Evening star., 1903-11-17

/
| months that was pastor of this church is
| the longest occupancy, excepting that OF tue
4 noble, gifted and self-sacrifcing DR.. Guriey.
| the organizer of this present church anu
| builder of this edifice.
One-Eighth Of Century.
ct was here one-eighth of century. three
presidential terms. two senatorial. Life Is
| not measured by time, but quality. The
most important feature of this church is
not it's age-it could not help it-but it is its
usefulness. It is said that men boast of
their age when they have nothing else to
boast of.
These twelve and half years may be
looked at in three ways. First. the exterior
| work of the church. Second, the church's
relations to the city in its charity and hui
| name efforts, and, third, its spiritual life.
"Straitened for room and pressed by de-
| mands for Presbyterian expansion. we re-
| leased with our blessing and contribution
many influential families of Christian work
ers to organize the important and success
! full Church of the Covenant 1t was curl
| Gus fact noted by the trustees at the time,
| that the pews vacated for this exodus were
| all taken before the next Sabbath.
| Again, Gurley Mission, by it's varied sue
| cess and position, appealed to our Judg-
ment ready to pass from mission sue
cess to an organized church.
I'VE enlarged the building; we granted
| letters to 123, If / remember Alright. of our
| efficient officers and wisest workers to meet
| this grand emergency.
"It followed speedily from the hunger of
| this church for practical work, the organ
ization of Faith Chapel. housed in com
| modious brick building. Then also we fur
| these subtractions from the membership
| the 500 and more enrolled communicates at
| the beginning of my ministry were swelled
| to the vicinity Of 200 at its finish
"Ths was the fecund period of the
| church's history its prolific era. the mother
church to many. the mother of churches as
| well. / have always counted 1t a privilege
| to have followed in this pastorate two men
! so gifted, so strong, so successful as Drs.
Mitchell and Paxton. When the church
! was thoroughly repaired at an expense of
| over $4,000 the Lincoln pew was discarded
| with the others. We speedily discovered
| the mistake; restored 1t to its best condi-
| ton without changing its form, and simply
ernbellished 1t with that legend which is
placed upon the silver label to preserve
historic record and erect shrine.
Il am informed that never in all its his
tory was the church more numerous more
prosperous or more influential than under
the guidance of its present pastor
The relations of this church to the city
were intimate and direct; its fraternal fell
lowship with all denominations marked and
vital.
Forming of Alliance.
"The Presbyterian Alliance founded
about this time. engaged the interest of the
church by electing it's pastor first pres
L
the city vacancy was left in the board Of
directors at Columbia Hospital. The pas
tor of this church was chosen to fill it.
'As president of the Associated Charities,
as the only clergyman, member OF theLlt-
terary Society, as trustee of Howard Uni
versity, one of the directors Of the Humane
Society, he served, putting the church in
direct communication with the highest
| moral and educational and humane inter
ests of the city. fairly disagreeable,
r0h ifon a loo mr.
to cabinet officers and their subordinates,
to save the services to the government Of
some one marked for execution, and the
salary to his family On one occasion the
Commissioner of the District appointed the
pastor of this church to make a personal
and impartial examination of all the insu-
tutions in the District of Columbia which
received money from the government. This
was. faithfully done, and the report pub
lished in pamphlet and on file
AN historic general assembly crowded
this church for the Briggs trial. All the
shining lights of Presbyterianism, with posi-
tive opinions, were in conflict. a heroic
battle. conducted with Christian courtesy,
and decided by the will Of the majority
The pastor of this church was chairman of
the committee of arrangements, as is Gus
tomary, and so managed the large finances
that after paying all expenses about 80 per
cent of the contributions were returned to
the various churches of the District.
Now / say that this expansion and
plification of the church, these evidences of
its wider usefulness in this great city, are
not the things that prize the most count
them not the Jewels of my pastorate. They
second, though an evidence of the un-
broken spiritual communion of the men,
bership; they are second to the movement
of new converts to the table of the Lord;
second to the sending of men converted
home to their constituents to live the divine
life and organize churches; second to the
long and quiet years of religious enjoy
ment. when, as one united and happy fam
lily. we trained our children in the Sunday
school and walked in the green pastures
and beside the still waters and refreshed
our souls Oh. blessed fellowship of the
saintsi What visions of those who have
sat on these seats, and who now walk in
white
In Oak Hill repose the remains of our in
FAINT son. my namesake. where we placed
our asterisks for the white city of God
there also was the childhood of our living
SON.
Some of the Worshipers.
May I mention few of those holding
distinguished positions that worshiped
here? The judges of that great unblemish-
ed court, Strong. Bradley and Harlan,
model representative, and of the other i'm
portant courts in the District Andrew
Bradley, Macarthur and Weldon; four Sec
retaries of States. Blaine, Frelinghuysen,
Gresham and John w. Foster, the only
survivor; Senators Frye and Elkins and
Faulkner and German Mcmillan and Brice
and Farwell, and members of the cabinet,
Robert Lincoln, Folsom, Miller and Hoke
Smith. and the army and navy were we'll
represented in Generals Dunn and Drum,
Greedy and Breckinridge, while for the
navy stands that scholarly and modest
Christian gentleman, Admiral Sampson,
with Wadhams. Brownson and others.
I'VE mention these indicating the
quality of mind to which this church has
always ministered, from the days of An
drew Jackson, but the ones who have
ministered = to the spiritual life of the
church most. and enriched the expert
ence of it's pastor. have been the quiet,
faithful saints, out of the glare of pub
lie position, many on sick beds, many en-
during painful suffering and trial.
IF the displacing of a drop of water
Stirs the entire ocean; If the beating of
the air is registered in the outermost
limits of the atmosphere, then I say we
cannot gather up the potency of an un-
dying thought for good, of simple serv-
ice for Christ.
Elijah the Third.
This church has stood like a ladened
jar surcharged, shooting it's blessedness
into the nation. Along all the hilItops of
vision the prophets tell of the coming
day The thing Elijah the third In