March 26 1898 Resignation of Rev. H. W. Farrar - Cumberland and Westmorland Newspaper Transcriptions

March 26 1898 Resignation of Rev. H. W. Farrar

RESIGNATION OF THE REV. H. W. FARRAR.

At the close of his sermon on Sunday evening, the REV. H. W. FARRAR, vicar
of St. James's, Carlisle, intimated that he had been offered the post of
Superintendent for the Southern part of England of the Missions to Seamen
Society, which would necessitate his living in or near London, and he had
agreed to accept the offer.
    He need not tell them what anxious hours of silent thought that decision
had cost him. It was not the first time the offer had been made, as some in
that church knew, but he had refused it before, because he was very happy in
his work there, and had no wish to change.
    But the post had been kept open nearly a year, and again pressed upon
his acceptance. The change had therefore come quite unsought by him, and it
had been put before him in such a way that he thought it would not be right
if he refused to respond to the call. It was pointed out to him that his
eleven ears' experience as chaplain on the Tyne should qualify him for the
post.
    There was also another factor which had its bright side, and it was
this, the extreme care which the trustees of the living would take in making
the appointment of his successor. His two predecessors in the parish were
men of deep piety and exemplary character, and he was convinced that the
parish would in the future, as in the past, receive God's blessing.

He was quite aware of the seriousness of the step he was taking, in leaving
what was practically a freehold for an uncertainty, but as the call had come
unsought, he had sufficient faith in God to leave the future in His hands.
His new life would be one of excessive movement. His duties as
suerintendent would take him from the Medway right away to Land's End, and
he did not hope to be in his own home three nights out of seven.
    He did not hope to escape criticism, but from them as a congregation he
had nothing to fear. They knew his manner of life, and would believe that
it was no sordidness of motive that caused him to break away from the
parish. Of course, there were foolish stories that had reached his ears,
but they were so absurd that he could not refer to them there or anywhere
else.

He only wished to say very plainly and very sincerely how deeply he felt the
severance. He had seen many encouraging tokens of God's blessing in the
parish. He need not say how much he should miss his dear Christian
colleagues and so many Christian workers, and the work of the School Board
with which he had been associated. Of course, if he had expected to leave
the parish he would not have been a candidate.

In conclusion he would ask their prayers, as he had their sympathy, in the
trials that might lie before them all in the future. The living of St.
James's which is worth £300 a year, is in the hands of five trustees.