The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-05-20
INTERESTING PASTORAL RELATION.

On Sabbath, May 10th, the Rev. David Fl,
Riddle, ID. D., having been received short
time previously by the Presbytery of Win
chester was installed pastor of the Presbyte
riau church of MartinSburg The Rev. Mr..
Beattie, formerly of New Orleans, who has
been so acceptably and usefully acting as a
supply for some months, preached the sermon;
the Rev. VIM. Fl. FOote, d. D., of Romney,
presided and delivered the charge to the pas
tor, and the Rev. A c. Hopkins, of Charles
town, the charge to the people. There are
some circumstances which give peculiar inter
est to this event.
l. There IS peculiar tie bet,oeeR the pastor
and has people. DR.. Riddle does not come tt
new and unknown field Martinsburg is the
place of his birth, the home of his younger
days the home of his kindred and friends. 1t
is therefore a place rendered memorable by
scenes long past, many OF them tenderly eou
nected with spiritual things, which strike
their impression too deeply upon the heart
ever to be forgotten. Ii is not often that,
after dwelling in tabernaeles, with other
heirs with him of the same promise, about
as long as the Israelites wandered in the will
derneSS a minister of the gospel IS led, as II by
a pillar of fire and cloud, back to his old Synod
and Presbytery, and to go in and out before
the church in which his father and mother
dedicated him to God. Such an event is
rarely witnessed, and has in it that which may
well touch deeply the heart of both pastor and
people Their pastor went out from them, or
rather from their fathers and mothers now
sleeping in Jesus-in the days of his youth
and inexperienee they now receive bin, after
a long and labOrious ministry, in the maturity
of his mind, as one well instructed in the King
dom of God, and prepared to bring forth out
of his treasure things both new and old. And
while our times are in the hands of God, and
the future unknown, yet under all the circum-
stances of the case the newly settled pastor
can hardly help feeling that he has probably
come to his last field of labor, and is ready to
say, Here will be buried.
> The charge to the pastor 'oas one Of pecls-
liar interest 1t was delivered by DIR. FOote
the only minister now in the Presbytery who
was a member Of it when Dr. Riddle was Or
dained and installed pastor of the Kent Street
Presbyterian church of Winchester, about
forty years ago. But more than this: he was
present at that installation and then delivered
the charge to the young pastor. And the in
terest is enhanced by another circumstance ex-
tremely singular. Among the many amiable
proceedings of the enemy in Virginia during
the war, was the plumber Of DR.. Foote' house,
in Romney, at an early period of the conflict,
and especially the plumber of his large library
and his manuScriptS-an occurrence which, we
understand, is believed not to have been kept
eattrety secret from the Chaplain. A short
time ago a bundle Of these distracted letters
and papers reached their owner by some un-
known agency-an operation which it is earn
estly hoped may, in somebody's now slightly
awakened conscience, touch the entire extent
of his plunderlng wiekedneSs. But what We
wish to remark is, that among the papers re-
turned was that same carefully prepared charge
which was given to the young brother at Win
chester so long ago. On the present occasion
at Martinsburg, this charge was held in the
hand of the speaker, and as he referred to the
past, the pTe>Suli anu the future IN his own
history, and that Of the congregation before
him, aud of the pastor they had chosen, no
wonder the fountains of feeling were unsealed
There was in all these things enough to make
this installation one of peculiar solemnity.
A congregation once part of the pastoral
charge of such men as DR.. Moses Hoge, and
DR.. John Matthews, is, on this account as well
as Others an object of historical interest in the
Synod of Virginia. 1t has passed through
trials, and some recent events may have
awakened some apprehensiOns lest it should be
troubled with a serious division. There Is
reason to believe that these fears may be safely
dismissed.
Dr. Riddle viii meet with a cordial welcome
not in Martinsburg only, but throughout the
Synod, where he will still find few who re-
member the years long gone by. May the
comfort and peace Ofthe Holy Spirit rest upon
the flock to whose care he now comes; may
the sorrow Of losing so lately beloved pastor
be sanctifed and assuaged by his coming to
them in the tulness Of the blessing Of the