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2 (1O10) THE P
the church tui Loudoun JSL. was chosen as tiie
inure ecnlral. tertain improvements, however,
were needed; and shortly aLler the setliemenl 01
Dr. Lucy, it was decided that some extensive and
costly repairs and additions should he undertaken.
Accordingly, important changes were
made in the interior and exterior of the church,
and a large building added, suitable for the midweek
services, the JSubbath school and other
church meetings. These have contributed materially
to the value of the property, and to the
convenience and comfort of the congregation.
It would be unpardonable, even in a sketch as
brief as this, uot to mention that the building lirst
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is still standing. Jt is the large stone structure
on the hill north-east of the town. This building
is one of unusual historic interest. Besides the
fact that it is one of the oldest churches of any
denomination now standing in the Shenandoah
Valley, it has been the theatre of many memorable
events in the annals
ol our Church. it was
built in 1 'j Stl-UU, and scarcely
completed when the .
Synod of Virginia held its 3^. ?
second annual session in it.
\\ inie that bynod lias met in \V. > *s
\v nieliester much more ire- syLf t
HUentiy tnau in any other ^ \ '
place- already lit teen times
in all?eleven oi these meetings
Have been held in that
one house. At one of its
place out oi Philadelphia?
(with tile exception ol I ar- I
nsie, i a.;, jii wmen, lor a
period of nearly 50 years, that venerable court 1
ever met. The Presbytery of Winchester was or- i
ganized there bee. 4, 1/ lJ4, and the i'resbyterian j
church of Winchester Sept. 7, 18UU. Besides the 1
distinguished men who, as pastors, have occupied "
its pulpit?Legrand, Hill, and Kiddle?nearly all
the famous I'resbyterian ministers of our
country, from 171)0 to 1834, have preached within
its walls. Some of the most distinguished men
in our land, in church, and state and army, have
worshipped in its pews, and in its graveyard their
mortal remains have been laid.
It may be of interest to add, that when the
Presbyterians removed to the church on Kent St.
this building, in 1834, was sold to the Baptists of
Winchester, and thev. in 1858. sold it to their
colored brethren. During the Civil War it was
completely dismantled. When repaired, it was
leased to the school board, and is now used by
the colored public school.
Cod always makes the requisite provision for a
time of special need, not only in giving strength
as the day demands, but in raising up agents to
do his will and to thwart the wicked. When
their was a i'haroali oppressing the people, Moses
was sent. When Ahab's idolarous rule was over
Israel, Elijah appeared. When Sanballat and
Y. J j it . n T
i tumin ragi'u against tne re-erection 01 Jerusalem's
walls, a Nehemiah confronted them. When
Nero came upon the scene there was a Paul to ^
give power to the truth and to nerve Christians s
to stand in their lot. God never forsakes Ins j
people. When the need comes lie will raise up i
defenders. Tie has always done so. L
'RESBYTERIAN OF THE SC
The Ministry of
By HeO. Russell Cecil, D. D., Mi
"And all things arc of (Jod, who halli reconciled
us lo himself by Jesus Christ, and hulk given
to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that
Cod' was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
I. 11" ! J I. 1 I il
fumoK/, iivl iun>ui my intir irespusses unio i/itm y
and /<a//t committed, unto us the word of reconciliation."?2
Cor. 5:18-11).
In your studies of this epistle, my brethren,
you have probably observed that a large portion
of it, beginning with the twelfth verse of chapter
second and extending through chapters third,
fourth, fifth, and ten verses of the sixth, is devoted
to a discussion of the Christian ministry. This
section lias been called "Paul's apologetic for
preaching." He found it necessary in writing
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nterior View, Winchester Presbyterian Church
to the Christians at Corinth to defend his
Ministry among them from aspersions east upon
t by certain unfriendly critics who questioned
lis call of God to the apostlesliip. The effect of
Jk
REV. J. H. LACY, D. D.
Pastor Winchester Presbyterian Church
his criticism had been to weaken the faith of
ome of the brethren in Paul's authority and to
nduce them to "seek a proof of Christ speaking
n him." (13:3). The church had indeed folcwed
his instructions given in the First Epistle
> U T H [ October 25, 1911
Reconciliation
iderator of the Synod of Virginia.
in the matter of the discipline of an immoral
member, but apparently not without controversy
and some division of sentiment due to the influouce
of the Apostle's critics. The knowledge
of the situation at Corinth, which was communicated
to Paul by Titus, was the occasion of the
writing of litis second Epistle to the Corinthians,
in which we find (his long and illuminating discussion
of the Christian ministry.
The text which is a part of this discussion
consists of two verses, the second verse being an
explanation and fuller statement of the truth
found in the first. "And all things are of God, ^
who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,
and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation
; to wit, that God was in
Chris) ^rc('on(Mliiig the world
y'/r' and hath committed unto us
the word of reconciliation."
The ministry has always
, uct-ii 111(3 suoject ot criticism,
ii* and therefore is always up
.1 i for discussion. The world
f T uever has, and does not now,
* take kindly to the message
j which it utters with a tone
of authority to the people,
v. [ .* . j 4 The objectors are numeri
ft? ous. their criticisms often
' . acrimonious, and those to
whom the delivery of the
gospel message is committed
S| are frequently in confusion
and more or less at sea in
their apprehension of what
they are expected to do. Certainly,
if we listen to the
1 ? . ?
i-i*iinor 01 uic world, we can never arrive at any
satisfactory conclusion as to what the ministry
involves. Let us then turn to this Scripture and
endeavor to understand its teaching.
1. Observe first, that the ministry of the gospel
is the ministry of tin yrace of (}od to a sinful
world. This truth is broadly stated in the words
with which the text opens: "All things are of
Ood." These words refer not to the all things of
the universe, although they express an absolute
truth in that sense, but to the "all things that
pertain to life and godliness?"the all things of
the gospel of Christ with which the ministry has
to deal. "All things" that have to <!?? witli tti?
salvation of men from sin come from God.
There is need in our day that the gospel of
divine grace should be emphasized. We do not
hear much of it from the modern pulpit. Aleu
seem to forget that the ministry of the gospel is
a ministry of grace. "The grace of God that
bringeth salvation," that is our message to the
world, and any form of "new' theology" or
"scientific faith," so called, which obscures, contuses,
or displaces this dominant truth has no
part in it. It is so easy, in our anxiety to be
considered open-minded and progressive and in
our desire to escape the criticism of liberal theologians
and advanced thinkers, to keep the doctrines
of grace in the background, while bringing
secondary truths to the front under the guise
..i ,.im-Lieiit etnical preaching, for which the
modern world is so insistent. But "grace for
sinners" should be our watchword and nothing
else; for "the grace of God that bringeth salvation"
teaches us. as no system of ethics does,
"that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we