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I VOL. IV. RICHMO
Abstract c
Delivered at the Center
ll is understood by the congregation that the
mure formal celebration of the centennial of this
church will be held in the fall. But it is very
!iit ng that this event should he noticed by some
brief address at this time.
If any passages of Scripture were to be chosen
or this occasion t'hey might well be, "For who
1'. ih despised the day of small things?" and
What hath God wrought?"
But no sermon is to be preached. It is the purpose
to present a brief sketch of
the work of the First church in
Wiehmond in 1812 was a eity 9
of about ten thousand inhabi- nfl
ed, cultured, refined. But its
idous life was at a low ebb. pi \aBrJ
Infidelity was pronounced.
The influence of French literalure
and consequent scepticism ' |
was great. Then' was a tone of W. 1
worldliness that was not condu- . 'V
five to the best of living. The
1 /? | ' s '!? *
result wills the entire absence oi
H .
love for anything that pertained
to spiritual life. Of course, there . "c
were exceptions. "S ':f33PK
The event that seemed to 3*^"
anaise the people more than anytiling
else was the burning of the
Kielnnond Theatre in 1811, when
tin; governor of the state and
some sixty odd other citizens lost
their lives. The effect on the
spiritual life was at once proiii. I'd.
lYople hrgan t< medi- ' * -
< vi r, Norfolk, and parts of
^Montgomery Presbyteries. FIRST I
The Presbytery of Ilonover at
that time (1812) numbered fifteen ministers,
two licentiates, eighteen churches, four hundred
'ml forty-nine members. Its benevolent cont
I'i'blltirwna ?i? ' "*
xv., mot yvui were 011 ty .six nunarea
'lid twenty-four dollars. The General Assembly
itself then numbered only 469 ministers,
f'tty-one licentiates, 789 churches and 39,699
' embers. The total amount of benevolent con1
"butions from the whole church was, as report- 1
r~
ND. NEW ORLEANS. ATLANTA, JUL\
>f Historicc
inial of the First Presbyterian
By the Pastor
tcrianism at this time. About thirty years after
Samuel Davies Left Hanover to go to Princeton,
l)r. John Blair came to the old Pole Green
church in Hanover as pastor. That was the center
of Presbyterian ism. But Dr. Blair moved to
Richmond and taught a classical school, still
preaching at Pole Green and alternating with
Dr. Buchanan, the Episcopal clergyman, in
holding services in the Capital.
But there was no organized work carried on
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, RICHMOND, VIR
This Church the Synod of Virginia IVill Meet This Fa
by Dr. Blair and none was attempted by him until
in 1823, when what is now the Graee Street
church was organized on what was known as
Shockoe Ilill.
I)r. Rice had visited Richmond frequently,
and was known by its citizens. When those who
were interested in the organization of a Presbyterian
church decided to undertake the work,
^iey naturally turned to Dr. Rice, who was then
in Charlotte county as pastor. He accepted the
iaestepnppesbyt^aM I I
al Presbyter/an e
'hern pe?e5b y tee/a a'
II
' 3. 1912. NO. 27.
il Address if
Church, Richmond, Va.
call and took charge of the work. He soon found
encouragement. He preached his first sermon
from Romans 15:29: "And I am sure that when
1 come unto you I shall come in the fulness of the
blessing of the Gospel of Christ." The sermon
was preached in the old Masonic Hall on the
second Sunday in May, 1812. On the 18th of
June the First Presbyterian church was organized
with Geo. Watt and Benjamin Moseley
as elders and with fourteen members. At the
Pwork. He saw with prophetic
large owes him a debt it can
I'liion Theological Seminary
was begun formally in 1812 with
Dr. Iloge from Shepherdstown
as its professor and president.
But the leading factor in
that movement as well as the
financial agent even as far back
as 180G was Dr. Rice. It was
the logical result that be should
^ , finally become its president and
give it greater emphasis than
- ever.
Dr. Rice was largely respon
sible for the organization of the
Virginia Bible Society, as he
saw the necessity for the dissem
iiihiioxi oi liod s word, lie was
? ' likewise the father of religious
journalism in Virginia, certain's*--"
' ; ly as far as the Presbyterians are
concerned. For in response to
the call of the .Synod of Virginia
for a religious magazine, he became
the leader and edited the
Virginia Religious Magazine,
which was later followed by
other religious periodicals.
It was this master minil and
organizer that took charge of the
CINIA organized Presbyterian work in
II r>:_i j t\_ t>._ i
Aviuiuiiumi. ur. itice remained
as pastor until 1823, when he received a call to
Princeton and Ilampden-Sidney. He accepted
the Hampden-Silney call and took charge of the
Kniou Theological Seminary. During his pastorate
203 members were added to the church,
and two new church buildings were erected.
The second pastor was Dr. Wm. Jesup Armstrong,
who eame from Trenton, New Jersey,
in 1823. His was a successful pastorate?
ktrong preacher, evangelical in tone. Tie