Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-07

nocent women ana children out of their
happy homes. Many OF the men who have
done these Things the world has called
great. Andrew was not great In that
| sense.
| WHAT HE DID NOT DO.
| He was not soldier. He was NOT n
| statesman. He had never been a shining
light in the councils Of any nation. He
was not an artist; he had never carved a
statue, nor painted picture. nor penned
a poem that would be immortal. He had
never written anything, indeed. We have
here in the Bible a biography of our
Lord about the size of small namphIe,
| by Matthew, and another by Mark. and
another by Luke, and still another by
John; and We have the Acts of the Amos
ties by Luke, and epistles from Paul and
| Peter and James and others. but NOT
! line from Andrew. He was not n writer
| Like his Lord, he did his work BIZ sneak
ing. II is. an interesting fact that there
Is no record of our Lords ever having
written anything save the day when He
stopped and, with His finger. wrote GER
tain unknown words In the sand He en-
trusted HIS teachings, freighted though
! they were with the destiny of the world
to winged words apparently the most
! fleeing and perishable Of all forms of
| communication. But He WAS right Every
| really great teacher Of the race has en-
| ployed the oral method either separately
| or In conjunction with some other Won
| will recall that Socrates when asked whv
| he did not write out his Instructions for
| the benefit OF following generations re-
piled, referring 10 the parchment which
| was then used instead OF paper. that no
would rather write on the hearts OF living
men than on the skins OF dead sheep.
And so IL seems TO have been with
Christ. He knew that truth which had
been vitalized In mans own heart would
come with living power 10 the hearts of
others. And so He sent His apostles into
the world. saying: Go. preach the GOSPEL
10 all nations That was Andrews me-
thod And you do not need to be told
That the great object Of this institution.
over which you have just raised the
banner which reminds US Of Andrew Is
TO train men 10 preach with living power
the living word of salvation.
BROUGHT HIS BROTHER TO CHRIST.
But | was saying that Andrew did nor
write anything and, therefore. did NOT
achieve literary renown. In short no
had never done anything 10 lnscribe his
name on the scroll of earthly renown of
any sort. But there is one thing he did
The sacred narrative tells us that no
drought MS Drother 10 Jesus Christ and
caused him to know the Saviour of sim
ners. And If we, here in this seminary
know our own hearts we would rather
have a thing like that said of is truth
fully after we are gone out of the world
than TO be the subjects Of all the high
sounding epitaphs In Westminster Abbey.
And in casting about for an exclamation
Of the fact that the name OF this man
has become the nucleus Of the traditions
Of a great people, like the Scotch. | think
We find it here. 1t was not the fact that
he was the first member of the Christian
Church in the chronological sense. 1t is
not the fact that he was the first men,
Der Of the college of apostles I'm the
chronological sense. But il is the fact
that he was the first member Of the Chris
tian Church to exemplify the missionary
spirit of the Gospel. And IL does not
seem TO me strange ethat a people who
had been delivered from heathensm by
the labors of Gospel missionaries should
have made the name of the first Gospel
missionary the centre and nucleus OF
their traditions and should have made the
cross which bears his name a sort Of
national emblem. And so over the doors
OF great buildings In Scotland TO this day
you will see the X-shaped cross of st.
Andrew.
TRUE Blu r.
so much for the tradition as to the
form OF your flag. AS to its color, the
blue ground, DR.. Witherspoon has already
referred to the origin Of the rhyming ex-
preston, true blue" The Covenanters
Of old wore blue ribbons I'm their caps or
bonnets in opposition to the scarlet color
Of the tyrannical kings who tried to de-
prive them OF their liberty TO worship
God according TO the dictates Of their own
consciences. And hence the old Scotch
lines:
It's guild to be upright and wise,
It's guild TO be honest and true;
It's guild 10 support Caledonia's cause,
And abide by the bonnets O. blue
Boys, you must never forget what the
world owes TO Scotland. We have an
example of It right here and now, for
we have with us this afternoon as our
beloved and honored guest the most in
fuential elder in one of the most In
fuential churches I'm America, wise
and good and venerable man, who was
born in Scotland. and his heart leaps as
he reads the shining names which illu-
inmate Scotland's banner here on our
walks. and as he reads memory carries
him swiftly back over seventy years
and all in a moment, he is boy again
like you, knowing the blue banner and the
Shorter Catechism, ana feennS unuer
his feet the springy heather Of the hills
and moors of his native land, the large
hearted and free-handed gentleman TO
whose Christian liberality we are Indebted
for the beautiful library building or
Union Seminary. Applause) May God
bless him abundantly.
TO LECTURE THE BOYS.
And we are debtors TO Scotland in many
other ways. I want to tell you about 1t
some other time. Take note OF these
historical paintings on our walls. They
set forth the salient points OF what we
Presbyterians look upon as the most
glorious history of the later centuries
and they explain TO us why the crimson
roll of martyrs from the Presbyterian
church Is longer and larger for the last
three hundred years than those OF all our
sister Churches combined. I'll tell you, ,
boys 7 want you to come out 10 the
seminary some afternoons in the near |
future and let me turn my Hebrew stu
dents out to their recreations ana MI
nm nv lecture-room with Covenanters
Instead and give you series OF lee
trras on these historical banners when |
adorn our walls, and try TO show you what
A heritage you have in the history |
~ vour church. But l am not going 10 |
5att,,or one Of those lectures this after