VALEDICTORY SERMON OF THE REV.. MR. DEWSBURY.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 131, 6 April 1881, Page 2

VALEDICTORY SERMON OF THE REV.. MR. DEWSBURY.

The Rev. Mr. Dewsbury delivered his valedictory sermon on ..Sunday evening, m the Wesley an Church, Broad-street,, the building being crowded, many of those present belonging to other denominations. The text taken by the rev. gentleman was most appropriate to the occasion, being from' Acts 20th and 32nd -r-" I commend you to God." In opening his discourse, the preacher said he would that evening,' m taking his leave of his flock, ignore all personal allusions to his congregation, except "by 'remarking that m reviewing the Church history of the past three years, during which he ■ had ministered amongst them, there was ho need for regret, but on the contrary it had been a great spiritual success- — the result of his own labors and of the lay preachers who had so ably assisted him.; 'n closing, his ministrations, then, he would ask to be permitted to say a few words of encouragement and of warning to. the various members, and m doing so he would repeat the words of the text — j " T commend you to- God," as if he had the power m resigning his guardianship | to others bands, to place them m safe keeping, he could not do so more safely than m carrying out the words of Scripture which he had quoted, for they could rely upon no other aid" with safety . They wohM have, perils, and trial*, and difficulties, but they should learn to meet them -manfully, cheerfully, and m -.-»■" Christian spirit ; with a perfect reliance upon the love and mercy of God — A love w hiah no words could adequately describe, or the depth of'which no human mind could fathora^for it^was not given to man to coriceTv<Tfh* "greatnessjoElthe I love and tenderness of that Supreme Being who was willing to take them under his benign care if they only sought his protection m a fitting spirit. When, they thotisrht of the clouds of darkness which w enveloped the pavillion of his) plory ; how paltry words were to convey the majesty of his grandeur, with whom one day was a thousand years, and a thousand year* as an eternity ;. who appointed the seasons to go their rounds; who caused nations to rise,, and empires to fall, amd commanded the sword to stay, and still followed and protected the steps of the humblest creature on earth ; bow paltry were words to portray his majesty, or how could their weak and feeble intellects conceive the boundless extent of, bis. power. He bad spoken -of trials with whi«h they w^re sure to meet dating. their earthly pilg-image, but ther should take comfort ; and be of good heart, for God was everywhere, ever eager and willing 1 to listen to their-supplications7 and that" thought should banish despondency and give wings to doubt.. . God was all-merciful as he was all-powerful, and nothing could assail, nothing harm them, while he bad them under his fatherly protection. The leaves might bud and fudn < men might come and go ; kingdomsrise and empires fall, but God alone never changed. There was an old saying—. " WRere there is a will there's a way," but .althoush it might be partially true, taken m its absolute senße it, was only true of God. What pastor worthy of a pulpit, who did not long that all the.congregation to which he ministered should stand m white and spotless robesr.beror* the throne of God.; to rise, into higher heights; but that -could~Ott~ly bs~dqne~ through Gud. Their task j>nbulcT be to keep themselves safe from the smallest taint of sin; holiness" unto the Lord should be written upon their hearts, pure m word, pure m thought, and live and walk the whole round of a true Christian ;life. There was as much, difference between,the true_and the merely professing ChriVtUn "as the temple filled with Gad,

and the mere bui ding fresh from tbe builder's hands. But to be holy, what did it mean. It did not mean that a person was. to Tetirerfronrtbe WO rld, and refuse to performv JjfeV'tlijties, or to be wrapt up m uneaYtTjl^contemplation ; tne^s were °ot to leave dbmeßtic duties to 'M>thers% and devote themselves to church work exclusively"; the^ were not to interlard their conversation with passages of Scripture,, or invest the family circle as it were with pall j they were to cast from them the desire to assume & rebuking censorship ; they should be bold m their claim to purity, but not obtrusive, : for if they "acted mh«rw-iire=teT^ ; wMrd J 'bcs hated m the" world, and they would .dasaagst the.cansethey deairjed / tQ.advance. 1 Some might predict their faTT, but belt theirs to prove the prophecy false. VThiiX they could do by faith, b-v hope bright and clear, bj honor unsullied^ j>y truth unstaiued ; they should have a femple fit for tbeHoly Ghost to dwelF i «f.>' -Tnak would cbnie but it sbouttTbe their duty to prove that they were not fair weather Christians j that they.._werft strong ■; m faith aud good works to meet the storms and perils, and diificultks'by^wfiich they were beset. Tbe -fev. c geritl«mun»thei* wound up a most. eloquent address by a grand peroration upon- the cb«»«tie» of > Heaven, and m taking leave of v hiß flyck^ expressed a hope tb,aU. should be miss any ! of the congregation" wbea bfdding the formal good-bye, they:woul4 attritfiite it to an oversight an4 c nQt to a wilful negt