Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-24
PASTOR BIDS
FAREWELL
breaches LAST SERMON TO
CONGREGATION
LEAVES TODAY FOR TOUR OF
OLD WORLD
Rev. TaImaee Describes Trials Under
Which He Has Labored While
in Charge of the
Church

Rev. Frank de Witt Talmage, pastor
of the First Presbyterian church,
preached his farewell sermon yesterday
morning as pastor of that congregation
and today will start on his journey
east, en- route to a years vacation IN
Europe and the Holy Land.
DR.. Talmage took for his farewell
topic, Essential Love-" He said:
and now the time of my departure
is at hand. The beginning has come to
an end The gladstone words of well
come are finding their sad echo in
fearful farewell. No people could have
been as happy as we have been with
out looking upon this as one of the
saddest days of our lives. We have
fought a good fight. We have kept the
faith. And up to the time of my resig-
nation only love and sympathy have
been shown me.
NO wonder look upon this DIS the
happiest pastorate OF my happy ne:
Could | speak any words but those OF
gratitude at this time? But l must
make my parting salutation more than
a few pleasant encomiumS. / must re-
member this is the last time l snail
ever address you as pastor ana, per-
haps, ever speak to you from goSpel
pulpit. Therefore, as dying parent,
must weigh my last words as though
was moving from this sacred place TO
the judgment seat of Christ.
Warning the first: Never allow
anything to disturb the peaceful mar
monies of this congregation. No mat
ter what personal sacrifices are de-
handed, sacrifice all for internal peace
Good people will go to any church on
eartn, but to a fighting church. When
| became the pastor of this church the
first great desire of my ministry was to
have harmony at any price. so caretul
was in this respect that would never
start any great move in the church
without the full concurrence of all the
members of the official board.
Had Members Meet
"And in order to bind these boards
closer together l used to nave the
members of these boards assemble to-
gether two or three times year at my
house for social pleasure. 1 literally
did everything in my power to wipe out
all factions and keep the congregation
as one. Sometimes some of my en-
thusiastic friends would say: Never
that policy through
"No,' L would answer, we must
have more than a majority. We must
all agree or else we will do nothing.
The easiest thing in the world is to
split congregation into factions, and
then the spiritual power of this church
is gone
whenever a new officer of this
church was to be elected l never al
| Be, 10 n hnfnra
the people until all the session had
agreed upon the man. Whenever l
heard of anyone being hurt at anyone
else at once 1 started for that persons
house to try to smother down the
troubled waters. In some of your
homes have been as many as five or
six different times upon the same err
rand of peacemaker. And though l
often went there with a sad heart and a
tired body, yet always felt the errand
paid. For l was ready to sacrifice ev-
erylhing and almost anything for peace.
"Oh, my friends, in this parting BEN
ediction of one who loves you all, I
plead with you never to allow factions
to enter into this church.
All Must Agree
Never have your majoritieS and
your minorities. Either all agree upon
church is not place for political
caucus. 1t is the place for the family
of God. In this family everyone must
be willing to surrender their personal
desires to everyone else. This Is my
first warning at our parting.
my next most important advice is
this: Do not make your future min
lister carryall. That Is what you have
made me. You have done this because
cffl he ato ",
that you have made me carry most of
you along like a lot of little children.
II there was a lot of money to be
raised you let me raise. Oh you
said, Mr.. Talmage can raise 1t better
than anyone else.' That is false.
There are at least five men who can
raise money in this church as easily
as can. But you let me do it prac-
tically all. If there was a person to
be called upon you let me call. That
was all right. But the great mass of
| this congregation would do no calling
upon each other. You would find fault
because other people would not call
upon you, yet you would call upon no
one.
"And want to tell you, my friends,
that the calling of church members
upon each other is even more important
that the calling of the pastor. And
then the little nagging fault finding
troubles.
Wasted Much Time
at is shame, d perfect shame, how
much of my time I had to waste run
ming from house to house to fix up the
silly differences with which some of
you had your feelings hurt against
each other and then you ran to your
minister to patch up your childish diff
ferences Don't you do it, my friend.
Don't do it. Do not break down your
pastor as so many congregations are
doing. tell you it is a shame, brutal
shame to overwork your pastor and
drive him into physical exhaustion with
a lot of useless and petty details which
he has no business to carry. If you
all pull together the load will not be
hard for any one person. Do not make
your pastor a carryall.
what you do now will decide what
this church is to be ten years from
now. Pray hard that God will send
you the right minister. Pray hard that
you shall receive him in the right
spirit. And pray hard that you shall
continue to do in this church the work
God has given you to do Now, my
dear friends, wish you one and all
a loving and tender and affectionate
good by until we meet with him above
Good by, dear ones. good by, good by
-4%%---
The Only Good
1T see books are maintained at Rus.
sian railroad stations for the registry