USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > Memorials of Christ Church, Philadelphia : two sermons preached in said church, April 27, and May 4, 1862 : one the 135th anniversary of laying the corner-stone of the present building, the other the 25th anniversary of the rector's institution > Part 3
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In a vault on the north side of the yard, are the remains of the Rev. John Waller James, an assistant minister of this church for four years. On the decease of Bishop White, he was unanimously elected rector, but never officiated as such, having survived his vene- rable predecessor only four weeks. His brief minis-
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try here had been eminently blessed, and his sudden and unexpected death, so soon after the rector, was a new source of sorrow to his bereaved people.
He died August 14, 1836, at the early age of thirty-one years. The tablet on the north wall, near the vestry-room, was placed there to his memory by the ladies of this congregation.
What a solemn thought is it, my friends, that pas- tors and people, they who dispensed the word and sacraments, and they who received them, are sleeping their last sleep together, in and around this holy house! This is, indeed, their cemetery, their sleep- ing place, where the weary are at rest ; a most appro priate name for the spot where Christians bury. The buried bodies of those who here sleep in Jesus, await the glorious resurrection at the last day, and the life of the world to come. And may we not believe that their spirits are among the "great cloud of wit- nesses," which an apostle says "compass us about," to see how we run the race which they have finished; how we, like them, look unto Jesus, who alone can enable us to win and wear the crown?
And, beloved brethren, to incite us to greater energy, and zeal, and watchfulness, in running our Christian course, let us have impressed upon our inmost hearts, two momentous truths taught us by the history of this holy and beautiful house, where
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our fathers worshipped. "The fashion of this world passeth away"; that is the first truth. How forcibly does it come home to us, as memory runs back over the past one hundred and sixty-six years, to the time when the little band of faithful Christians first assembled in their newly-erected house of prayer, upon the same spot where we are now met together. What untold multitudes, from that time to this, have come and gone, occupying the places which their fathers occupied before them, for a few brief years, and which we now occupy, with the uncertainty of tenure by which all earthly things are held. How are we admonished, by all the memories of the past, by the graves beneath our feet, by the tombs and tablets around us, that "one generation goeth, and another generation cometh."
But an equally important, and a much more cheer- ing truth, taught us by this history is, that while the fashion of this world is continually passing away, " the word of the Lord endureth forever." That is stable, whatever else may change.
Since the first Christian church was planted on this soil, how many revolutions have occurred in all coun- tries of the old world; how many changes, civil, social, and political, has our own nation passed through ! Yet here we are to-day, worshipping in this sanctuary, just as our fathers worshipped ; using
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the same form of sound words, which they and their fathers before them used.
Amid all the changes and chances of this mortal life, " the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth,"* stands firm, and so shall stand till the consummation of all things. Its divine Founder hath said, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The glori- ous gospel may be taken from one nation, by reason of its sinfulness, " and given to another nation bring- ing forth the fruits thereof." The light of the candle- stick may be put out, and the candlestick removed, because men choose darkness rather than light. In- dividuals and communities, may apostatize from the truth, and give " heed to seducing fables ;" "neverthe- less, the foundation of God standeth sure." "The pillar and ground of the truth," remains erect and firm-its head above the clouds, its foundation on a rock-" AND THAT ROCK IS CHRIST."
And this, brethren, is the only basis on which to rest our faith and hope. "Other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." All who obtained salvation here, obtained it through the merits and mercies of our divine Redeemer. All who seek it must seek it through him alone; for
* 1 Tim. iii. 15.
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" there is none other name, given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved." But salvation must be sought through his own appointed means; by prayer, the ministry, the word, the sacraments.
This is God's house of prayer; here we unite in his worship, here we listen to his word and ministers, here we receive his sacraments ; all, means of grace ; all, helps to holiness. If we seek them diligently, earnestly, and in faith, we shall find them here. Our heavenly Father says, "In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." And our compassionate Redeemer has left a like precious promise of his presence and his blessing ; " Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
May we ever regard this holy house as " none other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven." May we never neglect the assembling of ourselves together here, nor fail to improve the precious privileges of the sanctuary, that so, by God's grace, "We, with all those who are departed in the true faith of his holy name, may have our perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, in his eternal and ever- lasting glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
A SERMON,
PREACHED SUNDAY, MAY 4, 1862.
1 SAMUEL VII. 12.
"HITHERTO HATH THE LORD HELPED US."
IT was to commemorate God's past mercies towards his chosen people, and to inspire them with confidence in his goodness for the time to come, that Samuel, their ruler and judge, "took a stone and set it up between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer," the stone of help, "saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."
With some such feelings as those which moved the prophet to review the blessings of the past, to record them with thankfulness, to draw from them encou- ragement for the future, and to give God the praise, I come before you, brethren beloved, to-day, with the theme of my text. This is the twenty-fifth anniver- sary of my institution as Rector of this church; when a union was formed, between pastor and people, which has continued for more than one-third of man's ap- pointed days upon earth. I desire, therefore, to re-
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view with you, this morning, some of the principal occurrences of those years, to see if we cannot discern in them enough traces of divine goodness, to warrant our setting up a stone of memorial, and inscribing upon it those words of gratitude, love, and hope- "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."
My election to the rectorship took place March 9, 1837; all the members of the vestry being present and voting. Of these there is but one survivor.
On Thursday, the 4th of May, being the festival of the Ascension, I was instituted by the Rt. Rev. Henry U. Onderdonk, D. D., Bishop of the Diocese; and on that day I administered my first communion here.
The history of the parish, from that time to the present, is a plain and simple one. We have no events to record now, like those which occurred in the early days of this church, and gave it an interest and importance which no other church in our country has.
The congregation to which I came had been organ- ized more than a hundred and forty years, had been under the same rector for more than half a century, and had been walking "in the old paths" from the beginning. It was our desire and endeavor, under the divine guidance, to keep steadily in those paths, to seek and inquire diligently, as the Word of God directs, for the good and the right way, and to walk
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therein; assured that in so doing, we should find rest for our souls. Such a course, although the wisest, the safest, and the best, because God directs it, can- not be eventful.
There are some tests, which, when applied to a religious congregation, show with a good degree of certainty what is its spiritual state. One is, its libe- rality in providing for its own household. Another is, its liberality in contributing to religious and cha- ritable objects, and especially to church institutions. A third, and the most important is, its attention to the ordinances of religion.
These are among the outward visible signs of an inward spiritual life. They are indeed the only evi- dences to us, of what the tree must be which bears such fruit. Religion does not consist in these, nor in any outward observances; but we may be assured that there can be no religion where these are want- ing. And we are bound in charity to believe, that where all these are most manifest, there "pure and undefiled religion" most abounds.
Tried by these tests, we think this church will show a degree of prosperity, which should inspire our hearts with devout thankfulness.
Its financial affairs are quite as good as they have usually been in former years, and in one respect much better; for the church is entirely free from debt. The
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general wish appears to be, that it may always be kept free. Surely such a precept as that which St. Paul gave to individual Christians, must be equally imperative on a Christian corporation, "Owe no man any thing but to love one another." But besides free- dom from debt, it has an income sufficient to meet its ordinary expenses. And we hold that a church, or an individual, owing nothing, and having enough for present wants, and something to bestow on the neces- sitous, is rich in this world's goods. All beyond that, is attended with anxiety and care.
The church, as most of you are aware, has no en- dowment. It has a few small ground-rents, but the income from the pews is its main resource; and this is greater than it was twenty-five years ago, and about the same, on an average, that it has been for the last five years.
From 1836 to 1854, inclusive, the cost of the alter- ations, repairs, and improvements on the building, amounted to thirty-six thousand dollars. To meet those large expenditures, the vestry had received, from the sale of new vaults in the burial ground, seven thousand dollars; from subscriptions for perma- nent sittings in the church, about ten thousand ; and from legacies available for those purposes, nearly eight thousand.
In 1838, Mr. Henry Pratt, a vestryman of this
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church for many years, bequeathed to it an annuity of one hundred dollars for the term of twelve years, and the sum of three thousand dollars, cancelling a loan to the church. He also bequeathed an annuity of one hundred and fifty dollars, for twelve years, for the support of the Sunday schools. Mr. Pratt died in February, 1838, aged seventy-six.
In March, 1845, Miss Sarah Hutchins died, at the age of seventy years, leaving by will three thousand dollars for the use of the church, and six hundred dollars for its Sunday schools.
Miss Hutchins, in her lifetime, was a liberal con- tributor to all religious and charitable objects. In 1836, she gave to the church a ground-rent of ten hundred and sixty-six dollars, principal, together with one year's interest. "I request that this gift," she says, "may form the basis of a school fund, under hope, by the blessing of God, that it may in time, with other gifts to the same fund, enable the church to own a suitable place for its schools." Her wishes were fulfilled. A portion of her munificent bequest, made nine years after, added to the principal and interest of her first gift, together with a donation of five hundred dollars from Mrs. Finney, another boun- tiful benefactress of the church, enabled the vestry to purchase a house, which they had rented for more than twenty years. The whole cost of the building,
4
-
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including repairs and alterations, was about five thou- sand dollars. This, added to what had been before expended on the church, makes a sum total of forty- one thousand dollars in twenty-five years.
We do not know of any congregation which has made larger expenditures than these, for improving, beautifying, and preserving their sanctuary, and for providing suitable accommodations for the religious instruction of their children.
And what has this congregation done, meanwhile, for the comfort of the poor, at home and abroad; for the support of our church institutions; our Mission- ary, Bible, Prayer-Book, and Tract Societies ? Have all these been properly cared for ?
In October, 1837, the year of my institution, a plan for systematic quarterly collections, embracing all the leading institutions of the church, was submitted to vestry by Mr. Binney, then the rector's warden, and unanimously adopted. This continued for more than twenty years, and with much greater success than its warmest friends had anticipated. For the last two or three years, it has been deemed expedient to have collections more frequently, and, by direction of ves- try, they have been made monthly, instead of quar- terly, so that there is a separate contribution for each object. On summing up the moneys known to have been given by the congregation through these
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collections, and in various other ways, it is found that they amount to more than ninety thousand dollars ; which is an average of three thousand six hundred dollars annually. It has never been less than two thousand, and has been as great as seven thousand six hundred and twenty-four dollars, in a single year. Much beyond this has undoubtedly been given in charity, by individual members, which never came to the knowledge of the rector or the accounting warden ; but this, which is known, is sufficient to show that the church has not been backward in the bestowal of her alms and oblations. She has always had liberal men and women, who felt that it was "more blessed to give than to receive."
We have seen, within the last year, what willing hands and generous hearts can do, when duty calls to extra efforts, in the time, and labor, and money, freely given, to provide clothing for the volunteers, and hospital stores for the sick and wounded in our armies. The women of this congregation, and through- out the loyal States, have shown themselves, in this unnatural rebellion, worthy descendants of the ma- trons of the Revolution.
Other signs of spiritual prosperity are manifest, in the general attention to the worship and ordinances of the church. Our Sunday-Schools are full and flourishing. We have never had more faithful and
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efficient superintendents and teachers. Our Bible- classes, male and female, are under able instructors, who are doing a good work. Institutions like these, so conducted, are of the greatest help to the pastor, and of incalculable advantage to the congregation.
I now proceed to give you such of the results of my own personal labors, as appear in the records of my official acts. . The real results, the genuine fruits of those labors, can only be known to us at the judg- ment of the great day, when "every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, and the fire shall reveal of what sort it is."* God of his infinite mercy in Christ, grant that ours may bear that test !
During my ministry I have baptized twelve hun- dred and seven persons; of whom one hundred and seventy-five were adults, and one thousand and thirty- two were children. There have been confirmed six hundred and eight. I have officiated at two hundred and thirty-two marriages, and five hundred and nine- teen funerals. There have been added to the com- munion seven hundred and ninety persons; of whom five hundred and sixty were new communicants; that is, they received at my hands their first communion. This is about the sum of all that we know of a min-
* 1 Cor. iii. 13.
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istry of five-and-twenty years. And what a dry record of facts it is! How uninteresting would it be to the casual reader, as he glanced his eye over it, on the page of a printed journal! Baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials-what are these to me? he might ask. But, beloved, have you heard this brief record read, without its awakening in your minds, any emo- tion of joy or sorrow? If so, it is because you have not had time to take in the full meaning of that re- cord. Let me help you to comprehend it.
I just now said that I had baptized more than a thousand children; and by that holy sacrament each one of them was made "a member of Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven;" blessings such as the mind of man cannot conceive. But whose children were admitted to such great and glorious privileges? When, where, under what cir- cumstances, were the members of that infant host, received into the ark of Christ's Church, with the sign of the cross upon their brow? How many of those thousand children are here to-day? How many of the two thousand parents, who brought their little ones to present them unto the Lord, are here to-day? Let parents and sponsors, each one for himself, ask, Have I fulfilled my part and duty, by seeing that those infants were taught, so soon as they were able to learn, what a solemn vow, promise, and profession they here
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made by me? Have I taken care that those children should be brought to the bishop to be confirmed by him, after doing all in my power to have them virtu- ously brought up to lead a godly and a Christian life?
Let each one present, whom I baptized in child- hood, ask, Have I renewed my baptismal vows, in the holy rite of confirmation? If not, Am I ready and willing, the first opportunity, to take upon myself those Christian obligations, which my sponsors under- took in my behalf? Am I resolved to renounce all sin and wickedness, and, by God's help, to walk in the way of his commandments ?
Think of this, my young friends, and earnestly pray for that heavenly help, which is never withheld from those who ask it. God's promise is, "They that seek me early, shall find me." "Know thou," therefore, "the God of thy fathers, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever."
Of the one hundred and seventy-five baptized adults, quite a number were as much as threescore years of age, a few were past threescore years and ten, and one woman was more than eighty-six years old. She was confirmed and came to the communion a few weeks after her baptism, continued to attend
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the public services, until near the time of her decease, and died at the age of eighty-nine.
Some of the most interesting cases of adult bap- tism, have been those who were brought up and edu- cated in the Society of Friends. In the early part of my ministry, it was my great privilege to receive into the Church of Christ no less than eight of one family; the father and mother, their married son, and five daughters. A more exemplary Christian household than that was, for a few brief years, is seldom seen. I say, a few brief years, for one after another, in rapid succession, and in the prime of youth, the sis- ters, all but one, were taken from this world of sin and sorrow; and the father soon followed, to be re- united with them, we trust, in that home, where there is no more death.
In another household, the subjects of baptism were, a father, at the age of sixty-seven, his married daugh- ter, and two sons. In another, an aged father and four daughters.
The number confirmed, during my ministry, as I have said, is six hundred and eight. How many of them are now present, I know not; but all who hear me know whether they were of the number. And it would be well for each one, who has renewed his Christian vows, to ask, whether his life has been in conformity with the prayer in that solemn service,
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offered for him individually, when the bishop's hands were laid upon his head ;- " Defend, O Lord, this thy servant, with thy heavenly grace; that he may con- tinue thine forever, and daily increase in thy Holy Spirit more and more, until he come unto thine ever- lasting kingdom." Has this prayer been answered in your case? Are you endeavoring daily to grow in grace, as you increase in years, that so you may be fitted for, and admitted to, your heavenly inheritance?
In the first three years after my institution, one hundred and forty-four persons were confirmed; be- ing an average of forty-eight each year. In the next three years there were ninety-one; making an aggre- gate of two hundred and thirty-five in six years. Since then, the number each year has varied from eleven to thirty; this year it was seventeen, last year and the year preceding it was twenty-nine each.
In all the early confirmations, a large proportion of the candidates were persons in middle life; some were quite aged, and oftentimes numbers of the same household came together. At the confirmation in 1843, there were five of one family; the father, his two married sons, his married daughter, and her hus- band. At the same confirmation, there were four sisters of another household.
I have already mentioned the instance of one, who was confirmed at the age of eighty-six years. There
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has been one since, still older. In the Easter con- firmation of 1857, a man came forward to renew his baptismal vows, who had entered the ninety-second year of his earthly pilgrimage; and until within the last year or two, he has regularly attended the services of the church. He is now too feeble for that; but he retains his faculties to an unusual degree; and, with the faith, and hope, and confidence, which the gospel alone can give, he calmly and cheerfully awaits his appointed time, until his change come.
At the time of my coming to the parish, the whole number of communicants was one hundred and se- venty-six; the present number is three hundred and sixty. The greatest number added to the communion in any one year, was ninety-one; that was in the third year of my ministry. The greatest number on the roll in any one year was in 1850, when there were four hundred and thirty-five. The number of com- municants reported to the convention the fifth year of my ministry, 1842, was three hundred and forty ; and they have never since been less than that but once, and then only thirteen less, a period of twenty years. And yet, all that time, the population around the church was decreasing, and new churches were rising up in every part of our widely extended city, drawing numbers after them. The average monthly attendance at each communion has been about the
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same for the last ten years. There are no clearer evidences of the divine favor towards a people, than the numbers which are moved by God's Holy Spirit, to unite habitually and devoutly, in this highest act of Christian worship.
And here again, my friends, the question arises in the mind of your pastor,-has it not occurred to your own minds? Why is it that all are not communi- cants, who are of sufficient age, and who have been under Christian training from their childhood? Why is it, that any are reluctant to obey that most affec- tionate command of their divine Redeemer, "Do this in remembrance of me?" Why is it that they most "unthankfully refuse to come" to this heavenly feast, "when so lovingly called and bidden by God himself?"
I have said that I administered and received my first communion here, a quarter of a century ago. To-day, I am to administer it at the same altar, pro- bably for nearly the three hundredth time. Let me ask those, who have been attendants here for many years, some, perhaps, through my whole ministry, and yet have never united with their brethren "who come to feed on the banquet of that most heavenly food," to press the question home to their own hearts, Why is it so? Think what privileges you deprive your- selves of, by each day's delay. Think what will be
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your sorrow, should death come, and this duty not performed, this blessing not obtained. It may serve to remind you of what risks you run, when you learn that of all the communicants whom I found here, only forty remain. Some of them have removed from the city, or united with other parishes, but most of them have gone to their long home, and we must soon follow them.
And what an awakening thought is it to us, who are here to-day, that I have officiated at no less than five hundred and twenty funerals! a great company indeed, a very great company, of our fellow immor- tals, over which to have said those solemn words, "We commit this body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; looking for the general resurrection in the last day, and the life of the world to come, through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Most of you have heard me say the burial service over some one dear to you as life itself. Some of you have knelt with me at the bedside of a dying Chris- tian, and seen how calmly he can bid farewell to earth. It is good for us to call up from the depths of memory those holy scenes, where the Christian character has shone in its brightest lustre, and taught us, better than books and sermons, what that faith is which overcometh the world; what that faith is which can deprive death of its sting, and the grave of its victory.
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You and I have felt, at such times, the full import of that prayer, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." May God, of his infinite mercy through Christ, give to all of us grace so to live the life of the righteous, that our death, come when or how it may, shall be our entrance to the life eternal.
And now, my beloved brethren, permit me to say, that, long as we have sustained towards each other the relationship of pastor and people, there has never been anything, that I am aware of, to disturb the harmony of that union. Never was a pastor blessed with a more indulgent, kind-hearted, and liberal peo- ple. I desire to express my warmest gratitude, for your numberless kindnesses to me and mine. And above all, I desire to realize my indebtedness to the bountiful Giver of all good, for causing my lines to fall in such pleasant places.
When we see the goodness and mercy which have followed us all our days, shall we not give God the glory? Shall we not say, with devout thankfulness, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us?" And if he hath helped us hitherto, shall we not trust his love for the time to come? Surely, he who took care of us in our youth, because we remembered him, will not forsake us, now that we are old and gray-headed, if we do not forget him. He helped our fathers'
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fathers, and he helped their children; he has helped us, and he will help our children, if we and they be found willing and obedient. "Let your heart there- fore be perfect with the Lord your God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments."
Our heavenly Father is, and ever has been, our only helper. Whatever of good we have done, was by his aid; whatever evils we have escaped, the deli- verance was from him; whatever blessings we enjoy, all come from his bounteous hand, through the merits and mercies of his own beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To our ever-blessed Redeemer, therefore, we must look, as the source of all joy. He is our Advocate with the Father; our High Priest, our Intercessor, and our Sacrifice. We must choose him also for our Ruler and our Guide, and earnestly ask, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" A wil- ling obedience is the proof of our love; and if we love him, he will be our Guide unto death, and give us, after death, a crown of eternal life.
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NOTES.
NOTE A.
On page 5th, there is a brief notice of the manner in which the present church was built, by enclosing the old one, so that public services could be continued in it on Sundays, until the outer portion of the new building was finished.
In a printed paper, without date, but bearing internal evidence of having been prepared about the year 1751, this statement oc- curs :-
" Immediately upon building the out-walls of the present church, and covering it in, by placing on the roof; in this rough and un- finished condition, the managers of the work collected together all the old pew-doors and rubbage boards, to accommodate the congre- gation in the interim with seats, till regular and duly proportioned ones could be built, which was done without any fixed measure, size, or order."
The following is from a manuscript in Dr. Kearsley's own hand.
MR. MORGAN,
Dec. 17, 1760.
At your request I herein send you the whole amount of the expense in rebuilding and finishing Christ Church as it now stands, viz :-
The expense in laying the foundation of the church and steeple from its westernmost boundary to the second column eastward, containing two windows and a large door on each side, with the windows at the end, including the key-stones, window- stools, and proper ornaments, with the west gallery and north and south galleries, extending from the said west gallery east- ward to the aforesaid second column, with proper seats and pulpit within that space, made of old stuff and roughly-joined boards, for present use,-the amount examined and reported to the vestry anno 1734, by Anthony Palmer, James Bingham, and Jos. Maddox, was . . £958.8. 6.
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NOTES.
The amount of the expenses in rebuilding and carrying on the body and east end of the said church,-the whole examined and reported to the vestry by Jos. Maddox, Thos. Leach, and Samuel Hassel .
£1,229. 6. 9.
The amount of expense in finishing the inside, containing the galleries, fluted columns, arches with the architraves in the body of the church, the seats, as also the ornaments in the chancel, also the balustrade on outside of the church, with the two stair-cases, &c., to complete finishing the whole ; examined, approved, and allowed by the committee of vestry, who greatly commended the whole procedure,
£822. 14. 9.
Total cost in rebuilding Christ Church . . £3,010. 10. 0.
The above was enclosed in the following note :-
Dec. 17, 1760.
MR. MORGAN,
According to your request I send you the whole amount of rebuilding Christ Church ; I mean the cost, which you will find was £3,010; in which is the expense of building the stone wall which is lately repaired, and also the foundation of the steeple; the wall cost above £60, notwithstanding I had it laid for only 2s. 6d. per perch ; the foundation of the steeple not much less, so that the whole expense of building the church was not £3,000.
Your humble serv't,
JNO. KEARSLEY.
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NOTES.
NOTE B. Munch At the election of a Rector, May 9, 1837, the following gentle- men composed the vestry, all of whom were present :-
WARDENS.
CHARLES WHEELER, MOSES KEMPTON.
VESTRY MEN.
CALEB P. WAYNE,
ELLIS CLARK,
GEORGE TRYON,
JAMES Y. HUMPHREYS,
PHILIP H. NICKLIN,
ROBERT S. JOHNSON,
JOHN WHITE, WILLIAM SMITH.
At the institution, May 4, 1837, the vestry consisted of the fol- lowing persons :-
WARDENS.
PHILIP H. NICKLIN, MOSES KEMPTON.
VESTRYMEN.
GEORGE TRYON, WILLIAM SMITH,
JOHN WHITE,
HORACE BINNEY,*
ELLIS CLARK,
WADE T. SMITH,
JAMES Y. HUMPHREYS,
JOB BACON,
ROBERT S. JOHNSON,
WILLIAM H. WAYNE.
VESTRY OF 1862.
WARDENS.
PETER MCCALL, EDWARD L. CLARK.
VESTRYMEN.
C. CAMPBELL COOPER, CHARLES BULLOCK,
JAMES C. BOOTH, SAMUEL WETHERILL,
SAMUEL WAGNER, JOSEPH C. LEVIS,
EDMUND A. SOUDER, ISAAC WELSH,
JOSEPH E. HOVER, JACOB B. RITTER.
Mr. Binney was at this time, May, 1837, in Europe. On his return home, in the summer, Mr. Nicklin resigned the office of rector's warden, and Mr. Binney was chosen. He had been elected by Bishop White, May 4, 1827, on the decease of Chief Justice Tilghman, who had held the office thirteen years. Mr. Binney continued to be chosen from year to year, until Easter, 1845, when he declined a re-election to the vestry. At that time he had been a vestryman of the church for twenty-nine years, seventeen of which he was rector's warden.
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