Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-04-03
PRIOE ONE GENT
HIS FAREWELL TO THE PEOPLE
THE REV. T. L. PETERS
LEAVE TAKING.
A Large Congregation Hears His
Farewell Remarks With
Much Regret.


Last evening the Rev. 4. E. Peters
preached his farewell sermon 20 his
congregation at MARYLAND Avenue NJ
Church. His text was Marx
&c 20 And he said. so is the
kingdom of God, as il a man should
cast seed upon the earth. aud should
sleep and rise night and day, and the
seed should spring mp and grow, ha
knoweth not how, The earth beareth
trult OF herself; first the blade, then
the ear. then the full corn i'm the ear.
But when the fruit is ripe, straight.
way he putteth forth the sickle. be.
cause the harvest is come Rev.
Peters said in part:
IhiS parable NAV be applied 90 the
origin aud establishment of Christian
ity, or the beginning and growth Of
the Grace of God in the heart Let
rs consider its application toN the
personal religious life. First we learn
that the principle of religion is not
natural to man, but is impaired 90
the heart. IL is divine We cannot
grow into religion. hut we can grow
in religion. As there can be no corn
without the seed so must tho seed of
spirituality be planted before it eau
expand. \ dead soul cannot grow,
- NAAt AitAFN AhAukN AAihN uNNh iiAh
grow. 4 dead soul must have the iii.
vine impaired before Il can make any
growth
Therefore "A man cannot grow until
he Is converted Aud conversion is
the implanting of the spiritual seed
therefore II IS nonsense for man 20
say he is good because he is moral
Goodness lies in spirituality aud this
only is given by Gol aud must be-
sought after Religion is growth
lt goes on forever. Many complain
about close preaching What other
kind OF preaching can produce good
growth. Christian experience cannot
be ordered like So many goods, hut is
only felt by growth. The minister is
the principal sower of the word, but
the duty of each and every one of us
IS TO prepare our hearts that the seed
may fall on good ground and produce
good fruit. Our duty in the world is
to grow and to sow. Then we need
never fear about results. God tells as
TO sow and He takes care of the seed
after that. Christian parents must
set example before their children. II
they would have their children go TO
Sunday SCHOOL, they must go and set
the example. a child does not like 60
90 there If it is not good for his
parents. He will follow them nearly
every time. Our lives are read more
than books. Each and everyone of us
is being read by someone aud what
we do is influencing someone else.
The beginning Uf religion is like
all seed. small at first. IL begins with
life, then purity, then maturity. We
reach perfection in our hearts in this
world. but not perfection of head
Heaven is not place of purifying,
but a place where the pure enter.
Therefore we be pure when we leave
this world. When we have been puri-
fled then we commence TO grow and
go OIL TO maturity. When "A man is
converted he is yet child in the
Christian experience. Second, re-
ligion is gradual The seed, the blade
and then the corn. An education can
not be had in a day, nor does the
acorn grow into the mighty oak as soon
as it sprouts. We expect a child Co
grow LII IL did not we would be
alarmed. And God expects His child
to grow. We must grow or die. Then
we ought to grow symmetrically. We
want 10 become well-developed
Christian.
Third, when the fruit is ripe, then
comes the harvest. matured Christ
ian is ready to go where he cannot
grow 20 infnity. But God leaves
many Of them among us so that We
may profit by their experience, What
a delightful sight tU an aged person
matured in God How their exper-
fence helps US One day when John
Quincy Adams was asked concerning
llis health tie replied John Quincy
Adams is all right, but the house ho
lives in is weak. So we do not see
the man; we see the house the man
is oustide. A person may be old and
feeble, but perfectly healthy in spirit.
old age is but the youth OF eternity.
DIR. Osler got his idea of putting old
people out OF the way, back among the
partans before the day Of CHRISTIAN.
ity. But how would we do without
the old Christians, those who have
trodden the road before. Let Us all
receive the gift Of the spirit from God
and let us grow into that perfection
by which we shall see God.
At the end of the sermon Mrs. Peters
and Mr.. Clifton j. Russell sang a
duet entitled MY Jesus Calls. The
pastor took a touching farewell OF
his people and said that he felt as ii
his very life blood was in the walls OF
Maryland Avenue Church. He said
| that the church was in q better posi-
| tiOn 10 do good than ever before, aud
| that great field lay before them. He
also said that he would rather live in
Annapolis than anywhere else in the
/ world, but he felt that his work here
was done and that he must go where
| (sod calls