The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-05-15

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a system by the great Augustine, A. D.
$50, in his book entitled tho "CitY Of
God" 1t took on accretions frptt1 tiil1o
to time in the Church Of the Walden
slams, until, in 151G, under the great Re-
formers, 1t ran In two directions-th one
Eastern, the other Westerns. The one
Lutheran, tho othsr the Reformed
Church. The one headed by Luther took
possession OF Germany; the other, head
ed by Zwinglius, the hero of Zurich
The latter, the Western branch, support
the intrepid Farel and LaFevre, became
the Creed of Geneva. Powerfully advo-
Gated and elaborated by the great Calvin,
it ran through France, and became the
creed of the Huguenots. This that I
hold in my hand was endorsed for sub
stance of doctrine by the great French
Synod held in Paris 1869, until that awful
historical monstrosity occurred in 1572-
the Massacre Of St. Bartholomew-had dis
abled it's professors; and yet more when
at the revocation of the Edict OF Nantes,
1855, 100000 Presbyterians were dis
persed throughout Europe and America,
a small but patriotic batch Of whom,
headed by the Moragues, Giberts and
Belots, settled on the banks Of the Sa
vannah, in Abbeville County, in 1764.
the learned Melanchthon at Augsburg,
1880, at Diet presided over by Charles
V, and so called the Augsburg Confes-
sion. Taking deep root in Holland, it
sprung to the great Belgic Confession of
1861, the same almost as the Calvinistic
church of France. 1t became the bone
and sinew, the shot and powder, of the
resistance of the United Provinces of
Holland against the cruel invasion of
Phillip II, of Spain, for period Of 20
years, and was eventually and triumph
ally reasserted in the grand old Synod Of
bort in 1918. There in quaint old
house, with its gavel ends facing the
street, and in quaint old town, watered
by canals from its river docks, met the
old Dutch preachers Of the Continent,
and some from Scotland and England,
and solemnly re-enacted these everlast-
the Dutch Reformed Church of America.
Through the influence of Calvin and
the martyred Cranmer, the same great
system of theology was incorporated
into the 80 articles Of the Church of Eng
land; adopted with additional accretions
and articulations by the celebrated West
minister Assembly of divines in 1876; by
the Scotch Assembly in 1917. Just this,
letter for letter, that hold in my hand,
bound the nation to it by the "Solemn
League and Covenant" For this those
stern old lions of the Cromwellian army,
Hampden, Pym and Hollis fought and
died. For this the Puritan fathers plowed
the western wave to Plymouth rock and
was adopted for substance Of doctrine by
the old Synod of Cambridge in this coun-
try in 164S, and by the Presbyterian AS
sembly of America in 1729. 1t is to-day
almost to the lettor the Confession of
Faith OF the Northern and Southern Pres
byterian Churches, of the Associate Re-
formed Synod Of the South, of the Cum
berland Presbyterians of the West, of
the Dutch Reformed Church of America,
and of the Presbyterian Assembly of
Canada. 1t is out and out. except in
Church polity, the theological system Of
the Congregational Church of Now Eng
land, and, except in Church polity and
ordinance, the theological system of the
great Baptist Church Of this country and
| Old England. Over the Atlantic it is the
| Presbyterians of England, of the Irish
Presbyterian Church, of the Scotch
Church both Free and Established, of
the Reformed French Church of to-day,
of the Netherlands, of Switzerland, of
the old Waldensian Church, now merged
into the Italian Presbyterian Church.
Its grand old elements lie imbedded in
| the theological system Of the Protestant
Episcopal Church of America, and Us far
as the Methodist Episcopal Church has
formulated her theological system it is
based upon the same great elements.
My friends, I would not deserve to be
called Presbyterian if I could not say
to-day, and say it with high fraternal
regards to my brethren of all denonina--
tions, that this which hold in my hand
of the Sacred Writings of any other book
in existence. 1t is an editice of stone,
whose pieces and parts have been blocked
out of the quarry Of the Holy Writings,
chiseled and polished and put in, piece
by piece, from age to age, until it has
risen to the grandeur of beautiful and
consummate edifce-the very symbol of
Christianity. You will pardon me for
saying so much on subject which takes
my heart, and understanding also. This
wonderful book, I propose to deposit in
that vault.
8. The third article, my friends, is
more wonderful thing still-a document
| that dropped down from Heaven, Gods
1
dunn of the human race. l will put it
there, lest if the world should forget that
God has spoken, and all human copies of
His Holy Word should mould and decay,
there may be one there, in long years to
come, plucked up from it's sleeping-place,
like beautiful heavenly light, to lead
\ erring men back to God and revive an
apostate world. Like the old Palladium
OF Troy, which forbade that Troy should
ever be taken until it should be snatched
from its enshrinement, this world shall
never be taken by the powers of dark
ness so long as that document remains.
I place it there to say that our hopes, and
the hopes Of mankind, rest on that Book
the Book that stretches its grand story
from the very beginning to the very end
of time-the Book that opens with the
grand tragedy of worlds creation, and
closes with the more august tragedy of
world called into Court-the Book that
| lifts the veil from the secrets of the un-
seen world and discloses the mind Of
Deity.
At the close of DIR. Frierson's speech
the Band furnished moro music, after
which Rev. T. F. Gadsden, Rector of
Grace (Episcopal) Church, was intro
duced. He said:
lly Friends of the Presbyterian C0ngrega-
ton You are engaged in laying the cor
ner stone of building for the worship
of God, which will strengthen your con-
gregation, be an ornament to the town,
and promote the cause of sound religion
in the whole community. Happy the
Pastor, happy the people, who, in times
like these, have the faith to conceive
such an enterprise. We esteem it a priv
ilege to share in your joy, and give you
our hearty congratulations. This impor-
tant work did not begin to-day. 1t is
rather the coming to the light of months
of preparation-in fact, the fruit of years
of the quiet, steady labor of your faith
full Pastor. Your congregation had out
grown the old building, and new ono
became necessity. This day marks an
era in your Church-life. 1t is both q
history and prophecy. AS history, it
looks back to that mother Church, with
| o11 its tender and sacred associations and