Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-09-08
FAREWELL SERMON
By Rev. J. j. Davies Of MuIiica Hill
Baptist Church, Delivered
Aug. IS, 1904.

ssPeace | leave with you, My peace |
give unto you; not as the world giyeth give
/ unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
These words were spoken by Lord Jesus
Christ to those who were to be His messen-
gers to carry the gospel to all the world.
They were very appropriate to the occasion,
as all His words.were at all times, and ]
know of no better from which to preach on
the present occasion. For 13 years we have
Iabored together as church, people and
pastor, and during that period have ex-
perienced the usual lights and shadows
incident to the life here; and by the grace
of God can point to these years as an evil
dence Of the possibility of working for
the Master without those dark clouds of
dissention which sometimes, tho too often,
mar the otherwise beautiful career of both
churches and ministers.
While / cannot look back upon my
ministry among you without regrets that it
has not been more perfect in many ways,
yet it gives me great pleasure TO think of
you, my beloved brethren and friends, as
those for whom / shall anxiously await in
the better land, if, in Gods infinite wis
dom, shall enter the city first, and there
talk over many things we failed to under
stand here, which in the light of eternity
will be made plain. To me it is a source of
greatest comfort to feel in my heart love
for this church, which the years have only
helped to mature. and as | now read God Is
providence in this reverence of tie which
has been very dear to me, see the Divine
so guiding as to bring about in the Fathers
home the perfecting Of that love begun
here. For we do love one another-the
many evidences which you have given of
that love shall ever be among the sweetest
memories Of my life To-day of all days
in nay ministry recall your abounding
kindlaess to me and mine, and, we are not
ungra6eful While life shall last, and
memory sits upon its throne we shall thank
God for these years Of sweetest earthly ex-
perience. No pastor has had more loyal
and generous people, and, the man whom
it shall please the Master to send as my
successor, and God forbid that he should be
otherwise sent, will be indeed fortunate
man. He will find you ready and willing
for every good work. May God abundantly
bless the union that /, tho absent in the
flesh. may rejoice with you in the spirit
ever sinners saved and happy, rejoicing
ehnFch. / haYe no statistics to-day-it may
not be the proper thing to do. but have
not done it yet-for our work-the work,
true work of Gods people cannot be COM
puted by means of figures. Eternity alone
can reveal what we have accomplished dur
ing these years. Much of that which is
paraded fore the world through figures is
not church work at all. So you Will par
don me this morning if instead of giving
you an array of figures and other things,
leave with you as church and eommunity
my hearts earnest and best desire that you,
all of you, continue in the happy possession
of the peace of Lord Jesus Christ which He
gives to all them that love His appearing.
To you and to me as truly as to those
heart broken disciples he says: Peace
leave with you, my peace give unto you.
Not as the world giveth give unto you"
1. What did the Lord mean by the word
ssworid' there? s'The world''-Did He
mean exactly what these words express to-
day? You know that when using TIE ex-
preston we generally attach to it life in
fashionable society amusements, pleasure,
excitement. Was there such state OF
society at Capernaum or JerusaIem. OF
course there was The way in which the
difference may show itself will vary ascord-
ing to the habits of the age, but there is a
necessity in human nature that men shall
divide themselves into two classes which
we familiarly call sthe religions and the
world y 1t has been SO since one brother
gave to religion what cost him nothing be-
cause his religion was nothing to him;
while the other brother gave God his best
because be had found in God his all For
what else can this expression mean ? II
cannot mean the earth, this beautiful, elab-
crate earth with it's varied blessings scatter
ed thick and grand over its surface. God
would never haye said Of this earth, do
not love IT, 1t can't be the heathen, it
could never mean, Il pray not for the
heathen," or l pray that Thou shouIdst
take them out of the heather. It cannot
mean actual sin. II has its own separate
treatment and we have no reason whatever
to say that the disciples were formerly very
immoral men, because He says Of them: 81
have chosen you out Of the world. What
then must the world IN aIl ages mean
but that which n now understand by that