remem- 
 brance of that festal day still linger in their minds ? 
 Their memory of Salem, alas ! will be only of the 
 long ago and the far away. 
 
 Promptness always characterizes any proceeding 
 in our Church. The sexton was ringing the bell at 
 the appointed hour of the afternoon. As the time 
 had been differently named in the various printed 
 notices, of course there was a slight confusion in 
 people's minds as to when they ought to be there; 
 a few were late. Not so the singers : all were in their 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 seats, the organist ready to strike the note. The 
 chairman, too, had his place. Mention of each detail 
 must be omitted, that due attention may be given 
 to the letters received. Mr. John King had them 
 systematically put together in their order, so that, 
 smoothly and without hesitation, he might give their 
 contents. 
 
 First came the salutation of the " Brick Church," 
 as the First Presbyterian is familiarly termed: 
 
 Salem, N. Y., October i8, 1896. 
 
 To THE Session and Congregation of the 
 United Presbyterian Church, Salem, N. Y. 
 
 Dear Brethren — Grace, mercy, and peace be unto 
 you from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and from the Holy Spirit. 
 
 We extend to you our sincere Christian greetings 
 in view of the approaching twenty-fifth anniversary 
 of the installation of your pastor, the Rev. William 
 A. Mackenzie. 
 
 We rejoice with you that the Heavenly Father has 
 continued to you for so many years the privilege of 
 your pastor's faithful services in the gospel. 
 
 We rejoice with him that the Master has permitted 
 him to minister so long to the same loyal, devoted 
 congregation. 
 
 45 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 We thank God for the rich results of these twenty- 
 five years of labor together, the full fruitage of which 
 only eternity can reveal. 
 
 We invoke upon you, both pastor and people, the 
 blessing of Almighty God ; and, one with you in the 
 faith and love of God, and in the hope of the blessed 
 immortality through our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray 
 that the Divine favor, which has been granted to you 
 in these twenty-five years past, may be continued 
 still more abundantly for many years yet to come. 
 Fraternally yours in the fellowship of the gospel, 
 The Session of the First Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Edward P. Sprague, Pastor. 
 Arthur Wayman, Clerk. 
 
 ^ t t ^ 
 
 This was succeeded by the note of congratula- 
 tion from the priest of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 Salem, N. Y., October 26, 1896. 
 Mr. John King, of the Invitation Committee. 
 
 My Dear Sir—\ am in receipt of your cordial in- 
 vitation to attend the anniversary exercises on Tues- 
 day, and as I cannot be present I beg you to tender 
 my kindest greetings to the Rev. Mr. Mackenzie and 
 his congregation, on that occasion. 
 46 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 The reverend pastor is to be congratulated on 
 having so devoted a congregation, while the congre- 
 gation is equally to be congratulated on having so 
 zealous a pastor. 
 
 The good he has accomplished during the past quar- 
 ter of a century is by no means confined to the limits of 
 his own congregation, but extends far and wide out- 
 side. Of this no better proof can be had than the 
 high esteem in which the reverend gentleman is held, 
 by every member of our community, regardless of 
 creed. I sincerely hope the genial, broad-minded, 
 courteous gentleman may be spared many years to 
 continue his good work in our midst, and that when 
 the end of his labors does come, his reward may be that 
 of all those who do the Master's work well. 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 J. F. DONAHOE. 
 
 ¥" ¥" ^ ^ 
 
 That which comes after was from a daughter of 
 Rev. Thomas Farrington, deceased, mentioned in 
 the address of Dr. Reynolds. She wrote thus for 
 her mother and sisters : 
 
 Please extend to your committee our very appre- 
 ciative thanks, for their kind invitation to attend the 
 anniversary next Tuesday, October 27th. 
 47 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 We are warmly interested in the life of the " old 
 White Church in Salem," wishing peace within her 
 walls and every good and perfect gift to her mem- 
 bership. 
 
 With sincere regret, that we are unable to be 
 present, we send our heartfelt congratulations to 
 pastor and people. 
 
 $^ t ^ t 
 
 Rev. Richard H. Steele explains himself ; we will 
 only add that, last summer, Dr. Steele revisited 
 the home of his youth, and delighted us with the 
 proofs of his affectionate memories ; one mani- 
 festation of it was found in a recent number of 
 the "United Presbyterian." 
 
 Detroit, Mich., October 21, 1896. 
 113 Charlotte Avenue. 
 
 Mr. David H. Safford. 
 
 Iliave received by this morning's mail the invita- 
 tion to attend the exercises commemorative of the 
 twenty-fifth anniversary of the settlement of Rev. W. 
 A. Mackenzie as pastor of the United Presbyterian 
 Church of Salem. 
 
 The event is worthy of the recognition you are 
 contemplating. Twenty-five years in one pastorate is 
 48 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N, V. 
 
 an honorable record, and both the minister and his 
 people are deserving of most hearty congratulation. 
 Anything of this nature that occurs in the village and 
 town of Salem is of deep interest to me. 
 
 This is the church in which my father was trained 
 under the ministry of the distinguished Rev. Dr. 
 Alexander Proudfit, a man full of zeal and good 
 works. Many of my relatives have often worshiped 
 in its assemblies, and their names are enrolled among 
 its membership. I have often occupied your pulpit 
 on my frequent visits to Salem. 
 
 In the list of your ministers no one has been 
 more successful and honored than your present pastor. 
 Very few can understand the labor he has performed 
 and, the diligence he has exhibited during this twenty- 
 five years' ministry. In every respect he has dis- 
 charged the work the Master has placed in his hands 
 in a most honorable and successful way, and he has 
 his reward in the prosperity of the Salem Church. 
 
 You have done well in arranging for this com- 
 memorative observance. I should be pleased to be 
 with you on this interesting occasion ; but as this will 
 be impossible, I take this method of extending to 
 Brother Mackenzie and the Salem Church, of which 
 he has been the honored pastor for this long period, 
 my most cordial congratulations. 
 
 49 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 I hope to see the full account of the exercises of 
 this anniversary in the report of the proceedings. 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Richard H. Steele. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 Rev. John R. Fisher was at one time pastor over 
 the Hebron congregation, where Mr. McEachron 
 is now. His letter shows he has not forgotten 
 former times, any more than we have ceased to 
 remember how pleased we Salem people were 
 whenever " Mr. Fisher was to preach :" 
 
 31 Bible House, New York. 
 October 24, 1896. 
 Mr. David H. Safford, 
 Miss Jennie McFarland, 
 Miss F. H. Williams, 
 Mr. John King, 
 
 Committee on Invitations. 
 
 Dear Friends — I thank you for the kind invitation 
 to be present at the celebration of the twenty-fifth 
 anniversary of the settlement of the Rev. William A. 
 Mackenzie as pastor of the " Old White Church." I 
 am extremely sorry that the pressure of previous en- 
 gagements will prevent my being with you. 
 50 
 
U, P, CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 It would be an occasion of rare interest to me, 
 associated as I was, in such close and personal ways 
 with both pastor and people. The reminiscent mood 
 in which this correspondence finds me awakens 
 emotions of mingled joy and sadness. How well I re- 
 call the charming home of the young minister, and 
 the bright outlook that inspired his consecrated, en- 
 thusiastic early efforts ; and the dignified and noble 
 men and women who welcomed and encouraged him. 
 
 And well do I remember the dark days that came 
 to that home, with the discipline of great sorrow, and 
 the setting of the minister's heart and life in holier 
 relations to that important part of his work which 
 leads hard by " the valley of the shadow of Death." 
 
 And as I call, mentally, the roll of those grand 
 men and women who shaped the fortunes of the " Old 
 Church," there is an ominous silence, which assures 
 me that, with the most of them, the toil is over, and 
 the crown won. 
 
 While, therefore, the earthly side of my heart 
 might seem to throw a tinge of sadness into these 
 congratulations, remembering the delightful fact that 
 the Church of God is one, whether on earth or in 
 heaven, I join most heartily in the Doxology you are 
 singing, for what has been accomplished, during a 
 quarter of a century, in the development and corona- 
 tion of Christian character. 
 51 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR, 
 
 Solomon said truly, " One generation passeth away 
 and another generation cometh;" but he grew 
 pessimistic when he added a little after, " There is no 
 new thing under the sun," for a wiser than he declared, 
 " Behold I make all things NEW." Yours has been 
 to share in this magnificent work, some of which, 
 being finished, has been accepted by the Master with 
 the heavenly commendation " well done." 
 
 I rejoice in the intelligence that the condition of the 
 pastor's health is greatly improved. May his be the 
 blessed privilege of preaching the gospel of the grace 
 of God yet many, many years. 
 
 As the ripened fruit is better than the blossom, so 
 may the last days of the " Old White Church" be its 
 best days. 
 
 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, 
 unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 
 forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in 
 the Lord. 
 
 Fraternally and cordially yours, 
 
 J. R. Fisher. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ t 
 
 Following it are a few written words from Rev. 
 Thos. W. Anderson, D.D., peculiarly gratifying to us 
 Salemites, because, although settled in the Presbytery 
 
 52 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 of New York, he is so well known and liked in the 
 Presbytery of Argyle. Hebron claims kinship with 
 him too, from early relationships. One of our elders 
 was accused of dancing for joy when he heard that 
 " Tommy was coming." This hope was disappointed. 
 But since he could not come, he sent this message : 
 
 Many thanks for the kind invitation to be present 
 at the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of 
 Brother Mackenzie's pastorate. I regret that it will 
 be impossible for me to be present. 
 
 Please extend my hearty congratulations to Brother 
 Mackenzie and his noble people. May the remem- 
 brance of God's goodness and faithfulness be an 
 inspiration to you all, and a pledge of future pros- 
 perity. May the place be transformed into a mount, 
 and His people witness the glory of Jesus Christ. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 The writer whose signature is appended below 
 was settled in Cambridge, N. Y., till recently, 
 when the call of God came to him from Johnstown, 
 Pa. That church, which so narrowly escaped 
 being swept away by flood, is being "brought out 
 into a wealthy place." Mr. Kyle's name is a 
 synonym for energy and indefatigable zeal: 
 53 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR, 
 
 Mr. David H. Safford, Chairman of Committee. 
 
 Dear Brother — The invitation from your com- 
 mittee to attend the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 
 settlement of your pastor, Rev. W. A. Mackenzie, 
 is before me. I appreciate the courtesy thus ex- 
 tended to me, and do assure you that if it were 
 possible I should be present this day and partici- 
 pate in the exercises relative to the occasion. 
 Nothing would please me better. I have a high 
 regard for the people of the Salem congregation ; 
 and while in your bounds it was always a pleasure 
 to fellowship with you, and not only so, but I have 
 had comfort and pleasure in preaching to you the 
 gospel of Christ. There was that response on your 
 part which always inspires and encourages a mes- 
 senger of the Truth. 
 
 During my labors at Cambridge I was a fre- 
 quent visitor to Salem, and I always had a wel- 
 come at the parsonage. Many happy hours have 
 I spent in company with your pastor and his family. 
 It was exceedingly helpful to me to converse on 
 the work of the Church with a man of God — one 
 in whom you can place the utmost confidence, and 
 on whose judgment you can rely. 
 
 For twenty-five years you have had one under- 
 shepherd, one spiritual adviser ; and for twenty- 
 five years one servant of God has ministered to 
 
 54 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 the same congregation. Such terms of co-operation 
 in the Master's vineyard are comparatively few. 
 It is fitting therefore that you should pause here 
 and celebrate. 
 
 A more successful pastorate is not known in 
 the bounds of our Church than the one which you 
 this day review. My prayer is that Brother 
 Mackenzie may be fully recovered to health and 
 permitted to preach the gospel in your midst for 
 many years to come, and may the Spirit of God 
 abide with you in wondrous power. 
 
 May temporal prosperity come to you in such 
 abundance, that you can arise and build a new 
 House for the Lord during Brother Mackenzie's 
 sojourn among you. May this day bring a season 
 of refreshing to pastor and congregation, and to 
 all who are this day assembled within these walls, 
 is the desire of your humble servant, 
 
 S. J. Kyle. 
 Johnstown, Pa., October 24, 1896. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 The communication next read, being from one 
 of the seven (or eight) young men who, during 
 the quarter century, have received an impulse 
 towards the gospel ministry and have been helped 
 
 55 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 to carry it out, was hearkened to with especial 
 interest. It was written by Rev. G. Hale Getty, 
 New Wilmington, Pa. Although not in active serv- 
 ice at present, owing to broken health, he still 
 holds to the hope that the time may come when 
 he may engage again in the sacred calling: 
 
 I desire to acknowledge your kind invitation 
 to attend the exercises in connection with Mr. 
 Mackenzie's quarter-centennial pastorate and to 
 thank you for the same. It would give me great 
 pleasure to attend these services, but circumstances 
 make it impossible. 
 
 I desire, however, to extend my congratulations 
 to both pastor and people upon this happy oc- 
 casion. I congratulate the congregation in that 
 they have had a teacher, who has taught them 
 the great lessons of life, as he has received them 
 from the Master himself, and who has relied upon 
 the plain and simple word for success, unem- 
 bellished by modern sensationalism, and who has 
 enforced his teachings by a pastoral work which 
 has been kind and sympathizing in its nature, and 
 which has revealed a man with a generous heart 
 and a most approachable disposition. I congratu- 
 late the pastor that he has had a kind and faith- 
 ful people, ever ready to second his efforts in all 
 56 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. Y. 
 
 good works, and to uphold him in the trying and 
 arduous duties of a modern pastorate. 
 
 It seems to me that when these elements are 
 blended, that it means a successful and happy 
 pastorate, be it few or many years. In your ex- 
 perience, as a pastor and people, there seems to 
 be a happy blending of these principles. My hope 
 and prayer is that this pastorate may continue, and 
 if it is the Father's will, that the quarter-centennial 
 may glide into the semi-centennial, and that much 
 good may result in the future, as in the past, to 
 the glory of our common Father and His dear 
 Son, our blessed Lord and Saviour, 
 
 (Signed) G. H. Getty. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 The career of Albert Todd was more fortunate. 
 His long residence in Salem, his connection with 
 our congregation, Sabbath School and Young 
 People's meeting, almost caused us to forget that 
 his birth-place was North Argyle. Now, pastor of 
 the Bethany Congregational Church, he sent the 
 letter printed here : 
 
 Worcester, Mass., October 22, 1896. 
 Dear Mr. King. 
 
 Your communication of the 17th instant is re- 
 
 57 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 ceived. I thank you for the kind remembrance, 
 and regret very much that it will be impossible 
 for me to attend the anniversary exercises. Allow 
 me to add that I consider myself fortunate indeed 
 in having been privileged to sit under the faith- 
 ful preaching of Mr. Mackenzie for nearly six 
 years, and that at the most impressionable period 
 of my life. I remember also, with deep gratitude, 
 the keen interest which he manifested in the 
 temporal and spiritual welfare of the young people 
 of his Church and congregation, and how he freely 
 gave of his time and strength in order that we 
 might be helped to a higher plane of thinking 
 and living. Personally, I owe Mr. Mackenzie a 
 debt of gratitude which I can never repay ; for 
 what I am, and whatever I have done for others, 
 is due, by the grace of God, in no small degree, 
 to his wise counsel, brotherly interest, and earnest 
 prayers. 
 
 Wishing for all concerned, a most enjoyable 
 occasion, I remain very sincerely yours, 
 
 Albert G. Todd. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 The last epistle read that day was from Rev. 
 Herbert C. Hinds, who, though not strictly a native 
 of Salem, was a child of the Church here by 
 
 58 
 
U, p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. Y. 
 
 confession and baptism. In Troy he ministers now 
 to a flourishing congregation. He tells his own 
 story best ; we commend it to your perusal : 
 
 Troy, N. Y., October 27, 1896. 
 To THE Pastor, Session and Congregation of 
 
 THE United Presbyterian Church, Salem, 
 
 New York. 
 
 My Dear Brethren — I regret that an important 
 meeting at the Ninth Presbyterian Church, Troy, 
 prevents me from participating in the speech-making 
 and speech-hearing in honor of the completion of 
 your twenty-five years of earnest and loyal service 
 as pastor and people. Though absent in body, I am 
 pleased, through the kindness of your committee, to 
 avail myself of the use of a living voice with which 
 to convey my sincere greetings, hearty endorsement, 
 and best wishes. And I wish that it was possible for 
 me to express, in fitting words, all that is in my heart 
 to say to you on this important occasion. But " speech 
 is silver and silence is golden." I know that others, 
 who are better qualified to speak than am I, will give 
 expression in the most earnest manner to the con- 
 fidence and affection in which you are held in the 
 " village of peace," and the high value which has 
 always been placed upon your work as the servants 
 of our common Lord and Master. In these days of 
 
 59 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR, 
 
 shifting pastorates, it is refreshing to find one so 
 enduring, and, in its steadfastness, so blessed as yours 
 has been. The "Old White Church" is not accus- 
 tomed to changing its ministers. Its people are not 
 afflicted with itching ears, or discredited by fickle 
 hearts. The pastor has been efficient in service and 
 worthy of confidence, which has been given without 
 reserve, and your support of him has been unwaver- 
 ingly loyal, and the only change noticed in your affec- 
 tion is that it has been " from strength to strength." 
 The people of the White Church know good sound 
 timber when they see it, and they were not long in 
 discovering that their pastor was one "of the proper 
 material," and his successful ministry of twenty-five 
 years has proved the wisdom of your choice. You 
 have grappled him to your souls with more than 
 " hooks of steel." It is to be noticed that there has 
 been growth in your devotion, and it is commendable 
 that you have advanced him, " who is among you 
 as one that serveth," from the suburbs of your 
 affection, where you met him as a stranger, to the 
 innermost recesses of your appreciation, love, and 
 trust. 
 
 " Blest be the tie that binds 
 
 Your hearts in Christian love : 
 The fellowship of kindred minds 
 Is like to that above." 
 
 60 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 It was in 1871 that Mr. Mackenzie became your 
 pastor; and it was in March, 1874, that he became 
 my under-shepherd, and, for several years, he led me, 
 as well as you, " in the green pastures and beside the 
 still waters," and to-day we look back with pleasure 
 and profit upon the hours we spent in the courts of 
 the Lord's house ; though now, " sundered far, by 
 faith we meet around one common mercy-seat." I am 
 glad to testify to the helpful discourses it was my 
 privilege to hear on the Sabbath, and I can now see 
 the strong frame of the preacher tremble under the 
 strain of his earnest delivery. He spoke with anima- 
 tion, as though he was an earnest believer in the truth 
 he presented ; and he made me say very frequently, 
 " I must be about my Father's business." In the 
 hands of Mr. Mackenzie, our beloved pastor (for I 
 never knew any other), God's Word was as a sower 
 going forth to sow ; and now, in the eventide of his 
 labors, I know he will bring back the sheaves of joy. 
 The discourses always palpitated with deity and the 
 glory of the Son of God, and were delivered with 
 unction. To him Christianity was not a picture to be 
 gazed upon, but it was the fire of the Lord, the sword 
 of the Spirit, and a cry that awakened another cry. 
 And I am thankful that it was my privilege to sit 
 under the solemn calls to duty and stern admonitions 
 to seek the best things. 
 
 61 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 And now we have reached that period of the year 
 when the work of the sower has wrought its glorious 
 purpose and the labor of the reaper has been exacted. 
 The first green promise of the spring has changed to 
 the glory of the harvest-time, and the song of the 
 reaper will be heard in our midst till the granaries 
 shall be filled with the golden treasures of earth's 
 harvest fields. There is no law in the natural world 
 that does not find its correspondence in the spiritual. 
 We are the reapers in the fields of time. " One 
 soweth and another reapeth ; " and much that you 
 have sown during the past twenty-five years will not 
 be sufficiently mature for your reaping, but other 
 hands will gather in the sheaves of joy. Your sowing 
 will make the harvest fields of the future glorious 
 indeed. The gathering of the grain for the Lord's 
 treasure-house has always been abundant, but the 
 future harvests which you shall be permitted to gather 
 we trust will be as bountiful as the thought of God 
 and sufficiently rich to meet your every need. We 
 are in a grand procession of those who have reaped 
 where others have sowed, in pain and sorrow, in 
 prayer and tears, and, though the autumn of life is 
 approaching, let us continue to be sowers till " break 
 of day." The future harvests of the world wait on 
 our sowing. Here in our midst are the children and 
 the children's children ; and shall we not see to it 
 62 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. Y. 
 
 that the fields they tread shall be richer in blessing 
 than even those have been through which we have 
 wandered ? How careful we should continue to be 
 in scattering broadcast the best seed, and do it with 
 a liberal hand and prayerful heart, remembering that 
 he that goeth forth weeping, sowing precious seed, 
 shall be sure of a glorious harvest. 
 
 Commending you to the guidance of Him who 
 never errs, and praying that it may be His will that 
 you may long remain a united people, zealous of good 
 works, I remain. 
 
 Faithfully and cordially, your friend, 
 
 Herbert C. Hinds. 
 
 ^ ^ t t 
 
 Although the two which remain were not re- 
 ceived until after Tuesday, they are inserted be- 
 cause the first is from Rev. Dr. Forsythe, who 
 was pastor cf the White Church for twelve years, 
 from 1858, almost immediately preceding Mr. Mac- 
 kenzie. He wrote: 
 
 Montgomery, N. Y., October 25, 1896. 
 Deacon David Safford. 
 
 Dear Friend— I regret deeply that slow con- 
 valescence from a protracted illness will prevent 
 63 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 me from being present on the important and 
 memorable occasion. It is but seldom in a life- 
 time that one is permitted to attend the anniver- 
 sary of a pastor's settlement which has continued 
 in peace and prosperity for twenty-five years. 
 Such a record speaks volumes in praise both of 
 pastor and people, which they may well celebrate, 
 and of which you may both justly be proud. A 
 hundred years may pass before it will be repeated. 
 
 There are many special reasons why I would 
 be glad to be with you at this anniversary, des- 
 tined to become historic. 
 
 The Old White Church was my second and 
 longest pastorate, except my present charge. The 
 service which I rendered there for twelve years, 
 the Master has been pleased to accept and bless to 
 some extent in the up-building of His Kingdom. 
 In the parsonage of your Church all my children 
 were born, and in your beautiful Evergreen 
 Cemetery, with sad hearts we laid them away, 
 where these many years they have peacefully 
 slept, awaiting life's brighter coming day. And 
 when life's day's work is ended, my wife and I 
 expected to be laid by their side to sleep time's 
 dreamless sleep. 
 
 Please convey to your pastor my hearty con- 
 gratulations on his being permitted to reach and 
 64 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. Y. 
 
 and enjoy this auspicious day; impart my kindest 
 greeting to all the members of the Old White 
 Church, and accept, for yourself and the members 
 of your family, the love of your former pastor 
 and ever friend. Sincerely, 
 
 James C. Forsythe. 
 
 $" t t t 
 
 The other is from " Charlie White," whom we 
 old people of the congregation recall as a child 
 when our pastor was installed. We remember 
 him, a little boy of five or thereabouts, as he 
 used to stand on the pew, holding on to his father, 
 while the congregation were passing out. The 
 family physician frequently related that, after 
 Charlie went home, he was accustomed to " play 
 church," and repeat the sermon to his grandmother ; 
 so, when he grew up, he became a preacher in 
 earnest : 
 
 Hebron, N. Y., October 27, 1896. 
 Mr. John King. 
 
 Dear Sir — It is with sincere regret that I am 
 forced to inform you that I cannot be present at 
 Mr. Mackenzie's anniversary to-day. I am sud- 
 denly called away in another direction, and in all 
 probability cannot reach Salem in time to attend 
 the afternoon service. 
 
 65 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 Permit me to extend to Mr. Mackenzie the 
 greetings and congratulations of one of the grown- 
 up children of his congregation, who cheerfully 
 acknowledges his indebtedness to him, as to a faith- 
 ful under-shepherd, who ever cared tenderly for 
 the lambs of the fold. Let me congratulate the 
 congregation also on the high privileges which they 
 have enjoyed for a quarter of a century, in re- 
 taining the services of one so gifted as a minister 
 of Christ. That this relation between pastor and 
 people may long continue, is my earnest and 
 heartfelt desire. Expressing once again my regret 
 in being compelled to decline your cordial invita- 
 tion, and thanking you for the same, I am 
 
 fraternally yours, 
 
 Chas. T. White. 
 
 ^ ^ 4^ ^ 
 
 The ministers, old and young, having had their 
 say, it was time for the laymen to come into 
 notice ; beginning with the officers of the Church. 
 Elder Robert Stewart, Clerk of the Session, read 
 this laboriously prepared statement : 
 
 At the beginning of this pastorate there was a 
 
 membership of two hundred and five (205), to 
 
 which there has been added four hundred and 
 
 forty-two (442), making a total enrollment of six 
 
 66 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 hundred and forty-seven (647). Of this number 
 there has been certified one hundred and thirteen 
 (113), who have connected with other churches, 
 in various parts of the country, thus transferring 
 the seed to other soil, where it is no doubt 
 bearing fruit to the glory of God. One hundred 
 and forty-five (145) have died; sixteen (16) have 
 been dropped from the roll by action of Session, 
 and sixty-seven (67) have gone from our bounds 
 without taking certificates, leaving us, at present, an 
 enrollment of three hundred and six (306), of whom 
 there are with us, in active membership, two hundred 
 and eighty-seven (287); the remaining number, though 
 not with us permanently, are here occasionally. 
 
 Of those who have been associated with us, seven 
 {7) are in the ministry. Of those received into the 
 membership of the Church, three hundred and forty- 
 two (342) have been received by examination and 
 profession of their faith in Christ, ninety-nine (99) by 
 certificate, and one (i) by being reinstated. 
 
 Of those who composed the Session, at the begin- 
 ning of this pastorate, none remain, teaching us 
 emphatically that we shall all pass away, and that 
 the places which know us now will soon know us no 
 more again forever. How important that we should 
 be up and doing while the day lasts and before the 
 night come. On March 4, 1876, William Chamberlin 
 67 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 and Robert Stewart were ordained and installed 
 elders, the former of whom died January 23, 1890. 
 On June 6, 1885, James G. Gillis, David H. Safford, 
 and Peter H. Cruikshank were ordained and installed 
 elders, who, with the speaker, compose the member- 
 ship of the Session at the present time. I cannot 
 refrain from saying, of those of whom the Session is 
 now composed, that, though we sometimes differ in 
 opinion, yet there is a good, fraternal feeling and 
 spirit of harmony prevailing among us, both the 
 pastor and the elders, and a common desire to pro- 
 mote the best interests of this Church and congre- 
 gation. 
 
 There is a Woman's Missionary Society in con- 
 nection with our congregation, also a Junior Mission- 
 ary Society, each doing efficient work in their respect- 
 ive spheres. There is a Sabbath School, composed 
 of two hundred and thirty (230) scholars, with seven 
 (7) officers and nineteen (19) teachers, which has been 
 an avenue to the membership of the Church. The 
 society, known as our " Young People's Christian 
 Union " — which, it is claimed, was the first of its kind 
 organized and in operation in the United Presbyterian 
 Church — has been conducted and carried on success- 
 fully, since its formation, in March, 1874, until the 
 present time, and has never once failed to have a 
 weekly meeting in all the time it has existed. This 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 organization has proved a training school for efficiency 
 and activity in Church work. 
 
 While we have had yearly accessions to the 
 Church, there have been seasons of special refresh- 
 ing and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, when greater 
 numbers have been added. For instance : in the 
 winter and spring of 1874, there was an addition of 
 forty (40); in the winter and spring of 1877, twenty- 
 eight (28); in June, 1881, sixteen (16); during the 
 year 1886, thirty-four (34) ; during the year 1887, 
 twenty-two (22) ; in the winter and spring of 1889, 
 twenty-nine (29) ; during the year 1895, forty-three 
 (43). There has been a total of adult baptisms of 
 one hundred and nineteen (119). Many of those 
 received into the Church have been persons in middle 
 life ; and there have also been many in the morning 
 of life, some of whom were quite young : and such 
 have generally proved faithful, and have grown up 
 active members of the Church. There have been 
 one hundred and twenty-nine (129) infant baptisms. 
 
 During these years there has been a weekly 
 prayer-meeting conducted. Almost without excep- 
 tion, church service has been held on the Sabbath ; 
 communion has been dispensed quarterly ; spiritual 
 life has been quickened; the cause of temperance 
 has been advanced ; Christian beneficence has been 
 increased, and made more systematic; peace and 
 69 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 harmony have prevailed throughout the congre- 
 gation. 
 
 And now, brethren of the Session and congrega- 
 tion, let us unite in saying, " Not unto us, O Lord, not 
 unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy 
 mercy, and for Thy truth's sake." 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 The Trustees, who have the business affairs in 
 trust, were pleased to have the Treasurer report for 
 them. Succinct and to the point, his statement might 
 be termed "Multum in Parvo." How came it that 
 there was so much money raised, do you ask ? Wait 
 till later in the afternoon, when you have heard what 
 Chas. H. Wilson has to say on that point. Mean- 
 while let us read these figures : 
 
 As Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of this con- 
 gregation, I wish to present the following statement. 
 This Church has contributed during the pastorate of 
 Rev. William A. Mackenzie the following amounts : 
 
 Benevolent Purposes, $23,616.00 
 Minister's Salary, 37,500.00 
 
 Church Expenses, 23,291.00 
 
 Sabbath School, 6,936.00 
 
 Total, $91,343.00 
 Respectfully, 
 
 Wm. McFarland, 
 Salem. N. Y., Oct. 27, 1896. Treasurer. 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 In addition to the first named amount given to 
 benevolent purposes, there should be counted in 
 $4,000 of that which was contributed by the Sab- 
 bath School, making the sum of $27,616.00. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 The exercises now took another turn. Dr. Ed- 
 ward P. Sprague, pastor of the First Presbyterians, 
 bore the greeting from the sister churches of 
 the village. Unlike the ancient "Salem," which 
 had but the one Temple on Mt. Zion, there are 
 five sanctuaries within our gates. Heartily was the 
 four-fold welcome given through the aforesaid 
 channel : 
 
 I count myself happy, friends, members of this 
 venerable Church, and you, my dear brother in the 
 pastorate, that I am permitted to express to you 
 the sincere Christian greetings and congratulations 
 of the sister churches in this our fair village. We 
 bear, each of us, separate and distinctive titles, as 
 men name us; yet we are not so many dififerent 
 churches here, but parts only of that one great 
 Church, which includes all those throughout all the 
 world who confess and serve our one head, the 
 blessed Lord Jesus Christ. We count you one with 
 us, as you also count us one with yourselves, all of 
 71 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 us members in that one family named in His 
 name, on earth and in heaven, fellow-soldiers and 
 servants in that great army and that innumerable 
 multitude, "part of whom have crossed the flood, 
 and part are crossing now." As such we extend 
 to you all our cordial, loving greetings on this 
 happy anniversary day. 
 
 But first of all I must be permitted, my dear 
 brother, a personal word to yourself, one spring- 
 ing from our own prolonged personal relations. 
 I go back in thought of yourself, my brother, 
 farther even than any of those who have already 
 spoken. My first meeting you was on that sum- 
 mer Sunday when you first spoke from this pulpit. 
 On that Sunday afternoon, for the second service 
 in this Church was then held in the afternoon, I 
 was permitted to be one of those who heard you 
 preach ; and I still remember the words I spoke 
 to you in yonder vestibule after the service : " I 
 have of course nothing to say in the matter, and 
 may not even seem to intrude ; but, for myself, I 
 hope this Church will give you a call, and if they 
 do I shall welcome you here most cordially." 
 
 The Church did call you, my brother, and you 
 decided to come. Then followed those delightful 
 ten years of fraternal fellowship and co-operation, 
 years which I never forgot during my pastorates 
 
 72 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 elsewhere, and years, too, in which there was never 
 a difiference, a disagreement, or a jealousy between 
 us. Memories of those years come trooping back 
 to me as I speak, and I might dwell on them 
 long, on the conferences together, the Sunday 
 evenings of the " union services," and still more 
 the other evenings of mid-week services when, in 
 that season of blessed refreshment and revival, 
 you sat with me before my pulpit, or I in turn 
 sat with you before this pulpit here, and we were 
 rejoiced in together striving to lead souls to faith 
 and peace in the Divine Saviour, your Master and 
 mine. Well also do I recall your parting words 
 to me, when I left for another field of labor, and 
 in bidding me good-bye, a veritable God be with 
 you, you added also your cordial, " Come back 
 again, Sprague." 
 
 And then when a year and a half ago this my 
 old Church here asked me, and I decided to 
 return to them again, one of the pleasantest 
 thoughts, and one that helped me to my decision, 
 was that whatever changes might have occurred 
 in the dozen years, and they were many, and 
 whatever faces of old friends and true I should 
 miss, and I do miss many, I should yet find you, 
 my friend and brother, here still in this same 
 pastorate, and that we would resume the delight- 
 73 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 ful fellow labor and union services as of yore. 
 Nor in this have I at all been disappointed. 
 
 It is however to you, who constitute this Church 
 and congregation, and from your sister churches I 
 am especially to bring the greetings this afternoon. 
 Such greetings I do voice most heartily and warmly 
 myself, and yet no whit more heartily and warmly 
 than they are felt by all those for whom I speak. 
 
 I bring you greetings therefore, first of all, be- 
 loved, because this pulpit of your Church has 
 ever stood in the person of your pastor for the 
 simple, pure, all powerful, ever blessed gospel of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ. Never has your pastor 
 been tempted to substitute anything else for this 
 gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. 
 Never has he suffered anything else to turn him 
 aside from this, or to take the place of this in 
 his Sunday ministrations from this pulpit. Never 
 has he consented to try to please itching ears, 
 which craved something novel and strange, but 
 ever has he sought in all fidelity and Godly 
 sincerity to win wayward, sinful souls to humble, 
 penitent faith in the one and only Saviour of us all. 
 And so your sister churches have rejoiced for you, 
 and with you, during all these years in the earnest 
 faithful preaching to which you have been per- 
 mitted to listen. 
 
 74 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 I bring you greetings also, brethren, because 
 this Church in the person of its pastor has always 
 stood for the broadest Christian recognition and 
 fellowship. He has never felt, nor have you, that 
 you were in any preeminent sense the true Church 
 of Christ on the earth. He has honored and 
 loved all these our other churches here. They have 
 been dear to his heart, second only to yourselves ; 
 and he has rejoiced in their prosperity and in 
 every success to which any of them might at- 
 tain. There have been no rivalries between us, 
 save that noble Christian rivalry which might 
 most serve the common Lord, and most help 
 needy, sinful men. You have not been jealous of 
 us, nor we envious of you, for we knew full well 
 that he sought to build up this Church, never 
 by drawing from other congregations, but ever 
 by seeking to win souls from the world to Christ. 
 
 I bring you greetings again, beloved, because 
 the pulpit of this your Church has ever stood, in 
 the person of your pastor, for all good and right 
 things in the community and among men, for 
 truth and honesty, for righteousness and justice and 
 temperance, for good order, good citizenship and 
 good government in the community and the land. 
 He has felt that however much the gospel was 
 intended to prepare men's souls for heaven, it has 
 75 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 much to do also with men's lives here on the 
 earth. The kingdom of God means the rule of 
 God Himself in all the world, in home life, in 
 society, in business, in politics as well as in the 
 Church. That kingdom does not come in its full- 
 ness and power in any community except as 
 men's bodies are made healthier, their homes 
 happier, their communities more safe and quiet 
 and orderly, thanks to the presence and power of 
 the Church. And we have rejoiced in all the 
 noble efforts of your pastor to aid in securing this 
 divinely appointed end, as we have seen that he did 
 believe that Godliness hath the promise of the life 
 that now is, as well as of that which is to come. 
 
 Have we not therefore, looking back over all 
 these years, good and ample reason to extend to you 
 our warmest greetings, as sister churches to this 
 owned and honored sister among us all ? 
 
 As I stand here in this pulpit to-day, where I 
 have so often stood with you, my brother, in these 
 years passed, it seems to me almost as if I could 
 still see many of the faces I used to look into, as 
 well as many I used to meet on the streets of our 
 village, during those days now beyond recall. I 
 speak to you for those still among us, and who 
 make up these churches to-day, and yet I cannot 
 forget all these others, one with us in faith and 
 76 
 
I 
 
 U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 love, if no longer in bodily presence. Some of 
 them have removed from ours to other churches 
 in other places, where they still trust in and serve 
 the same Lord with ourselves ; but many more by 
 far have passed from earth, passed we believe 
 to that blessed home and heaven above, where 
 they behold His face, and transformed into His 
 likeness serve Him better day and night in His 
 temple. Who knows but, if our eyes were opened 
 unto spiritual sight, we might now, looking up over- 
 head, see their faces also looking down upon us, 
 rejoicing in this our joy to-day ? Long is the list 
 of such absent, or departed ones, of whom I might 
 make fitting mention, office bearers or members of 
 this your Church or of mine, or fellow laborers 
 with us here in the toils, solicitudes and happinesses 
 of the pastorate. You, my brother, will have them 
 also in mind, such as dear, beloved, honored Rev. 
 Father H. M. Davis (as we used to call him), of 
 St. Paul's, who here finished his course with praise, 
 and hath entered, we know, into the rest of the 
 blessed immortality with Christ; genial, cordial, 
 happy Brother J. W. Thompson, of the M. E. 
 Church, whose voice is still heard as strong as 
 ever in the pulpits of a neighboring city, and the 
 revered Dr. A. B. Lambert, my predecessor in the 
 pastorate of my church, who, although not in aC' 
 77 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 tive duties here within your time, so loved this 
 peaceful valley, that he gladly returned here to 
 spend his last remaining earthly years, and was 
 as gladly received by all, so that it became your 
 privilege to minister to him then ; all these, and 
 many others, you and I have in mind to-day. We 
 do not forget them, as we trust they do not forget 
 us, whether far away on earth, or farther, no. 
 nearer by, on the heights of glory. And God 
 grant that we may so finish our days in fellowship 
 with them, and with all the saints, and so far follow- 
 ing in their footsteps as they followed Christ, that 
 we in turn may be added with them to the innumer- 
 able number of that great multitude who have 
 confessed the Lord on the earth, and shall enter 
 with Him into His kingdom. 
 
 And now, dear friends, neighbors, and fellow 
 Christians in this our sister Church, there is only 
 one word more I wish to add to-day. 
 
 I know not, as you know not, what His will 
 may be ; and His will is always the wisest and 
 best, and His will, and that alone, be done — His 
 will who so truly does watch over His Churches, 
 and over His ministering servants, and rule and 
 order in their lives. I know not what His will 
 may be, but I do pray and that earnestly, that if 
 it can be His holy will, this pastorate, which has 
 
 78 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. K 
 
 been continued so long, may be continued for 
 many years yet to come, and that you, my 
 brother pastor and people, may go in and out to- 
 gether, and come here together to worship God 
 in future days as for so long in the past. If it 
 can be His will may God grant this to you and 
 to your prayers. But yet more, whether this may 
 be, or not, God grant, that which may be, that you, 
 and he, and I, and mine, not one of us, or of ours 
 left out, may at last meet and stand together in 
 the presence of the crucified and ascended Christ, 
 in whom we have believed, and before His face 
 who is God over all, blessed forever ; and then 
 when from the blessed heights of the paradise of 
 God we look back upon all the way He has led 
 us, all He has sent us to do or to bear, and all 
 He has enabled us to accomplish, will we say 
 again, what we have said so often to-day, only 
 better then and with profounder meaning, "Not 
 unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Thy great 
 name be all the glory, for Thy mercy, and for 
 Thy truth's sake, henceforth, and forever more." 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 This elicited a response from Mr. Mackenzie, 
 which is here reproduced from memory, as nearly 
 as possible. 
 
 79 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 You will please allow me a word, Mr. Chair- 
 man, in response to the kind words which have 
 just been spoken by the representative of the pas- 
 tors of the village. I wish in this public way to ex- 
 press my appreciation of the words just spoken, and 
 the sentiments of esteem and confidence which they 
 convey. I found you here, my brother, when I 
 came to take charge of this Church, and although 
 absent for a time, I am glad to find you here to- 
 day in your old position. The relations between 
 the churches of this village through all these years 
 have been the most pleasant. As brethren, we 
 have sought to dwell together in unity, and I think 
 that we have succeeded in no small degree. We 
 have worked together for the best interests of the 
 community in which our lot has been cast. Per- 
 haps one reason why I have recollected so well the 
 admonition of Brother Wiley, is the fact that we 
 have in this village had so many conflicts with the 
 cask. Once it was literally emptied, but in some 
 way it has been filled again to our sorrow and to 
 the great disadvantage of our beautiful village. I 
 hope that by our united effort, backed by the 
 effort of those whom we represent, the cask may 
 soon again be emptied, never again to be filled in 
 our midst. I shall ever have the most agreeable 
 recollections of the pleasure and helpfulness of my 
 80 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 association with the pastors of the village, as also 
 with their congregations. In most of them I have 
 been in times of sickness and death, seeking as I 
 was able to administer the consolation of the gos- 
 pel. At times it seemed almost as though I was 
 pastor of all these churches. I do not know that 
 there is one of your homes into which I could not 
 go and be welcome. All this is a pleasant re- 
 flection to-day, and my heart's desire and prayer 
 is that heaven's benediction may rest on you all. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 Not satisfied, although another had given expres- 
 sion to his sentiments, Rev. Mr. Morhouse, of the 
 M. E. Church, "junior" pastor of the community, in 
 the sense that his residence among us has been for 
 the shortest period, when the call was made for 
 impromptu addresses, uttered the following pleasant 
 thoughts : 
 
 I would not, by my silence on this occasion, convey 
 the impression that I am indifferent to the associa- 
 tions and circumstances of the hour. 
 
 I assure you I esteem it a great privilege to be 
 here, touched by the spirit and impressed with the 
 utterances heard to-day. 
 
 I congratulate all on the good fortune that has 
 8i 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 been yours as pastor and people through these years. 
 As I came to this place, last May, my acquaintance 
 with Mr. Mackenzie has been brief; but I have 
 already come to highly appreciate him as a man of 
 sterling Christian character and a minister of many 
 excellencies. My impression, on first meeting him, 
 was not like that expressed by some of the speakers 
 of the morning. I found him dignified and appar- 
 ently reserved, but have seen beneath that reserved 
 exterior a true heart of brotherly kindness. 
 
 I congratulate you as a people on your charac- 
 teristics, and especially on the qualities manifested 
 by your ministers. 
 
 This is the first United Presbyterian Church it 
 has been my good fortune to find in any place where 
 it has been my lot to be stationed. I heard, before 
 I came here, that they were a people of excellent 
 traits, conscientious, staunch, and true. And I am 
 glad to be able to say, according to my observation, 
 so far you have sustained your reputation. 
 
 Although I have not been privileged to hear your 
 pastor preach since coming among you, I have had 
 the opportunity of listening to some of your young 
 men, and have been delighted with the evangelistic 
 spirit and scriptural tone of their sermons. 
 
 I congratulate you that your ministers preach the 
 pure gospel of the Son of God with such efficiency. 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. Y. 
 
 I am so impressed with the quaHties of your pas- 
 tor, who has been with you so long, that I devoutly 
 pray for his restoration to health, for I would like 
 much his assistance as co-laborer in moral and Chris- 
 tian work with other ministers of this place. 
 
 ¥" t t t 
 
 Then arose Dr. H. L. Singleton. How familiar was 
 his soft Southern speech ! For some four years ago, 
 when Mr. Mackenzie, forbidden to preach, sought a 
 " supply," we sat under his teachings and benefited 
 by his ministrations. His reminiscences of that time 
 were, in substance, as follows : 
 
 My tribute to your pastor proceeds from a stand- 
 point somewhat apart from that occupied by those 
 who have spoken. For seven months, during my 
 occupancy of his pulpit, I was the guest of his home. 
 In the intimacy and freedom of our association there, 
 many qualities of mind and heart were revealed, 
 which I would not elsewhere have discovered. At 
 its conclusion I realized that I had enjoyed a com- 
 panionship from which my intellectual and spiritual 
 nature had become stimulated and enriched. I 
 learned to appreciate the accuracy of his informa- 
 tion, the soundness of his conclusions, the wisdom of 
 his conduct, the firmness of his faith. That domestic 
 83 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 association has been a help to me in the ministry of 
 life and of the Word. 
 
 Your cards of invitation read, " The Twenty-fifth 
 Anniversary of the Pastorate of Rev. William A. 
 Mackenzie." I would call this his silver wedding 
 with the White Church ; but you might infer that I 
 am on the Silver side of this Presidential campaign. 
 Yet the ladies of the Church — with none of my 
 timidity — have placed on the pulpit that vase of 
 yellow and white chrysanthemums ; quite suggestive 
 of our national coins. I have not counted the beau- 
 tiful blooms, so as to know whether they approve of 
 the sixteen-to-one ratio. I think, however, the white 
 is the predominant color. That is quite right for the 
 White Church — the Bride of Christ — on such an 
 occasion as this. 
 
 " The Pastorate." I like the term " pastor " best 
 of all the designations of the ministry. 
 
 " Minister" means a servant. Many troubles have 
 disturbed the church, and dissolved the pastorate, 
 from the notion that the pastor is the servant of the 
 church. I once received a letter from Rev. Dr. 
 William S. Plumer with this postscript : " P. S. — My 
 young brother, be a good servant of tfce Lord Jesus 
 Christ, but don't be a slave to your people." 
 
 " Domine " — the term our Dutch Reformed breth- 
 ren apply to the minister — means Lord. I do not 
 84 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 like that ; neither did Peter. He wrote : " Being not 
 lords over God's heritage." 
 
 " Bishop " I do not like. It savors of prelacy and 
 monarchy. Our Presbyterian ancestry suffered too 
 much from the mitered bishop for the term to become 
 popular in our household. 
 
 " Pastor " is shepherd. It is God's ideal, and God's 
 name, for the relationship. 
 
 It is a rural term. God began the world and the 
 history of man with rural life. He laid out a farm, 
 and made Adam a farmer and shepherd. If Eve 
 had been content to live on the farm, and with the 
 fleece of one flock, we might have been spared the 
 wilderness of sin and its sad experiences. 
 
 God called Himself the Shepherd of His people, 
 to express the fullness, the completeness, the ten- 
 derness of His relation to them. 
 
 Those whom He appointed to lead His people, 
 with whom He made the covenants of Promise, 
 were shepherds. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He 
 appointed Moses, at the Burning Bush, the shep- 
 herd of Israel, as he was leading his flock back 
 from pasture. He anointed a shepherd boy to be 
 the great King of Israel, and he gave us the 
 Shepherd Psalm. 
 
 God's richest prophecy and sweetest promise of 
 the Messiah were: "He shall feed His flock like a 
 85 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 shepherd ; He shall gather the lambs with His 
 arms and carry them in His bosom, and shall 
 gently lead those that are with young." When He 
 came, He said : " I am the good shepherd and 
 know my sheep and am known of mine;" and 
 thus Peter writes : " And when the chief shep- 
 herd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of 
 glory that shall not fade away." 
 
 Twenty-five years a pastor, a shepherd over a 
 Church like this ! 'Tis an honorable service, a 
 noble record, a blessed ministry. This Church 
 was first taken by its pastor from the ecclesiastical 
 wolves that would have devoured it. He brought 
 it across the perilous sea. He selected this lovely 
 valley and located the flock amid these hills and 
 by your living streams. It has had faithful shep- 
 herds by whom the succeeding generations have 
 been tended. 
 
 The last quarter of a century you have had the 
 last but not the least of the shepherds. 
 
 He has fed you with the pure food of the 
 gospel. He has sought the lost sheep ; he has 
 restored the wandering ; he has strengthened the 
 weak ; he has confirmed your faith, animated your 
 hope. 
 
 He has been your shepherd in your homes, as 
 well as in this sanctuary. Every shepherd knows 
 86 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 how the sheep love to feel the shepherd's hand. 
 An old Scotch elder, from the " Highlands," com- 
 plained of his pastor for not visiting the people. 
 I excused him on the ground of his many duties, 
 when he replied: "But, Meenister, the sheep like 
 to feed from the shepherd's hand." There is noth- 
 ing better than that in "Beside the Bonnie Briar 
 Bush." 
 
 Brother Mackenzie has fed you with a shep- 
 herd's hand. 
 
 There have been references to the afflictions 
 and sorrow of the past. He has ministered to you 
 in them well and with comfort. But this is not 
 a funeral occasion ; this is a festal day. Let every 
 heart be glad and only joy expressed. All the 
 past sorrow may be turned into joy here. We do 
 not have to wait for the New Jerusalem for that. 
 
 May the blessing of the Lord that enricheth and 
 addeth no sorrow be upon the pastor and people 
 to-day. 
 
 " The Great Shepherd of the sheep " will take 
 care of your future. He will guard and guide, until 
 the sheep of every fold shall be gathered and 
 " rounded " about the Throne. And, " The Lamb 
 which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them 
 and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters : 
 and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 
 87 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 Brother Mackenzie, I express to you my thanks 
 for your hospitable care and fraternal kindness, and 
 my high estimate of my association with you in your 
 home, in your study and in your Church. The 
 "seven months" will abide as a memory, germinal 
 with promise of the new home, and country, for 
 which we keep an expectant attitude. That memory 
 will keep unbound the wings of Hope. I commend 
 you to the Chief Shepherd, from whom, when He 
 shall appear, you will receive a crown of glory that 
 fadeth not away. 
 
 Remarkably contrasting with the foregoing was 
 the address of Rev. James G. Robertson, of Chester, 
 N. H. The very contrast served to bring out the 
 excellencies of both. 
 
 In the morning the first five years' experience 
 had been given first : the process was reversed in 
 the afternoon ; the later period was first passed in 
 review, as we have seen, showing trial and dis- 
 ability patiently borne ; the younger man then re- 
 called the earlier part of the pastorate. 
 
 James is a native of our village ; the vows 
 taken for him in his infancy by an Episcopal 
 sponsor, he renewed, himself, when thirteen years 
 old. Finding by his trembling efforts that he 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 could pray and speak in public, even at that early 
 age, he went on "from strength to strength," and 
 is now ministering with much acceptance to a 
 Congregational church in New England : 
 
 As the last speaker was telling us of his pref- 
 erence for the word " pastor," I was reminded of 
 what a colored clergyman said as to the difference 
 between a minister and an evangelist. He said, 
 "A minister has got to stick to his text, while an 
 evangelist is supposed to branch out." To-day we 
 have permission to "branch out," and say what 
 we like. 
 
 In the first place I want to testify to the 
 pleasure it gives me to be here to-day, and enjoy 
 with you this anniversary. I have come a long 
 distance to be present, but feel well repaid for the 
 effort it has cost. 
 
 I wish to congratulate this Church for the suc- 
 cess it has achieved under the leadership of the 
 pastor who now completes twenty-five years of ser- 
 vice among you. Doubtless you will all admit that 
 this Church has been a power for good, standing 
 always for an exalted type of Christian Hving ; and 
 I would say to those who are accustomed to scoff 
 at Christians and the Christian Church, that if the 
 average of character attained by this Church and 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 Dr. Sprague's Church and the other churches of 
 the community were the average of character in 
 the world at large, the world would be the better 
 for it ; then debts would be paid, and we should 
 hear less talk about " i6 to i " as being the proper 
 ratio of silver to gold in the coining of money. 
 
 We have listened to the Historical Report of 
 the Church, and have gained some idea of what 
 has been accomplished during the past quarter of 
 a century. There is one line of effort that has 
 been pursued here of which I would make special 
 mention. In studying the lesson for last Sabbath I 
 came across this sentence, " The devil believes in 
 special efforts for young men." Our pastor be- 
 lieves in special efforts for young men, but in a 
 different sense. Nearly seventeen years ago I re- 
 turned home, after an absence of about three years 
 at sea, with a desire to improve somewhat upon 
 the education I had then received. I thought the 
 way to begin would be to study Latin, and I 
 went to Mr. Mackenzie to confer with him about it. 
 I found him willing to help me, and for upwards 
 of a year it was my custom to prepare my lesson 
 during the day and recite it to him in the evening, 
 and, although I was a dull scholar, I found him 
 to be an excellent teacher. For this start in an 
 academic course of study, and for helpful sug- 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 gestions as to the calling towards which my heart 
 inclined, I have never ceased to be grateful. 
 
 I was but ten years old when Mr. Mackenzie 
 came to Salem as a candidate. I remember how 
 I appreciated the first sermon he preached, and 
 wished that the congregation would give him a call, 
 which, as it seems, they were inclined to do. The 
 revival of 1874 which marked these early years of 
 his ministry lingers vividly in my memory, for it 
 was then I found the Lord. I remember that first 
 communion when, seated with the other boys who 
 united with the Church at that time, I partook of 
 the memorial feast, which was to us all so full of 
 rest and spiritual refreshment. Soon after this 
 revival came the organization of the "Young Men's 
 Prayer Meeting," out of which grew the " Young 
 People's Meeting," which has been so helpful to 
 many of us who are here to-day. From this the 
 " Young People's Christian Union " is a development. 
 
 Last evening it was my privilege to walk out 
 to the cemetery, one of the most beautiful spots 
 on the face of the earth. Here our loved ones 
 are sleeping, and as I stood by the quiet graves, 
 and passed under the evergreens with their grace- 
 fully drooping branches, I was reminded of the 
 words I have so often heard from this pulpit, 
 " The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath 
 91 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 are the everlasting arms," and how this hope sus- 
 tains us not only in life but in death, I was 
 reminded, also, in connection with this pastorate of 
 which we have been speaking to-day of what we 
 read in the prophecy of Daniel, " They that be 
 wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, 
 and they that turn many to righteousness, as the 
 stars forever and ever," It is my prayer that this 
 Church may be prospered as it has been in past 
 years, and that God's servant may long continue 
 holding forth the word of life. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ It' 
 
 When a whole day is given up to an observance, 
 it matters not how many hours are spent at it. So 
 we listened, with no sense of weariness, to Rev. W. 
 H, Meeker, He, too, needs no introduction. We 
 Salem people have known him all our lives — all his 
 long life of seventy-two years. We paid respectful 
 attention while this Methodist minister thus talked 
 to us : 
 
 I am more than gratified to be with you on this 
 pleasant and joyous occasion. It has been remarked 
 that there are only three present who were members 
 of Argyle Presbytery when our reverend brother was 
 installed pastor of this Church. 
 
 02 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 Although not in form a member of your honor- 
 able body, I have frequently been in your pulpits on 
 Holy Day, to worship with your people, and have 
 been intimate with Rev. Dr. Mackenzie from the 
 time he came to serve this congregation. Several 
 speakers have suggested that their first impressions 
 of this worthy brother were misleading : that they 
 thought him reserved and unsocial. 
 
 But the very trait and temperament to which 
 they refer was to me one of his many charms. I will 
 give you a vivid illustration to what I refer. I was 
 permitted, this last summer, to enjoy a family reunion 
 in a community where I taught school when a young 
 man, and was invited to spend the night at the home 
 of an old friend. When speaking farewell words, 
 the next day, I said to my hostess and early friend 
 (now a worthy grandmother) : " Margaret, do you 
 know why I have always loved you ? Well, you 
 remember David said, 'Thy gentleness hath made 
 me great,' and your quietness, friendliness, and every- 
 day sameness of manner drew me and has held my 
 friendship through all these years." So this devout 
 and earnest minister, by the same traits of character, 
 drew me at first, and has held me until now. 
 
 Men, like nature, have a striking dissimilarity. 
 We see the rippling stream and the rolling, rushing 
 river ; the smiling valleys and the towering hills. 
 93 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 So I, of mercurial temperament, when I meet a man 
 like our brother, full of moderation, a mind and soul 
 filled with placidity, I am attracted. This is one of 
 his winning traits, and embodies an unbroken sym- 
 pathy and perpetual friendship. 
 
 I have been out of the pastorate for several years, 
 and during this time have been in the pulpits of 
 eleven different denominations; have a broadening 
 love towards all good laymen and Christ-like min- 
 isters. 
 
 Now and then I come in contact with one of both 
 classes, who seems willing to let down the old stand- 
 ards and lend his influence to pietize worldliness, 
 rather than to earnestly endeavor to evangelize that 
 town in which he lives. 
 
 But the ministry of this pulpit, for the last twenty- 
 five years, has been an out-and-out Christian ministry. 
 And a minister and pulpit of that type, being the 
 New Testament type, are the Drummond light of the 
 world. No other place or power can compare with 
 it to attract the people — to instruct and comfort and 
 save the people. 
 
 Brother Wiley has referred to the arduous and 
 persistent study that must have been had during 
 these wearing years. He said that he gave him 
 notice, at the time of his installation, that he must 
 keep the barrel full, or there would be a tendency 
 
 94 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 to dribble. He rather gave us away, by saying we 
 " could not pretend to much originality." This may 
 be true, with the exception of original sin. Not long 
 since I heard some ministers express a desire to 
 preach like this or that great man. I tried to encour- 
 age their drooping spirits by saying that, while we 
 could not expect to preach like them, neither could 
 one of them preach like ourselves. 
 
 Solomon's temple was properly called " So/o- 
 mon's temple," and yet his father devised the plan, 
 and the materials were gathered from various quar- 
 ters ; still he superintended it, and probably no 
 other man could have built it : so it was rightly 
 called kzs. Very much so is it with our sermons ; 
 but none save the man who has ground in this 
 mill can tell the study, research, prayer and care 
 that every consecrated preacher has to endure if 
 he would bring out things new and old, to culture 
 and build up his people in godliness. Brother 
 Mackenzie was taken into a niche in the temple 
 of my soul when we first met, and every passing 
 year has only served to cement the friendship 
 commenced a quarter of a century ago. Having 
 passed through the same sad experience, my heart 
 went out to him in deep fellowship of suffering, 
 when death came up into his parlor window and 
 left him wifeless, his children motherless. I join 
 95 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 my prayers with these ministers and this devoted 
 people that his health may be restored, and for 
 years to come he may continue to preach that 
 gospel which is the power of God to draw men 
 to salvation and to heaven. 
 
 ^ ^ t $' 
 
 Has anything been omitted? Yes, one thing has 
 been unsaid, and " Charlie Wilson " says it in 
 his own impulsive way. Some lady remarked after- 
 wards that she "had never heard Wilson do so 
 well." May be he never did do better, but those 
 who attend "Young People's Meeting" know that 
 his remarks, whether brief or long, are always 
 telling. Witness these : 
 
 As one of the former young men of this Church, 
 I wish to say, that from the time when, with an- 
 other young man on a dark night about twenty- 
 three years ago, I went to the study of the pastor, 
 to talk with him of the things that pertain to the 
 better life, to the present time, I have found him a 
 wise counselor and friend. 
 
 Perhaps my relations with him have been 
 different from others of this Church, and I would 
 bear testimony then, to-day, that all these relations 
 have been a delight. 
 
 Whether in field or woods, by lake or river, at 
 96 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. V. 
 
 home or abroad, he has always been a generous 
 friend, a delightful companion, and profitable withal. 
 
 As one who has been a part of the White Church, 
 I wish to join with you in congratulations to-day — 
 congratulations for the pastor, congratulations for the 
 people. I join with you in congratulations on the 
 reports of the Church, historical and financial. 
 
 Let us not forget that while the pastor has in- 
 structed and urged us to be benevolent and benefi- 
 cent people, he has been our leader in all : one 
 who has at all times practiced what he preached. 
 
 In the regular collections of this Church you 
 have a custom that, to my knowledge, is in use but in 
 one other church, and that one has for its pastor a 
 young man who has gone out from this. I refer to 
 the custom of first passing the plate to the pastor. 
 
 Since the adoption of the envelope system which 
 followed the abolishing of pew rents in 1880, he 
 has borne more than his proportionate share, putting 
 in as one of the congregation. From his teaching 
 and example we have learned systematic giving. 
 
 He has been a gallant leader working with us, 
 and at the same time guiding us "into green pas- 
 tures and beside the still waters." 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 And now, that all the foregoing should not prove 
 mere empty talk, Frederick Fraser rises. He speaks : 
 97 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 In behalf of the congregation and in accordance 
 with their request, I desire to present to our pastor 
 a gift, as suggestive in some slight measure of our 
 appreciation of his long and faithful service in our 
 midst. 
 
 In our presence he has borne the burden and 
 the heat of the day ; borne it faithfully and well. 
 His has been a whole-hearted, earnest and devoted 
 service, not as a man-pleaser, but with an eye 
 single to the glory of God and the eternal welfare 
 of every member of his congregation. This we 
 know, and we desire to accompany this token with 
 the deepest feeling of gratitude and affection, and 
 with the earnest wish that the spirit of our beloved 
 pastor may be refreshened with the knowledge of 
 the love we bear to him. 
 
 $" t t $" 
 
 This gift of twenty-five ten dollar gold pieces, a 
 free-will offering from all the people, small sums 
 or large, contributed as each purposed in his heart, 
 without urging, without a "subscription paper," 
 was placed in Mr. Mackenzie's hand, which 
 trembled as he received it. There was a moment's 
 silence. Then he said : 
 
 My dear people, after all that has been said 
 
U. p. CHURCH, SALEM, N. Y. 
 
 and done to-day, I scarcely know what to say. I 
 could only wish that I were more deserving. This 
 gift touches my heart. Its color indicates the 
 sentiment of the givers. It is the finest, and says 
 to me that I have the sincere affection and con- 
 fidence of your hearts. To assure me of this the 
 present gift was not needed. I knew this before. 
 I have had too many indications of this in the past 
 to be ignorant on such a score. I accept the gift 
 thankfully, because of its intrinsic value, but most 
 of all, for what is behind it. It is pure gold, and 
 as such is valuable, but most of all is it valuable 
 to me because of the loyal devoted hearts that beat 
 in and through it. These pulsations I feel and 
 they move me greatly. I can only wish that I had 
 proved myself more worthy of all the kindness 
 you have shown ; but this I can do, will do : pray 
 that " my God will supply all your need, according 
 to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus." 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 Taking into consideration the fact that it was on 
 the eve of a Presidential election, when the minds 
 of all were filled more or less with thoughts of the 
 impending crisis, it was remarkable that there were 
 only the two allusions (already cited) to the political 
 situation or the money question. This was emblem- 
 
 L.ciC. 99 
 
ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR. 
 
 atic of the course of the White Church and its leader 
 through the past years. By no means unconcerned as 
 to our country's welfare, rather, with truest patriotism, 
 he felt that a minister should influence the tide of 
 affairs, not by exciting party spirit, nor by converting 
 the pulpit into a rostrum. He has striven, instead, 
 to raise the moral tone of the cornmunity by teaching 
 high spiritual truths. His conviction is that " right- 
 eousness exalteth the nation." He has acted upon 
 that conviction. The result has proved it correct. 
 
 The closing address having come to an end, all 
 joined, before the benediction was pronounced, in 
 singing these cheerful strains of the " Sweet Psalmist 
 of Israel :" 
 
 " Now the King in Thy strength 
 Shall be joyful, O Lord, 
 And shall in Thy salvation rejoice: 
 For the wish of his heart 
 Thou didst freely accord 
 And request of his suppliant voice. 
 
 "Thro' salvation from Thee 
 
 Has his fame spread abroad, 
 Thou didst glory and honor impart ; 
 
 Thou hast made him most blessM 
 Forever, O God, 
 And Thy presence has gladdened his heart." 
 
MAR 25 1902