Rev. Mr. Sheddan.

Letter.

CHAPTER XIV.

In the Presbytery.-The Synod.-The General Assembly.-Sketch of Dr. Murray in Ecclesiastical Life, by Rev. S. S. Sheddan, of Rahway, N. J., a co-Presbyter, in a Letter to the Author.

THE Rev. Mr. Sheddan, of Rahway, the town adjoining Elizabeth, writes in such words as these:

"REVEREND AND DEAR BROTHER,-In sketching any of Dr. Murray's characteristics, you will appreciate the remark that he owed his commanding position to no one trait of character nor power of mind. Nature had not been sparing in her mental endowments, and they were well-adjusted; but it was no distorted faculty, but a happy combination of all, that made him a man of mark.

"Because of this native equipoise of mind, and a rule of his life that 'what was worth doing was worth doing well,' it were difficult to say what was his forte.

"His energy, his large-heartedness, and his systematic working, developed with an uncommon harmony all his powers, and made him great. He was equally the preacher and the pastor, the polemic and the presbyter. His greatest admirers may admit that in each of these departments he had his equals; but all of these, to the same degree blending with high social qualities, and the activities prompted by a generous heart, have been rarely so combined in the same person.

"He took high position in all these varied positions,

Punctuality.

In Synod.

because his energy, his systematic arrangement, and diligence accompanied him in every duty. Those traits of nature and habits of life had much to do in making him a noted, and, in some respects, a model presbyter.

“Dr. Murray leaves a record, as to punctual attendance upon our ecclesiastical courts, that is honoring to him, and is a worthy example to others. His connection was always with the New Jersey Synod. Installed as pastor of the churches of Wilkesbarre and Kingston in November, 1829, he first appeared in Synod in 1830 as a member of the Presbytery of Susquehanna. His pastoral relation to those churches was dissolved June 26th, 1833, and on June 23d he was received by the Presbytery of Elizabethtown, and installed pastor of the First Church of Elizabeth.

"His synodical life was thirty years. During his connection with Synod, from the year 1830 to 1860, both included, he was not once absent from the sessions of that body; whether those sessions were held in West Jersey or in the mountains of Pennsylvania, he was always present. Except our worthy stated clerk, Rev. R. K. Rodgers, D.D., Dr. Murray was the only man, according to our records, of whom it could be said that during that generation of years he was not once absent from Synod. The records give the farther good testimony that but twice did he appear late, and that he always remained until the sessions were closed.

"The records of Presbytery will equally testify to his promptness and punctuality, he being only absent

Sense of duty.

Cordiality.

when visiting Europe, and from the fall meeting of 1860 because of indisposition. This remarkable faithfulness is almost as marked in the called meetings of Presbytery, when he might often have pleaded the business is a mere formality, and his many other duties were pressing.

"The advice he gave to another was undoubtedly his own rule: 'Make it a matter of conscience to attend the meetings of Presbytery and Synod.' He either shaped or sacrificed other duties and pleasures that he might be faithful to the ecclesiastical courts, there at the opening and at the close of the sessions. In this respect our Brother Murray was a model.

"With him it was not a stern duty; he loved the meetings of his brethren. He enjoyed much both the fraternal and religious character of our Church courts.

"He may have been drawn to like-minded brethren, but he had a cordial greeting for all. As his years were putting him among the fathers, it seemed more his pleasure to give every one the fraternal grasp, and it was doubtful if any left Presbytery saying 'Dr. Murray did not speak to me:' a little act of kindness, but more encouraging to the younger members than the fathers think. His was a cordial greeting, not the chilling two fingers and a heartless word, while the eye looked for another. It was the warm greeting of his heart, which did him good and others felt. And many a young man in the ministry was encouraged by his hearty inquiries and words of cheer.

"Even the casual observer must have remarked

A working man.

Installation.

with what interest he heard each brother speak of the state of religion in his charge. He so identified himself with the churches of Presbytery and with his brethren, that I can recall in my ministerial life none more intently hearing the free conversation upon the state of religion than he was; and none more constant upon the devotional exercises, and by his exhortations and adapted prayers adding greatly to their interest. At such times all liked to hear him speak and have him pray.

"Dr. Murray was truly a working presbyter. His nature and his habits made him a stranger to the art of saving himself. In all ecclesiastical duties he very implicitly obeyed his brethren in the Lord. His early life taught him to think and act for himself, and gave him a maturity that fitted him for an early prominence among his brethren. His name soon holds the place of an honored and efficient member of our Church courts. With his willing spirit, there was a promptness, and diligence, and a power to perform, that gave him a frequent place in important committees, in preaching before Presbytery, and in installation services. The frequency of these things is a memorial of his fitness, and how acceptable he was to his brethren and the churches. The frequent question, so often asked, 'Can there be no installation without Dr. Murray?' as often attested his popularity. So frequently was he called, far and near, to the dedication of churches, as to suggest the contrast, the bottles of papal chrism he broke, and the consecrations he performed.

A jurist.

Sympathies.

"He rarely excused himself from duties assigned him by Presbytery because overtasked. If he excused himself, it was not so much for saving self as to preserve the parity of the ministry, or to draw out and honor others.

"When he had been a few years in Synod he was elected moderator; and in 1849, the twentieth year of his ministry, he was chosen moderator of the General Assembly.

"As an ecclesiastical jurist, others may have equaled or surpassed Dr. Murray. His feelings were too generous, and his views too comprehensive, to allow him to be a stickler for the mere letter of the law, or to be an adept in knotty points. He studied more the spirit than the letter of the law; and he weighed points more by the question of right than to make a thing right by skillful construction or collocation of chapters and sections. He belonged to the court of equity rather than of technicalities.

"With his natural warm-heartedness there must be strong sympathies; yet personal sympathy would not prevail over a sense of right. Two important cases fell under my notice, where I know intimate friendships and personal endearments were on the side he felt constrained as a presbyter to oppose.

"Young ministers, licentiates, and candidates have lost a friend. The heart and position of Dr. Murray made him important to such. Our young men turned to him for advice as to location and in the straits of their novitiate. His personal intercourse and correspondence with such were cheerful and prompt, al