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Les diagrammes suivants illuutrent la mdthode. 32 X ' 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^. ru. ~i 11 I II II 11 l^" FAREWELL S E R M N, TO thf: Coiigregafion of St. Paul's Church, WOODSTOCK. BY THE REV. ALBERT WHITMARCH. AVILLIAM WARWICK, PUliLISIIEU. 18(57. 4^ FAREWELL SERMON, TO Tll£ Congregation of St. Paul's Church, i WOODSTOCK, BY TIIK REV. ALBERT WHITJMIARC'H. «w* WlLLlAAf WARWICK, Pl'BLISHEK. IHfiT. TAREWELL SERMON, TO THP] Congregation of St. Paul's Church, «Y THE KEV. ALBERT WlIITMAllCH. >SiihJcct,— Thc Unchangeahlcness of Christ. —Ilch. XIIL 8. JESUS CHRIST — THE SAME YESTERDAY — TO-DAY AND FOR EVER. The introduction of these words in the chapter before us IS abrupt, and their position somewhat iaohited : there 18, seenangly, no immediate connection with that which precedes or follows. The faith and blessed end of their devoted Pastors had been referred to, and their example commended, when, as if by a sudden inspiration, the Apostle exc aims,— ''./esws Christ— the same ycsterilay~to-day— and for ever.'' ^ What a srand and attractive object is this for our con- templation to-night! Far more so than an^ wramid however ancient, towering heavenward in some -solitary place, but which, we know, must one day be displaced • far more so than the sturdy forest oak, that hath withstood the Jury of many a wintry gale, but, ere Ions, will have to succumb to the laws of nature ; far more so than the loftiest mountain on which the oye of man hath gazed, since when thetrumpet of the last day shall sound, this will be laid low. Magniticent as these pictures from the book of nature are, yet to the Christian Artist who is seeking, amid the fluctuations, the changes, the distractions, the agitations which surround him, something firm and stable— somethinr^ that will not only stand the test of time but also endure throughout eternity—there is no object which can at all bear comparison with this, that is to say, which can fill hia soul With such inward satisfaction and heavenly rapture or supply tlic longings, and the cravings of his inner life. " Jesus Christ, the sante yesterday, to-day, and for ever " My dear Brethren, how delightful a theme is this to talk about I Where shall wc begin to speak of it ? Or whea iiiay wc make uii end? It ioaclit> buck tn the bt';.'inuiu;i nf all things, before (jvi-ii t\\o Sonn of God were born — and forward to a ]»(m iod wliicli tiie iniiif^inatioii fails to compre- hend, firaciitu,-^ (jod, y:rmi uh the eye of Faith rightly to know and lu'lievo in Jesus ; and give uh a new and tender heart worthily to look on Jchuh, and to understand this great trutli concerning Him — Hu ekrnal ^avieness. Consider 1st: The mutiibility of all earthly things us suggested by the terms of the text. "Yesterday!"' Where is it — with all its lights and shadows, its pleasures and pains, its promises and expecta- tions, its omissions and commissions? What is it? Shall wc call it a phantom ? A shadow ? A delusive dream ? And whither, too, may we pursue it ? It is gone, alas ! Forever gone, into the abyss of the past, as much so oven as the Yesterday of 500 years since ! How near it seems ! How frexh is our recollection of it ! How warm our memory ! But recall it we cannot — neither can we make up for its deficiencies — nor retract the errors we then eom- mitted. It is something like a golden coin whicli hath slipped suddenly from the hand and fallen down a steep declivity, affording no other consolation to the aAtouished owner than the tinkling sound produced in its descent, and the conviction that it, lies conceah^d in the tMtris below. ^^ Yesterday. ^^ therefore being beyond oar reach and leaving only slight traces behind, uuirks the clmnge to which earthly things arc subject. But, " To-day !" What of it ? It is now, this moment as we speak. Thxis far we hold it in possession ; it is ours. ■■To-day." I say, is verily ours. But, sec, it flies! It (dudes our grasp ! 8top it will iu)t. It may not tarry though wc be ever so importunate. We seek to catch it as it passes ; it is however too swift for us. Ere wc (!an find time to say, '• Here it is," behold ! it is gone, and gone for ever ! " To-diiy," percliancc. we revel in the apparent security of our person and goods, and believe that nothing can injure or destroy the one or the other. We pride ourselves on the various and manifold comforts which surround us, the result of much toil and arduous exercise. We look with complacency upon the accumulation of our worldly store, — the well-merited fruit of constant industry. We look W'th fiiud and parental delight upon the little ones, which like Olive Branches, gather round our table and help to cheer our solitude ; and we feel that no small part of our earthly happinesH is wrapt up in their interest; whilst the uni^eas- '[ '1 aiilrcflocliuii i> bmii^lu'd •juickl)' iVom our miudh tliHt. any luoraciit, sickiicsH may tuke tlieiu uwuy from uh, one-by-onr. So linppy are we at intervals tliat, we lixdiwlily wish wo could abide always liere ; iiotwithstuudiug the sad experi- Oucc ol" time's chauj^es, and the melanclioly havoc which death liath made in our midst. *• 1 1 is good." we say, •' to bo here," and make an efl'ort to build our tabeniacle accordingly. '• To-day " wo lay out our })laus for the future ; we build up certain imaginary castles in the air, and derive a kind of ecstatic |>lcaKure in prospect of their fruition — and. yet, what is all this but vanity and vexation of spirit .'' What is it but wearying ourselves iu vain, and putting ourselves to imnecessary anxiety and carefulness? What are all our calculations, our conclusions, our resolves, our purposes, our wills, as regards the future, but presumption. We forget that we arc but Dust and A.shes. Wc forget that the life, which wc are so careful to preserve and keep iu being as long us possible, acts iudcjx'ndeut of us, and haugs on a cord of such a delicate and tender a nature, that a very small thing will snap it. No s;nin — ice so: it even in our spiritwd course. There has not been that advance in ])iety which, at first, we had reason to look forward to. Advijnce, f;rowth, increase there must be, or life may be doubted. Yet, I donbt not, with many of us, that s;rowth ha.s not \Mcn equal; rather, I should Kay, by (its and starts, in spite, notwithstandinji', of fluctuation of feeliu<^ and experience. Yet, praised be (lod, an invisiblo hand ha.s led and upheld us through all our wandcrin;z;s, otherwise we had, long since fainted and fallen. Where let us ask is om Jint love ? — The enthusiasm which filled our breasts when first wo know the Lord? — The . fruitful joy of drawing nearer and nearer unto God ? The " closer walk " we once enjoyed ? The child-like simplicity of our infant faith? The purity and heavenly-mindedness of our early conversation ? The virgin thoughts of happi- ness and heaven ? Gone ! or mostly gone ; ''hoked, and in a measure, smothered by the thorns and thistles of this lower world. Such is life ! within, without, and sft-ound us. Upon all we see, and liear, and know ^^ mutfthiliti/" is written. What saith the Bible about it — " Man continueth not in one stay." "Man goeth to his long home, and the mourn- ers go about the streets?" He cometh up and is cut down, like a flower; His life flcoth, as a shadow, and the length of his day is, as a talc that is told, — as a dream when one awakcth, swifter than a weavers shuttle," or than clouds chasing each other in the wintry sky, doth his \Wc seem to come to an end and his history to a termination. Well can I fancy some of you who have met with nought but disappointment here, and are weary of so much change, sighing forth the earnest wish of your hearts, for something that abideth, that continueth constant and true^ and hath nothing of fickleness about it. You desire a faithful friend, who knoweth how to counsel in prosperity as well as console ^ou waut one who can li ' ' ity. you up, in danger of falling, and pray for you when your faith faileth. One who will be the same to you when crossing the Jordan of Death as He hath already been to you in life. 8 Do vuu. iiahnl, ^oi:W such a iViei.U r T.i-af.|, then. >oii may tiud Him, iu the person of our adorable Lord and .Saviour— "elesus Christ, the .svrwf: yesterday, to-day, and lor ever.' Permit, me therefore, with luy hist voice, and much eaniestuess and affection, to recommend Hiui unto you. You understand, of course, that this friend is not a mere mm, but (lod and man united together in one jrlorious and unchangeable person. JIc is "Alpha aud Omega the " First and the Last,'— the self-existent '• I am. who Jiad His existence beibre • -lohn/' before " Abraham. - belorc the World," '' in the beginning." ' 15ut what 1 am particu- larly anxious for you to notice at this time is, the - mint- nns " of this Divine and Human friend. What He loomy pall, and an open sepulchre j and her spirit sinks within her. . God's mercy and love are forgotten, and doubt begins to show itself. wiu;n. at the verv crisis of her affliction, Christ. the sorrow-bearer draws near ! His eye is lixed, with sym- pathising pity, on the lonely widow ; her case needs His peculiar care, and .soon the arm of His strength is about her. Gentle and tender arc the words which He whispers m her ear, bidding her still hope and be of good comfort. He will not keep her long in suspencc. With the voice ot command He orders the procession to halt, and standing by the bier, saith, iu language unmistakcablc, " Young man, I say unto thee, arise !" And he that was dead sat up, and He returned him, at once, to his half-weeping, half-rejoicmg mother, who, not long before had thought her treasure irre- coverably lost ! Without waiting for thanks or creature worship, or wishing further to intrude at so delicate a mo- ment, during, i. c, the mutual recognition of parent and child, Jesus passes on, is soon engaged m other labours. Vnotlier H«ene : There was a cottage in Bethany ^horc- unto mir beloved" Lord oftentimes resorted, more especially when wearied by His ministerial work, or fatigued by the length of His travels. He had Ibrmed a close lutuuacy with two sisters— iMary and Mai'tha. It is said that Ue llicii. }^ou Lord and o-dity, and voice, and i unto you. not a mere orious and icga." the " who had ," •• before m particu- the ■•.sa//ic- Lot u.s sec ion III Ifin A certain ; place, her iheir voices ;liere. xVll reluned to ailing f'a(«t) sepulchre 5 )t begiufj t(.» ion, Chvisl. , with syni- neods His ^ about her. spers iu her lutort. He he voice of standing by f oung man, sat up, and alf-rejoicing •easure irre- or creature ilicato a uio* parent and her labours, haiiy ^horc- fc especially gued by the jse intimacy iaid thut Uc 9 loved them. We know that he spent the greatei' pai-t of his spare moments in their retired dwelling. It so hap- pened, in .the Providence of God, that their brother Laza- rus fell sick, which terminated shortly after in his death. Jesus heard of the circumstance, and absented himself wisely, from the family, lest the lesson, it was His desire to teach them should be lost. The burial being over, He appeared, unexpectedly, at the house of the mourners to condole with thorn in this their bereavement; but their only cry was—" Lord ! if t/ion hadst been here our brother had not died." There seemed not to be one ray of hope left ? Not one gleam of sunshine, beyond what the last day should reveal. They remembered not the present Divme IWcr of Christ, it were occupied chiefly in thoughts of His human friendship ; and looked forward, at the best, to the future resurrection day. Jesus addressed the sisters, and said—" Only believe, and thy brother shall rise agam. ' ' They lacked faith, and it was to increase this that they were thus tried. The furnace was needful for them ; without it they were in danger of perishing. Oh f the love and mercy of our Covenant God. in thus dealing with the children of men. We think we know what is best for us, but wo make a great mistake ; we should, if we had our choice, too frequently tiikc jwison instead of medicine to heal our sickness. The healer is fully acquainted with the diseases of our fallen nature, and knows how and when to apply the necessary remedies. Hence in the case of Mary and Martha, he waited for the suitable moment to arrive before attempting a cure. Faith was wanting; re- signation was necessary; an unquestioning obedience was required, ere those living words could be spoken—'' Laza- rus, stand forth!" But as soon as these even in their elements, were recognized by the searcher of hearts-, the wound was as quickly healed, as before it had been opened. 1 he brother met once more with a sisters fond embrace, and all hearts were made happy ! Again : So grc^at was the desire to see Jesus that large numbers followed Him out of the cities into desert places without having a thought of carrying bread for the suste- nanot of their bodies. On one such occasion, when the Master was surrounded by a flock of anxious lif?tncrs and night-fall had well-nigh set in, the necessity of sending Ihe company home suggested itself t(^ the desciples, but the Good Shepherd who loved his sheep and cared for their ladies as well as their souls, ordei-ed them to be seated and 10^ fed them all with bread— thereby proving that His com- passions fail not, and that in His hands,— or followmg His blessing,- the " Barrel of meal wasteth not, nor doth the cruse of oil fail." Listen, once more, to His gracious language to a poor afflicted woman who had suflfered from her infirmity twelve years, and had spent all her substance in trying to remove it. Having heard of Jesus— of His miraculous power, and kindness to the sick— she approached Him in faith, (yet delicately) and taking an opportunity of touching the firinge of His trarment, she became, from that moment, free trom her disease. Our Lord, perceiving that virtue had gone out of Him, turned and saw the woman who had been benefited standing behind Him trembling, but instead of rebuking her He said, " Daughter, be of good comfort: thy /a^V;^ hath made thee whole ; go in peace." What, too, was His compassion for Jerusalem: that ancient— that sacred- that renowned self-cursed city !— Forgetful, altogether, of himself, and of the cruel and un- just treatment which Ho had met with at the hands of the Jews, the gentle Saviour wept ! His human sympathies betrayed themselves as He gazed upon that doomed place, which, for so long a time, had rejected His offers of salva- tion, and was now, with its Walls, its Palaees, its Temple, about to be destroyed. He wept, as He thought ot the desolation that would follow, and the utter destruction ot the people. " Jerusalem," He cried, " Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as^ a hen gathercth her chickens under her wings, and ye wouUf not ; now, thou hast put it from thee, and thy g oriousand beautiful temple will soon be left unto thee desolate. Let these illustrations suffice to show what Jesus thrist was; and now, in few words, for what He is. The same universal Healer ; the same tender and long-suffering ba- viour ; the same friend to the friendless ; the same gracious restorer and deliverer ; the same pitying Samaritan ; the same merciful and sin-forgiving Lord; the same unweary- ing' physician; the same seeker after souls ; the same lor- giver of injuries; the same intercessor for His enemies; the same advocate for publicans and sinners; the same unclianrnp!? and unchansreable friend and sympathizer ; the same sacrificing Priest and Minister— Yesterday, to-day, ' and for ever ! . Reflect, for a moment, at this stage of our enquiry upon the immutability of His declarations as the Gospel HeraW. 11 " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me ; because Jehovah hath auoiuted me to preach good tidings to the meek ; to bind up the broken hearted ; to prochiim liberty to the captives ; to open the prison door to those wlio are bound ; to comfort all that mourn." " I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." " Come unto me all ye that arc weary and heavy, laden, and I will give you rest.' " Who.soever Cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." These declarations are still in force; to the anxious en- quirer after truth they are as fresh as the day on which they were spoken. What Christ m;«.s, He is, and hath given us His word ever so to be. In Christ is no varia- bleness nor shadow of turning. He is not in the habit of saying one thing and meaning another. His promises are YEA and AMEN. His words are not vam words ; but have, and will have, an healing efficacy so long as one soul re- mains unsaved. " Jesus ever I'iveth to make intercession for us." Is there not, beloved brethren, great comfort in rll this? To be assured that amid " all the changes and chances of this mortal life," there is one always the same; as if to make up for what is hollow, uncertain, and variable in it. He 18 the sinners only friend ; the one mediator between God and man ; the Rock of Ages which eternity cannot alter or dissolve. Let me urge you to " Cast all your care upon Him for He careth for you. ' We know of no other who can be of such abiding service to you. In his right hand are the keys of life and death; His left, if I may so say, is ever outstretched to help the miserable and the out- cast — the hopeless and the lost ! He willeth not that any should perish, but that all should come unto Him and live. His eternal purpose was, and is, to save sinners. Come then, brethren, one and all and make venture of Christ's love. He died to redeem you, and waitcth, at this moment, to bestow his mercy and grace upon you. Why will yc keep him standing outside tlie door of your hearts and knocking in vain for admission ? " Seek Him while He may be found." "Call upon Him while Ho is near." Hear His voice calling you novo ; open the door unto Him now ; and He will not only come in and sup with you, but abide as your guest for ever. " His is love beyond a brothers;" only make trial of it, and you will not be dis- appointed. A word in conclusir-. You have all heard that this is to be my last sermou l>j ja this pulpit, aud you uiust have • IS observed throughout tho discourse, (if worthy of the iiauic) that I have simply preached to you about the samcmss of Jesus Christ, and not about cither my coniinj>; in amongst you, or my going out. The dc,«irc of my hcarl is that you all may be saved ; and I would not lose this last opportunity, by any means, of shewing you the beauty of the Lord and en- deavouring to draw you with the cords of love unto him. God Almighty grant that, I may one day, and at no very future day, behold the fruit of my labours in this place ; and that I may have, as n;y joy and crown of rejoicing, the happy privilege of beholding many of you, especially the teachers and scholars of our Sabbath School, around the throne of our one common Father in heaven. Who can conceive the joy, or describe the exultation of a Minister of Christ, u^wn meeting, in ,ne Home beyond, first one and then another of his earthly iflock, for whom, perhaps he has often strug- gled in prayer, and devoted much of his time and thought ! A surprise awaits us all beyond the grave ! Not the pastor only, but the people. Christ shall' gather together His jewels from every part of the world, "and not one of them shall be lost. It will be a meeting to part no more ! This formed, no doubt, a part of "the joy of Jesus " when bidding farewell to His disciples, and encouraging their troubled hearts by His own personal preparation of man- sions for them in glory ! This too, I fervently pray, will form the joy of him, who these many, many years, hath ministered unto you in this town, and will, I trust, con- tinue so to do, until he is ready to utter the triumphant language of St. Paul — " I have fought a, good fight ; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up f )r me a crown of glory which the Lord shall give me in that day." Finally, brethren, farewell! llemember " Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Look upwards and onwards through the veil, and through the gloom, to His immutable throne of righteousness, around which may we all gather in His infinite mercy, and unite in praising Him throughout eternity. I commend you to God and to the word of His graoe, who is able to build you up and preserve you from falling. " Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace ; and the God of love and peace shall be with you and yours ; and when the Chief She2)herd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that "Fadeth not away!" Amen. il I ly ot the iiiuac) he same7t<:ss of ing in amongst art is that you St opportunity, e Lord and en- untohim. God no very future lace ; and that ing, tlie happy y the teachers I the throne of n conceive the if Christ, ujwn i then another us often strug- and thought ! Not the pastor together His 3t one of them more ! This Jesus " when mraging their ration of man- itly pray, will ly years, hath , I trust, con- iic triumphant fight ; I have h; henceforth ich the Lord Jesus Christ, Look upwards the gloom, to nd which may ite in praising of His graoe, I from falling. mind, live in with you and appear, you T 1" Amen.