The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-01
[. As 0 /: FAREWELL N |: \
TO CONGREGATION. C !
Affecting Scene at Grove
Avenue Baptist Church
Yesterday Morning.
PEOPLE o ALL
CREEDS THERE
After Many Years Of Distin-
guished Service Rev. Or. Haw-s
tllorne Retiresg from Active
Ministerial Work Will
Make Home in
Richmond.

After many years Of distinguished
service in the denomination. Rev.J. B.
HAWTHORNE .. D., the most widely
known Baptist Clergyman in the South,
and one OF the most noted pulpit ora
tors in America, yesterday severed his
connection with the Grove Avenue
church OF Richmond fthef ccasion mark
ing his formal retirement from active
ministerial work.
Though. :. he will continue to preach
from time to time. as he may desire,
and will make II Richmond his home,
DR.. Hawthorne will never again enter
into pastoral relation with a church,
and the occasions on VIII tch he Will lEap-
pear on the pulpit hereafter will be
comparatively few. This fact. and the
fact of his Ill health and increasing age,
to which he refsrred In his valedictory
sermon yesterday, made the event one
Of significance to the entire denomina-
tion, and Of genuine sorrow to the
Grove Avenue congregation. The scenes
incident to the parting between pastor
and people were affecting. Tears were
brought to the eyes of many as the
grand sold ''@descended from the
last pulpit which he will claim as his
own. sl I'D s 5s ~
Great Congregation There.
An unusually large congregation as
sembled. the entire Hrst floor of the
church being taken before IL o'clock
The galleries were filed with people
from many churches in the city, rep
resentng all denominations.
The music of the day was appro-
pirate to the OCCASION the excellent
choir OF Grove Avenue Church doing
we'll its part.
The usual morning service Of the
Baptist Church was conducted, DR..
Hawthorne preaching on "Christ's 8 Last
Wish and Prayer for His. Disciples"
Several tender references in the course
Of the sermon brought sha sympathies
,hofs tho congregatto ttorso a high pitch.
1 ard when. at the cphc.usiorr, ,lDr. Haw-
lthorne delivered & his yaledictory and
said his farewell to the people Whose
church he has built, whose number he
has doubled, anG whom he has served
lfor the past eight years, many were
lopenly weeping, and the pastor him
i self seemed much affected. It was
4 noticed, however, that DR.. Hawthorne
1 seemed to be preaching with more
/ vigor and with q clearer voice than
has been the case for some time.
4 AT the conclusion of the valedi Glory
a word of prayer closed the service,
and Immediately hundreds of people
Of all classes and conditions pressed
forward to shake the hard of the
i |much-loved old man. Practically the
i whole congregation took part, in an
4 almost fearful good-by. "a 8 the lines
i of people filed by, shaking the hand
4 Of their. preacher and OF mis- wife, the
4 choir. softly sung. God be with you It'll
4 we meet again,"fthe scene being most
i ltOuching one. f8
i Dr. Hawthorne expects to leave short
lily for Alton, In the Blue Ridge Moun-
tains, where he Will spend a part Of
A the summer.
The Farewell Sermon.
g. Dr. Hawthorne's farewell sermon
was on the subject "Christ's Last Wish
Z land Prayer for His Disciples," from
4 the texts Where am there ye may
be also. y" ohm xiv. 8; THAT they may
behold Ny Glory" John XVII. "a.
i IT Is safe to Judge man by his
4 desires The perfectness of any mans
character is In proportion to the. per.
! fectness Of his wishes. When the de.
sires expressed In the sermons an6
prayers of Jesus Christ have been full.
filled the contamination OF all things
Will have been reached, and there vii
be nothing more in the universe tc
} be desired.
3 AS Jesus sat with His disciples al
! the last supper, knowing the sorrow
that was In their hearts, He comfortet
them with the promise that some da,
!. He would come back to the world ant
receive them unto Himself; that the,
should abide with Him in the plac,
which He should go to prepare fol
them, and that there they should be
hold Fills glory. Nothing less thar
this promise and prayer could hay,
relieved the hearts of His disciples O
; their burden of grief.
They hda journey with Him for {
, period Of three years they had fount
I In Him the long promised Messiah anc
: Redeemer; they had seen Him hea
the SICK, open the eyes of the blind
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