Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-09

The text furnishes the proper key
note OF praise for this, the l15th an
niversary of the church building in
which we are assembled. But the spe
cial appropriateness Of tho text lies in
the idea of a tradition of praise. The
18th Psalm and the book of Deutcron-
omy urge the same idea The per-
petual and rapid succession OF human
generations is by itself "A solemn al
most a saddeninS, thought; but when
we conceive of the cumulative effect
OF the halleluiahs and hosannas shout
ed down by each generation to tho
next. and Of the antiphons of Joy and
praise that comminglo in tho return
Ing eachoes, the Imagination Is fred
and faith finds itself nightly steadied
and inv!gorated. II we can cry out in,
our litanies. 20 God. we have heard
with our ears, and our fathers have
declared unto us tho noble works that
Thou didst In their day and In the
old time before them" there surgcs
back into our hearts n food OF trust.
which bears aloft our confident petit
tons: 20 Lord, arise. help us. and de-
, liver us for thine honor
The advantage OF thinking, not only
OF the church building. Tut also of its
congregation. as monumental, is mani
Test when We realize that. while there
are older church buildings. even in
this diocese, than ST. Johns. there is
no older congregation In continued ex-
istencc in the United States. This con-
greSation. which has been ever chang
Ing with it's succession OF generations
with the fluctuations OF popularity and
prosperity. and with the wcarisone
migratoriness OF humanity, is never
theless the congregation OF the second
old parish OF tho Protestant Episcopal
Church in the United States OF America
that had its origin in the pous zeal
and missionary enterprise OF Whit
taker and Dale, who founded the
parish some sixty five miles up the
river from jamestown In September Of
1911. 3o5 years ago. This is as truly
20 as is the identity Of the chambcred
nautilus unmista,iable, all through the
long. laborious process by which it
builds itself more stately mansions.
therefore, though this church build
Ing only reaches ba TX through little
more than half OF the age nj tho parish
~ gathers UP into itself ,h> ,ull monu-
mental testimony of IN. three CEN
turtles Of parochial hlsior.
SITE IS SUGGESTIVE
Of MoNIMENTAL CHARACTER
The site OF tho church Is suggestive
OF It's monumental character. 1t is "A
holy city. "a heavenly new Jerusal.r, -,
10 adapt Sir Thomas Dale's own 0rure
Set on what. by the Very name. is con.
fessedly It's own hill Those whose
eyes are enGrosscd with their own To-
cality VII! think OF this church as an
ancient gem mounted on the cmeralds
OF It's own lawn and foliage and on
the rubieS Of its own exquisite roses
But those who have wider vision
IMAM their own narrow sphere and their
own immediate present Will find the
magnificent view which Church Hill
commands symbolical of the historical
ana spiritual horizon OF 81, Johns, an
hoIlzoh embracing the affairs Of the
colony. the state and nation, as well as
OF the church: and OF the church II,
self in no sectarian selfishncss arI ar
clusiVeness but in the breadth of
christian charity and in the outlook
OF world Wide missionary spirit.
Neverthe!ess. This building. the l.5th
anniversary Of which are to-day
celebrating. becomes worthy Of m.
distinction OF such an occasion yhen
II partakes, so to speak. Of the sentient
lie or the household OF faith that ha 8
continuously inhabited it as its spirit-
uai or religious home, AS such Of
o,,ah espec'al praiseworthy works and
mighty acts on Gods part. through
our three centuries Of parochial his
iory. does II tell our generation?
rms old church-yard contains many
Tine example Of the ancien, custom
OF making an epitaph tell all there
is TO say. There are in our dav n,
rush and distraction, not many an old
mortality to read and restore and non
DER over such wordy inscriptions: hard
~ another Thomas Gray can be found
time In polishing his "elegy In coun
try church-yard." So, though this
church-building and CONGREGATION
witness TO many important truths. con
cefhihg Sods goodness and power, we
must confine ourselves to-day 10 three
points.
ACTUATED ny SINCERE
AND LOFTY PATRIOTIC y,
In the history OF this church and It.
congregation. we find grounds or
~hich we may surely claim. on the
one hand' that ours is Christian ma
uon. ana. on the other that the Prot
estant Episcopal Church is the moth
er OF religious liberty. and that he,
clergy and people have ever been nc.
tuated by n sincere and lofty patriot
/ ism.
The popular association OF th,.
i church- building throughout the coun.
try is with secular and national a.
fairs. The restry of this conerera
ton made no unjust or exaggerated
claim, when, in 1855, 1t declared tina
mere tho infancy of our great anc
prosperous country was rocked b,
our noble sires." In the same address
. the vestry speaks OF this as "a spo
made sacred in the etory y
our struggles for national indenen
i dence." But the testimony of, william
u Writ Henry. In his address at our ses
qui-centennial celebration. is especial
~ valuable, in view OF his membership
In another communion. TT should new
er be forgotten" he said, that thi.
convention the Virginia convention
OF May, 1870. with n majority Of tn,
Established Church Che means tina
the members of the Established
Church were in the majority in tn.
convention) placed in the bill O
\ lights tho principle OF religious lib
erty."
Bishop Meade compared the roll
i OF the earlier convention with tn.
\ vestry book and found that nearl,
4 the whole of the delegates were
I vestrymen. The Virginia conventio,
Of 1875 appointed Patrick Henry, ,
! churchman. Governor. All his priv,
/ council elected by that convention
4 were Vestrymen; Edmund Randolph
his Attornt< General was warden o
Henrico In my address on the oc
casion OF the unwilling of the Whit
o. tnl Ia