Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-18
Says FAREWELL
TO CONGREGATION
RECTOR SHERMAN's SERMON
IS LAST ONE
st. Athansslus EpIscopaIlsns Hear
Their Pastors Final Address.
Departs for New Charge In
ST. Louis Today

with words OF encouragement for the
further development of the spiritual
above that Of the material life, Rev.
Stephen r. Sherman, IT., the popular
rector Of st. Athanasius church, yester-
day morning took leave of his congre-
cation. With Mrs. Sherman and their
infant son, Rev. Mr.. Sherman will leave
today for st. Louis, Mo-, where he will
assume the rectorate of st. Paul's Epis-
copal church, one of the leading
churches Of the metropolis of the
Mississippi valley.
For three years Rev. Mr.. Sherman
has labored in ST. Athanasius parish,
coming here from Rochester, N. Y.
When he came here st. Athanasius was
but mission, from which he has built
1t to be a self-supporting parish, and
yesterday announced that sufficient
funds had been raised to erect a
parochial chapel and guild hall in the
Echo park district.
Rev. Mr.. Sherman has become be-
loved throughout the parish, and 1t Is
with regret that the parishioners part
with him.
Spare Mrs. Sherman
Owing to the recent severe illness Of
Mrs. Sherman no formal farewell was
rendered, the vestrymen yesterday pre-
senting resolutions of regret on his
departure, as printed in The Herald.
Preceding his sermon, Rev. Mr.. Sher-
man thanked the church officials and
communicants for the hearty co-opera-
ton they had extended In the work
and spoke feelingly of the friendships
begun, which he said would never
cease.
Rev. Mr.. Sherman chose for his text
the first verse Of the ninety-first Psalm,
HE that dwelleth in the secret place
of the most high shall abide under the
shadow Of the Almighty" The speaker
dwelt at length upon the three classes
of human beings-those who work for
wealth, those who work for fame and
those who strive for the spiritual He
said in part:
I'VE sometimes reflect why life is so
seemingly short and of so little i'm
portance compared with the vast uni
verse. What avails our advance and
why do we build universities to strive
for knowledge year after year, when
God, II he but would, could unfold the
whole secret in a second.
Another thought to some is that
God Is infinite, yet he allots to us but
q few years. Life passes away and we
begrudge the time.
Life Worth Living
Perhaps life after all is not worth
the living. Nothing God has thought
wise to call out is not worth the living.
Every moment of life recalls some
sacred moment. No life, no matter how
little or how much importance it may
be, is Insignificant in the sight of God.
Life Is important and it Is worth the
most we can get out of It, Were 1t not
50, God would be a God of ignorance.
Life itself should be measured by
quality not quantity. Those who have
made the most Of life were not those
who lived the longest. For the most
part, those who have lived the longest
are now forgotten, but those who have
lived comparatively short lives .have
put their stamp or the pages Of his
tory. 1t Is not the number of years.
but what we put into life.
we can see this thought constantly
in three classes of men and women
whom we see constantly.
MaterIaIistie Age
First, there are those who make the
great aim Of life to accumulate wealth.
Past events recall to them the values
or real estate or some such material
event. We are said to have turned into
a materialistic age. There is nothing
against the accumulation Of wealth. It.
is good when utilized for good pur-
poses. Despite the fact that men are
working so hard for the missions they
are disconnected. We find this in so
many sects Men are leaning more and
more upon the word of God.
Then there is the class of people who
are after the heroic, who want to do
something In life. They start out to do
something History places for greater
importance on these. Throughout the
books of sacred and secular history the
estimation of the wealthy is very
small. We may have money king,
but In a hundred years his name will
be forgotten. For those who do some
thing their names stand emblazoned
on the pages OF time.
1T Is not given to each of us to do
something great. Though many have
failed in what they attempted, but be-
cause they tried to do. they have re-
ceived their reward. If you will only
try to do, and be something, you will
receive your reward in heaven.
The SANITY Life
1.-THE third class Jesus Christ himself
gave the great impetus. The sanity
life Is placed above the heroic. Reflect
on the lives that are influencing your
lives. There may be those who have
not accomplished much in this life. but
You feel them to be true, and in dis
tress you would go to them, because
you feel that the outward corresponds
with the inward. This is the highest
type Of character. 1t is given divine
grace to each and every one to make
life to correspond to the inner ideal.
Though you may nave no large gifts
as does, still if you are only true to
make your life that which YOU know IL
ought to be, that is the highest type
which 1t Is possible to attain.
so far as the life Of Jesus Christ
here he did not accomplish In estab-
fishing church. Even the birds of the
air had nest, but the son of man had
not even whereon to lay his head. He
was not man OF great action In his
own day he was considered a failure
when he laid down his life and bled on
the cross Of Calvary. But within
twenty-four hours the divine life
seemed to gain an impetus and go
forth.
80 all life is well worth the living.
The void passeth away but he that
doeth the will Of God abideth forever"
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