The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-24
TILE CITY PULPIT.
FAREWELL SERMON.

,his Church for the past ten years, has accepted
n call from Chicago, and will shortly enter upon
his new pastorate. He yesterday morning de-
1ivered his farewell address TO an exceedingly
large congregation, which we print In full
below.
"xvberefore my beloved, as ye have always obeyed
not as In my oe yonr own salvation with fear
and any GTsn GsTembng. Philippians ii, i2,
The Apostle Paul cherished towards his
brethren at Philippl emotions OF peGuIlat senIer @
ardor of q strong personal attachment. And
among tho influences which had nurtured this
affection were the manifestations Oh conslde-
rateness which they had shown TO him person
ally, and the readiness with which they had
received and needed his ministerial instruc
tions. They had 'always obeyed" the claims
of the Gospel as he had explained and enforced
them. They had con6ded in him as their
spiritual guide, had given to his teachings
reverential regard aud seconded all his plans
for their culture and enlargement
In this respect the contrast between their
treatment of him and that of the Corinthian
church was very grateful and precious. This
latter people had disputed the genuineness OF
his claim to be an Apostle, had impugned the
integrity OF his character, had turned the wor-
ship Of God into scenes of contention, and de-
graded the sacred appointments of the Lords
Supper into bacchanalian Tevel.
It is not strange, therefore, that the venerable
Apostle should find special pleasure in contem-
plating the cheerful thoughtful, and abiding
friendship and devotion sof his Philippian
brethren. Nor is it surprising that with an
affecionate emphasis he calls them his ''be-
loved,n should yearn with solicitude for their
well being while absent from them, and count
them as his joy and rejoicing in the day OF the
Lord Jesus.
But in proportion as his labors among them
had been fraught with such blessed results and
precious associations, did his anxiety tor their
welfare agtate him, now that he was away from
them. While he was with them, his ministry
had been help to their piety and efficiency; but
now that they were deprived of his own and
similar ministrations, they must needs under
take to ''work out their own salvation" under
circumstances OF discouragement that might
we'll excite their 'fear and trembling" Like
sheep without shepherd, they must End their
own pasture, and organize themselves for pro-
lection against beasts of prey; like an army
without a leader, they must fight under mutual
arrangements and common impulse.
1t Is true that Paul did not regard the minis
try as indispensable to the life of church and
the salvation of men. 1t was not the sole and
necessary channel of divine grace, without
which God would not communicate spiritual
blessings to His people; nevertheless, 1t was an
appointed, orderly and highly important agency
for dispensing the gifts OF salvation the guidance
of Christian effort, and the culture of Christian
character. The Apostle nowhere teaches the
notion of congregational seltsuficiency self
direction, and selt-assertion. On the contrary,
he represents the Church as a flock needing
shepherds, an army needing generals, society
needing governors; and he sets forth that the
ministry was instituted specially to watch for
souls, and to labor to present every man un-
blamable before God. He enjoins on the part
of ministers faithfulness, watch, care, and self
sacrificing anxiety, lest any fail of the grace
of God, and on the part Of the flock that
they obey them that have the rule over them,
and submit themselves, for they watch for souls
as those that must give an account; and he
exhorts that the people SO deport themselves
of oo WITH oS and ne With
grief. Pauls idea of q Church was that of a
body to be watched over, ministered unto,
guided, and developed by the special services of
nm Of called
particular purposes OF ''periectlng the saints,
the work of the ministry, and the building up
not all the members of the Church. to be "apos-
TIES" and ''some,n not all, to be 'evangelists,"
and "some," not the entire brotherhood, to be
''pastors and teachers" And God hath these
Sfsomen as limbs are set in the human body,
each to do its part and cooperate with every
other for the common end of bringing all in the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge Of the
Son of God, unto perfect man, unto the mea-
sure of the stature of the fulness OF Christ"
The fact that Christ has instituted the min
istry for these purposes is itself proof that they
may not ordinarily be as well attained without
1t. If He has appointed teachers in the Church,
the presumption is that His disciples cannot as
easily teach themselves; If Christ has consti-
tuted shepherds, the presumption is that the
sheep are not normally prepared to take care of
themselves; If he has ordained elders or over
seeIs, the presumption is that Things are want
ing in that Church that chooses or Is compelled
to do without them. .
And whenever Church finds itself in such
calamitous exigency, it must work out its Wn
salvation. And as Paul thought of the hazard
of such an undertaking, the liability of the
lambs OF the flock TO wander of the factious
to create dissensiOns, OF the wolves to enter the
fold, OF even the most earnest TO fail OF accom-
plishlDg grand results his solicitude tor his
Philippian brethren prompted him TO deplore
this deprivation and TO beseech them, If needs
be they must work out their own salvation with
out such aid to do so with fear and trembling. -
have selected this text for this morning in
the same spirit in which conceive the Apostle
uttered 1t, stand to-day before CONGREGATION
OF Christians whom may without afectation
or duphcity address as my beloved" / came
20 TINS church nearly ten years ago. and Il were
hardly TO be supposed that any one could have
remained the pastor of one church. and have
preached from one pulpit, for SO long q time
without bringing his ministry to a close amid
associations OF the tenderest remem brances A
pastors life is crowded with lncidents that
appeal to and elicit his own affections and those
of his people. The bond OF the relation is that
of love, and all the ministries of that relation
tend to quicken and strengthen the bands that
bind the hearts OF pastor and flock.
All the possibilities and tendencies of the
pastoral relation have been fully realized In
my experience with this church. In the families
of many of you have ministered in the alter
nate scenes of Joy and sorrow, while to very
many OF you am associated in the holiest sane
titles of service amid the struggles of conviction
for sin, the hopes of pardon, and the solemn
ties of Christian profession. All such are pre-
eminently tender to me, and the trials inciden
to my pastorate here have only served to eu
nance the anticipated rapture OF being recoe
nized by Christ as the humble agent throug
whom so many have been led to trust in Hi
name.
And the remembrance of those trlals-trials
alas from mistaken, and, in some cases, froH
false brethren'-only serves to give create
Dfec1Onennag no or 10 nm IN Aao