THE WORLD’S CRISIS
1863
VOL. XVII, No. 1
Obituary Notices
EDITOR OF THE
CRISIS: –Dear Bro.: –The subjoined notice of my late
grandfather was written for the Watchman and Reflector,
where it appeared soon after his death. His widow is
desirous to have it inserted in your paper, and therefore I
copy it.
Died in Philadelphia, August 8th, 1862,
ELDER HENRY GREW, in the eighty-first year of his age.
Mr. Grew was
a native of Birmingham, Eng., but came to Boston with his
parents at the age of fourteen. While here he was
converted, and united with the Baptist church. Before he
became of age, he commenced business in Providence, when, at
the early age of twenty-three, he was elected deacon of the
First Baptist church. Soon after, he was licensed to preach,
and exercised his gift for about a year in Pawtuxet. He
then became pastor of the church in Hartford, which he
served acceptably for ten years or more. This connection
was dissolved in consequence of his adoption of views deemed
heretical, but his piety was never questioned. After
preaching several years to a small portion of the church
which sympathized with his views, he removed to Boston, for
the sake of devoting himself to Christian beneficence.
Finding the climate here unfavorable, he removed within a
year to Philadelphia, where he spent the rest of his days.
Possessed of
a moderate income, he practiced unusual economy, that he
might have the more to bestow in charity. More than half
his income was probably thus bestowed. He gave considerable
sums to various missionary and benevolent societies, but was
generally his own almoner to the poor of the city; and while
he ministered to their temporal necessities, he seldom if
ever failed to impress upon them the care of their souls.
He thus continued to preach frequently until within a year
of his death. He loved the noon-day prayer meeting, and was
almost always there when his strength would allow; and his
aged form and tremendous but earnest roles will there be
long remembered. His last illness was attended with much
pain, but he enjoyed the full use of his faculties to the
end, and died, as he had lived, with calm confidence in his
Redeemer.
His was no
common life, and he will receive no common reward. Such
meekness both in public and private life, combined with such
zeal for what he deemed the truth, is seldom seen. Never
has the writer witnessed a brighter example of that wisdom
which cometh from above, pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be
entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality
and without hypocrisy. God granted him a long life, and
nobly it was spent. Of none can it be said more truly, “He
rests from his labors, and his works do follow him.”
Yours truly,
Howard M. Jones.
