At a meeting of the
Sessions of St. Paul's Church, Simcoe, held in the Vestry, on Saturday,
the 14th instant, the following record in reference to the late Rev. M. W.
Livingstone was adopted, and ordered to be entered on the minutes of the
Session; and the Clerk was instructed to forward an engrossed copy to Mrs.
Livingstone:--
It is with feelings
of the deepest regret, that we, the Sessions of St. Paul's Church, Simcoe,
place on record the death of the Rev. Martin W. Livingstone, who was
Pastor of the Presbyterian Church, Simcoe, from the year 1857 to that of
1876; and who died on the 21st March, 1887.
We would humbly
acknowledge the hand of our Heavenly Father in this act of his Divine
Providence, and would bow with submission to His will; yet while we lament
the removal of an honored minister of this Church, we would thankfully
recognize the fact that he was permitted to labor long and successfully in
his Master's vineyard, and was taken home as a shock of corn fully ripe.
Called by the
congregation of St. Andrews Church, Simcoe, to become their Pastor, he was
thereupon, by the Presbytery of Hamilton, in connection with the Church of
Scotland, inducted into the pastoral oversight, and continued to discharge
his duties in Simcoe and at Lynedoch with singular fidelity, with much
acceptance, and with remarkable punctuality, having failed to meet his
Sabbath engagements but three times in the long period of nineteen years.
Retiring from the
active duties of the ministry in order to facilitate the union of the two
congregations in Simcoe , subsequent to the union of the two Presbyterian
Churches in Canada in the year 1875, he continued to take the deepest
interest in the affairs of the church at large, as well as in matters
affecting the well-being of the congregation with which he was so long
identified. He was ever to preach the Word as opportunities
occurred; while his venerable form and solemn addresses were distinctive
features of each successive communion season.
His pulpit
ministrations were characterized by a faithful preparation, and a reverend
demeanor; the cultured diction of his discourses being excelled only by
the richness of gospel truth they contained; and the solemnity of his
utterance being the outward expression of the devoutness of his feeling.
His work on earth is now ended, and he has passed into his reward, there
to find that the results of his ministry will be his "Crown of
rejoining in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming."
He was, for one of
his years, blessed with more than a usual measure of health, and, under
the Divine favor, was privileged to spend the evening of his life in
serene repose. Venerable in form, affable in disposition, courteous in
manners, and cultured in mind, he enjoyed the esteem of his congregation,
the respect of his co-Presbyters, the love of his family, and the
confidence of his fellow-townsmen. It is a satisfaction to us to know,
that, during his brief illness, he was cheered by the gospel truths he so
long and faithfully preached, and sustained by that Saviour [sic]
he had so zealously commended to others, -- that in prayer he lived near
the throne of grace, -- and that with a sanctified patience he submitted
himself to the will of God, and waited for the hour of his departure,
saying "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they
comfort me."
We would offer our heartfelt
condolence and would extend our Christian sympathy to Mrs. Livingstone in
her present bereavement, and trust that supporting grace sufficient for
her need will be vouchsafed from on high. We pray that He who has promised
to be a "Husband to the Widow" may preserve her in His care,
cheer her by the promises of His word, and comfort her with the rich
consolations of His Holy Spirit. We trust that her health, impaired by
long vigils, may soon be restored, and that the God of Jacob may watch
over her in her going out and coming in, and "Bless her with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
