of his charge. He was prompt in repairing to the chambers of the sick, and to the bed-side of the dying. And being, from the benevolence of his heart and the tenderness of his nature, ever ready to weep with those who wept, and to rejoice with those who rejoiced, he appeared like an angel of mercy, in his proper element amidst scenes of affliction and was always a welcome visiter to the sorrow-stricken and bereaved. Never, probably, did a Christian minister, by his fidelity and love in the discharge of pastoral duties, establish a stronger claim to the affection and attachment of his people, or enjoy them more fully, than the late beloved Rector of the Monumental Church.

But it was not his own people alone that loved him. So free was he from all the asperities of sectarianism and bigotry; so pleasing, condescending, and affable in his manners; so overflowing with the milk of human kindness was his heart, and so lustrous with purity and benevolence was his life-that Christians of every name gloried in him, as a lovely example of the religion they professed, and cheerfully yielded to him the warm tribute of veneration and regard.

A beautiful illustration of this was afforded when on the first of January 1835, he received as a New Year's gift, a splendid copy of the New Testament printed in golden letters, on porcelain paper, accompained with the following inscription.

"Presented to the Right Rev. R. C. Moore, by the citizens of Richmond, members of the different religious denominations, as a tribute of their affectionate regard and esteem, for one who has so long and so carefully devoted his life to the great cause of Christianity."

The following is the Bishop's acknowledgment of the

gift:

January 5th, 1835.

TO MESSRS. JOHN D. LAY, AND WM. MITCHELL.

Dear Brethren,-The truly elegant and acceptable copy of the New Testament presented to me as a new year's present, by one hundred of my fellow citizens of different denominations of Christians in this city, has been received: and I can assure you with great truth, that they could not have conferred on me any favour which would have so richly entitled them to my sincere gratitude and thanks. It is, gentlemen, the charter deed of our salvation; a deed sealed with the blood of the precious lamb of God: and it is my sincere prayer that all the promises of happiness it contains may be realized by those who, in my old age, have afforded me so great an evidence of their filial affection and regard. That the present year may prove a happy year, and abound with heavenly blessings, and temporal comforts to you, and all the families of the kind donors of the Sacred Volume, is the fervent prayer, dear brethren, of

Your old friend and fellow citizen,
R. C. MOORE.

The cost of the Testament was fifty dollars; and that the number of donors might be many, no individual was allowed to contribute more than fifty cents. In this grateful act of public regard, even some Jews and Romanists gladly united. It was an act which solaced the Bishop's mind amid the trials of a sick bed, to which he was then confined, and afforded him the highest gratification in the review. The nature of the gift and the feelings by which it was prompted, imparted to it an inestimable value. It is difficult to say to which the circumstance was most

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honourable-the recipient of the favour, or the community by which it was bestowed.

Bishop Moore was so long a resident of Richmond, that his person was well known to almost all its inhabitants. He was considered as a kind of Patriarch in the city; of whom all were proud, as one of its greatest ornaments. As he moved to and fro through the streets, on his frequent visits to the Church, and other errands of devotion and benevolence, with his silvery locks floating upon the breeze, and his devout countenance lifted to the heavens, his venerable aspect commanded the attention of beholders, and called forth the tokens of homage which uncorrupted youth and virtuous manhood ever pay to the hoary head when found in the way of righteousness. Even childhood paused in its sports and suspended its recreations as he passed, to gaze on him with gladness, as one to be venerated and loved. The thoughtless and giddy votaries of mammon or pleasure might sneer at his piety, and scoff at what they deemed his credulity and superstition;—yet as he passed through the busy throng, occupied with reflections and pursuits widely different from theirs ;-even they, doubtless, thought, at times, that their condition was bettered by the kindly warmth of his charity, and that they were, perhaps, indebted for their preservation to the influence of his prayers. Even the criminal and vicious, to whom his principles and life had been a constant reproof, would deem his removal a common loss; producing a blank which could not easily be filled. For, the wicked, who affect to despise the righteous man living, often mourn his death as a public calamity. Accordingly, when the Bishop's death was announced, there were few indeed in that community who did not feel as if they had lost a father and a friend. Almost the entire population of the city

joined the funeral procession which followed his remains to their last resting place, and mingled their tears over his sepulchre.

The following eloquent extract from the funeral address, by one who for several years shared with him in the cares and responsibilities of the pastoral office, will form an appropriate conclusion to this imperfect sketch of Bishop Moore's parochial ministry in Richmond.

"But it is in his parochial character as rector of the Monumental Church congregation that he is best known and most beloved in Richmond. His pastoral labours here for 27 years have exceedingly endeared him to this congregation. Gentle, amiable, kind and courteous, with a heart full to overflowing with benevolence, with a charity which included in the wide circle of his affection all the lost world for whom the Redeemer died—always under the influence of the most kindly feeling for all men and the tenderest sympathy for the afflicted, he associated with the people as their spiritual father and guide. He delighted in the Gospel; Christ crucified was his constant theme, and he loved especially to dwell in his preaching on the bright and cheering topics of Christianity. The mercy of God, the tender and kind invitations of the Saviour, the soothing consolations of religion, and its glorious hopes, constituted the burthen of his preaching, and when set forth with great animation, the most moving pathos, in an eloquent style of composition, aided by a delightful voice and fine manner, gave to his preaching a peculiar charm which all appreciated. He dearly loved the Liturgy of the Church, and as in its eloquent and holy strains he presented to God the prayers and praises of his people, he often wept. Love to God and love to man dwelt in his bosom and pervaded his conversation and sermons. He could seldom speak of the

dying love of Christ without tears; and, like the beloved Apostle, whom Jesus most loved, and whom he greatly resembled in character, the prevailing sentiment of this aged Minister of Christ, during his latter years, was "little children, love one another." O! that his bereaved people may remember and obey this godly admonition. They all love him, and well they may; for there are few of the younger part of them whom he did not receive in those arms now cold and stiff in death, and at the baptismal font dedicate them to God's service and admit them into the Church of Christ, and make them heirs of all the precious promises of the Christian Covenant. O! that they may never forget the obligations then assumed for them, and that they may not, by failure to comply with the conditions of salvation, forfeit that rich inheritance, the title to which was then bestowed upon them. Most of those of his flock who now mourn his loss, also had their earthly happiness cemented by him in holy matrimony. The large body of communicants now worshipping in the Monumental Church, were all, with very few exceptions, admitted to that sacred means of grace by the imposition of his hands in the Apostolic and beautiful rite of confirmation. Often have they assembled around that chancel before which his venerated remains so lately lay cold in the embrace of death, and seen that much loved form instinct with life, within their kneeling circle, and heard that gentle and dear voice, now silent forever, invite them, in the most affectionate tones, to the spiritual feast of the Lord, and receive from his hands the emblems of the crucified body and shed blood of their dying Redeemer. Brethren, let the memory of these consecrated scenes of the communion of saints never fade from your minds, and never forget the faithful teaching of this godly old man. Few among you, who so lately followed this beloved pastor