The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-02-19
INTERESTING SERVICE.

On last Sabbath the ordination of newly
elected elders aud deacons, took place at the
lSt Presbyterian Church 10 Richmond, and was
a very interesting service. 1t was accompanied
with &" the laying on of the hands of the Pres
bytery." The pastor or bishop, and the rul-
7 fnS elders constituted a f'TGSNyT6Ty Tor thai
congregation, after the true Scriptural model;
Just as the Presbytery technically so-called)
and the Synod do for larger districts, and as
the General Assembly does for the whole
Church. All our pastors and elders are Pres
byters, and consequently all their official meet
ings are essentially Presbyteries.
The whole service was truly impressive, and
the more so from having been preceded by a
sermon specially appropriate to the occasion.
In this discourse the interesting historical ev-
idence was brought out with great force and
clearnesS, that Christianity was introduced in.
to Scotland within, or very soon after the
times of the Apostles-that it never was rooted
out-that it was from the first essentially Pres
byterian in its form-that the descent of our
Church is from Scotland, and that while no
endless genealOgies," are at all essential to
the validity of its ministry and ordinances; yet
as a matter of fact there is not q church upon
earth which has better claim of this very
kind, since its lineage can be traced back to the
earliest periods of Christian antiquity.
The discourse was listened to with uncom
mon attention by large assembly. The spe-
cal reason we have for making mention of it
here, is to state that the author, the Rev. DR..
Moore, has kindly consented to embody it, as
soon as other duties will permit, in series of
articles for the Central Presbyterian, the first
of which will appear in short time The his
torical statements, and the whole line of dis
cussion impressed us as eminently suited to do
good. They may not be new indeed to stu
dents of Church history, but they will be new
to a vast multitude of readers Some one has
ssid-referriBg TO their migratory habits, and
their general indifference about family descent
that one-h half Of the people of this country do
not know the names of their grand-fathers,
and not one in twenty can tell who his great
grandfather was Have not PresbyterianS been
too negligent of the real value belonging TO
their ecclesiastical descent! Are we not keep
ing back, or at least failing positively and
prominently to set forth to our children and
youth, those great facts of history in which
they may so well glory? Are We not too much
leaving them to be preyed upon, and drawn
away by those who do not scruple in the most
artful manner to whisper, The temple of the
Lord are We? We would not pluck jewel
from the crowuOf any sister Church, but would
rather rejoice in all they can fairly wear; and
this liberal view, it may be here stated, was
distinctly presented in DR.. Moore sermon
But it is due to ourselves, and to the truth,
and to the precious interests of Zion to do
more in the work of letting our own people
know the full worth of the estate their fathers
in past ages contended for evenunto the death,
and held for them through great tribula-
ton" We should omit nothing suited Tor
keeping fresh in their minds that grand mar
tyr-faith, and that grand martyr-roll through
which has descended an inheritance so rich
and splendid as should leave them nothing to
covet, in the omparison with Christians OF
any ether name 1t would be a good move for
those shaky Presbyterians; found here and
there, who are ready to be tossed about With
every wind of doctrine, and others who are
restless wanderers from the fold, to look at this
whole question in the light of Scripture and OF
history; to
"Think through whom
Their life blood tracks its parent lake,
And then-Strike home"