The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1881-04-28
FAREWELL SERMON
OF TPY. W. q. Gray at ST. james Church
Last Sunday MOrning--An ElO-
qucnt Discourse from n
Gifted Minister.

ACTS, 20, portions from 18th TO 35th verses. inclu
siye-''Y e know, from the first day that l came,
after " hit manncrI have been with you, serving
] kept back nOthiag that profitable unto you,
but nave showed you, and have taught you publc-
~ fr IN house to house ..... And now, brethren,
commend you God and to this word of Ills grace,
which Is able To build you up and to give ysu
inheritance among all them which are sanctfed.
have coveted no mans silver, gold, apparel.
Nea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have
miniSteicd unto my necessities, and to them that
were with me. have Showed you all things, how
that lahOring we ought to support the weak, and
to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he
said 1T is mere blessed to give than TO receive"
You can well imagine, my beloved, that
have reached Il very trying period of my
life. l have always believed that the init
mate relationship between pastor and people
WAS avery sacred and holy one, and should
not be easily or lightly severed. l have,
too, striven to act upon that belief. have
resolutely closed my ears from time TO time,
againlt all inducements to seek another
field, and my reply was to each and every
one simple negative. And SO now that l
have determined on change, now that l
am impelled to sever this close connection,
which has SO long existed, to break these
sacred ties that have strengthened with in
creasing years, feel that YOU have right
to know at least some of the consideration
the main ones, that have led me to this de-
termination. To make this as clear as
can, am obliged, to some extent, to refer Ia
past years, as my interpreter, and to allude
to what has been the guiding motive of my
| life, and so l am afraid, as l briefly run over
a., ,,I T.,
myself, may seem sometimes to indulge in
proud boasting, and to be making something
of myself when 1 am nothing. God forbid
l only wish to show ven that from the first
and nOT, my earnest desires, prayers and
efforts haze bee and are fer your temporal
and spiritual welfare.
Now, would refer you to the opening
words of the text, aye know, from the frs
day that l came.......after what manner
have been with you at ali seasons
found, when l came here, the material
possessions of this church to consist in
little more than one-haIf this present lot
with small brick church upon it. And al
to the membership, outside of my own fam
lily there were hcenty COMMITMENTS. 0
these only three were males. Two of these
Daniel +, Wells and Chas. II. Derion, hav
; ing finished their course Of faith, do nov
rest from their labors, in the Paradise o
God. The other, Levi Joy, still living, i
now resident of the city OF st. Louis
Very soon after my coming, great troubl
came upon ". The horrors of the grea
civil war burst upon US. 1t was time tina
tried mems souls. 1t seas time of grea
trouble. l went with you through it.
came to devote my life. God is my witness
that have not spared it. l have watehe
and prayed, night and day, by the bedsid
OF your sick and dying at home. l ka7
shared a soldier couch and a soldiers far
with you on the tented field. hive preache
the Gospel Of Christ here in comfortabI
church, and 1 Stunned not to declare tn
+ counsel Of God in the camp, in the open al
D and fFeeaIently standing IA the snow, Will
the brave men who knew that they migl
/ fall tomorrow sto1d or kneeled GROUND upo
the shected earth. I have ministeretF
the wounded aud the dying, upon the d.
> of battle, and afterwards, with the de-
words of our mother, the Church, have Ia
the dead to rest.
have stood by my people, sympathiz
: with them, felt with them, believed wi
them, and suffered with them, in the