The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-29

duty and the privilege of expressing the low.
Ing welcome Of this church and Of our sister
churches OF this city TO the Baptist General
Association Of Virginia.
| FIlty years ago it was wrapped in swad.
ding raiment and Graded in our midst.
! The presiding spirit Of our Father. God, con-
| relfed II IN the hearts Of devout ones who
had found favor in His sight" and He gave
II being in the then humble home of this
church OF Jesus Christ. Our manger is gone.
In its stead more than one thousand temples
stand as centres Of gospel light in this State.
| Fifteen delegates bore the solicitude,, pcrilS.
and pains of the bi,th-houors. More than
nineteen hundred delegates gather now to
commemorate its haIl-century nativity.
Scarce two score of thousands formed its
| scattered and unawakcncd constituency. To-
day more than one hundred and fifty thou
SAND of our faith occupy its then territory,
appreciate its fostering clrc, and give it their
crneSt *ympathieS and prayers. Then II
"'h%ie nfgcrt. The union of the churches for
o1'te lnl>>lfn work. was prominent. Now
It's arms have embraced the SUNDAY school
ana Bible work, The College. the need, of the
uomestlc field, and missions To other lands.
God hath done great things for us, where.
oi we are glad"
You know the story Of its antecedpnts.
Cntil the fuIlncss of il. time had come a
ial'itul ancestry was nur>cd in the noble vir-
'ics OF endurance and the sturdy strength
VI hdtllty under trials. Our fathers had
nne'r lierodS and their C;t.ar Augustus.
ihcy are all gone, but our Simeon is here.
.ne lingering, loving watcher. who, sccin.
onty the incipient glory of its childhood,
yer. embracing that he may peacefully de-
part, discerning in its usefulness, promise.
and spirit, the light and the glory of Is,acps
Redeemer. From our assembly We miss
Taylor, PoindcXtcr, Witt, Allen. and Others
whose words and labors moved us to live
for Jesus and toll for souls. But their i'm.
press is here. Their memories are here.
They have entered into rest, leaving to us
their legaces of love and the extension of
thcir plans for enlargement of our fields of
usefulness. Thank God that they were.
Thank Him they are.
"llnmc again from foreign shore" we
warmly welcome the surviving prime mis-
snnary Of tins Association. so lately "in
pcril> by The Scl.' and from the city where
Paul, preaching won converts in Cesar 5
household. This is a fitting time TO return.
In our thronging assembly we may express
! the rejoicing Of our whole brotherhood at
this privileged greeting. For months il
| Babel of tongues has bcwildcrCd him and
checked the flowing OF his earnest heart in
stranger lands, but now it may te loo*"
again for Us. for truth. for Christ. We love
him. and now we take him freshly to our
hearts whilst we thank our guardian God
for answered prayers.
| Another peculiar feature of this occasion
| is the pleasure of the presence OF 50 many
| brethren from other States. We greet you.
| We welcome YOU all. One in our faith, we
have il common heritage in the memories
and the blessings of Rapti-ts. Once more
our mother Association, the old Plllladel-
phl. is joined to Us in deeds of fIatcrnal
fellowship. From the centre of that sound
circle which, nearly Il century ago. sent the
relief text on the border of her old colonial
bell waving over these States It's proclauni-
| ton Of" liberty throughout the land unto all
the inhabitants thcreot.' they come to ION us
| in the Jubilee ofa noblcrfrecdom-the liberty
| of the soul to serve the Lord. The State ol
Roger WiIlilms, the first Commonwealth OF
the world to embody the principles nt re-
liwious liberty as held hy the Rapt!st> in con-
slitutional civil law, sends back the conrlhu,
! tions of Virginia to Rhode Island College, and
in her graves joins us in rejoicing over tue
graves of tyranny and OF civil liberation.
Massachusetts, New York. Illinois, New Jer-
scy, Mary land, District Of Columbia. North
Carolina. South Carolina. West Virginia,
| Kentucky. Tennessee. Ohio. send their
| honorcd sons TO refresh our oldCn love and
memories, to unite in expressions OF grail
| tudc to God for 4 common religious free
dom, and in Christian cordiality to combine
our arms and interests with theirs. North
and South, both Benjamin and Judah, II
ye come pcaccablt unto Us to help Us, our
heart shall he knit unto YOU" But, sir, they
have already answered: "Thtnc are we.
David. anon thy side thou son Of Jesse
peace, peace he unto thee, and peace be
to thine helpers for thy God hepetll
thee" We tlke you all to our hearts
and our heartl*. from the North, from
the South, from the East, and from
the West. for ththcr they shall come
who shall sit down in the kingdom oI
God" Other than Baptists unite in this IT..
ccption, for Richmond has opened its hos
pjtable homes almost without discrimination
Of creeds. The faulty rctinion is large. and
the capacities Of our homes not unlimited rs
our hearts; lrt we arc glad of your mum
bers and honorcd In your kin>lip in Chi isl
Others will mole cloquently and deliberately
speak of the history and the associations ol
|
through every household and in every
church the tenderness of the spirit and love
oi Jesus. aud our highest honor bc found in
our humble service of our Saviour. In thu
name of the Baptists and citizens Of Rich
mond, we hail you with fratcrnal hopes and
hands and hearts and homes.
| Other Addresses.
| Dr. Curry said that he was sure he cN
pressed the general sentiment when he called
first the representative Of Our old mother
Association the Philadelphia).
| PENNSYLVANIA.
| Rev. J.W. Custis then read 4 communica
ton from the Philadelphia Association eX
tending iraternal greeting to the Genera
Association Of Virginia. announcing the ap
pointment OF a delegation of twenty-five t
attend the semi-centcnnal celebration OF tht
Baptists IN this State, and cmbodyln@ III,
resolutions published in the Dispatch Scve
raj months ugo) under which the delegatlol
was appointed. Of those appointed the tot
lowing were in attendance: loHllo tiatc'
Jones, Rev. John w. Gusts, Rev. licman l.
| Wuyland, u. D., Rev. William X. Iofln
Hon. james 5lilel. William FL. Lewis
George Callaghan, Thomas Motron, kn'cr'
tallaShan, j. Il. Prndlclon, ID. d., Rev
David Spencer.
Hon. HoIatio Gales Jones, of Phladcl
phiu, spoke of the JOY with which they lrt
| erected in philadelphia the representative
of this body, and the cordial reception whlrl
his delegation had received in Richmond
He alluded to the relations which eAls'r'
between Virginia and the Ph;ladelpha AsSo,
ciation one hundred years ago, and 4uoteI
from the records IN expression nj >ymp'tE.
with Colonel Samuel Harris and Others w't
were in the Chesterfield Jail. He spoke o