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In 1813 and 14 measures were adopted to build a Second Presbyterian house of worship. This house and the church and congregation connected with it were from the beginning, and have all along been the child of Providence. Two thousand dollars, the amount of the subscription at the time, was pledged for the lot upon which the house was to be built. And often, while the building was progressing, did the faith of its most sanguine friends nearly fail. It was opened Sabbath, July 30th, 1815, and the sale of the pews nearly secured the few friends who were bound to the workmen and the bank for the whole expense. Various difficulties of another kind were, however, immediately to be encoun. tered-yet by the good hand of our God upon us, they were removed, or made productive of greater good.*

The Rev. James M'Chord, a sketch of whose life will be found in a following number, was their first pastor. The Rev. John Breckenridge, a native of the county, is their present pastor. The number of the communinicants at the first organization of the church was only fifteen. They are at present upwards of sixty. The audiences have as yet been far more frequently under than above one hundred.

*Annual Meeting of Pew Holders of Market Street Church, July, 1819.

Resolved, unanimously, That the cordial thanks of this meeting be presented to Charles Wilkins, esq. Major Alexander Parker, Colonel James Trotter, and Major John Tilford, for the many important services rendered to the society from the laying of the foundation of the church in Mar ket Street to the present day.

The pew

The establishment was first known by the name of Market Street church and congregation. holders, at their last annual meeting, in remembrance of him for whom chiefly the house was built, changed its name to that of M'Chord's Church.

The Methodists have had a regular society in Lexing ton for at least twenty-five or thirty years. They first occupied a small frame building. In 1806 or 7 they built on an out lot a very comfortable, though small, brick house, and in 1822 they built a large and convenient house, near the centre of the town, which is handsomely finished off, and generally well filled every Sabbath. According to the general arrangement of the Methodist connection, they have generally changed their preacher every year. Their present preacher is the Rev. Mr. Light.

The Baptists owned a lot from the first laying off of the town, which is now occupied as a common buryingground, upon which they had a frame building, which was used for several years as a place of worship. The church, however, appears to have been extinct in 1804 or 5, and the building was allowed to go to decay. In 1817 another society of that denomination was organ ized, and in a year or two after a convenient brick building was erected, in which a respectable church and congregation now worship, under the pastoral care of Rev. James Fishback.

The Episcopalians erected a small brick building in 1804 or 5. It was taken down in 1813 or 14, and a large elegant fabric erected in its stead. Since which time they have had regular worship according to the

forms of that church. Their present rector is the Rev.

G. Chapman.

Besides a considerable number of Africans who are connected with the Methodists, there are two African churches connected with the Baptists. The First African Baptist Church was collected together fifteen or twenty years ago by old Captain, who died most triumphantly, at an advanced age, not a year ago.

The first school for the religious instruction of the Africans was taught in the winter and summer of 1816. It has been continued with very little interruption ever since, though the place of meeting, and teachers, and mode of conducting it, have often been changed.

It is to be added, that we have also a Roman Catholic chapel; and St. John's chapel, occupied by a division of the Methodists. The population of Lexington in 1823, was--whites, 3356-blacks, 1479-making a total of 4835 souls, exclusive of students whose parents did not reside in town. These might be something above200. Add also, that there is no place of regular worship within four or five miles of town in any direction, and that the population is dense. Say, then, that there are six places of worship open in Lexington every Sabbath, and that only one half of the population of the town and its vicinity regularly attend some place of worship, each ought to have an assembly of something about five hundred at the very least. What may be the average number of regular worshippers in each church we know not, but we are apprehensive that it is not any thing like five hundred in any one.

Were we to write the internal history of any one of these churches, we would likely be not very far from giving a pretty just account of the whole. And doing so we would find many things worthy of praise and many things deserving blame. It is not, however, our province to judge; there is one who judgeth, and we know that his judgment is just. He and he only knows our works and our character, and he will in the great day, before an assembled world, declare who are the worthy and who are the unworthy members of the churches in Lexington.

For the last eight or ten years at least the gospel has been preached to the inhabitants of Lexington, not only faithfully and affectionately, but frequently, in some form or other, almost daily. During that period almost every year has witnessed some new and vigorous effort to bring into action the energies of professed Christians, and to awaken the multitude who are dead in trespasses and sins. These labours, by a considerable number of God's servants in connnexion with the different churches, have not, it is true, been lost-but they have not as yet produced any thing like the effect which the friends of our Lord Jesus have most ardently desired.

Son of man, can these bones live?- -O Lord God, thou knowest- -Thus saith the Lord God, come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

Were we to venture to suggest some of the reasons why the gospel, faithfully and affectionately preached, has not produced the effect desired, we would call the

attention of the true Israel of God, in all the churches, to some such remarks as these:

1. These causes must be among yourselves, not among the non-professors, or the openly profane.

2. There is too much of the policy of the world in every one of the churches-too much dependence upon those who are avowedly men of the world-and too little dependence upon our common Master, and the energies of his Spirit.

3. There is not a want of personal piety among us— but there is a great want of family piety. Even christian heads of families, though they may have family worship pretty regularly, do not serve God with their houses. It is an awful thought, that the immortal destiny of all who are any way connected with a family, is in a great measure depending upon the head. The sovereign, and just, and merciful Lawgiver has addressed the fourth commandment particularly to heads of families. Were every christian head of a family, whether male or female, to feel daily the weight and extent of such a responsibility, the happy influence would soon be extensive.

4. Lastly and chiefly-There is a great want of the love of the brethren among us. We have not christian confidence in one another. When the Lord shall be pleased to give to his own people in Lexington one heart and one mind-when in heart they shall recognize the brotherhood, the period will not be at a great distance when every family in town and its vicinity shall be a praving family.

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