The news & observer., 1905-11-05
G. A. GRIMSLEY, Secretary.

| a ray of sunshine falling upon his
| fair hair-and declared boldly that
Ino one could be saved by any doc
| trine, and that the only Saviour OF
| the soul was Christ Himself who was
alive and present amongst u.s. Often
| in the Wistfu and unconfesSed dreams
| of youth my heart had gone forth to
! Jesus of Nazareth as He spake and
| lived in Galilee so friendly, so gra-
| cous, so winsome And 1 had felt
! as if [ had the heart in me to be His
| follower and that He would not re-
| fuse even me. But alas was He not
dead and buried, with the great stone
of doctrine upon His grave? As the
stranger spoke with conviction in his
voice, and the sunlight falling like a
benediction on his head, L saw the
stone rolled away from the grave.
and the living Christ come forth And
within my soul l heard Him call me
by name, who am not worthy to be
His disciple, far less His minister. 1t
is this Christ most patient most
charitable, most loving of masters,
whom we serve. 1t is this Christ we
preach who still knocks at every
mans door and besieges every man s
heart with His love; it is for this
Christ, strong Son of God, immortal
love-" our fellow-men in their sin and
suffering are longing and waiting; and
it is to this Christ, in virtue of the
Divine purpose, of His own immense
sacrifice, and of the irresistible power
of the Holy Ghost that the world shall
yet belong
Twenty-Five years ago on the last
Sunday Of September / began my
ministry in this pulpit, and / then
promised that, according to my abili-
ty / should preach Jesus Christ. As
review the years my heart is hum
bled by many shortcomings and by
many mistakes for which | ask your
forgiveness, but | will plead that /
have made Christ the standard of my
thinking and tie centre of my preach
ing. ] have always treated the creeds
according to the standpoint of our
Church, as subordinate standards, and
have exalted. the Bible above doc
trinaI symbols, and | have read the
Bible itself in the light of Jesus
words. What Jesus did not teach
have refused to preach, what Jesus
did not command / have not bound
upon your consciences. l have done
my best to present God according to
the revelation of Jesus, and | have
preached the Divine Fatherhood.
have done my best to expound re-
demption according TO the Gospel, and
L have preached the Cross as the
prlnclple OF lie. II dI any Illne
have spoken as if Christianity stood
in the acceptance of dogma rather
than of the living Christ. or as if any
man were in a state of salvation who
had not been saved from his sins
then my words have betrayed me- for
that is not what ! intended to teach.
My last testimony as minister of this
church is that there is one Saviour
for the human SOUL one Master for
the human mind and ore Guide for
the human life, and that is our most
dear Lord. In His most merciful and
mighty hands / leave you, bidding
you be faithful and true, and in. His
Name / thank you for the charity
with which you have allowed me to
declare whatsoever truth God gave
me; for the patience with which you
have borne with my imperfections.
and for the kindness not only at this
present. but during all the past, which
you have shown to me, both in my
public work and in my private life.