The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1898-08-26
A

1t was the purpose OF Rev. ID. q.
Byers To remain IN Moss Point until
Sept. LIST and tn preach a farewell SER
mon on next Sabbath. But several
matters, especially the liability OF
quarantine regulations preventing
his removal, make IL important that
he emOve to Jackson, La, this week.
Following are some extracts from
closing PORTIONS Of the sermon, appli-
cable to his people both in Moss Point
aEd Scranton and to all his friends:
/Text-And now brethren, ] com.
mend you to God, and to the word Of
his grace, which is able to build you
up, and to give you an inheritance
among them which are sanctined.-
Acts 20: 30.
And now brethren. to that same
GOd-the God Of Abraham and Jacob
and Moses, and David and Paul, the
God OF your fathers and mine-thc
unchangeabiy One who has promised
to he U God, and the God OF our
c~hildren-tO him l commend you all
this day.
Nations may rise and flourish, de-
cline and fall, churches may live and
love and labor and die, men may come
and men may go, but His lOyc and
care endure forever. Or His church
He has said "Behold l have craven
thee on the palms OF my hands. thy
walls are continually before me-"
Let all that He has done for this
people be to you an earnest OF His
willingness tn do still greater and bet
ter things. He says to You to-day, as
He said to His Isrcal Of old "Opcn
thy mouth WIDE that / may All It,"
l commend you to Hin, and to the
word OF His grace, this word which
for more than thirteen years l have
tried to declare unto you. How inn
perfectly, how u%nfaithfully, ! know,
and you know, but whatever my fail
ures, whatever my unfaithfdlhess In
duty, 1t has been my supreme desire
and aim to see this church built up in
the faith OF the Gospel; believers
strengthened and cOmfortcd, sinners
converted, and the glory Of God adj
vanced.
Swiftly have the years gone ny since
first we met. Your welcome was or
dial, and often have we received at
your hands tokens OF your thoughtful-
ness and affection. And wherever
our steps may be directed in coming
| years, memory will return full many
a time to the scenes and faces which
have grown so familiar here.
l have looked into your faces from
this pulpit. l have met you in the
prayer meeting and the Sabbath
SCHOOL, have mingled with you in
your pleasant homes. | have stood
| by your cOuchcs OF suffering, and by
the graves Of your dead. l have SYM
pathized with you In your joys ana
sorrows, as you have sympathized
with me and mine. and by all these
vicissitudes has the relationship been
strengthened.
And now. brethren, farewell. The
God Of all comfort, comfort your
hearts, and stablish you and bless
sou. There is u peculiar sadness
about doing anything for the last
time. But there is a land where there
will come no ''last time-where there
will be no shadow of turning, with all
the powers Of a spirits kiss" We
have not seen'our friends for the last
time. We are to meet those who are
the friends of Christ on the plains Of
Heaven and know them as we know
them here.
They will there be holy and perfect;
there will be no grey hairs upon their
brows; no wrinkles OF care, no look Of
sorrow, no burden Of age. And with
them we shall sit down by the banks
OF the stream OF Life, beneath the
shade OF the trees OF the river, aud
talk OF the times when we were to-
gether here, and we will look into
faces that we loved long ago, and clasp
hands once cold In death, and u
hearts will thrill with Joy unutterablc
and our peace will flow as a river.