In Memoriam.

"PRECIOUS IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD IS THE DEATH OF HIS SAINTS.”— Psalm cxvi. 15.

J. R. Adanes

ADAMS, D.D., JOHN RIPLEY-The son of John and Elizabeth (Ripley) Adams, was born at Plainfield, Conn., March 20, 1802. His father, John Adams, LL.D., was a graduate of Yale College, New Haven, Conn. (class 1795), and was well known as an eminent scholar and a highly successful teacher; he was for many years principal of the celebrated Phillips' Academy, Andover, Mass. His mother, Elizabeth Ripley, was a lineal descendent of Gov. Bradford, who came to this country in the Mayflower.

Mr. Adams was trained in the genuine New England style; a high degree of Christian culture surrounded him in the home circle, and the best mental training was also bestowed upon him. He graduated at Yale, in 1821, and became a teacher in Phillips' Academy. He subsequently studied divinity in the Andover Theological Seminary, Mass., where he completed his course, in 1826. He was licensed by a Congregational Association, and ordained by a Congregational Council, in 1826. Soon after, his time was occupied in teaching and in missionary labor in Western New York. Five years was thus usefully employed, when, in 1831, on accepting a call, he became pastor of the Congregational Church, Londonderry, N. H. He labored there till 1836, when he resigned his charge, and subsequently preached for two years in Great Falls, N. H. His second settlement was in Brighton, Mass., where he remained five years. In 1847 he accepted a call, and became pastor of the Congregational Church in Gorham, Maine. Though thus laboring in churches known as Congregational, he was a member of Londonderry Presbytery.

In 1861 he was appointed chaplain of the Fifth Maine Regiment Infantry Volunteers, and was present at most of the battles of the Army of the Potomac, from the first Bull Run till the surrender of the rebel General Lee. When the term of service of the Fifth Maine Regiment expired, he became chaplain of the One Hundred and Twenty-first New York Infantry Volunteers, being another regiment in the same brigade. He remained with this regiment till its discharge, in July, 1865. On his return from the army he was engaged in the active duties of his profession. His death, which occurred at Northampton, Mass., April 25, 1866, was caused, as in so many similar cases, by acute inflammation of the brain, consequent on reaction from the excitement of protracted and faithful military service. Of a most vigorous constitution, his life was as truly a sacrifice for his country as though he had died on the field of battle.

He married Miss Mary Anne McGregor, of Londonderry, N. H., in 1833, who, with three children, survives him. One of his sons was graduated at Yale College, in 1862, and served in the Army of the Potomac as a captain in the First New York Mounted Rifles.

Dr. Adams was a man of great energy of character, and those to whom

he ministered bear testimony to his faithfulness in all the high and arduons duties of his holy calling. He was a Christian patriot, and when the leaders of the friends of slavery resolved to attack the Government of the United States, he gave up the comforts and luxuries of a well-ordered home, and entered cheerfully upon the trying and dangerous duties of the active soldier. Dr. Adams not only fulfilled his mission to the soldiers in the camp and hospital, and in his official intercourse with his brother-officers, but was with the men at "the front," encouraging by his presence and inspiring by his example those noble men upon whom devolved the terrible necessity of fighting, so that the "jewel of Liberty might be kept in the family of nations. This peculiar type of self-forgetfulness on his part is referred to in the following letter from Brevet Major-General Chamberlain, Governor of the State of Maine:

JOSEPH M. WILSON: MY DEAR SIR:-My admirable friend, Rev. Dr. John R. Adams, was not directly associated with me in the military service. I used to see him, and frequently introduced him to other officers, and could not but be struck with the ease and genial grace with which he would enter upon the "topic dearest to his heart-the salvation of men through the Lord Jesus Christ." He never gave offence, but by his winning manner and his manly bearing he gained at once the respect and affection of all, and was everywhere met by a cordial welcome. He was well known throughout the Army of the Potomac, and probably there has not been any chaplain in the service more highly commended in "the field" and at home. I happened to become acquainted with some acts of gallantry on his part “in action"-such as rallying our broken lines and reviving the courage of our men by the noble example of his own-and I felt it my duty to recommend him for a brevet promotion "for meritorious and efficient service in the line of his duty, and for gallant conduct in battle during the war." It was an extraordinary thing to recommend a chaplain, who has no recognized rank as a surgeon has, for a "brevet," and I do not know whether the "War Department" acted in the case. I think it altogether likely they did, as all the other nominations made by me were favorably acted on.

Very truly yours,

J. L. CHAMBERLAIN,

BRUNSWICK, Me., Nov. 20, 1866. Brevet Major General. The testimony of General Chamberlain is to the fact that amid the perplexities of camp-life Dr. Adams never forgot that he was an ambassador of God; and this is more fully referred to in the following letter from General O. O. Howard, Chief of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands:

JOSEPH M. WILSON: DEAR SIR:-I knew Mr. Adams well; had many delightful interviews with him while in the service, and always found him diligent in his proper work, "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." He ever evinced a deep solicitude for the officers and soldiers of his regiment. He urged the claims of his Saviour with great earnestness, and, I believe, with success. I loved him as a Christian brother-or I had better say as a Christian father. He always cheered me, when we met, with a Christian affection and sympathy not easily expressed. If I get there, I shall surely meet him in the better land. He was much beloved, but only God knows all his labors of love, the strength of his patriotism and the self-sacrifices of his life. With kind regard, I am yours truly, 0. O. HOWARD, WASHINGTON, D. C., Nov. 17, 1866. Major General. GEORGE L. PRENTISS, D.D., of New York, writes as follows:

"I take great pleasure in complying with the request to give you a brief estimate of the character of the late Rev. John R. Adams, D.D. And I do not know how to begin better than by transcribing the following passage of a letter addressed to me, under date of March 28, 1864, by my lamented friend-eminent alike as a jurist, a patriot and a Christian philanthropistthe late WILLIAM CURTIS NOYES: Among all my attached friends of the standing of the third of a century, I have none more esteemed or dearer to me than the Rev. John Ripley Adams, now the active, useful, self-denying and pious chaplain of the Fifth Maine Regiment. I know him to be a person of large acquirements, of cultivated tastes, of excellent scholarship and a most humble and devoted follower of his divine Master.' Such was the estimate of Dr. Adams, given while he was alive, by one of his oldest and most intimate friends. My own acquaintance with him was comparatively slight until five or six years before his death; but during this closing period of his life I had ample opportunity to prove the justice of Mr. Noyes' testimony. All my intercourse with him impressed me with a deep sense of his warm and whole-hearted devotion to the cause and kingdom of our blessed Lord. I never heard him in the pulpit, but have understood that he was an earnest, instructive, edifying preacher; while as a pastor he was a model of the diligent, wise, sympathizing and faithful servant of Christ. His last settlement was in my native town, where his name is still held in great and universal esteem and honor. He was a man of uncommonly sound and clear judgment, and he knew how to carry out its decisions with rare determination. He seems to have inherited some of the best qualities of his venerated father, who was one of the most remarkable and useful men of his generation. But he will be remembered most of all for the noble spirit of Christian loyalty and self-sacrifice which he exhibited during our country's great struggle. One of the very first to enter the army after the breaking out of the rebellion, he left it only when the battle was fought and won. He was in all the principal engagements from Bull Run to Appomattox CourtHouse; and I know from personal observations, as well as from the testimony of those who served with him, that he was unwearied in his labors for the temporal and spiritual good of the soldiers under his care. Brave as a lion, he yet had the heart of a child. Long will it be before the 'boys' of his regiment who survive him, or the families of those whom he watched over when sick or wounded, and buried when killed in battle, will forget the name or the Christian kindness and sympathy and love of Chaplain Adams. He was a truly good minister of Jesus Christ, a man of most estimable domestic and social virtues, dear to all his friends, and as true a patriot as lived in his day. The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

BALL, M. D., DYER-was born in West Boylston, Mass., June 3, 1796. He was educated at Yale College, New Haven, Conn., but owing to feeble health at the end of two years he withdrew, hence was not graduated. He studied theology at the New Haven Seminary, Conn., and subsequently at the Theological Seminary, Andover, Mass. In 1829 he removed to St. Augustine, Florida, and taught a private school with success. In 1831, returning to the North, he was ordained by a Congregational Council in Connecticut. In 1833 he was agent for the American Home Missionary Society in the State of Florida; from this he removed to Charleston, S. C. where he taught an academy, at the same time studying medicine, and in • 1837 he graduated as M. D. at the Medical College, Charleston, S. C. In 1838 he was appointed by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions as missionary to China, and sailed thither in the autumn

of that year, reaching Canton early in 1839, and in that distant clime his great life-work was performed.

He was a medical missionary, rather than a missionary who was a physician, and as a devoted servant of Christ he was a faithful follower of his beloved Master. The later years of his life were those of feebleness, but he kept at his work until March 27, 1866, when he entered upon the saint's everlasting rest.

His whole missionary life was passed in China, and he lies buried in the cemetery at Canton, near the scene of his labors.

Rev. IRA M. CONDIT, of the Canton mission, writes thus:

"He fell asleep almost literally: so gently and quietly did the breath leave his body that it could not be told for some time whether he was gone or not. Poor old man-devoted servant of God! He is now at rest and enjoying his reward. How has he shamed us all by his labor according to all his strength! How you would liked to have seen the old man, bowed with age, sitting in his chair in his little chapel and distributing tracts! His religion was not in the word-for he said little of his experience-but in heart and life. The Chinese say of him, 'God's old servant lived the gospel.' What a testimony! What a legacy! What a name to leave behind! I would give anything for it!

'During the last four months he has been confined to his room, and almost entirely to his bed. He never felt or acknowledged his infirmity, but had his plans and talked of his work as if it was large. And so he continued to 'feel very well' until near his end. For the last ten days he took little or nothing -a great contrast-as he had before, even while in bed, ate heartily of everything he wanted, and enjoyed it. I saw him the Thursday before he died and asked as to his health. I am very poorly to-day; I can't retain my food.' And when I bade him good-bye, he said, 'God bless you in your work!-mine is done.' So you see he had come to realize his state. This is the last connected remark he ever made to me, and I cherish it as a precious souvenir of the old missionary father, twenty-seven years in China, and sixty-nine years nine months and twenty-three days on earth. May we all follow him!"

BARBER, DANIEL MONTGOMERY-the son of Phineas and Anne Barber, was born in Derry township, Montour county, Pa., March 16, 1800. His mother was a woman of remarkable piety and faith in the covenant. Out of a family of sixteen children, three died in infancy; the remainder lived to become members of the Church, two of whom still survive.

He pursued his preparatory studies under the direction of the Hon. Robert C. Grier, one of the judges of the United States Supreme Court, and with David Kirkpatrick, D.D. He entered Washington College, Washington, Pa., in 1821, and graduated in 1824. During his college course he made a profession of religion and joined the Presbyterian Church. He turned his thoughts to the ministry, and Northumberland Presbytery took him under its care April 26, 1826. He studied divinity, partly under the care of Rev. John B. Patterson, finishing in the Theological Seminary, Princeton, N. J. He was licensed by Northumberland Presbytery April 19, 1827, and the following six months preached alternately at Bloomsburg, Berwick, Muncy and Loyalsock, Pa. He was ordained, Nov. 21, 1827, by Northumberland Presbytery as an evangelist, and appointed to labor as a missionary on the Sinnemahoning Creek and the head waters of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. This was then a wild, unsettled and sparsely-populated region; there were no churches, no Sabbaths, and few

Bibles. The inhabitants, many of whom were fugitives from justice, supported themselves by lumbering, hunting and fishing. The only way of access was by water, or the hunter's path, which ran sometimes along the side of the mountain and sometimes on the margin of the river. Mr. Barber identified himself with these people. He soon found Christian men and women, and, by God's blessing upon his labors, churches were formed. About this time he visited Philadelphia, Pa., for the purpose of raising funds, but his appearance was against him, so that at first sight the brethren seemed to be afraid or ashamed to introduce him into their pulpits. At length, the late Ezra Stiles Ely, D.D., asked him to say a few words to his people after sermon on a Sabbath evening, when the impression made was so favorable that during the week he was presented with a suit of new clothes, and in a few days he obtained funds sufficient to build several small churches. In October, 1829, the Great Island congregation applied for half his time, and he continued to devote the other half to his former field of labor. During his labors at this period he was permitted to enjoy two extensive revivals, one in the Great Island and the other in the Jersey Shore congregation, then under the pastoral care of Rev. John Grier. As these churches were contiguous, the religious interest extended rapidly from one to the other, and a deep seriousness pervaded the entire community.

In April, 1833, he gave up the widespread missionary field in which he had labored so faithfully, and accepted a call from the church in Williamsport, Pa., for the half of his time, the other half being still devoted to Great Island. In April, 1836, he was called to the church in Newton, N. J., in the bounds of Newton Presbytery, where he preached for two years, when failing health caused him to desist. In 1838 he returned to Northumberland Presbytery, and engaged for a time teaching school. From April, 1840, to April, 1842, he supplied Chillisquaque and Mooresburg congregations, Pa., and then he added Jersey Shore, making three churches over which he had the pastoral care. In 1854 he resigned Jersey Shore Church, and in 1858 that of Chillisquaque and Mooresburg. After this he had no pastoral charge, but continued to preach for the brethren and for weak and destitute congregations. As a lecturer on temperance he had few equals, and to promote its interests he visited and lectured in many States, spending much time and money. He was always an uncompromising enemy of slavery; and as he believed it was the cause of the bloody and cruel war in which the country was compelled to engage, he labored earnestly for the overthrow of the rebellion. At its commencement, in 1861, he entered the army as chaplain, and labored zealously until his health failed, and he returned home. But he never forgot the soldiers. He was indeed their friend; and upon the restoration of his health he entered the army again, under the direction of the United States Christian Commission. At the close of the war he returned home, and passed his time preaching as opportunity presented itself.

He died at Milton, Pa., Oct. 30, 1865, of congestion of the liver.

He was twice married-first to Miss Sarah Moorhead, in October, 1821. She died in December, 1859, leaving several children. October 10, 1864, he married Miss Elizabeth Shannon, who survives him.

With the exception of two years in Newton Presbytery, his whole life was passed within the bounds of Northumberland Presbytery, and in his death the Presbytery lost a valuable member, and the Church an active, energetic and useful servant. His life was, for the most part, one of great self-denial, and of active and hard toil in the Master's work. He thought not of himself-he sought not his own-but bent his energies to the great work of the