The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-09-26
Episcopal Theological Seminary of
Virginia.
ys,-cENrENNIAL CELEBRATION.
HISTORICAL ADDRESS BY REV.
DIR. PACKARD.
INTERESTING EXERCISES.
<nc>isl correspondence Of the u sratch.l
THEOLOGICAL. SEMINARY,

f>u,.riql CORRESPONDENCE ~ 'iic II s8''ttH.j
THEOLOGICAL. SEMINARY, !
,ry.xrHIA, Va September -, 1885
Tho rxcrcjSc.> Of the Scmi.Centennial Jul
,.;l,c If ,hc Theological Seminary OF Virgil
vi, BEGUN this morning, according to pub
.hrd programme. with "dcvOtionai meet
.,,- nj O'Clock. held in Aspinwall Halt.
rr,. G. W. Andrews, -. D., of Shcperds-
,.Nu. ". Va. conducted the meeting. The
~, ,trcc verses Of the eth hymn were
....... and after PRAYER. composed OF appro-
.-.iir selections from the Book OF Common
lnyrr. thcsEcv. Doctor made short adj
=. Oh the power Of prayer.
N,v. >tepte, II. Tying, ID. D.. OF New
N..A. closed The meeting with an address
.~g ,r ftmuorc prayer. His address was
....,u The CHRISTIANS personal love to Christ.
i. sail the great power and influence OF
Professors Keith and May. OF this seminary.
,,..> Gar - their love for .]r>u'. He spoke
-l, rrpfainrncc given in this seminary TO
49,. ,:1rnrllur. Of the cultivation Of this
,r. aut, Of its effect upon the Young Chris
-..r soldier rq,lippiug for :hc warfare.
T. >,itc Of the early hour there was 4
....!N number rf clergy present, some tE'v-
.... .pI4" from town This morning. p1 the
,.s..uad clergy We noticed present Kew.
..igiN>on Dl>hcli.
(, lu:&a \. VI. the procession was formed
.,a A>IGuwaIl Hal! aud marched into the
..nrl-ai>h,p> and speakers occIrying the
.s,,,., clergy and visitors The body OF the
....G. The bishops present we're ri. Rev.
,rIu ia!G,. y. y. IL. Rev. Alfred Ice. ID.
f, II. l,,y. Francis Vi. White. ID. d.. and
- r,y. j ,>ri,n Wilmer, y. H.
TIN, exercises oi the day Wvrt opened 10y
Y%,hnif johns ntl hearty welcome /" all
.:,>, II. < Ietrt of Tx 18th hymn was then
.,... ,y..un,it Ih. AID ui any Instrument,
r..,,. such III j; aad under landing rs is met
with u3Iy in congregational singing. til>hrp
r.au> then announced thai owing 70 The ah-
,,n.,. of nrv. pr. y. II. Ninion, who was In
1..g.. addressed he meeting a thiS holr. To"
.-.,yaluur would bc changed. and Rev. Dr.
".k,rl. whose address WAS appointed Tor
evening. pruc"dvd 10 deliver II i"rtn-
VIII. w iv.rn that Dr. Nintoa was de-
:..u,,i ~ domestic aiiicilon.
HISTORICAL AnrEE<S IL EAv. Dix. rACHAED.
ir'rr an appropriate introduction. Dr.
Iah ri said:
NAru Dr. Keith and Or. Wilmer met tor
-. lr-t t'inc 4 class Of Young men III 'he
....r.r, room OF II. Pauls, Alexandria, they
H. ~ means realized the significance oil the
work they had then begun.
Iacy could not, in taeIr most sangulnc cN-
,,r'Htion> have furc>ccn that at the close OF
j. In, inI,- rniurl this seminary would
',i,. >,ii forth more than live hundred and
1ny Alumni: that Is graduates would be
land in nearly every dioce.e Of the United
states: that ten bishops of our
Church would have received their tLcoiogi-
,- educ ,tlUn here; and that more than
riiIty missionaries, in faith III living ~
,inur. would have gone from this place to
i".ar The, ualur OF Christ among the hcatilen.
The duty has been assigned me OF giving
historical sketch Of ;hc foundation ana
lyhlli!dn- Of this SEMINARY. Let us hrst
inquire what Was the de9ga Of the founders
- this seminary III establishing II, ana lii
what >piSlt did it originate.
Tx. design OF lis founders (lll OF whom
n.yr HOW gone was t. establish an evaDgc;i-
,tI seminary OF the Protestant Episcopal
Church. II Was to he Protestant. Our
church is the only one which bears this
nam" written upon lis forehead. 1t Is not
oNy protestant when ii protests against the
roatrv ami superstition OF the corrupt
church Of Rome. but it is Protestant i'll Il
POSITIVE >cu-c. Is holding in its purity all the
Articles OF The Christian faith.
Thus does our Church lean not one foot on
Tradition and the other on Scripture, but its
.rini. weight on holy Scripture. Whatever
any OF lis ministers may teach on this point.
oar tGluch Maintains the suticlency OF
-c!laurc Our pralcr-hook Is Protestant
throughout.
l. was L. BE- IN Episcopal seminary. This
: auoj!.rr distinctive title. Justice has
sometimes moi been done rs in our consist.
r,lr adnrrcncc to III" distinctive pcculiart!es
81. uiIr Church and in our Observance ot all
- forms and rubrics. We have stood here
lrm!y OH the ground Of lloohcr and Bishop
NiGtc.
car Bishop. Tire president Of this scmina-
-, lIt< pu:Lciy said "tnat the ecccSmSfl-
"a pylitv iucuicaicd here has been that set
FORTH IN the preface Of the ordination ser
N.rc--ron>rr,ativr, but not exclusive; ti'N
;!r,c orders lave existed from the Apos-
iuc times, aud no other ministry 10 DC
rec ,@nlZcd IN THIS Church,
The founders OF this seminary held that
In,.>c things were in The Gospel, TO b. dcllr-
rsrd lir>t OF All; that there We're wcighticr mat
icr> 81 the gospel Is we'll a. of the law, and
that the wri.hlic>t Of all was the doctrine of
" complete Justification by the sole merits
and death OF our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ.
Il was the place this doctrine held in
heir system which gave them the name Of
,NIn.elc;il.
Bur while processing to be evangelical we
h:,y,. here plul,>Scd no broadness of opinion
on ductfnai points; We have been SuSpi-
"luli> Of novelties, Of hnc-spun phlloSophl-
,'4l CALCULATIONS; We have held that Chris
inmrv. IL Il documentary religion, Was to be
,.arn.d, and not improved; we have had
ruo deep convictions of the truth and loved
: too we'll 10 he tolerant Of error.
l. WA. too, the anXlous desire OF The
founders Of This seminary that 1t should be
distinguished ior warm and iervent Sp!rii
of piciy: that religious feeling here should
not -r"W cold: that we should breathe mere
N atmo.Itcr" moi to- raritied for the breath
~ lie that the power OF Christ III the souI
,s,uuld here be experienced in fuller ana
.!-,Inr measure land that spirituality should
:u. cultivated here. They hoped that Chris
IAN love here would rise high as mis-
>i"narv temperature. Thus was the SEMI
nary established, and in no false zeal, but
sikh single desire 10 promote the glory OF
hr'st il The salvation Of men. Its motto
might we'll be. For CHRIST ant The Church..
Let liz now glance al the historical facts
connected With lis origin. We cannot say
IT il that, ike Jonah'- gourd, it came up in
night. Ii wa> several years befufe It's idea
',ok definite form. Our DIOCESE
deserves tie credit Of being the first III this
""Intly to take step, to provide for the edu-
,alon OF its candidates for orders. Two
Lar, before the General Theological Semi
nary WAS established. in 1915, Or. Augustine
>nAth. the president OF William and Mary
rvilrgc, proposed to The Convention Of this
Diocese that fund >houid be raised for the
>Uppor, Ola Theological prole. sorShip in that
College, where there Was already valuable