Our brother, Frederick C. Grant, son of F. W. Grant, has gone to be with the Lord. He was ill two weeks, and though at first it was not looked upon as serious, his heart was affected, and he sank into a coma which lasted until he passed away at 10 a.m. on Lord's Day morning, July 12th, at his home in Plainfield, N. J., in his 60th year.
He was widely read in this world's lore, and the work he would have chosen was that of a professor, or teacher of others. His wish was set aside by incurable deafness, and for many years he had been a translator and final proof-reader in several languages for a well-known firm in New York. He took his Ph.D. in 1896, but such a degree pales into insignificance before another title which was his-that of a humble learner in the school of Christ, and he spent much of his free time in imparting to others what he had learned from the Word. His articles in "Help and Food" and other magazines have brought refreshment to many. Those which recently appeared, "Browsings in Ephesians," in his characteristic style, show how he enjoyed the blessings unfolded in that marvelous Epistle, and sought to arouse others to enjoy them also.
He considered his aged mother, the widow of F. W. Grant, who is still living, to be his special care, and spent much time in reading to her, and she, more than anyone else, will miss the son who anticipated her every wish.
The funeral services were held at his home at 2 p.m. on July 14th, and a good number were present-not only neighbors who knew and loved himself and his family, but those who knew and revered his father, and those who had profited by his own earnest ministry of the Word and his unfoldings of the glories of Christ.
Hymn 54 was first sung:"How sweet the name of Jesus sounds!" with its triumphant and comforting conclusion, "It quells the power of death." P. D. Loizeaux then prayed for those bereaved, who felt his loss so keenly -not for him who was gone, since for him we had nothing more to ask. He had entered with others dear to us into the full joy and blessing of being with the Lord he loved.
Mr. George MacKenzie then read Rev. 21:1-5, and spoke of how those wonderful verses give the consummation of the prophetic fulness of that glorious name, Emmanuel-"God with us;" and how John's Gospel affords special witness to what that name means. The blind saw, the deaf heard, the lame walked, the dead were raised, showing the glories of the One who was on earth, Jesus, the Son of God, Emmanuel, "God with us." Indeed, those miracles were recorded "that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God" (20:30). Rev. 21:1-5 spreads to our wondering gaze the display of those glories. All that they will mean to us will be unfolded there. All power in heaven and earth has been placed in the hand that unfolds them, the hand of Him who upholds the universe. All the glories of God are in the hand stretched out for us on Calvary's Cross. All is under the hand of Emmanuel. And this affliction which seems so severe-this too is under that hand. We feel stunned:it seems hard to grasp what has happened; but we look forward to the day when all shall be revealed. Now we have the name of Jesus, of Emmanuel, in the presence of death, and we look forward to the time when God will tabernacle with men, when there shall be no more death. How wonderful for human eyes to see, for human hearts to contemplate, for human souls to enjoy! If there are any here who do not know that name, and the glories of that Saviour, we would beg them, if still unsheltered, Come quickly; delay not.
Mr. MacKenzie then spoke of how our dear brother devoted himself to his mother, anticipating her every wish, and yet sweet as a mother's love is, he knew a greater- t]"e love of the Lord. In Ps. 23 is that wonderful sentence, 'the valley of the shadow of death"-that dark shadow hangs over everything here. Yet because One-Emmanuel -has been through that valley, we lock through that grim shadow to the morning without a cloud, when we shall still say, Emmanuel, God with us. There, for ever, Gcd Himself shall dwell with us. May God comfort our bereaved hearts, and turn our thoughts to that bright hour. Our present joy, our future glory, depend securely on Emmanuel, God with us, the One whose name is Jesus, the Son of God.
Mr. F. C. Jennings read Ps. 39:9-"I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because Thou didst it," and said he was at a recent similar gathering to show sympathy with those bereaved. Here it was more. Here he had to say, I am bereaved. We are reminded of Job, who was in far worse case. In one black day that dear patriarch lost, not one child, but all-and if that were not enough, h's property was gone, all that he possessed, everything was taken. Yet that dear man of God could rise up and say, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." He could say, "I was dumb, because Thou didst it." And yet ft was Satan's work. Did God bring the Sabeans and the Chaldeans? Does He willingly afflict His children? Job looked beyond these second causes to God. And this affliction comes from our God, from the hand of One who has loved us with a tenderness that even our sins cannot break. We forget the days of watching; we put all in the hand of God, and say, "Thou hast done it; Thou who knowest all," and in it we see the heart of our Father-God. We prayed, "Let him stay, and take me; my work is ended," But Thou hast done it. Is there no comfort in that?- no balm in Gilead? Let us look up and say, Though He slay our Fred, yet we will trust in Him. Is not this confidence sweet to Him? What else can we say? "My Father, I open not my mouth, for Thou hast done it."
Mr. E. Harshaw then prayed, commending the family of our dear brother to the Lord's care and thanking Him for the remembrances of him. Then the last verse of Hymn 202 was sung.
The burial was at Hillside Cemetery beside the spot where the body of his father, F. W. Grant, was laid twenty-seven years ago to wait for the Lord's coming. After Hymn 240 was sung, Mr. George MacKenzie commended the body to the keeping of our Redeemer. Mr. Elie T. Loizeaux quoted, "Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus" (John 11:5), and, "The dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thess. 4:17,18).
Hymn 286, "Soon Thou wilt come again," was then sung, and we left the grave side in the sure and certain hope of the glorious resurrection, knowing that he had fallen asleep in Jesus. E. F.
"In the center of the circle
Of the will of God, I stand:
There can be no second causes,
All must come through His dear Hand."