Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-10-24
Lower BrnndywIne Church.

FAREWELL SERMON OF REV. MIR. MooRE-HIsrorY
OF THE CHURCH DURING THE PAST IL YEARS.
The Rev. ID. W. Moore, pastor OF the Lower
Brandywine Presbyterian Church, near Whining
ton, Del, took leave of his congregation on last
sabbath, Oct. Goth.
After few appropriate Introductory remarks,
the retiring pastor stated, that II years ago, in
July he found the church building in an unfinished
condition, with debt of Sl50O, and nothing to
iancel it, but the already exhausted purses of ID
few friends The income of the congregation
WAS not over 54OU; and they were contributing
10 but one of the Benevolent objects of the
jhurchs work. But now he leaves u
church, with a house of worship not only
completed, but greatly improved and orna-
mented, without dollar of indebtedness
and having an income sufficient to be self
sustaining, and contributing to every object OF
Oenehcenoe being one of three churches in the
whole Synod of Baltimore, which contributes to
I'll of the church's benevolent operations.
Besides, there have been measures inaugurated
TO procure manse for the future pastor, which
uave assumed a tangible form. in the purcha se
Of three acres of beautiful land an in subscrlp-
tons amounting o nearly half enough to COM
plete the enterprise.
And when the pastoral relation was constitu-
ted. May 9Th, 1861, Mr.. Moore stated that there
we're only 20 members in good and regular stand
ing in the Lower Brandywine Church. But ht
lad received into her membership 224 persons
lS9 by examination, and 30 by certificate
And after the dlsmssions by death, letter ant
1ther causes, he would leave the church with q
membership seven times larger than when he
became pastor. During this time, 206 person.
Iad been baptized 130 adults and rs children
l3 couples or 81 persons had been married anC
more than three-score burials had taken place
Eighty-two families are now representedln III the
church In which there had been over 800 pastoral
visits paid, and more than 1000 social visits. AND
there were none he believed who could say, thai
now when leaving them, he had eithel
passed by in personal conversation on the sub
Juect of Religion Or had neglected to yistlt then
IN their homes He further stated that he hat
preached more than 100 sermons. held over hvt
hundred prayer meetings taught 300 Bible SCHOOL,
and gathered our 1900 children into the Sunda,
school. In addition to the regular duties Of hi
pastrate, he had held protracted meetings in tn,
congregation; and had assisted in holding some
~ such meetings in other churches: and tina
ne had labored at Kennett Square, ant
Hamorton Chester Co., Pa, two years, and one
summer in Olivet-Ohapel and Rodney Stree
Wilmington Del. And that he had beeu but lii
lie absent save the six months he served al
chaplain Of the 9th Reg. Pa. vol. during tia,
siege of Petersburg and Richmond. Va
And touching the subject matter of preaching
Mr.. Moore states, that he had drawn from thu
whole field of Theology, Divine Revelation, Ma
ture, and GOTs Providence; that th'
people had been instructed in almost all of thu
distinctive doctrins of our church, &c., and il
ali Diyinely constituted ordinances and mean
Jf grace.
He had pressed the claims of the Gospel upoi
all who had come under his ministry. There
ore, he would leave the church with the con
.ciousness OF having tried at least, to do hi
iuty. No dout many mistakes had been made
out error was human, and he claimed NO exemp
Lion from the hnman family.
But he felt that he was leaving his friends
such WAS the friendship existing even now, tina
10 could not but feel sad, that sense of dut
20 himself, to others, and to God, required tn
,evering of the Pastoral tie. And nothin
could reconcile him to the change about to TAX
place, but the call of Providence to enter int
arger aud more inviting fields of labor else
where. A. G. Y.