The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-12-24
FINALLY, FAREWELL"
Sermou Delivered by Rev. Edward
MeCeady. Rector Of Trinity Chureb.
On. fahiss Leave Tor New Fold
or Labor.

0eRu6O0 DeItVefe0 ~ 1eS. ho"~s'
MeCrsdy, Rector Of Trintty Churef
On. Tahiss Leave Tor . New Fol-
| Of Labor.
Finally. brethren. farewell. Be perfect. B
/ Of good CON fort, be OF one mind. live In pesc'
and the Grd OF Love aud Peace shall
with you.-2 Cor. XIII. IL.
than one month. Bsethrep, since came her
| 10 Abboyilie and assumed charge or this II,
| tie Parish. bavtpy arrived here the Slst oa
OF August. and having held my nrst sersic
| In this church the sunday following, bein
the Srd day Of September, 1888. Within tina
conpsrativeiy short interval-tfor the churc'
haa been established 10 your midst sine
lS4i) ve have Witnessed the most unusual,
might aimo.t say unaccouptnole chaugse
From the comparatively nourishing Partsl
which I found upon my arrtval-a Parish
numbering nearly seventy commnnicants'
nov sse . Church reduced 10 the state .
a Mission, dependent upon the hoard O
Missions for It's existence, and q congregation
barely one half the Hize 10 Was, and AL tbiR. o.
it remembered, has been brought thronsI
Two causes alone, death and rem bval TO oihe
Had M your Pastor felt that had been IL
sny way responsibie for this decrease Ia
number, had my ministry In any VA
aroused ill.iceling or prstudiee against TN
church. whereby many hsd lett 10 connec
inemaeiven with other denominsfiona.
would indeed feel personally responsibie To-
this loss, bul 10 tar m i know not sinK'
mem Der has left us through iil.wIil-but twt
that can recall have ief, IA for any reRsor
st all respecting religious belief while f0rtj
have been taken away through death snc
more than thirty have remused " oah ei
points. Nor have We been without aecss
ions 10 our fiock, but the CONSTANT lo.se'
year afier yeur nave vastly exceeded oni
ssins.
naliefs, aud In order 10 show you the true
fnnt \ h.sf
oeiors you. let mo- give Sou .ome IDEA OF ,hs
past history and grow, b 81 thus congregation
40 recorded In the Parish R.g,ster. B.f.irt
the year ls5S which marks ihe laying ot tht
corner slupe OF tDis presebi soIffce, The
records are very DeAgre and have no tneaus
Of tracing accurately the history OF The
iitile hock that worshipped IN small wooden
.truclare slu,o.t on the siie OF the present
sftsrvafd removed bodily 70 Wilmington,
serving the little congregation there as u
houSc vi wor.h,p for many years, being
finsliy destroyed ey are, and now replaced
record OF membership that has been pre-
served In the Register during this period
was that made by the Rev. A w. CUrnish.
In the year lsas. 10 ne recolds the S name: ~ OF y
oi melnbership which ne nave. ana curious.
~ enough, the same dgures represent about
exactly our present aud last report the little
pxsish alter an era vi upusuai gtovth. hsv.
tug otceohy ooSoao1 Soos e'ses Sess w "e
Undoupi~diy In looking over the Geld the
Snr is the tut ming point. Up Ia the days ol
secession there appears to have been y
steady Increase, the recorded membership
under Rev. Mr.. johnson In 1855 Gust Year,
Iatsr) being ". more than double that
recorded by Mr. Cornish. Mr. does this mark
the limit. While there arc no ngures %
continued these phenomenal gains, and 1,
sas the incnpaoity OF the former church 70
accommodates the congregation, that neces-
siiated the erection OF the present building
Uroak,ng out ef the war. years later than
lnis record Of Nc. Jvnusol, have boen told
tnat it waA sur1cient 70 All the past Church
iair,y we'll, and tho :sSssuns sSs capacity VI oa'
Before passing ON. iet mo allude briefly "a
the worE Of this Remarkably gifted man, fol
lt 70 20 him more than anyone else that the
Episcopal Church In Aooeyiiie owes ~ out
making the 1ooi. tide OF our psr0chisiH gro wth
and prosperity. Tnnt he wss M artist VI
more than ordinary merit can scarcely DO do
nted. The present beautiful edItce In which
ws are eeAied, % my miaj, too most beauti
iuIiy proportioued churcn buIlding have
,ver seen, and absolutely true 10 the princi-
ples OF Gothic afcnitec, ure-to say nothing
Il its no lcss attractive surroundings. the gar.
Iens, walks ana hedges Of the church yard
and tue cemetefy-aii the work Of his own
haHd and brain, are an everlasting mouu-
inens 10 bis artistic geslus. Nor does the
Fact tnat the church II . copy. in certain re-
ieITnct from, the metitof the work. Certain.
- Mr. johnson had NO specific dimensions ol
lpis buiiding which hs had merely chanced
70 zee abroad, and a. most 9 photograph o.
nave hs,ped bat littie In the careful msibs-
mAtical essimates OF oxnct proportions Whioh
mean every thing Ia architecture.
Many . man Of ordinary ability with Q pho
ksns <oA
ING siinlllar In general appearance 10 the one
oeiore him, bat he rcaunol reproducs the ex.
act proportions ofthe origipai from such an
imsye, 10 that tho perspective altsrs Il TO an
mis- reason thai though we ses hundreds o
ouiiuings modelled after certain famous srchi
yectufai monuments. we zee % fsw that IN
,ny sense produce the eject OF tho original
rney are inventions only. not reproductions
they give the general appearances, bot mot tht
oeauty OF the model. Il Is ouly the real artist
Who can reproduce. or more than that, can
sltn . Wero suggestion froin an Inferior s0Od
superior. For my own pait. Il wuuil mol suf.
prise uie O. ell. could but soe the original OF
Mr.. Johus01's work, 10 nnd it = vastly infs.
rt0r building In real architectural merit
and sixs ana costly materials mignt cause II
70 eclipse on: ovn modest little building iu
u,ofe snovincss OF appsaranct Bot Mr.
Johnson's abilities were oy NO means CON
peruliartties. MS psternsi methoJs and biz
persoDal influence mus, have oeen no lcsu
poweriui IN The community, juLxinx from
the large aruessions ~ the congregatiOn thai
took place during his ministry
lu q fcw yeafa Tune the number of commul,
icsats Vas dUuoled, the new church compisI-
Cd, AMI every promise Of great work exhib
tied, when suddenly the sounds Of the VA,
drum brought all these things 10 an abrupl
termination. The church never sgaip real
lied such prosperity. After. The war things
were naturally In . chaotic conditiop-uufa
bers VI families LEFT AboeviiIe and their FOR
mer bome,. and The church In conscQuenc.
.hrunk 70 ils hsifits size Between lS6s-ig;I
I nnd Rsv. W. r. Duisose, then Rsc,or. 'I, re-. !.
porting only ~ commandments, and with lIt
Ile nuctuAtion thai general average vay
maintained uutii my own arrival In 1893.
say that general nSeraxe, for although Rev
upon the looks nsures a. low a. 70 and q re
spoctiveiy, this IL evidently mistaK q m Raw
Nf. Kershav coming between the lwo, re.
ports u, almost the same NJ Dr.. Du i3oso. and
and for several years sfter, ragged anyw here
between 90 and 20.
II IN only within the past four or i've YEAR,
tbst our unprec"ndsoted iosaes through dealt
reduced us TO congregation that for ail
practical purposes 10 the same a. that report
Cd By the Rev. Mr.. Cornish In lSl0. Dur,p,
the nine yoais that I have been mere anc
Win u CbuSNBotbOu never exceeding 10,
have baptized 81 unfants and adults tnxetner.
prese uted 10 candidates for confirmation. M ar
rled Is couples, sod buried 20 personu, nearI,
oil OF whom we're ipti pateiy connecled with
the life and Interests Of the congregation, Nor,
over. 10 muAt bo remembered that these Las
losses are through death. When We oonsideI
the removals that have taken place tmany m
consequences OF these deaths-mary for othe
reasons) -sometimes whole families ut
ume--yo1 can see that the present numbe,
would oe unaccountable were it NOT that ws
have 10 consider many new member usher
ed 10 frOm time 20 time--eome few coming u
% from other tovna. but the vast majority
being among the 30 candidates young mef
and young women reported as confirmed