The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-31
AMID SILENT TEARS
Affecting Scene AS d.. FL
1ison Bids Farewell to
the Bergen Baptist
Church. ,s
TEN YEARS OF JOY AND SORROW
Goes Away Because God Has Called
Him to Another Field
Musical Programme.
TEN YEARS OF JOY AND SORROW

last sermon in the Bergen Baptist Churcn.
Last night he said farewell to the con-
gregation that he has labored with and
for over ten years. He leaves the Ber-
gen Baptist Church to take charge OF
the First Baptist Church of Indianapolis.
| The Bergen Baptist Church is in a better
| condition tina it was in when he as
| sumed charge. Ten years ago the church
| was not very strong; now it has one -of
the largest and most influential congre-
cations in the city. Its Sunday night
congregations for the past two years
| have been larger than those of any other
church on the Hill. 1t was a surprise
to Mr.. E~llison's many friends when he
| announced his intention of leaving. An
| effort was made to get him to stay. but
| it was unsuccessful.
The announcement that he was to
preach his farewell sermon last night
brought out probably the largest con-
| ~gregation he ever preached to- BY seven
o'clock, before the doors of the church
were open, the sidewalk in front of the
ediice was black with people. The doors
had not been open five minutes when
| every seat was taken Then chairs were
placed in the aisles to accommodate the
crowds. These were filled as fast as
| they were put in place. Before eight
o'clock the gallery and the body of the
church were crowded to suffocation,
there was not an inch of standing room
vacant and nearly four hundred people
! were turned away. The services opened
with a service of song by the chorus
choir, under the leadership of Mr.. Arthur
| Preston. The Christmas music was re-
| peated. Mr.. Preston played Alex. Gull
mant's "Marche Religieuse." The choir
sang Angels From the Realms of Glory"
and Bethlehem after which the con-
gregation sang a hymn. Miss Fannie A.
Crowell sang "O'er the Hills of Bethle-
HEM" by Shelley, and then Mr.. Grower,
who conducted the service, read the
Bible. Another hymn and the singing of
"a Little Town of Bethlehem by the
| quartette choir and Mr.. Grower prayed.
He prayed that the church might be
blessed and prosper and asked that Gods
blessing might follow Mr.. Ellison wher-
ever he may go.
AN AFFECTING SCENE.
AS he talked a good many handker-
chiefs were called into play and there
was a great deal of silent weeping. Mr..
| Ellison broke down towards the end of
| the prayer. HandeI's "Hallelujah Chorus
was sung with great effect by the choir,
| there was another hymn by the congre-
| CATION, and then there was q deep silence
as Mr.. Ellison arose to make his ad-
| dress. He stood with one hand resting
on a pedestal on which was a bunch of
| lilies. AS he started mis- voice was rather
choked, but as he advanced it steadied.
II would have preferred" he said, $50
go out without saying anything about
going. Saying farewell appears to me
to be much the same as putting Fins
on the last page of a book. Why not
| publish the book and let it speak for
itself? But then when 1 came to look
at it, it didn't seem just right that after
ten years of joy and sorrow, pleasure
and duty with the congregation. 1
| should go without saying goodbye. The
words which have come to my mind
with great force in the past few days
are the words that God spake to Moses
on Mount Horeb:-'Ye nave dwelt long
| enough in this mount When Moses re-
ceived the Lords message he descended
Horeb and went to other fields. God is
| mindful of his children. He knows where
we are, how long we have been there and
WnaL IS peSl lor US. we uoH l. l. we
| are happy in a place we are likely to
stay there.
There are mountains tina we must all
go down. There is the mountain of
strength. There m a time when the
strong, healthy mar collapses. Then
there is the mountain of wealth. A man
| may accumulate a fortune and everything
may appear bright and cheerful to him,
but often his circumstances change and
he goes down the mountain.
MINDFUL OF HIS OWN.
There is the mountain of friendship.
| We may have a host of friends about us,
| but there comes a time in our lives when
our friends are ali gone and we are left
alone. And SO it is with the mountain Of
but God is mindful of us. He often takes
US down one mountain that we may
ascend a higher one, as Moses descended
Horeb and went into Nebo. We wouldn't
calls us. Home ties and the ties of
friendship may hold us down, but a
voice says, .Ye have dwelt in this mount
long enough How forcibly 1 am i'm
| pressed tonight with the fact hat change
is the law of life. AS l look out into this
congregation tonight it seems like Haw.
t~llorne's mirror rejecting the faces of all
| the people | have met in this church in
the past ten years.
THE church has. changed. Not one
Of the pulpit committee that. called me to
this church is in it today. Some are dead
and some are far away. | shall never for
get the Bergen Baptist Church and the
| people who have labOred with me in 1t.
God has truly blessed my work in this
church. On Wednesday night l led into
the water the four hundred and eighth
| person ] have baptised in this church.
| I can truthfully say that ! have done all
I could for this church and congregation.
/ have used every ounce of strength /
have been possessed of and every bit of
| talent God has given me for this people.
| I lave held nothing back, in fact, some
| times / have ovefdone myself. / want to
| place it on record here that never did
| pastor have a more faithful set of work.
| ers to aid him. There nave been some in
this congregation who have lone all in
| their power to build up the church, and
| without their aid l could have accom-
| plished nothing. l see no reason why this
| church should not continue to prosper.
1t has a membership of go souls and
a congregation that reaches way above
| the thousand mark. 1t has the good
will of the community and could not be
In a better location, situated as it is
upon the brow Of the. Hill and in the
centre of a rapidly growing portion of
GOD IS Ill RIGHT.
God is all right and the community
Is all right, and If it does not succeed it
is it's own fault. You lave one of the
finest auditoriums in the city. True it
is not all paid for yet. If we had all
done as we should, according to our
| means, it would have been paid for long
\ ago. Still, / don't think that any of us
enjoy it any the less because we haven't
| paid for it. Don't make you church ex-
| elusive. If a man of any other denomina-
ton takes a seat by you make him feel
at home. Make him realize that God is