The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1892-11-08
FAREWELL SERMON.
Rev. A. n. Stephens Delivers
an Interesting and Touching
Discourse.

livered his farewell sermon to his con
gregation last night. Owing to tn;
threatening weather the audience wa.
unusually small for such an occasion,
but the pastors remarks were as well
applicable even to the minority of hi.
hearers.
After the young peoples meeting
had been dismissed, Mrs. S. p. Johns,
Jr., and Miss Maud Shirk rendered Il
duet, Heavenly Father" followe,.
by solo by Mr.. George Menefee,
1.-THE RESURRECTION"
Rev. Stephens opened his sermon
by referring to the language used by
the apostle Paul, in the twentith Acts,
seventeenth verse:
"My remarks will be for thesame pur-
pose that Paul used them, and l am
confident that they are as applicable
TO the church here in Sedalia as they
were in the day of the apostle. With
this feeling in your hearts; in what
sOeyer city or community you may re-
side, you feel the kindness and help
of God. And that is just what Paul
meant by these words.
The language of the 32nd verse;
10Th Acts, is equivalent to Paul say
ing: 4 commend you to the Father
And now brethren l commend you to
God. The thought of my sermon is
this: What is God to your church;
to your christian home; to you; He
is all, consequently. brethren, l COM
mend you to go to him. To him, the
one who loves you, and the one
to whom you owe your
work. Every christian life
is attended by success where it is trus-
ted. Where the faith is lacking the
success is also, and we feel the need of
help in its tried moments. A parent
must supply the earthly wants of his
children he must provide for them
according to the natural law. There
is not a father who would not protect
his offspring, even to the very death.
So my brethren and fellow workers in
this church, the one who will supply
your want, spiritually, is the God to
whom | command you tonight. Do
We believe His word? And will we
trust 1.-THE word of the Almighty |
God? In a recent meeting of the |
officers of the church, a gentle
man said: 81 will tell YOU
what is the matter with the church? |
Everything is figured on a business
basis. What if Paul had waited un-
Ill he could have, by the aid of pencil
and paper, figured the outcome of his
new undertakings? Suppose that
Peter and others had done the same.
What would have been the result?
They had faith in God. l have tried |,
o have faith in God who has supplied
nv every want, as | have said before,
Is the earthly father would protect his
hid, if necessary, with his own life.
This is true of God towards us all if
We only have the faith, The faith is
.iven us through the spilling of the
Hood of Jesus Christ.
/ will praise God the rest of nv
lays, that when / left this church, /
vas able to see the result of my labors,
nd to see the large number of young
'eople who have knelt around the al
ar and given themselves up to Hi-
,eeping. l have during the last two
r three years received hundreds of
etters from people who have gave
rom the church and Sedalia, and now
rho are in all parts Of the country, /,
aging that they have been leading
Tristan lives. l love to see the child
rought up in the right light as many
f you love to see the progress of :
nipple flower when budding /; to first
pen the leaves of the bud and .
hen to bloom forth exhaling per-
umes rs fragrant as the immaculate
ly. So do love to watch the pro- a;
ress of a child and in the beautiful
priDg time of lite see it bloom into
Tristan wOmanhOod and manhood.
A child inherits this. 1t cannot
ONE from the pastor and pulpit or
rom the Sunday school teacher. 1t is ;
Inherited. +;
One member from this church will
OF interfere with its work and when
leave, possibly in a few days, l
My pray that the blessings of God
lay rest upon you. The christian p,
fe is the only true life and you must :
ave faith. Brethren and fellow work (
rs, / commend you to God"
Rev. Stephens, who has been in Sc
ALA for the past twelve or thirteen 7
ears, leaves Thursday for the east.
! month will be spent in Central ILL a
OILS, and thence the pastor will go to g
hicagO to remain. While in this city
Lr. Stephens has made many friends !
i Of whom regret his latest move, but =
l.