The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-01-01

| OF our respective churches IN FORMER
| the recent renovat on Of this venerable
| edificc. and the arrival OF the anniversary
| which marks the completion OF the eigh-
| tieth year OF its uuiqde history, renders
this memorial service most appropriate
! IL Us a service In which the members OF
| other communlons may take an interest,
| ihasmuch as the original purpose 10 erect
| a monument on the spot where we are
gathered. was because OF common ca
| lamity. IN which 50 many OF the glfted,
| the beautiful and the brave iamehiaDy
persisted, when the play, entitled ne
| Bleeding Nun" was quickly followed Dy
the Tragedy Of bleeding hearts. spreading
| bereavements deplcrable through The city
ard the state
Whea. in addition to the erection OF
monument sacred 90 the memory or those
| who persisted In the conflagrauOn IL was
| proposed also 20 build a church, II Is
| said that the two venerable ministers
| representing at that time the Two oe-
| nominations most prominent for numbers;
] wealth and influence. expected II Would
| be occupied by their nocks, as the Capl-
| tol 50 long had been, for alternate "ri
| vices. Contemporary historians tNe w
| two nerent accounts Of the manner III
which il was decided whether the htN
| church should be Episcopal or J l1SpVtv-
| rian. ! shall not undertake 10 say "hiVu
| OF these statements Is correct OF "neti' NJ
| either of them Is true. ~ all events w
| matter was decided. and 1t was no uoupl
| best that the church should come unuSi
| some distinctive denomlnational cohiroI'
| Bat that The expectation OF JOINT o0Ou-
/ pancy should at one time nave 80, pccii
| cherished bv the two ministers Of Christ
| TO whom I have referred. ana also Nv
| those whom they represented Was pu'Ic
| natural expectation anu ~ ~" ~ Lt,Is
| the amity then existing between me f-PlS9
| copallans and Presbyterians OF kichmohu'
| A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE.
| The relations between the venerable
| mcclure
| mfliar 10 those who know anything OF the
| ecclesiastical history OF our city that II
need not be reproduced II rs pictuI1
| whose cOlOrs have not iadeu' Dut stll
| glow with imperishable beauty. for many
| wears Parsons Buchanan and BAR as
| they were famllarly called preached ia
! the Hall of Delegates, I'm the Capitol al
| ternating with each other thus present
! ing the spectacle OF one congregation
| ministered to on one Sunday by an Epis-
| copal and on the next by fresDyteI-ah
| divine. each conducting the service dC
! coTding 10 the forms preferred 10y hlIiiSeli,
| the people uniting In both, but ShoWihs
| no preference for either. This happy con-
| cord was made more close and tender py
| the warm friendship between me TWO
| men, who lived and labored together ana
| who d!cd within few days OF ecu
other. and then went up 10 renew 'hei
| intercourse in the world Of love-a pro
| phecy and a prelude 70 me haIHioLS
| which has descended 10 our gay MAJ :
| the kindly feeling between all the denonll-
| nations of thiS city.
| We might speculate on what would
| have been the result had the CUSTODY
! Of This building been committed to Pres
| bytcriaus. II is not matter OF speculd-
| lion. but history has determined wha'
| that influence was, when II came under
Episcopal control, IN advancing '"e PiO'-
| pcrity Of that church.
The first and immediate result was
seen in the election of the Rev. Richard
| Claiming Moore as rector. ana soon d
| ter as bishop. in the year lhll, mus illile
| a great vacancy as the Episcopal ChuFch
| i'm Virginia had been without a bishop
| from the death of Bishop Madison, III
1872 Thus at once me Mohunien. ia ia
| church became a power in this city ana
| state. and far beyond the limits oi me
| Commonwealth, not only through the
| influence eXerted by the venerable man
| who presided over this diocese. but be
| cause of what has been accomplished 10y
| six other bishops who have gone tortf
| from this Church to labor IN the nome
| and foreign held
| this church has achieved in the various
| departments Of Christian labor. Arounf
| no other church i'm this diocese nave
| clustered more tender and sacred aSSO
/ Citations with the exception, perhaps. OF
| the venerable colonial cdifice on Churcf
| Hill. ever memorable in the annals Of pa
| triOtism and pietN.
| arChiug dome. what long succession o
sages soldiers and statesmen, OF mel
| eminent i'm science in Philanthropy, an'
in the various walks of literature. and o.
| godly women Illustrating IN all the de
| partments of beneVOlenCc what can be &c
| cOmplished by women in Christian ser
! vice. have come here 10 worship ant
| who have found I'm the Church on earti
the emblem and the preparation for tn
| Church in Heaven.
LIVING QUESTION.
one of the living questions Of the da!
is. what more can De done than ha
! already been effected i'm promoting
! closer union between those VINO prefes
| and call themselves ChristiansY'
Many answers to this question hav
| been given. most of them incOnclusiv
| and unSatir factory. Thus, of those WIN
would weld all denominations into on
| some propose the adoption of a few ar
| ticles of belief as the basis of the amalga
nation Others urge the adoption Of tn
! same ritual Of worship; others. discard
| ing creeds and forms, would make tn
! uuifying principle consist in cooperation
i'm works of phlOthrOpy and plety. Bu
! all Of these arc evidently insufficient 4
effect the end; they neither go deel
| enough, nor are they comprehensive
| enough. The Lambeth Council would haV
all Protestants unite on the acceptanc
Of the Historic EpiscOpate."
| But. then, quickly steps To the from
! the mighty host of those who bear tn
| blue banner, who say, we agree VIII
| all that YOU urge as 10 the advantage
|
| have them all if YOU Will unite with us OF
the basis Of Historic Presbyteranism,
| for that was adopted after the ref0rma
ton i'm the Sixteenth century by an over
| Whelming majority of the churches o
| the world; and those now holding til
| Presbyterian form Of church government
throughout America, Europe and tn
| Orient constitute the largest Protestan
denomination in christendom. To sue
different conclusions do good men com
| I'm their honest efforts 10 secure denomi
national unity.
No my friends. no platform has We
| been found on which all can stand an
| cOnscientiouSiY say. We now cOnstitut
one visible Church. whose creed an
| form of government and modes or Wor
snip entirely satisfy our intellect on
| conscience and our heart" As long a
| honest differences of opinion prevail O
these points il is better that those VIII
| hold the same views should band togeth
er in one organization. Separation ofte
leads to peace As there has been no as
since the Christian era in which tn
| Church was not represented by dineren
denominations, we must conclude tina
| God. in His wise and holy prOvidenc
overrules for good ends this organize
. ton of churches under different name,
, tnat thus each one may accomplish some
thing for the caICe of truth that woul
not be achieved by another-that eac
may reflect its own tinted ray of IN
sun of righteousness. awaiting the tim
= when the blending of all the colors wi
make the clear. pure. white light of day
II requires the whole brotherhood
the redeemed 10 reflect the beauty an
the glory of the altogether lovely.