Robert Carter: His Life and Work. 1807-1889/Funeral Services
FUNERAL SERVICES.
On December 31, Robert Carter was laid beside his beloved wife in Greenwood. The funeral services were held in the Scotch Presbyterian Church. The attendance was very large, and many remarked on the great number of noble-looking old men who were present, — men who had co-operated with him in many a good word and work. Several of the benevolent Boards of which he was a member attended in a body. His pastor wrote of it: “I never remember such a funeral, or such united whole-hearted testimony to the purity of the life that was being remembered. Dr. Shedd said afterwards, ‘Mr. Robert Carter was without exception the best man I ever knew.’ Testimony like that from such a source is worth more than any number of funeral sermons.”
PRAYER.
Rev. G. W. Alexander, D. D.
Almighty God, Framer of our bodies, Father of our spirits, we come to Thee with voice of thanksgiving, even though we come with voice of tears. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we magnify and adore Thy wonderful grace unto the children of men. We thank Thee for Jesus Christ, the Son of Thy love, and for the glorious Gospel that is preached in his name. We thank Thee for the power of Thy Spirit, whereby Thou dost renew sinful men and make them to be children of the Most High God. We thank Thee for Thy watchful care over Thine own, we thank Thee for the good and holy examples of those who have finished their course in patience keeping the faith, we thank Thee for the hopes of the Gospel, and while we ask Thee for comfort for those who mourn and strength for those who struggle here, we call upon our hearts and all within us to praise and bless and magnify Thy holy name, while we look forward to the fulfilment of our blessed hope in the kingdom of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.
And now we ask Thee to be with us during this tender and solemn service, that Thy name may be glorified and our souls blessed through Jesus our Lord.
READING OF SCRIPTURE.
HYMN.
“Servant of God, well done!
Rest from thy loved employ.”
ADDRESS.
Rev. S. M. Hamilton, D.D.
We are not here to-day to mourn sadly. We are here to acknowledge the goodness of God in this well rounded life just closed on earth with the blessings of thousands upon it. We are here to thank God for this friend whom He has taken from our earthly fellowship, and to rejoice in the hope of immortality.
All of you knew Robert Carter, and to know him was to honor him and love him. Affection in its fitful way will recall this quality and that, will solace itself with this characteristic and that, perhaps in some way not intrinsically important, but for my part I do not care to analyze him to-day. Personality is more than quality, and to my mind and heart it is the man who presents himself,—the friend, the father, the brother, the fellow helper, the servant of God who lived and worked among us.
The secret of his beautiful and useful life is easily told. He loved Jesus Christ with all his heart, and like his Saviour, and for his Saviour’s sake, he went about doing good. And that was the whole of it. In his presence, no one could doubt the truth and power of the Gospel. He manifested continually the reality of the great spiritual light that comes from Christ. All his conduct was instinct with the spirit of his Master. Wherever he went he diffused a sweet savor of Christ. For more than fifty years he was in active business in this city. During that long period he made no enemies, but gathered about him a multitude of friends, He was more than a bookseller. He never published books simply to make money. He never printed a book for the mere reason that it was likely to sell. He only printed it after he had satisfied himself that it was calculated to do good. The imprint of his firm was never put on any unwholesome book. Thank God that all business men in this city are not intent on making money by all means and any means. Numbers of them are actuated by no low motives, and convert their business into the highest religious service. And with Mr. Carter this was particularly the case. Who will estimate what he has done for the highest, truest welfare of his countrymen by the circulation through more than a half-century of thousands upon thousands of good and honest and pure books?
But our departed friend was something more than a Christian business man. For years and years a large proportion of his time was devoted to religious and benevolent work of various kinds. He enjoyed such work, for God had bestowed upon him gifts that peculiarly fitted him for it,—a vigorous mind, a sound judgment, a strong will, a happy temperament, sweet affection, and ready speech. And had you asked him how it was that he gave so much of himself, so much of his time and labor to these causes, he might have been surprised at the question, and would have answered, simply, “The love of Christ constraineth me.” For where has the philanthropy of our day its real root and inspiration? Not in atheistic and communistic theories,—no indeed,—but solely in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and distinctively in the great ideas of the incarnation and the atonement of Christ,—the practical constraint of those wondrous conceptions of God’s unspeakable love in the gift of His Son.
Mr. Carter was one of the founders of the New York Sabbath Committee, and an interested member of it to the last. He gave much of his time to the work of the American Bible Society, while the cause of Foreign Missions lay very near his heart. One of the last acts which he did was to make arrangements for the payment of his annual contribution to that Board, of which he had been a member for many years, and a useful member. Princeton Seminary was very dear to him. In the general cause of education he always took a special interest, and for a very good reason. Like many another Scotch youth who has achieved success in life, he had in his early life to fight hard for an education. When nine years of age he was taken from school and set to work at the loom with his father in his humble cottage. But, possessed of an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, he had a board fastened at his left hand and placed a book upon it, and so read and worked all day long, sometimes, often, from dawn until ten or eleven at night. In that way he succeeded, with a little outside help, in learning to read Latin and Greek with fluency, and in preparing himself for what was then his ambition, the work of a teacher. Is it strange that a boy of that stamp grew into such a man, and is it strange that through all his life young men struggling to get an education aroused his warmest sympathies, and that many a worthy youth was helped by him to college and seminary? But I cannot take time now to speak of the objects and institutions that enjoyed his wisdom and his generous gifts. Any good cause was sure of his sympathy.
In this church Mr. Carter’s death leaves a sad vacancy. For fifty-eight years he was an honored and active member of it. What a record for a man in this changing city life of ours! It was in 1831 that he emigrated from Scotland, landing here on the 16th of May in that year. The first Sunday he was in the city he asked in his boarding-house where he could find a Scotch church. The reply was, “You mean the Scotch church; that is in Cedar Street, and Dr. McElroy is the pastor.” He worshipped there that first Sunday, and from that day until his death he remained through all its changes unswervingly loyal to this old church. I remember my venerable predecessor saying to me, when I began my pastorate here, “You will find Robert Carter a tower of strength.” So indeed I did. No minister could have had a more sympathetic hearer, or a more tireless helper. He never shrank from any work for this church, even though it might be disagreeable to him. His judgment was always to be relied upon, his purse was always open, he took an interest in everything that was going on; he knew the rich and the poor, and he had the confidence of both. How wonderful his prayers were! How they used to inspire us in the prayer meeting! He prayed like a man who walked continually with God. One of the sweetest things about him was his love of children. To the very last he was a constant and always welcome visitor in the Sunday school, and the children loved the kindly old man who talked to them so earnestly and tenderly. Yes, indeed, he will be missed here. This gap in our midst long years may not fill.
Many of you know far better than I do what he was to the Presbyterian Church at large, what part he took in some of the most important events connected with our Church, what a well known figure he was in many a General Assembly, always listened to with respect, beloved by everybody because of the purity of his character and the wealth of his Christian service.
A few weeks ago an eminent English clergyman lay dying, and as he neared his end his mind began to wander. He fancied himself back in the church courts or committees where he had been prominent, and he was heard to whisper again and again, “Let us discuss the matter kindly.” When I read those beautiful words yesterday I thought at once of Robert Carter,—that was the spirit he ever sought to introduce into debate and controversy,—Let us discuss the matter kindly,
No, dear friends, we cannot mourn. We sympathize with this large company of relatives, children, grandchildren, brothers, who have lost the centre around which for years they have lovingly gathered, but we thank God for this blessed memory. We thank God that he gave us such a friend as this for so long. Could there have been anything more beautiful than that quiet falling asleep last Saturday morning, with the earthly work all done,—well done? Perhaps you may remember these beautiful words of Lord Bacon. “Above all,” he says, “believe it, the sweetest canticle is Nunc dimittis, when a man hath attained worthy ends and conceptions.”
If concerning the heavenly reception of any servants of God on earth certainty be possible, then be assured this beloved friend has heard the wondrous words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” He has entered into that ineffable joy to which they area prelude. We bless God for what he is enjoying now, we bless God that through the riches of Divine grace we may hope to meet him again in that happy land. The years are vanishing away; another is all but gone; yet if we are living as forgiven children of the Lord Jesus Christ, we may lift up the voice of confidence, and rejoice that as the years go we too are going home,—home to God, to Christ, to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to all whom we have loved long since and lost awhile.
ADDRESS.
Rev. Dr. McCoss.
I have been requested to say a few words in testimony, and they will be very few. In attending meetings designed to promote any good work either at home or abroad, I have noticed that if Mr. Carter was present, everybody turned to him at the opening of the meeting to lead us in prayer. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” Because he spoke out of the abundance of the heart, as he was thus invited to conduct our devotions, we felt as though we were raised near to God. He was near himself, and his prayers seemed, on the one hand, as though they came from the very depths of the heart, while, on the other hand, they were such as would reach the ear and heart of God.
I often heard him describe how he felt when he left his native country to come to America. He came with good recommendations from Professor Pillans, with whom he had studied,—a fine scholar; but what was more important, he came trusting in God, and with the firm purpose that he would never swerve to the right nor to the left from the path of duty.
He was from the first distinguished for great integrity. I can testify to this fact. As a publisher of many of my works, I found that it was not needful to make bargains with him. I left everything to his honor, and found that I could trust him and trust him implicitly. And so did everybody; the character he bears in this regard will not soon be forgotten by those who had transactions with him.
The substance which through the blessing of God he was enabled to accumulate, and the great influence which he was permitted to exert, were always devoted to good ends. Many a young man might testify: “All I have in life I owe to Robert Carter. He spoke a good word to me. Perhaps I was falling into temptation, perhaps I was coming under the influence of evil. He spoke a good word to me at some crisis of my life; perhaps he opened some office or situation to me.” Many a young man might testify to that effect.
During his life he was identified with many good causes in this great city, and in this respect he has left behind him a precious remembrance.
But it was as a publisher of books that he was preeminent. He never published a book which he had not read with great care, nor one which was likely to injure any reader. The books that he published will remain long after he is gone, and will be read by the young and will guide them in the way, and will be read by the old and comfort them in their declining years.
I want to express my gratitude to God that it was through Robert Carter that my works were introduced into this country, and that introducing them here was the means indirectly of bringing me to this country, and placing me in the sphere in which my later life has passed.
He has left behind him an example and influence such as few are permitted to leave, and the remembrance of him will cheer and solace us through the remainder of our days.
HYMN.
“Lead, kindly Light.”
PRAYER.
Rev. T. L. Cuyler, D, D.
O Thou infinite Jehovah, who art from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art the hope of Thy people in all generations. With Thee there is no beginning and no end of years. We adore Thee as our covenant-keeping God. We thank Thee that once more Thou hast fulfilled Thy promise to them that are planted in the house of the Lord, that they shall flourish in the courts of our God, that they shall bring forth fruit in old age, that their boughs shall be green and full of sap, that they will never be forsaken, and that whatsoever they do shall prosper.
We thank Thee with all our hearts for this long, happy, and holy life, and now that our beloved brother has returned unto his rest, we thank Thee that Thou hast dealt so bountifully with him. We thank Thee for his early Christian training in that land hallowed by the blood of Thy martyrs, and for those sacred influences which entered into the very fibre of his being, and continued with him through long years.
We thank Thee that Thou didst spare him so long in our midst, and didst permit him to lay his hand to so many good works. We thank Thee that Thou didst make him an almoner of blessings to be scattered far and wide, of leaves of the tree of life for the healing of the nations.
We thank Thee, O God, for all Thy goodness to him throughout this earthly journey, and that when he was drawing near unto the end Thou didst not leave him nor forsake him. But we rejoice that during these last months Thou wert with him, that Thou didst give unto him delightful intercourse with Thee in the land of Beulah, that Thou didst grant unto him a foretaste of the fruits which are exceeding sweet to the soul, and didst permit his eyes to behold the blessed land not very far off.
We rejoice in our brother’s triumphs and testimonies for Christ, Christ only, Christ his rock, Christ his hope, Christ his everlasting heritage and glory.
And now we pray that Thou wilt sanctify unto us this departure of one who is exceeding dear to us, and we pray that Thou wilt hallow this dealing of Thy providence to us all, and to the many who are with us in heart, but cannot be at this sacred service of love this morning. Vouchsafe, O gracious Father, an abundant blessing unto his children and children’s children, and now that their beloved father and mother are joined together in heaven, let heaven draw nearer and be sweeter and dearer to them, and may the very spirit of heaven, whither their parents have gone, be in their hearts and homes. Thou wilt not leave them lonely, for they shall evermore rejoice in his God, and may his name and influence and holy example be unto every one of them a precious and enduring inheritance.
And we commend now this morning those associated with our brother in labors of love for the Master. We commend unto Thee his associates in the Board in which for the last half-century he has toiled and given himself without stint for the advancement of the Master’s kingdom and glory. While the workers go, O Thou great Overseer of the building, let the work go on. Give unto us another to step into the place made vacant, to put his hand to the holy ark that is in need of such strong arms to carry it forward. O, let not the Church of God suffer, but rather let it be enriched by his example, and may the heritage of his influence and his prayers go down in abundant blessings.
We commend unto Thee the pastor and members of his church, this society he so much loved, and where his voice has been so often heard in testimony for Thee. Let the beloved name of our brother, his influence and his spiritual power, remain in the earth, sweet as ointment poured forth and filling evermore the place of prayer here as with the odor of God’s own influence.
We commit unto Thee all Thou seest before Thee, many of whom are worn with the heat and burden of the day. Let us live looking over the verge, and feel that behind the veil is eternal life, and the great, eternal mighty harvest. So let us go from this place ennobled, chastened, purified, lifted up into a new view of the glorious hereafter.
And now we ask that Thou wilt go forth with these beloved ones as they shall bear from this his spiritual home this body which was so long the temple of the Holy Ghost. May they bear it tenderly to the narrow house appointed for all living. We thank Thee that it is not a hard spot to lie in, that the adorable Jesus made it bright and pleasant, that His light has poured into and illumined it, and that Thou hast hallowed the place in which the forms of thy ransomed and redeemed shall slumber. Guard the dust until the hour when Thou shalt bid it rise to be transformed into the likeness of our Lord. Return these friends to their homes, and talk with them as Thou didst with those at Bethany. Draw them close to Thee, and thus evermore in the blessed fellowship with the beloved whom Thou hast taken.
Guide us all by Thy counsel, receive us all at last to the glories that Christ has prepared for them that love Him, be our God and Guide, and when heart and flesh fail us, give us, as Thou didst to our brother, clear consciousness, and the eye single, and the whole soul full of love. Be Thou the strength of our heart and our portion forever, and give us all a place among the followers of Him who hath loved us and washed us by His blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God, and the blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, world without end. Amen.
HYMN.
“Shall we gather at the river.”
BENEDICTION.
Rev. Dr. McCosh.