162 Obituary notice of the Hon. Stephen Van Rensselaer. 



Nor did his benevolence stop here, but diffused itself abroad, 

 descending by a thousand silent streams to the firesides of the 

 poor and destitute. Within two days of his decease, and while 

 confined to his sick chamber, he sent for his agent and said to 

 him, " It is very cold ! how the poor must suffer ! Go round and 

 see if there are any that want and give them what they need." 



" The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon him" 

 — ^he was constantly devising liberal things, and felt that he was 

 merely a steward of God's bounty. He was great in goodness, 

 and his goodness was the fruit of his piety. 



The Rev. T. E. Vermilye remarks in the discourse already 

 cited, that in Gen. Yan Renssalaer there was a rare and delight- 

 ful combination of substantial qualities — a sound judgment and 

 strong good sense to perceive the right, with courage and decision 

 to maintain it ; his quiet firmness was without obstinacy, but he 

 adhered to opinions which he deemed correct, and no one ever 

 questioned the purity and elevation of his motives. 



His real humility was in strict keeping with the simplicity of 

 his manners ; they were elegant and refined, and stamped with' 

 the dignity of the olden time, but without any assumption, or the 

 slightest indication of a sense of superiority. There were in him 

 no arts to attract admiration. 



" It was certainly remarkable, that possessing boundless wealth, 

 standing in the highest rank of society, having enjoyed dignities 

 and station, and commanding universal respect and admiration, 

 his mind should have remained so completely untainted, his man- 

 ners so untouched by any of these things. He was unassuming 

 and simple as a child. 



His affections were warm and kind in an uncommon degree : 

 they shed a dehghtful influence over his domestic scenes, and 

 made him the centre of a wide circle of friendship and affection, 

 embracing all classes of society. 



The bible was his favorite volume — perused often and atten- 

 tively every day ; and in private devotion he sought the intelli- 

 gence and direction which he needed. He was assiduous in the 

 moral and religious instruction of his children and household, and 

 observed with exactness his public as well as private religious 

 duties. His death was in exact correspondence with his life. 

 His mental faculties remained unimpaired to the last. He died 

 at four P. M., on Saturday, Jan. 26, 1839, being in his 75th 



