Year: 1879




Archibald Alexander, by his son, Rev.
DR.. James w. Alexander may be found,
on page 544, letter from him to Rev.
Wm. Hornblower, dated Princeton, Jan
uary 1lth, 1914, on the occasion of his
ordination, from which the following is an
extract


But though I cannot be with you, you shall
have nv PRAYERS, and l will give you the text
from which think ! should preach if l were
there,-the poor have the gospel preached to
them. If you viii take this text for your guide
in your pastoral duties, 1 think l may promise
YOU success Christ gave 1t as one of the certain
proofs of his Messiahship, and there is no better
evidence that any minister is servant Of this
Messiah, than that he makes the poor the special
object of his ministry"


The Presbytery of New York has for
long time past been agitated as to the
methods in which the gospel can be made
to reach the poor in this great city,
through the Presbyterian ministry. The
difficulties are so great, that some have
thought that they are inherent to the
Presbyterian system. These difficulties
are not peculiar to the work of our Church
in this city.


Candid minded Presbyterian Christians
in all sections of the United States will
most likely admit that, however beautiful
is our system of Church Government, and
however well educated our ministry, and
intelligent our laity, we do fail in this
one thing, Preaching the gospel to the
poor.


The failure in this particular in the
light of the text from which the venerable
Dr.. Alexander proposed to preach, is a
very great failure An apology for it
somewhat like this, is occasionally made:
That the mission of the Presbyterian
Church, in the providence of God, is to
preserve a pure theology in a form Of
sound words, and to carry the ministra-
tions of the gospel to the middling, we'll
to-do, and more intelligent classes of So
ciety. If this is the mission Of our Church,
it is outside of the command of the Mas
ter, and is ordained on no higher author
ity than that of Church tradition This
idea, if entertained at all, can only be by
very few, while the great number of Pres
byterian Christians would be glad to see
the poor more largely receiving the gos-
pei through the channel of our Church.
The difficulties are practical; let us glance
at them in this city. We have between
thirty and forty organized Presbyterian
churches on Manhattan Island, mission
chapels not included J Of these fully one
half are located on Fifth, Madison, Fourth,
and Park avenues, and on the side streets
between Sixth and Fourth avenues,-all
of these avenues and side streets are cen
ters of fashion and wealth, and need not
tell YOU that the architecture of the
churches and the rents Of the pews are in
keeping with their neighborhoods The
churches on the side streets, out of the
precincts of fashion, are in the main much
pressed to maintain existence. Pew rents
must be kept up in these more humble
churches on about the scale that existed
forty years back in the leading Presbyte-
rian churches Of the city. The rate of
pew rent excludes the real poOT-the
large class whose daily wages lust exc out
food and clothing. We have therefore
come to this understanding of the case,
namely: first, that it is not expected, per-
haps not desired that the poor, either
well-to-do or distressed, shall attend the
wealthy churches on the avenues and
fashionable side streets. The appoint
ments of these churches, the handsomely
dressed congregations, and at some Of
them professions of elegant carriages,
would probably keep the humber class
away if the seats were free. Second, in
second-class churches excuse the descrip-
ton, it explains what we all understand)
the constant and urgent want for money
to meet expenses, makes it clear that all
who come must pay for sitting if not
half Of pew, and so the struggling poor
are of necessity kept away.


For a full understanding Of our diff