Litchfield enquirer., 1859-02-03


 beyond anything ever seen within it's walls be- fore, on the occasion of the preaching by Dr. Walter Clarke of his Farewell Sermon to the churches, previous to his departure for New York. Long before the hour of the com mencement of the services, the body Of the church. the galleries and the asles, and even the pulpit steps, were crowded, crammed and filled to overflowing by an attentive aud inter- ested concourse.
 Dr. Clarke's sermon was from the text 1: Philippians iv. 9 :" Those things which ye have both learned, and rec6vcd and heard, and seen in me, do 7: and the God Of peace shall be with you" As the Apostle Paul in these words showed his desire that the fruits of his labors and preaching should not depart from his hearers, though he was absent in body from them, so, now he (the speaker) hoped that after he was gone he might live in the hearts and memories of his hearers, and pe still working for their good, throngi theif >thoughts and recollnctions of him, and through the. after effects of his labors whilst he was with them. In these words Of the ApoStlt 10 the Philippians, he undoubtedly meant to re. quest his heaters to remember only the Tag&t things they had seen and heard in him, as tkere were, TO doubt, many of his acts and WOFUS ttdG Hc WtNfi NioiI tIIii to foi
 Since the commencement of his ministry in Hartford, he had seen more than four hundred new members admitted to the church undtr his charge; during the same period, the Sab bath assemblies and the Sabbath schools have more than doubled in the number of ofatteudaDts; the rental from pews ard the contributions i" charitable purposes have nsorc thah triptd, while the interest in the prosperity cf thr church has increased in proportion, and there have been no hidden feuds HOT smothcrcd an;- niosities among the members. With so many young and active men and women engaged in the work with matchless ,bbath School with revenue equal to the rcai wants of the church, there would seem to be 10 reason why. with the aid of God, they could not in time to come to be proSperons, happy and powerful people. Still, he could not avoid some sol;ci- tGle for tie future lie Lad oH}y laid the foundation Of an edii:e upon which it would l,e their duty ill the future to raise a supcrstruy tare.
 In looking back over his labors of th.rtern years he could not but feel bun.blvd at the view unwse acts, inconsileratc sieecheF, uil- digested thoughts-he Saw e!soagh 10 regret and that he would sad!y undo. St.ll there were certain great objects and leading truths that he thought he could trace through his ministry, and that he would, if possible, make more prominent in this parting discourse. Tn first of. these to which lie had given great prominence in his preaching, was t'e central idea of Religion the New Testament doctrnI. of Christ the Saviour-Him as an oily refuge and sufficient helper, "lad been uniformly set before them. Second, his hearers would r. member that he had given great prominence to the New Testament doctrine of the Holy Spr- it. He fully believed that the human soul was so desolated and disabled by the common apos- tacy, that no right thought CT purpose would ever appear in them again, except as these are produced by the Holy Spirit ; and he believed that the Holy Spirit would come to any man and form for him better and divincr soul.- Third, he need not tell them that the i..aiiibc rertitude and divine authority Of the Ssi!,tur4s were doctrines that had had conspicuous and elementary place in iis preaching. He be- Heved that the great book of Nature was Gods word, intended to be studied but Nature is a dark cavern, whose walls are covered oyer with hieroglyphics which cannot be decyphcred uuaided but the word of God was plain and clear. Fourth, he had endeayorcd oil all oc- casions to preach the Scriptural doctrine of Divine Providence, in all its aspects and rela- tions, as most comforting truth.
 Upon all these points Dr. Clarke srokc at length, being especially impressive in his advice to all, particularly the young, to search the Scriptures faithfully, as their only guide to happiness here and hereafter.
 Of the value Of morals at homo and missions abroad Of the need of jealous and cffrctual endeavorS to reach the ncgls cted classes in all our cities, and reclaim them to virtue, intclli- gcIce and church ordinanccs-none of these things had he kept back on none of these things had his ministry delivered an uuc~ ~rtain sound.
 In conclusion lie said
 ' seem to be looking tonight upon broad feld. over which have so often walked that dts every angle and mound and hand breath reveals my footprints and bears testimony to my labors. have sought neither employment nor reward nor honor away from you. Al. that there was of me has been yours. Th:rtcen Of the choicest years of my life lie strewn upon your hearts and minds thank God this fed is not a sepuchre I thank God these years and labors have not been buried. Let the seed remain nader ground till it quickens Let favoring seasons and frequent showers visit ard refresh the field. Let the south wiud melt away the frosts. Let every covered seed spring up. Let the great after hrv, st come. And in the day of fnal iu-gath.ring, when ali the sheaves come home, may it appcur that no single seed has perished in all inclement soil that no soul which had within it the memory of my preaching is left behind among the iucor- rigible and lost"
 At the conclusion of the last hymn, and be- fore pronouncing the blessing, Dr.. Clarke said that no other time but the present would su!- hce to say to the young men of Hartford what he wished to say to them before he left. He had ever taken the deepest interest in tn m, and he wished now to say that if any of them ever came to New York, no matter whether