C6e litirarp 
 
 of t|)e 
 
 ajnttieriBiitp of il3ortt) Carolina 
 
 Collection ot ilSottf) Carolmiana 
 
OF 
 
 REV. WILLIAM H. WILLS. D. D. 
 
REV. WM. H. WILLS, D. D 
 
 When men of eminent piety, large 
 iEflaence and extensive usefulness, who 
 have served their generation by tha 
 will of God, fall on sleep and are gath- 
 ered home to their reward, those who 
 knew them best, and enjoyed the f aires 5 
 opportunities for making a just es i- 
 mate of their wott*i, seem to have laid 
 on them an obligation to the living to 
 put on record at least a brief sketch of 
 the virtuous lives thus closed up for 
 ever. It is with such impiessions as 
 these that we write of the late Rev, 
 WrLLTAM H. WiLiiS, D. D , a fuperau- 
 nuated minister of the North Carolina 
 Conference of the Methodist Protestant 
 Chui ch, who was born on the ith day 
 of August, 1809, and died June 22nd, 
 1889. in his ^Och year. 
 
 [The committee appointed to write 
 this obituary was constituted of Dr. A. 
 O. Harris and J L. Michaux, but the 
 hea th of Dr. Harris, who has himself 
 since gone home, being feei.le, he au- 
 thorized his associate in this tribute to 
 proceed with the task, which he has 
 done under numerous diffimlties, one 
 of which has been to select from a 
 large mass of facts which seemed essen- 
 tial to the subject a bulk not too great 
 for 8 newspaper memoir. This diflB 
 oulty has cramped the hand and per- 
 plexed the mind of the wi^er, since the 
 part enacted by Dr. Wills in the history 
 of the church in North Carolina from 
 1831 to 1884 connects his name with 
 the most interesting events of that his- 
 tory. I 
 
 Dr. Wills became a member of the 
 church at Whitaker's Chapel in 1830, 
 and was licensed to preach April 18th, 
 1831. He preached h s first sermon in 
 old Hebron church, Edgecombe coun- 
 ty, on the 4th Sunday in May, 1831. 
 The annual conference of March 17, 
 
 1831, at Kehoboth, Granville county, 
 had aire dy ordered, prior tj the date 
 of his license, that young Bro. Wills 
 should be employed by the President 
 should that officer think proper. He 
 was Secretary of the Conference of 
 
 1832, held in Raleigh and was re urned 
 to Roanoke as assistant to Rev. John 
 
 ^ F. Speight, At the Coaference of 1833, 
 
 at Whitaker's Chapel, he was a lay dele- 
 gate and Secretary to the body, was 
 elected to deacon ' orders and ordained, 
 and assigned to Granville circuio as 
 Superintendent. From the Conference 
 a^ Moubt Hermon, he was sent as as- 
 sistant on Roanoke circuit, the engage- 
 ment to end Oct 1st, of that year. He 
 was absent from the conference of 1835, 
 held at Rehoboth, bnt was recommend- 
 ed for elders' orders and was placed on 
 the district committee as an unstation- 
 ed minister. On the 13th of May, 1835, 
 he was married to Miss Anna M., 
 daughter of Dr. Carey Whitaker, of 
 Half AX cauuty, who, with seven of th© 
 nine children ' born to them, still sur- 
 vives, treasuring the precious memories 
 of a married life extending over the 
 period of fifty-four years, * and looking 
 for that blessed hope and the glorious 
 appearing of the great God and our 
 Savior Jesus Christ." The eldest son 
 is Rev. R. H. Wills, the President of 
 this Conference, and a regular itinerant 
 for about thirty years. 
 
 The name of W. H. Wills does not 
 appear on ihe roll of the f onference of 
 1836, held at Sandy Ridge, Guilford 
 county, but he was placed on the dis- 
 trict committee and enrolled as an un- 
 stationed minister on Roanoke circuit. 
 The minutes for ';^7. at Shi'oh, '38 at 
 Rehoboth, *39 at Salem, Orange county, 
 '40, at Fair Grove, report him as un- 
 statiored. There was no conference in 
 '41, on account of the fact that the 
 conference of '40 occurred on the 4th 
 of December and the next conference 
 was held February 18th, 1842. There 
 were two conferences in '42, the second 
 one being December the 2nd. For 
 these years, and until '44 Bro. Wilis 
 was reported *'unstationed," but in tae 
 latter year he was received into confer- 
 eaco by vote and enrolled as a member. 
 He had been employed by the Presi- 
 deot, with the unanimous vote of the 
 quarterly conference, early in 1844, to 
 supp y the place on Roanoke circuit 
 made vacant by the resignation of 
 Rev. Wm. Lineberry. He was present 
 at the Fairfield Conference in 1844, was 
 chairman of the Boundaries' Commit- 
 
2 
 
 tee, and was assigned as an assistant on 
 Rojinoke circuit, and at the conference 
 of 1845, held at Whitaker's Chapel, he 
 was returned as an assistant on Roa- 
 noke circuit, and was elected to and at- 
 tended the general confereoce of May, 
 1846, at Cincinnati. He started to the 
 Mount Hermon conference of 1847, but 
 an accident on the way, not serious in 
 itself, influenced him to return home. 
 This conference assigned him as an as . 
 sistant on Roanoke circuit. 
 
 It was during 184S that the more ag- 
 gressive rEinisterial career of our broth 
 er began. During all the previous 
 years there were not only enough 
 preachers to fill all the appointments, 
 but some of the circuits had their sup- 
 erintendents and as many as five or six 
 assistants, some of them necessarily 
 only partially engaged in ihe work. 
 Roanoke, for example, in 1845, report 
 ed, "Caswell Drake, John F. Speig^ht, 
 Wm. Bellamy, R. Davidson, Wm. H. 
 Wills and G- A. T. Whitaker," minis- 
 ters, while it also had an unordained 
 traveling assistant, A. C. Harris, and 
 three un stationed ministers and preach- 
 ers — ten in ail. Nor were the sur- 
 roundings much dissimilar in other 
 parts of the district at that time. 
 
 These facts of history will account in 
 large measure for any seeming lack of 
 activity on the part of such a man as 
 Dr. Wills, full of zeal and devotion as 
 he ever was. But, in the summtr of 
 1848, we see him breaking over the en- 
 vironments which had for years circuoa- 
 scribed his activities, and perhaps un- 
 der more favorable domestic surround- 
 ings, starting from his home, full of 
 zeal and ardor, to assist his brethren of 
 the Western circuits in their camp and 
 protracted mestings, At Fogleman'a, 
 in Alamance, and Double Springs, in 
 Guilford, his preaching was attend<^d 
 with almost Pentecostal power and ef 
 fectiveness. This remark applies more 
 appropriately to a sermon preached at 
 Double Springs on, "If any man lack 
 wisdom, let him ask of God." at the 
 close of which a thousand hearers 
 seemed to have been swayed as by a 
 strong wind. 
 
 We suggest the thought for what it 
 may be worth, that the great success of 
 
 this evangfelistic excursion to the camp 
 meeting fields of the Western circuits 
 was interpreted by Bro. Wills to indi- 
 cate his duty to give himself to the 
 work at laige ; accordingly be is found 
 at the Fair Grove Conference of 3848, 
 where, on the first ballot, he is elected 
 President of the District, 
 
 Many worthy and laborious men had 
 preceded him in that office, but he un- 
 dertook and carried out a more thor- 
 ough and aggressive plan of circuit 
 visitation, preaching and supervising 
 the work on all the fields of labor, than 
 any one had undertaken to do up to 
 that time reporting, too, in pleasant 
 and attractive vein, for the church 
 periodical the result of his itin*^rarit 
 ohservations. The notes of travel from 
 his pea during the year ^849, which 
 may be found in the files of the Metho 
 DisT Pbotestant. would be interesting 
 reading at, this da^. They were pro- 
 ductive of great good among the read- 
 ers of the church paper, and were full 
 of encouragement to both pastors and 
 people. We can recall at this distant 
 dav the terms of high appreciation with 
 which be spoke of such men as Rev.'s 
 Alson Gray and John Hinshaw, who 
 were acknowledged as foremost men in 
 piety and zeal in their day. The labors 
 of the President in 1849 were abundant 
 and arduous, but it was manifest thai 
 they had efiected good in all directions. 
 His report to the Conference of 3 849 
 was the first regalar document of the 
 sorb from an executive ot the district, 
 besides that it contained a setting forth 
 in full of his views as to the condition 
 of the various fields of labor, their sus- 
 ceptibilities and their necessities. 
 
 He was re-elected President at the 
 Conference of 1849, and chosen a dele- 
 gate to the General Conference of 1850. 
 He was again elected President at the 
 Rehoboth Conference of 1850, but early 
 in the next year hit! health gave way, 
 and the district committee appointed 
 Rev. B. L. Hoskins to fill oat the un- 
 expired term. He was able to attend 
 the Conference at Bethel in 1851, and 
 wai left without an appointment at his 
 own request. The next year be was 
 assigned to Halifax circuit as assistant. 
 He was Secretary of the Conference of 
 
3 
 
 1853, beld at Fairfield, and was assign- 
 ed to Roanoke circuit as Supt. Next 
 year he was Supt. of Halifax circuifc, 
 and was in the same relation for two 
 sacceedin!2: years, In 1857 he was as- 
 signed to Roanoke circuit as 8upt. and 
 was also a delegate to the General Con- 
 lerence of 1858 and at the Annual Con- 
 ference ot '58 was returned to Roanoke 
 circuit, Duriutr the ve ir 1860 he was 
 ULa signed, but the Presideat, Tiev. 
 John F. Speight, having died during 
 this year. Dr. Wills vi&a appointed to 
 till out his term. He was elected Pres- 
 i<3ent at the Conference d1 IS- 0, but re- 
 signed durit g the session of the Cou- 
 tereuc-, an'^ was appointed Supt. of 
 Tar River circuit, and was returned the 
 next yejr. From the Conference of 
 1862 he was aswigned to Roanoke, and 
 retun ed in 1863, ~nd '64 He was not 
 present at the celebrated Fair Grove 
 Coi.ference of 1863, and therefore had 
 nothing to do with the proceedings of 
 the session. By the Conference of 
 1865 he was assigne » to Halifax circuit 
 and elected to ti)e General Conference 
 o 1866. ht^ld at Georgetowu, D. C. of 
 which he was Pres^dtnt. Ic ivould be 
 needless to say to those who knew bis 
 readiness and ekill as a presiding offi- 
 cer, that he discharged the f unci ions 
 of the office with a^^iiity and success. 
 On one of the days during the session 
 the General Conference, in a body, 
 called on President Johnson at the 
 White House, Dr. Wills makiog the 
 address, and President Johns^m reply- 
 ing. It is remembered thdt Pre^ident 
 Wills was clad in a suit of black home 
 spun, which bed been manufactured 
 out of the ra w material, and he said to 
 the occujpant of t e White House, with 
 evident pride and satisfaction: "Sir, 
 the clothes that I have on are entirely 
 of home produc ion, my wife aod 
 daughters having dyed and spun the 
 wool, woven 'he cloth, cut out the ga' 
 ments and made them with their own 
 ban 'IS " 
 
 He was reappointed to Halifax circuit 
 by the Conlerence of 1866, and elected 
 H delegate to the Montgomery Conven- 
 tion for the following year. This con- 
 veniioa^be attended, and acted an im- 
 portant part in its pruceediDgs. The 
 
 Conference of 1867 left him without an 
 appointment at his own request, and at 
 the next Conference he was elected 
 President of the district, and re-elected 
 in 1869. In 1^70 tie was a member of 
 the General Conference, but at the en- 
 suing Annu;.! (Jonference he was left 
 without an appointment, in conse- 
 quence of ill health which relation was 
 repeated for '71 and '72. in which latter 
 year the honorary degree of Doctoi of 
 Divinity was conferred on him by the 
 trustees and 1 acuity of Western Mary- 
 land College, 
 
 In 1873 be wbs placed on the list cf 
 superannuates, which relation was con- 
 tinued in '74 aT^d '75, but in '76 no re- 
 cord is made. Ihe Conference of '73 
 elected him one of the delegates to tiiS 
 Union Conveniiou of '77, in Baltimore, 
 in which body his firm, constrvative 
 position on import nt questions won 
 for him and bis Conference the respect 
 and good will of all. Ho was, indeed, 
 an important factor in reaching an 
 amic-ble adjustment between the two 
 divisions of the church represented in 
 that convention. 
 
 Dr. Wilis and a majority of his Con • 
 ference bad been slow to approve of a 
 proposition wbi^h had been for some 
 time pending to reunite what was then 
 known as "the Methodist church," and 
 the Me.hodist Protestant church, the 
 latter being confined almost entire'y to 
 the Southern States, and the propriety 
 and the terms of such union were warni- 
 ly discussed, but when at last such 
 guarante es as he thought were neces- 
 sary were proposed, be, as did a ma- 
 jority of his brethren in the South, 
 heartily concurred in the proposed 
 measure, and entered the compact with 
 great heartiness. 
 
 The following Annual Conference 
 ('77) appointed him agent of Gr ens- 
 boro Mission; the session of '78 ap- 
 pointed him Conference Evangelist, 
 and at the next session he was appoint- 
 ed to La Grange Mission. In 1880 be 
 was assigned to Tar River circuit and 
 the same year be had been present as a 
 d -legate to the Pittsburg Gene al Con- 
 ference. In '81 and '82 be was as igned 
 to Roanoke, and in '83 to Tar River, 
 with Rev. W. L. Harris associate pas- 
 
 \ 
 
4 
 
 tor. Early in '84 he took charge of La 
 Grenge Mission to supply a vacancy, 
 and whiJe filling that position \7ith his 
 characteristic energy and faithfulness — 
 going beyond his strength — he was, on 
 the night of Sept. 19^h, 188i, at the 
 home of Mrs E. R. Had ley, near La 
 Grange, stricken with paralysis, an a^- 
 fliction which held him in its grasp un 
 til Juue 22nd, 1889, when he passed 
 away. 
 
 The la e and beloved Rev, A. C. 
 Harris, M. D., a short while before his 
 own death, dictated to an amanuensis a 
 letter to this writer as his tribute to the 
 memory of Dr. Wills, which has now a 
 mournful interest, yet brighteued by 
 the thought that the two have already 
 met 
 
 * 'Beyond the fiighing and the weeping, "' 
 He writes: 
 
 ' 'Bro. Miohaux— Our life-long friend 
 and ministerial associate, Rev. W, H. 
 Wills, D,D., has gone before us, having 
 through strength, la bor and sorrow, 
 nearly entered upon four -score years. 
 
 The perpetuity of jife — the life that 
 nowi^and that which is to come idti- 
 mately blended — is a pleasing contem 
 plation to them who, by patient con- 
 tinuance in well-doing, seek for glory, 
 honor and immortality, as tbey have 
 the promise of eternal life; and this we 
 secure through our Redeemer, God 
 having bestowed His love upon us by 
 the gift of His Son, and we, entering 
 by faith and obedience into His family 
 as heirs and joint heirs with Chr st 
 Jesus, are called the sons of God; and 
 it aoth not yet appear what we shall be, 
 but we know that when He shall ap- 
 pear we shall be like Him, for we shall 
 see Him as He is. 
 
 He now rests from the labors and 
 sorrows of life, both in the gra" e and 
 in that everlasting rest which remaineth 
 for the people of God. 
 
 Ho-v blest the righteous when he dies! 
 
 When sinks the weary soul to rest! 
 How mildly beam the closing ejes 
 How gently heavea the expiring breast! 
 
 Life's labor done, as sinks the clay. 
 Light from its load the spirit flies. 
 While heaven and earth combine to say, 
 How blest the righteous when he dies . 
 
 Ushered into the divine Presence, 
 and being a partaker of heavenly 
 glories, our brother rests from his la 
 bors, and his works do follow him. 
 His labors were abundant, and the 
 governing principle with him was a full 
 conception of duty; and this shaped his 
 course. 
 
 The older members of our Conference 
 are on the roll of the deaa — Harris, 
 Speight and Wills, whose labors, in the 
 thirties, were mainly in the East, have 
 entered the portals of everlasting glory, 
 in the order named, and, reunited, may, 
 if permitted, recount the toils, labors 
 and pleasured of their intimate associa 
 tion while bearing the yoke in their 
 youth, and exult together in the glory 
 by which they are surrounded. Beth- 
 esda, beloved home of our deer brother 
 and father in Israel, has many repre- 
 sentatives in the better world. The 
 old, the middle aged and the young are 
 there. Their memory is inscribed in- 
 delibly upon our affections, while the 
 reunion will gladden all hearts, and we 
 shall sing — Saved by Grace. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 A. C. Habris. 
 Sassafras Fork, N. C„ Aug. 6, '89. 
 
 Thus far we have scarcely don 3 more 
 than pres'^nt to the reader the dry 
 statistics of time and place and move- 
 ments in relation to our deceased 
 brother, when he began his career, 
 what positions he filled, and other 
 similar details— only the beginning, 
 leally, concerning a life full of instruc- 
 tive and edifying incident. 
 
 Dr. Wills' early literary training was 
 limited in its pcope, but he had been 
 well instructed in secular business 
 methods, and he was a model in prompt- 
 ness and accuracy in all matters. He 
 always carried a watch, and was careful 
 that it should be an accurate time- 
 keeper. Carelessness in meeting en- 
 gagements on time always worried him 
 If he ever failed to reach ^n Annual or 
 General Conference, or any other 
 
clinreh meeting, in time for its open- 
 ing, it is not remembered. Such a 
 thing could not occur without an acci- 
 dent. And if he tilled d.n appointment 
 to preach it was generally at the exact 
 time that was announced. In dress he 
 was rigidly plain, and the idea of show 
 seemed never to have entered his mind. 
 Yet he was alwa5s scrupulously neat, 
 bo*h in his person and his attire. In 
 respect to what might be termed gossip, 
 he was peculiar, fle never related any 
 common occurrences in one place that 
 he had heard in another, and never in- 
 quired after the news; yet he was never 
 indifferent to the real welfare of the 
 people, and was ever ready to discuss 
 topics of genuine interest His aver- 
 sion to gofcsip may be illasrrated by one 
 circumstance: On oneoccassion he had 
 ridden up to a nt^i jhborhood store and 
 had i ust dismounted when a rather in- 
 quisite person came up and accosting 
 him quite faniliarly, asted, * What is 
 the news?" The prompt reply was, 
 •*fc>ir, I am no news carrier." 
 
 He WaS fond ot his own home and 
 fireside and took great interest in con- 
 triving appliances for convenience and 
 comfort; yet we have heard Lim express 
 the fear lest his earthly home should 
 become so attractive to him that he 
 might be reluctant to leave it when the 
 time came to go. As a husband and 
 father and the head of a family his 
 plans were admirable, and were carried 
 out so ekillfuUy, as shown by their sue- 
 ces?, that they deseive to be imitated 
 by all, if that were possible How to 
 live "in the midsc of a crooked and 
 perverse nation" without contracting 
 evil, is perhaps not a more difficult 
 proljlem than to so order one's house- 
 hold as not to subject its inmates to as- 
 similation to the families surroanding 
 them; but we have evidence of the face 
 that one family at least could be "in 
 the world and not of tie world," by 
 virtue of obedience to the Divine com- 
 mand to "keep the way of the Lord." 
 
 Those who knew and observed Dr. 
 Wills were satisfied of the fact that he 
 was actuated in ah his movements, both 
 public and private, by what he believed 
 to be Christian principle. He seemed 
 to have a way marked out before him, 
 
 and from it he could not be turned 
 aside. We do not mean to say that he 
 never yielded in a matter of opinion, 
 for in this particular he was the reverse 
 of strenuous, and we have often seen 
 him y eld to persons whose opinions 
 were entitled to far less respect than 
 his own. The spirit of contention had 
 no place in his heart, and in his long 
 life he was never known to wrangle; as 
 for the retaliatory spirit, that also was 
 foreign to him, as we have had oppor 
 tunity for testing. We believe the ex- 
 act truth to be that our departed broth 
 er was thoroughly regenerated), and 
 that he acted in obedience to the spirit 
 of grace that was in him. 
 
 True, we once heard him say that he 
 nad no knowledge of the exact time 
 when he pa&sed from nature to grace, 
 yet he knew that he had undergone the 
 great change and was a new crextura in 
 Christ Jesus. Under this blessed con 
 sciousnesshe rejoiced in Christ Jesus 
 and gave glory to God. Often when he 
 ministered to others in the church of 
 God his own soul would take fire and 
 he would be carried away in the excess 
 of joy. 
 
 We never met a man who gave clearer 
 evidences of loyalty to God, to con- 
 fcience, to duty, and to his church, and 
 in these respects he deserves the high- 
 est rank. For Christ's sake he loved 
 the church and the souls of perishing 
 men. and for Christ's sakf and the sal- 
 vation of souls he preached and prayed, 
 exhorted and wept through long years 
 of toil and self sacrificing devotion. 
 We are assured by the voice from 
 heaven that those who die in the Lord 
 are blessed, for the reasons "that they 
 rest from their labors," and * 'their 
 works do follow them." How blessed 
 then him whom we here commemorate 
 in these lines of tribute, whose labors 
 were so abundant and whose works 
 were so earnest and faithful. How 
 earnestly and tenderly he expoun ded 
 and applied the vital doctrines of re- 
 pentance toward God and faith toward 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, and exhoited 
 the church to stand fast, to put on the 
 whole armor of God, to pray without 
 ceasing and to look for tiae mercy of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 
 
6 
 
 As a preacher he was doctrinal, experi- 
 mental and practical, always in earnest, 
 and often, especially when in the prime 
 of his manhood, with distinguif^hed 
 ability and effectiyeness, He watched 
 for souls as one who mus!i give account, 
 and there are hundreds now living who 
 treasure up the saving words he sp^ke, 
 and hundreds more who will recall 
 them in seasons yet to come, because 
 the;* are the worda of wisdom and of 
 eternal life. 
 
 Dr. Wills was a close student of the 
 Bible, and made it the staple of his es- 
 cellent sermj^ns. H.3 was also well 
 versed in the economy of his church, 
 clearly compr. hended its principles, 
 and was a parliamentarian of decided 
 ability, so that as a presiding officer 
 among us he was preeminent, deciding 
 points of order with readiness and dis- 
 patchiEg business with speed. Both as 
 the secretary and the presiding officer 
 of the Confereni-e he always disolayed 
 the most complete readiness and skill, 
 and we have heard a number of persons 
 say that they never saw his equal as a 
 chairman. But perhaps he performed 
 his part quite as well and with as much 
 success r,s a committeeman as in any 
 other relation. His reports were models 
 of point and comprehensiveness. 
 
 As a debater he was ready and able, 
 and might have ex elled as such, bat 
 for the f^ct tbat he had no fondness in 
 that direction; and as jetirs increased 
 the disinclination to debate seemed to 
 grow upon him. 
 
 The writer, while engaged in prepar- 
 ing this tribute, realizes what he has 
 felt in respect to other deceased breth- 
 ren, a feeling which grows out of the 
 changed condition from life to death, 
 as to the body, and from emb^^died to 
 disembod'ed, as to the spirit. We were 
 once so circumstanced that we could 
 see them and hold conyerse with them: 
 ail is now changed, and the veil of 
 mysterious silence and non intercourse 
 drops down between them and us. And 
 there are some words that we intended 
 to say to them, but while we deterred, 
 the swift, noiseless chariot came down 
 and bore them away. 
 
 The death of Dr. Wills was preceded 
 byl'an affliction of four years and nine 
 
 months, during much of which tim( 
 however, he was comparatively con: 
 lortable, could move about with 
 crutch, and could be carried fror! 
 place to place. Only a short while b€ 
 fore his death his condition appeared 
 much improved, so as to give hope n 
 an extension of his term, but withi; 
 four or five days of the Saturday c 
 which he died a chant; e for the wors 
 came on him, and he continued to sini 
 until the end w^s reached. Thus die* 
 God's faithful servant in his 80th yen i 
 He was ready, we have no doubt, Non? 
 who knew him well could doubt it, Hi^ 
 preparation had been made long year '] 
 ago, and he was only waiting , 
 And jUst here the writer would pauSr. 
 and look back u\ on the scenes c,. 
 earlier years when he who is now on 
 glorified brother and friend was in th^ 
 prime of his mature manhood — in mid} 
 die age. We recall his intense zeal an 
 earnest labor, his faithful dealing wit;^ 
 those to whom he preached, his burn ' 
 ing tvords of exhortation, his devoii'' 
 and touching prayers, and his self 
 denying devotion in spending and bef 
 i' g spunt in his Master's service Evef 
 now we seem to hear the words of thost 
 hymns wh'ch h« delighted to sinf 
 forty \ears ago: F 
 
 ' 'Tis not a cause of small import | 
 
 The pistor's care demands, |t 
 
 But what might fill an angel's heart, I 
 
 And filled the Savior's hands." j 
 
 Again: <;«| 
 "Do not I love thee, O my Lord? 
 
 Behold my heart and see, i; 
 
 And turn each worthless idol out, f 
 
 That dares to rival Thee." a 
 
 And again: ^ 
 **My span of life will soon be done, ) 
 
 The passing moments say, i] 
 As leuRth'ning ^^hadows o'er the mead|[ 
 
 Proclaim the close of day." 
 
 And then, the texts from which h^ 
 preached, how they come back fron 
 the days of the long ago and becom^j 
 vocal in the memory: 
 
 "Stand fast, therefore, in the libert; 
 wherewith Christ hath mad^ us free.' 
 
7 
 
 lut this I say, breibren tne time is 
 art." * Unto Him that bath loved 
 and washed us from our sins in His 
 n blood " 
 
 When we calmly and tboughtfully 
 nsider the character and the labors of 
 TOls, and bring into review the 
 jorous and uncompromising nature 
 his piety, whose fervid aggressive 
 ss yielded to no circumstances of 
 ne or place, it is then that we wish 
 r all our ministers that they might 
 clothed with the same panoply with 
 lich he fought -'tbe ^ood fight of 
 th. " Can it be that Mich an example 
 ail be lost on any of ue? 
 Our dear brother, Dr. A. C. Harris, 
 lo so soon followed his friend Dr. 
 ills to the grave and to tlory, speaUs 
 Bethesda church. Yes, we know 
 thesda church. The house was built 
 der tne iijspiralion and supervision 
 Dr. Wil s. arid in it he and bis fam- 
 worshipped. It was to him and his 
 d a circle of devout souls a place oi 
 aating and rt freshmen* on the march 
 the city of our Gol. Numbers who 
 ere partook of the Bread of Life and 
 e Water of Life have gone fro be with 
 eir Redeeacer forever and to praise 
 im with the saints of ail ages. One 
 one the worsbippers go up and are 
 en ho more on earth We can re- 
 ember when there was one lone grave 
 Bethes:la. and that the grd\eor an 
 fant But now the grounds hold a 
 imber of graves and one of tbem 
 Dlds the remains of our dej arted Bro. 
 ails. 
 
 Some time during last spring one of 
 is neighbors, a pious sister, was taken 
 ry ill, and came very near djing. She 
 Hied, however, and as soon as she 
 as sufficiently recovered to do so she 
 aid a visit to her afflicted neighbor, 
 r. Wills, and the two chatted together 
 leasantly concerning matters of mu- 
 lal interest; then said Dr. Wills, turn- 
 
 ing to his lately afflicted friend, "When 
 I beard of your sickness, and how very 
 ill you were, I Degan to think you were 
 going to bfat me getting to glory." 
 These devoted Christians were so well 
 prepared for their change, that, to tbem, 
 death and glpry were closely associated. 
 And tnere was a sort ofCrivalry be* ween 
 them as to which of them should get 
 there first. That question was decided 
 within one week from the day on which 
 the conversation took place, and he, 
 of whom we write, was privileged to 
 win the race and get there Ji>-st, 
 
 One incident which occurred in the 
 d'* ing hour wiU be of interest to those 
 who knew the deceased: The life cur- 
 rent was running low, and every little 
 service that promised to soothe the suf- 
 ferer was resorted to, the padent indi- 
 cating by gesture whether th's or that 
 wot 11 be agreeable. Presently one of 
 the attendants suggested a stimulant, 
 and asked him: " Will you have some 
 brandj ?" To this he dc ad - answer dis- 
 tictly and positively, ''No." Tnis was 
 his la'^t word, and perhaps he sum- 
 moned bis whole strength for the effort. 
 It proved most conclusively that his 
 mind was clear to the last. 
 
 Tbu passed away, full of days, full 
 of honors and full of victory through 
 the blood of the Lamb, a most vali'int, 
 faithful, uncompromising soldier of the 
 Cross; a firm, but most affectionate 
 husband and father, and a bond of un- 
 ion and promoter of personal and fam- 
 ily religion in Bethesda church, as wcil 
 as faithful ambassador to men to whom 
 he ministered elsewhere. 
 
 God be thanked that He g eve us His 
 servant for so many years and that in 
 his removal we have such abundant as 
 surance that be has laid hold on eternal 
 life. J. L. MioHAUx, { 
 
 A. C. Hakris, f • 
 
 Protestant and Eecorder please copy. 
 
I