The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-06-09
such effort as that we shall have no trouble
ADDRESS OF DIR. ROBINSON.

1t is at the urgent request of DR.. Wilson
that have anything to say here. | spoke
last night of Publication as fundamen
tai to the success of the Church, though moi
ordinarily recognized as such by the people
Sustentation has one great advantage, be
cause it is so plainly a necessity that 1t needs
not much argument to commend it to the
hearts of the people, [ am gratified to see
the success of your Sustentation scheme, as
well as of Publication.
We, from Kentucky, have been off to one
side, and now when we come down here to
join the sacramental host of Gods people,
it fills us with amazement to see what pro-
gress you have made. was not aware that
you had let the missionary society grow into
this Sustentation scheme, providing per.
manently for the wants of the destitute. l
admire the beautiful simplicity of your plans
and of their workings. Il am glad thatwe can
feel that the man who goes forth to preach
the Gospel, is sure of salary. True, it is
not a large salary, but it is certain We that
are rich ought to help the poor. And this
scheme is the outworking of this principle.
1t is great and beautiful principle, and all
the more beautiful because it illustrates the
principle of the unity of the Church. 1t is
not an outworking of the theory which looks
upon the Church as an alliance of lndepen-
dent congregations, but of the theory that
the Church of Jesus Christ is one: and that
it is divided into different congregations only
because it is so large that all its members
cannot assemble in one place. 1t is beau
tiful illustration Of the unity of the Church.
| hope that your Secretary may visit Ken
lucky. We have had to carry on little
scheme of our own, but hope that now we
shall join with you in your plan of Susten-
tation.
The General Assembly (Old SCHOOL,
would not let US ipso facto men sit in the
Assembly. They would let us preside in
the session where we could do all the mis-
chief When we separated the General AS
sembly (Old SchooD offered 5000 to every
little band that would split off from our
churches We determined to show Pope
Janeway that we had some money too; and
they made me Little Pope" At Hender-
son, KY, they matured their plan. And
all the way up the river on the steamer, we
were busy with our figures, assessing the va
rious churches to such an extent as to raise
$4,000. Keep on brethren in helping your
weak brethren. If you forget and let the
people around you alone, and say as Cain
said, cam my brothers keeper?' it will
soon come to be with you as it is in Ken
lucky, that we are ncgecting to support the
pastors of our own churches.
For there Il am ashamed to say it, we
let missions alone, and soon it was reported
in Synod that not one in seven of our minis
ter was adequately supported If this goes
on we will soon find our ministers too poor
to preach: like the days when man was
too poor to go to Congress. Mo- Work
for your Western brethren. He that
watereth shall himself be watered," is a
principle for churches as well as individuals.
As to minimum of $3.50, it will do for
this year-for these hard times-but not
permanently. l don't want to support the
dead heads But recolect that it is not
$3.50 specie. If we secure the $3.50 this
year, | shall move. next year to make it
$3.50 specie The people forget that money
is not specie, and hence there is so much
suffering among our ministers.
AS | said to you just now, | hope your
Secretary will come and see u.s. will have
to hold my Office as Pope till fall, but we are
all encouraged by seeing what you have
DONE and we are ready to join with you and
take part in this work. We need to spread
ourselves, not only to supply your thirteen
hundred churches, but to 60 out into other
regions. You have the organization to do
it, if you have Gods grace in your heart to
enable you to give and to work.
But you will have to tell your people that
the matter of giving is not all talk, but busi
ness. We want conservation. We have
allowed the people to grow up, thinking that
they must never make sacrifices My peo-
pie complain of hard times, and these are
hard times. But when | 60 to houses on
festive occasions then cannot see the hard
times. do not complain of people because
they live well, but do not expect them to
indulge in these luxuries at the expense of
their duties to Christ.
We want more of that spirit which was
illustrated in the slippers of which DR.. Will
son has just spoken. My great trouble is
not in securing the money, but in securing
the men, and l am encouraged by the report
of the Secretary of Education last night.
Do not limit yourselves, and your MISSION
ary operations to the limits of the Presby-
teries here represented. The command, ego
ye into all the world" does not mean, "limit
yourselves to this side of the Ohio and the
Potomac.
A bitter Radical was asked what he
thought about our Church. 81 think they
are the purest body of Presbyterians in the
world. If our principles are really true,
let US send them across into Indiana, Hi
nois and Ohio. Had they been sent at first
they would have found friends there to help
them on. One reason for adopting the Book
of Church Order and Discipline is that men
may look on you as a Church, not mere
remnant split off. You are the Old School
Presbyterian Church, and if you want to be
recognised, you must use the Sustentation
scheme to send Presbyterianism across the
Ohio, and give people there a chance to
learn what Presbyterianism is, as well as in
China and Brazil.
The Methodist Church Conference met
recently in Louisville. They had sent out
Missionaries, and as the result they had
ffty-six ministers in Illinois. We should 90
into this work with a like purpose to send
the Gospel all over the country.
Then look at the freedmen. know they
don't take to us as they do to the Methodists
and Baptsts. Did you hear the speech of
DR.. Girardeau this morning? That converted
me. to his plan. Your neighbors are going
back to barbarism and to preach the gospel