Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-17

on the essential features Of permanence
"a church was built as soon as the
settlers cabins were built.
1t was homely thing like a barne,
says the chaplain with grateful pleas
antry, set upon cratchets, covered
with RATS, sedge and earth, so was
also the wallis But in that 'homely
thing were celebrated to the endless
comfort of the faithful the august
rites and sacraments Of the religion OF
Jesus Christ. In that barnlike struc-
ture were held assemblies that gave
the first impulse to our religious and
civic freedom and progress.
First of New World
'In that cabin-church was held, in
A. d. 1919, the first representative, free,
collective assembly of the new world,
and the proceedings of that assembly
were opened with q collect from the
book of common prayer. The first act
of that assembly was to provide pro-
lection for the Indians from oppres-
sion, the second was to establish
university of learning. Some of it's
enactments relating to religion were
exceedingly intolerant, severe and un-
wise. But it is true, nevertheless, that
there and then was laid the foundation
of our American form of government,
that there and then American civtcs
assumed form before the world, and
those foundations were laid, mark you,
by sons of this church Of our faith and
love, by men who had been instructed
in Gods holy word as this church hath
received the same, who had learned the
art of Christian worship from the book
of common prayer and who had been
taught by the church catechism how to
live Cody, righteously and soberly IN
this present world
'Thus English Christianity was min
istering to the people of America and
the English Bible and the book of COM
mon prayer were in use in America
full eleven years before the famous
Mayf1ower with the Pilgrim Fathers
landed in Plymouth bay, seven years
before the Holland Dutch came to New
York, twenty-five years before the
Massachusetts bay pilgrims landed and
twenty-seven years before Lord Balti-
more came with the first colony of Ro-
man Catholics.
Called American Church
"Do you wonder, then that we mod
estly claim for this church, the church
known III law as the Protestant Epis-
copal church in the United States OF
America-the name American church? !?
Is not our claim a reasonable and we'll
grounded one? We claim 1t not be-
cause she is numerically the largest
body of Christians in our 1and--she is
not; nor even because she Is a true
branch of the Apostolic church OF
Christ But because she has the SUI
preme right Of mission here by reason
of priority of existence IN this land.
The Roman church is an Intruder here;
she is an alien, owing allegiance, first
and foremost, to foreign eeclesiastic
and potentate. We claim 1t because
axr% oh IA 10
celebrate the Christian worship and
sacraments on these shores; we claim
1t because she was the first church OF
the first permanent settlers within the
territory of the thirteen original states;
we claim it because she was supremely
instrumental in shaping the form and
constitution of our government and IN
laying the foundation of the political
and religious liberty which we now en-
joy, and we claim 1t because, while
eminently catholic, worldwide in her
ministries, sympathy and aim, she is
yet distinctively American in her char
acter, traditions and spirit.
But you may ask, what made this
American church so instrumental in
blending the spiritual and moral with
the political and material, and in es-
tablishing peace and happiness, truth
and justice, religion and piety among
is not hard to find nor far to seek. 1t
was the learning, statesmanship, valor,
religious convictions, faiths, devotions,
spiritual aspirations and labors of her
sons.
Washington Churchman
sThere is scarcely a man whose name
is connected with those simple yet
august beginnings of Christianity and
American civics who was not church
man. Pinckney, who said, Millions for
memorable. George Washington, the
father of his country. still first in the
hearts of his countrymen, the greatest
of good men and the best OF brave
men, was a churchman.
"The author of the Declaration of IN
dependence was q churchman. Two
thirds of the signers OF that immortal
document were churchmen.- One signer
from Massachusetts,, all but one of the
signers from New York, one signer
from New Jersey, all the signers but
one from Pennsylvania, all but one
from Maryland; all from North Caro-
lima and all from South Caroline, and
all but one from Georgia were church.
men.
Livingston, who organized the oppo-
sition to the stamp act, was church.
man. Pinckney. who said, Millions for
Defense but not cent for tribute
churchman. The author of the dec
laration of rights adopted by the Vir-
ginia legislature and embodied in the
Declaration of Independence was
churchman. Peyton Randolph, the first
president of the first American con-
gress, was a churchman; and that first
congress was opened with words Of
prayer taken from the book OF COM
mon prayer by a clergyman. All Of
these illustrious statesmen, soldiers
and orators and many more. together
with Monroe and Jay, Rutledge, King,
the Harrisons, Edmond Randolph, Lord
Sterling and Light Horse Harry Lee,
James Madison, afterward president Of
the United States; William Samuel
Johnson and hosts of others, were
churchmen. The author of our national
song, Hail, Columbia was a church
man.
Key Member of Church
"Francis Scott Key, the writer of the
Star Spangled Banner was church.
man, and the words of the English
Bible are read and the prayers of the
book of common prayer are prayed,
and the patriotic and religious spirit
and impulse of these men are felt wher-
ever the star spangled banner waves.
And last, but not least, the honored
man who. in the convention of 1887.