Fox, Thomas
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Fox, Thomas
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ME1'10nt FR<1-1 184 7 ?H nutes .
1HOV!AS FOX .
Thomas Fox died of pul!Tlonary cmsumption ; in the vi ll age of Northvill e , at the h ous .: of
h i s father-in-latv, Uav id I!. rlot·rland , t.sq.
.
Brother Fox was bo rn ay 17 th, 1817 i n Allen- street , New York ~ity . de became a subj ect
of con ert in£• gr ace a t the-a ge of eighteen, and soon af t er j oin":d the !'l , c , Church, and subsequently filled th ~several off i ce s ofSabbath- school t eachu , ""uperinen . ent, ~l ass Leader ,
exhort er am l oca l a nd traveling prea cher. Inl840 he Ha s emp loyed to tr avel theL iving ston
~ircuit, und er nev. A. Bil l ings, P.-. In 1841 he wa s r e ceive :jon trial in the '1 ichi gan Confer
ence arr:l appointed to t he Pontiac circ uit. .in the course ofthe year he \va s transferred to
the r·l t . Clemens cir~u i t. 1he ,second year he was appointed t o Pontiac station; the t. wo years
fo ll ow ing to Romeo Circui t. 1 he f i f ty y. ar, owd!mg to decli n ing health, he 111asap point ed
s upe rnume r ary on · l Y1f!o uth Circuit. The sixth yea r he ·..:as so f ar recove red as to be app ointed
to ~ rian ~ ation. Here h e l abor ed for a short ti ne t·lith g r ea accep t ab ility ad usefulness .
Bu t the we i ght of his cha ge -v1i th some incid ental expo sure , soondsveloped 1r1it h fe arful
and fata l rap i d ity,his insidious di sease . 'Ihot.g h f requently urgedto do s o, he di d no t desi s t
froM preaching and t ear ih i mse l f f rom the pe on l e he so mu ch loved , unt i l smitten doHn hel pl es ~
uo n a s ick bed , from~hich he nev zr arose . uur ing his l en gthen ed illness he was swee tly
subm issive , patien t and triumpha nt. Hi s so ul he l d unceas ingand transporting communion 'Hi th
the S~ v i or the 1r10rd o fGod and the voice of pr 'er became p eculiarl y sweet and deli g htful.
Though f or some time b e fore h i s d eath, tl'E t event was daily and hour l y expected , yet the
me ssenge r at l ast s t ol e upon him most su ddenl y, as i f essaying totak e him by surprise . But
y et he had time to lisp i n 9is expiri ng momen t s the name ofJe sus , and the name of her next
dea r to a chr s tian husband s h ea rt, t~ e no\oJ b r:r eaved pa r tner of h : s joys an d sorrows . Ri sinc
f r om his bed in the afternoon, h e walked across the room, tool{ some r efr e s hmen t, was assi ted ba ck to h i s bed,._ and i n a moment afterward s l ep t s wee tly on t he bosom of his ~ vior.
Brother {ox 'I;Ja s ayoung man o f de ep p i e ty, gre a t frankness, simplicity, a1d _1~1 inn i ngnes s
1
of demeanor.
i s attainments we r e r e spec t abl e a1.d hi s t a l en ts above mediocrity . ' e was all.Jay~
studious a nd acceptable,and highly useful Hherever he l abor ed . He stood among the first of
the growing li gh ~. s o f t he junior member s of his Conference who notoJ mourn t he i r l oss. But his
hi ghest pr aise is, tha many souls r eay to pe rish, conductd to God thro ugh his ins t rumental i t y
r is E up to bless his memory.
Fox, Thomas