With ardent hopes, defying fears,
In holy scorn of scoffs and jeers
He's held the fort for fifty years!
And if the God whom we adore,
But grant what thousand hearts implore,
He'll hold it yet for many more!
Amen and amen!
The time honored Friday evening prayer meeting was held this week on May 14 in the upper auditorium and Rev. Dr. Plumer of Columbia, S. C., and Rev. Charles Brown of Philadelphia made addresses.
It was at the "golden jubilee", as we have shown, that Dr. Chambers having on other occasions recounted the gifts of his people to their pastor—the furnishing of his house, the table set of silver, the expense money for a trip to Europe, the carpeting of his house, study and parlors by the ladies, the young people's birthday offering of $111 in gold pieces was treated to a fresh surprise, the "golden token"—one thousand dollars. In the grand old pastor's speech in response to his unexpected golden shower, he made it clear "what radiance it throws around this old man's evening of life".
Entering upon his seventy-eighth year, Dr. Chambers still kept up his abundant labors, though it was manifest, especially after the funerals of old and beloved parishioners and the great drain on his sympathies, that his powers were failing fast. In the month of August, 1875, he had an attack of paralysis of the bladder, which induced severe inflammation of the kidneys, resulting in blood poisoning, from which he died in his home, at Girard and Twelfth streets, after an illness of several weeks, at 11.15 P. M., September 22, 1875. It was on Communion Sunday, the last of the month, that asleep in God his mortal remains awaited their burial. His body was brought to the church, and thence from the spot where he had, a few weeks before, celebrated his golden anniversary. The last words uttered by him and set to music were sung by the quartet as the remains of John Chambers were taken from the church: