The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-10-18
FINAL SERMON
OF REV. CHERRY
METHODIST PASTOR DELIVERS
FAREWELL MESSAGE TO A
LARGE CONGREGATION.
AN ABLE DISCOURSE
"And Now Brethren, Commend You
To God" Hls coneIud-
ing Words.

To large congregation Rev. ]. "
Cherry, for the past four years thu
pastor Of the First Methodist church
here. yesterday morning preached hii
farewell sermon. His fnal discourse
was strong, able and appropriate and
win doubtless find an abiding place in
the hearts and memories Of those
who heard it.
Mr.. Cherry prefaced his sermon
yesterday by few personal remarks.
He stated that he had greatly en-
ioyed his four years stay in this
charge. The people here had been
responsive and had shown apprecia-
tion of the gospel. Mr.. Cherry said
that he had yet to find a people who
we're not appreciatiVe Of the gospel
of Christ; that when a people are
found who do not appreciate preach
ing their preacher is not preaching
the gospel.
The pastor addressed final admoni-
ton to his congregation to take care
of the strangers. He stated, however,
that there were many over sensitive
people and people who were on the
look out for an excuse who imagined
that they were not welcome at church
This is pure imagination. At the
same time the members of the church
should always be ready to extend a
cordial greeting to strangers.
A strong appeal was made to pro-
vide homes for the delegates to the
annual convention of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union, which |
will convene here on Nov. 2. Mr.. |
Cherry paid high tribute to this
which he declared, had
contributed much for the upbuilding !
If the world and the Improvement of
society. He said that he would new
II believe the christian people of Co
umbia would refuse homes to dele
rates to SO worthy cause until they
lad actually done SO.
Mr.. Cherry's farewell message was
reached from text found in St
'auPs final epistle to the Elders of
he church at Ephesus, being the thir-
y-second verse of the twentieth chap
or of the acts of the Apostles:
And, now brethren, / commend you
) God, and to the word Of his grace,
rhich is able to build you up, and :
i've you an Inheritance among all
lem which are sanctified"
In part Mr. Cherry said: God
lade us for himself. He never in
,nded any creature to live without
3D. The natural life is the divine
fe. Man must live the divine life
: die, be dead to all the noble things
life. A dead body is nothing as
to dead soul; souls dead 9
sin and iniquity and dead to that 2
hich is good and divine like. 7
Il appeal to you to get right with
ID. In Him we live and have our =
ing. God is near unto you, he has Q
omised to be with us, but he does =
It trust himself upon us. God never
trudes nor thrusts himself upon any q
dividual, but he stands always ready q
respond, God stands at the door q
d knocks.
Il commend you to God in every Il
)ment of the tempest, in every hour a
trial and in every night Of dark 2
IS. I can do anything through al
rist that strengthened me-. %
The great question at the judg- 81
mt seat is not what you have said u
thought or read, but what have b
IL done for Christ, What have you
ne for God and humanity. You b
mot attain the kingdom by pur-
ased word or borrowed creed, but ty
your faith as shown by your works.
e only way that you can serve God sh
by serving humanity. Have you in
we'd God by serving His people? re
And now in conclusion, commend OK
i to God and to the word OF His wi
ice, which is able to build you up" an