Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1916-09-09

church and this morning left for Sal
en-. Va, to assume the pastorate of
the Baptist church there. Perhaps
net in the history of the church as
tn has been such interest manifested
as there was yesterday at both sery-
ices. The auditorium was crowded
to capacity, a large number from
other churches being present.
In the morning the retiring pastor
spoke from part of the 9th verse of
the 3rd chapter of First Corinthians,
For We Are Laborers Together With
God" his theme being THE Dignity
of Labor" Following the sermon
special Offering was taken which will
be applied to the church debt, and
the response was very liberal.
At last nights service the Second
Baptist church congregation was
present, and the pastor, the Rev. R.
W. Grizzard offered the opening pray
er. The pastor preached from First
Samuel 7-12. Hitherto Hath the
Lord Helped U.s." In part he said
1.-THE Ark of the Covenant, the WISH
BILE token of Gods promise, had been
lost to Israel for a number of years
1t had been restored, and encourag
ed by its possession they had won
great victory over the Philistines. To
commemorate this victory Samuel set
up a memorial, according to the Jew
ish custom and called it 'Help-Stone,
'Ebenezer,' and wrote upon it 'Hith-
erto Hath the Lord Helped U.s. 1t
was a monument of gratitude TO God,
and a token of their renewed loyalty
to Him. 1t is good to stop and count
our mercies, confess our sins and re-
new our vows.
"This stone was reminder of
Gods patience, and goodness to them.
The raising of the stone Ebeneber
tive, the help that was needed in Ia
Dor, sorrow and danger. 1t was Di-
vine help. Hitherto Hath the Lord
Helped U.s. We have not always rec
ognized the source of our mercies;
therefore we have failed to be thank
full We owe all to God In our graf
itude we should erect monuments of
praise"
I'VE should renew our vows of con-
secration, and our service should be
Sacrificial," he said There is first
of all the receiving of Divine power
Then the applying of it. You have
the stream. See to it that your gar
den of life is watered.
"This dear old church has been
making history The splendid
achievements of the past have been
an inspiration to us. These faithful
ones labored and we entered into
their labors God help them, and we
were assured that He would help us.
What the Lord has done for us, He
can do for those who are to follow.
We want to make our contribution
so when we are gone it will still en-
dure to the glory of God. We want
to see His praise perpetuated from
generation to generation. We are
thankful for the measure of Divine
help which others have left for our
benefit. They are among our great
est treasures Now we wish to do
something to add to these treasures,
and further enrich the earth 1t is
a good thing to live in the hearts of
men for the glory of God.
During the past 8 IL years we have
had our problems and difficulties. But
in them all we have sought Divine
guidance. We have tried to do the
things that pleased Him.
CAS- your pastor, allow me to say
that these have been years of real
joy in service. | have never received
anything at your hands but love, kind
ness and sympathy. Your loyalty
and devotion have encouraged and
strengthened me all along the way
In the dark hours that have come to
me and mine, recently, your love and
prayers have been a source of comfort
and help. You have been true
wish | could have been more.
"Today our faces are turned toward
the future If God has been true in
the past, we can trust Him for the
future Our prospects are as bright
as the promises of God With His
help we can face any future. With
His help we can face any foe. We
do not know what the future has in
store but what does it matter to us
if God is with us. There will be diff
ficulties, but it is Gods work. He
has never failed His people. The
tasks and responsibilities are great
but we are serving great God. There