Elder Wm. Green, of Hounsfield, N. Y.
By John Nevins Andrews
Our aged Bro. Green has fallen in death. Bro. Taylor in a recent number of the Review has given many interesting particulars of his life. I desire to add a few words to what he has said. Eld. G. became especially interested in the Advent faith during the tent meetings at Adams' Center in the 1862. Well do my remember the serious attention that he gave to this great subject. When the doctrine that immortality is the gift of God, to be bestowed on the righteous only when the Life-giver returns, began to be set forth, I thought surely Eld. G. will now take offense, and we shall see no more of him. But he continued to attend, though remaining silent, and declining to express any opinion on the subject. Instead of becoming offended, as do almost all aged ministers, he determined to give the subject a serious examination. It was not long before he became thoroughly satisfied that man has no immortality by nature. And what he believed in his heart, he was not ashamed to confess with his lips. Eld. G. became a warm friend to the Advent faith, and united with those in Adams' Center, who endeavored to live out this despised doctrine. My acquaintance with Eld. G. was somewhat limited, but it served greatly to endear him to me. In his character, I was deeply impressed with his love of integrity. Everything like fraud, overreaching, deception, double-dealing and guile, was despicable in his eyes. He was a man of truth. He valued his word, and kept it. And what he aimed to preserve inviolate in all the relation of life, he desired to find in the character of others. He regarded truth as worthy of being obeyed however unpopular it might be. He was emphatically a man of decision. Little did he have in his nature of the double-minded man, and little sympathy could he feel for men of that character. He was a humble-minded Christian, and in his closing moments proved the value of that religion which he had lived to recommend to others. He sleeps in Jesus, leaving a large place vacant to be filled by others. These heavy losses keep coming upon us. Who shall be raised up to fill the vacant places? Greatly do I desire that the sons of Eld. G. may follow their father's good example and meet him in the kingdom of God.
J. N. ANDREWS.