USA > Virginia > City of Staunton > City of Staunton > The First Presbyterian Church, Staunton, Virginia > Part 26
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HANOVER AND SAMUEL DAVIES. And about the same year there appears in history the remarkable religious interest in the county of Hanover, in connection with which were established "reading houses," where on the Lord's Day were gathered many who were not edified by the ministry of the Established Church. Without a minis- ter, they assembled for the reading of the Word and such good books as had come to them in the providence of God, especially Luther on Galatians.
About the same year the Rev. George Whitefield, a Church of
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England clergyman, a Methodist with the Wesleys, and yet a Calvinist, preached at Williamsburg with great power and fervor. The hand of the Lord was laid upon Virginia, and His spirit was moving to produce an awakening of evangelical religion.
In 1743, Rev. William Robinson visited the Hanover people, and soon, in 1747, Samuel Davies came, a noble young minister, educated, able, eloquent, with a burning zeal for Christ and intense energy in propagating the Gospel and winning the people of Virginia to Christ and His kingdom.
In 1755, the Presbytery of Hanover was organized, meeting in Hanover County, with Samuel Davies, John Todd , Alexander Craig- head, Robert Henry, and John Brown.
The Church of England was established by law in New York, Virginia and the Carolinas. "For many years," says an English chronicler of the colonial times, "in New York, Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina, the growth of the Presbyterian church was checked by persecution and intolerance." In no colony were the laws as severe against nonconformity as in Virginia. The people of Eastern Virginia were largely the royalists or cavaliers who under the Commonwealth fled to Virginia. Loyal to the king and to the Church, they looked up- on all "Dissenters" as the enemies of both. The laws were most illiberal and grievous, and the oppression continued for a hundred years. They were required under penalty to attend the church services. They were forbidden to build churches or hold religious meetings. They were taxed for the support of the Established Church. Only clergy- men of that Church could officiate at marriages. Against this came the protest of Baptists and Quakers, asking for toleration. It is a long and painful story. It was the young Samuel Davies, who with manly courage and notable ability and eloquence, stood before the General Council at Williamsburg. Withstanding the renowned king's attorney, Peyton Randolph, he plead not for toleration, but for the rights of religious freedom, and won the admiration of the court and gentle- men of old Virginia. A little later Davies went to England, and before the king in council, obtained the decision that the "Act of Tol- eration" applied in the colony of Virginia (1748).
HANOVER PRESBYTERY. The contention continued, and the Pres- bytery of Hanover, organized Presbyterianism, took up the conflict, which lasted through and after the Revolution, and won for their own people, for Virginia, and all the American States, the great battle of the separation of Church and State, and the rights of conscience, bringing into the world a liberty which is our most precious inheri- tance, and which can never be lost. This religious liberty the Presby- terians of Scotland and Ireland, of Holland and France and Germany
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came to America to secure. They brought it with them in their Cal- vinistic creed. They brought in their Church order from Scotland, from Holland and Geneva a safe and regulated democracy. They brought from Scotland a representative form of Church government which elevated and inspired the people and made them great. They gave to the new and struggling colonies the civil and religious liberty which has been the foundation of the American States -and the rep- resentative and graded republican government which has protected the people and given unity and strength to the commonwealths and to the federal government.
JOHN WITHERSPOON. A great Scotchman, John Witherspoon, the descendant of John Knox, the President of Princeton, and signer of the Declaration, taught the sons of the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, and what they had not learned from the Shorter Catechism, they learned from John Witherspoon. Among those who sat at his feet were men who wrote the Declarations of Augusta and Botetourt in Virginia, of Mecklenburg in North Carolina, and of Westmoreland in Western Pennsylvania. Caleb Wallace, from Witherspoon's class- room, became the pastor in Charlotte, and then in Botetourt. He wrote those petitions of Hanover Presbytery, which are among the great papers of American history. Wallace went, without the loss of his Presbyterian religion, to be the distinguished first Chief Justice of the State of Kentucky.
All through these Presbyterian beginnings in Virginia are the be- ginnings of liberty in America. Francis Makemie, facing the anger of Lord Cornbury in New York, and going to prison for Christ and His people; Samuel Davies, pleading with surpassing eloquence before the Governor and Council in Williamsburg; and Caleb Wallace, presenting the petitions of Hanover Presbytery before the Colonial Assembly. These are historic pictures, heroic and inspiring. Virginia can never forget them. All the people of the land, eighty millions of them, are enjoying the fruits and blessings of their victories.
BEGINNINGS OF EDUCATION. Among the beginnings are the first springs of education. The education of all the people is as truly the outcome of Calvinistic religion and the Presbyterian order as is civil and religious liberty and a constitutional republic. The author of the common schools of America was John Calvin.
The companion and successor of Samuel Davies was the Rev. John Todd. In Louisa County, not far from the grave of Todd, is the sight of a classical school, taught by Mr. Todd, and at which James Madison and James Monroe and other notable Virginians were educated. Be-
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cause of its rudeness and simplicity, the boys called it "The Court of St. James." And when a Presbyterian Church was built near by it was called St. James Church.
The Rev. John Brown had the first school in the Valley, from which came the Academy at Timber Ridge and Washington and Lee University.
Among the earliest activities of Hanover Presbytery was the movement to found Hampden-Sidney College in the east and Wash- ington College in the Valley. And from these twin institutions grew the Union Theological Seminary, with its more than 1,000 who have preached the Gospel-at home and abroad.
DR. RICE AND FOREIGN MISSIONS. To Dr. John Holt Rice, a native of Bedford County, the first pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Richmond, and the founder of Union Seminary, is due the honor of the first call in America to the Church of Christ to be the living, organic, commissioned agent of Foreign Missions. It was Dr. Rice who taught the Churches of all denominations that it was the great office of the Church itself to carry the Gospel to every land, and preach the Gospel to every creature.
To Dr. Rice and Dr. Baxter, of Lexington, and Dr. Speece, of Augusta, belong the credit of the first periodicals of religious literature.
From the sanctified pens of Virginia Presbyterian ministers came some of the hymns which the Churches cannot and will not forget. Samuel Davies, in Hanover, wrote:
Lord, I am thine, entirely thine,
and Conrad Speece, of the Augusta Stone Church, wrote,
Blest Jesus, when thy cross I view.
They have gone out into the hymnology of all English-speaking and English-singing Christians, and are sung by devout men and women on every shore.
WHAT THE FATHERS BROUGHT AND WON. A brave and hardy people were our fathers. Leading their women and children, they pene- trated the wilds of the new continent. They felled the mighty forests. They fought with beasts. They drove back the cruel and treacherous savage. They built their first homes of the trees they had felled, and to them they brought their wives and little ones, their Bibles and their Catechisms, and little else save their faith in God and their strong hearts. They builded log churches and then log schools and log colleges. They fought the battles of the Revolution. They con- tended with proscription and intolerance, for inalienable rights, and established them forever. They founded a free Church in a free com-
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monwealth. Shall they be forgotten, the pioneer fathers and pioneer mothers? Not while a drop of honest and filial blood runs in our veins.
At an unmeasured cost they won and gave to us the liberties which are our splendid inheritance to-day. They gave us our inde- pendence of the old countries and our regulated democracy and consti- tutional republicanism. They gave us our schools and institutions of learning. They gave us our churches, and bequeathed to us a religion whose strength is in the authority of an inspired Bible. They taught us that the chief end of man is to glorify God, and not man.
Let us remember them with grateful affection and admiration. Let us thank God for the inheritance they bought at such supreme effort and sacrifice and peril. Let us be faithful to our trust, and keep our faith as a covenant-keeping people with a covenant-keeping God. Let us ask for the paths in which the fathers trod, "lest we forget." And "not unto us, not unto us, O Lord, but unto thy name be the praise and the glory forever. Amen!"
CENTENNIAL COMMUNION, BY REV. W. E. BAKER
Let us now, as our sweetest service, exalt the name that is above every name.
Singing-"Jesus, and shall it ever be."
We are sometimes asked whether any will be finally lost. The important question is, whether any will be finally saved. There was not a gleam of hope or light on this subject in all the world, until God's purpose to save was revealed through his holy apostles and prophets. Let us repeat and emphasize the glorious announcement.
Singing-"There is a fountain filled with blood."
Introductory "Do this in remembrance of me."
Many things might be remembered this day, but nothing worthy to be compared with the sufferings and death of our blessed Lord. These occupy large space in Gospel record and there is much to remember. All that came before was preparation for conflict and all that came after, exultation over victory.
The enemy in the conflict was the wickedness in human nature concentrated and arrayed under the leadership of the god of this world. It would never have been believed that men were so wicked, if they had not been left for once to do just as their wicked hearts inclined. They bound, mocked, smote, spit upon, and crowned His head with thorns. No one can ever say that a "more enlightened
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people would not have been so cruel," for never was there a people that exceeded them in Bible-study, Sabbath observance, religious- training and Church attendance.
The time set for this conflict may be stated with exactness.
'Twas on that dark, that doleful night, When powers of earth and hell arose, Against the Son of God's delight, And friends betrayed him to his foes.
Pilate and Herod, Jew and Gentile were thoroughly united, and evil was at its strongest. If they couldn't conquer Him then, no fear that they ever can.
The Champion on our side was a new and marvelous personality, in whom was centered whatever was highest in God, and loveliest in man. He was the seed of the woman that was to bruise the serpent's head, the star to arise out of Jacob. "Beautiful morn star, by prophets foretold ; the Angel of the Covenant, who in the old time re- tained something of his glory, so that when he descended upon the mount it quaked greatly and burned with devouring fire, and when he appeared in the temple, its door post moved at his voice. The Cham- pion laid aside His glory when He became incarnate; for He never could have been arrested if the Father had sent the more than twelve legions of angels for His protection. A hand able to shake eight hundred thousand square miles of the earth's surface, as we ourselves have seen, never could have been nailed to the cross without its own consent. Therefore He shrunk Himself into a helpless babe and "being in the form of God, He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men, and being formed in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." That divine glory should have been so completely hidden was a mystery indeed.
'Twas midnight, and, on Olives' brow, The Star was dimmed that lately shown.
The issue in the conflict was whether this world should blacken into a hell, or brighten into a heaven. Satan, having laid claim to it, was bent on making it like the rest of his kingdom, and all wicked men unconsciously work for the same end, being led captive by him at his will. There have been nineteen great battles, each one of which has changed the history of the world; but these were mere skirmishes compared with Calvary.
The weapons which our Champion used were love and mercy. It was love and mercy against swords and staves. If He could hold out in spite of everything they did to provoke Him, then no one,
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though crimson and scarlet, need ever fear to come to Him. There was a stupendous effort to conquer our rebellious race without display of power and it succeeded.
The preparation necessary was obtained by prayer.
'Tis midnight in the garden now The suffering Saviour prays alone.
We must remember that His human nature involved human weak- ness. His hands, His feet, His muscles, His nerves, His memory, His reason were not superhuman, but just like ours, and therefore under the greatness of the strain, He was in danger of collapse, faint- ness, insensibility, nervous prostration, derangement. These, while not sinful, might have destroyed the completeness of His victory. It would not have had a good effect, if He had burst into tears at sight of Mary, His mother, standing by the cross. We sometimes almost lose control, and the tears "in the voice break out into an open cry," but it is weakness. In order to the best impression Jesus must show Himself not only loving, but strong. Accordingly He gave Himself to prayer, and the greatest service prayer ever rendered was to our blessed Lord in His final struggle. This praying power did indeed dwindle into the slender thread of "saying the same words," but that thread was never broken. He might have been caught asleep by the betrayers if sorrow had paralyzed Him, as it did the disciples. He was able to bear His cross for only a little time, but long enough to fulfill the Mosaic type. The crowing of the cock assisted Him in remembering Peter. Five timely words to friends indicated that even in the garden agony His balance was maintained. Nine answers to enemies disclosed His continued rationality, the closest logic appear- ing in every one of them. Ten movements of the body self-supported under chains, marked His escape from nervous prostration. Seven thoughtful utterances from the cross made it evident that He was not only conscious, but loving to the end; and when He cried, "it is fin- ished," prayer had enabled Him to confirm every type, fulfill every prophecy, perform every promise, remember every obligation, and gain a perfect victory.
We remember that this conflict was voluntary, and on our behalf. He had power to lay down His life, and He had power to take it again. The Good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep. "He saved others," said His enemies, and they could not deny it, for the blind, the lepers and the lame who had been healed, were there; but they thought they made a good point against Him, when they said "Himself He cannot save." It was true, He could not save others, and at the same time save Himself. It was a dying Christ or a lost world.
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We observe also the occurence of the supernatural while the struggle was going on. There was prophecy of the betrayal, and of the destruction of Jerusalem. The Roman veterans fell to the ground when they met Him at the entrance to the garden. The ear of Malchus at His touch was healed. The wife of Pilate was warned in a day dream to send a message to her husband. There was dark- ness over the whole land, the earth shook, rocks were rent, and attendant priests and Levites saw the temple vail rent from top to bottom. The mighty Maker was dying for man, the creature's sin. It seemed as though Nature were about to collapse under so great a strain. An event was taking place almost too great for so small a world as ours; certainly too great for the appreciation of minds as small as ours.
We notice the gleams of victory beginning to appear even before the darkness passes away. Peter goes out and weeps bitterly; the penitent thief hears the assuring voice, "This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise"; the Centurion and they that were with him, fear greatly, saying "truly this was the Son of God"; the multitudes who came out to Calvary, smote upon their breasts and returned. The saving efficacy of the cross was already working; the "Father forgive them" was too much for the hard hearts around; the "Lord remember me" awakened other thieves to prayer; the love of Jesus was proving mightier than the soldiers' spears.
Forasmuch therefore as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, arm yourselves with the same mind. In partaking of these elements, we pledge ourselves to share in the Christian conflict, and arm our- selves with the weapons of the Prince of Peace. We too must say "Father forgive them," when they nail us to the cross by wicked scorn. We must endeavor to conciliate those who try to injure us, as Jesus gave the sop to Judas; when the highwayman robs us, we are to remind him that the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin; when tempted to envy the splendors of wealth, we are to consider how "foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man had not where to lay His head"; and when our bitterest sorrow comes, we are to exclaim submissively, "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?"
Distribution of the Bread and Wine.
Let us then shut the doors upon our Saviour and ourselves, sing- ing the sacramental song,
According to thy gracious word,
and answering each one the summons to discipleship by partaking of the bread and wine.
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Concluding
Instead of formal exhortation, I propose at this ending of our love feast, to indulge in something more familiar.
Says the apostle, "We that are strong ought to bear the infirm- ities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." It seems to me that you have in an unusual measure obeyed this injunction. The strong among you show consideration for the weak; and the weak perhaps have been most forward in their welcome to Him who always took their side, wherefore as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk in this matter, we beseech you that ye abound more and more.
And we caution the weak not to be too exacting-too ready to feel slighted, and to imagine that it might be better elsewhere. There are plenty of churches where all are weak, and if you should get into one of them, you would spend the rest of your days sighing after this home; and your plaint would be "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?"
After long experience I am convinced that the effects of regular instruction and training are better than those of high-pressure methods in religion.
A temporary is not as wonderful as a continuous revival. Grace limited to the individual is not as impressive as grace transmitted from Father to Son, and benevolent impulse is not as great a thing as a benevolent character; and when mercy is extended to a thousand generations (Deut. 7: 9), it is shown, beyond all contradiction, to be an attribute of God. It is the deep and permanent effects which most glorify God, and over these therefore we should specially rejoice. The successful revivalist, though he moved for a time in a whirlwind of fire, is not remembered in after years, as is the success- ful pastor.
Charge to Pastor: Continue then my Brother to work for the Church in the way of scripture, and of your own convictions, and be not disturbed with fear, lest some should be dissatisfied with the immediate results. And do not use your own standard, to measure those who have not had your advantages. It would have greatly softened and sweetened my own ministry, if I had learned that lesson fifty years ago.
Charge to Elders: It is your duty to see that the Church is governed by sober opinion, and not by popular clamor. It takes time for wounds to heal, and broken bones to knit. Church members cannot be too hasty in the use of means, but they must learn to be
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patient in waiting for results. It will not do for every one in the congregation to think and speak and act as they please. Wreck has often come from the want of a firm and intelligent eldership.
A word for self : When I received and accepted your invitation a year ago, I resolved that I would come not for show or attention, but that the visit might afford opportunity for such a demonstration of mutual fellowship and love, as would help the cause of God. The result has been, such quietness of mind and freedom from painful excite- ment as convinces me that it would be well for us to order all our arrangements for the future with a view to help the cause of God. After all there is no bond on earth like that which unites the disciples of Jesus.
"And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheri- tance among all them which are sanctified?" "And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all, and they all wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake that they should see his face no more."
We might at this point give way to forboding and questionings as to the future, but let us rather dwell on present mercies, and end this service with a shout of triumph.
Singing-"O could I speak the matchless worth."
Benediction.
BABY ERSKINE IN THE SOUDAN
ADDRESS TO THE SUNDAY SCHOOL, BY THE REV. W. E. BAKER
Sunday School children are apt to think that they are too little to do good. This is a mistake, for most valuable lessons have come "out of the mouth of babes and sucklings." The baby Erskine went to Egypt when he was only eight months old. Of course his father and mother had to go along to take care of him. At the farewell meetings before starting he made the little speech which he had been taught, and it was always the same, "bye, bye," that was all he said. They crossed the broad Atlantic, steamed through the straits of Gibraltar, and Mt. Atna, as they passed, gave them a grand display of fireworks as a salute.
On the voyage the little missionary made his first converts to mis- sions. A lady and gentleman on board, so rich that they needed two maids and two valets to wait on them, took a fancy to the party. The lady sent her maids away and night and morning walked the deck with Erskine in her arms. When they reached Naples, the gentleman
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said that if they would go with him to Florence he would introduce them to some wealthy Americans, who would probably do something handsome for the cause. The same God who heated the volcano can use an infant to touch and warm the hearts of millionaires.
When Erskine arrived at Alexandria the kind missionaries there were very glad to see him and his parents. They thought that he looked very well; they hoped that he would do a great deal of good; they gave him some dates, just fresh from the stem. The little fellow looked up at them with a smile, took the dates and said, "Ta, Ta."
On the way up the Nile, Erskine continued to make himself useful. An English officer of high rank, who occupied the best room on the little steamboat, gave it up to the young mother; and this was very important, because the distance they had to go was as far as from New Orleans up the Mississippi River to St. Paul; and the sand storms were often so fiery that they couldn't sit out on deck, and count the hippopotami eating grass at the edge of the river. Dolaib Hill, which was to be their home is near the country where the Queen of Sheba reigned at the time of Solomon. When they reached the mission station there, they were very tired, and neither the trumpet- ing of elephants or the roar of an occasional lion could keep them awake. Next morning there was a stir, for the report had gone out of the arrival of a white baby, the first white baby the people had ever seen, and as much a curiosity among them as a green baby would be among us. Soon visitors began to arrive, great, tall warriors, with their spears and war clubs, interested most in Erskine, who has always won them by his fearlessness, and who, as soon as he had learned to walk, to the great distress of his mother, taught him to dance, as they didn't know any better and never had anything to wor- ship but a cow.
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