EV. CHRISTY SINE was born July 5, 1789, and died April 14,1858. He was buried at Timber Ridge, in Virginia, and this inscription is upon his tomb,--

      He was converted under the labors of Elder Isaac McBride, on the 3rd day of June, 1820, in the 32nd year of his age. He began traveling to preach the gospel in 1821. He left Pennsylvania for Virginia, and in the Great Valley met the woman of his choice and was married to Margaret Hackley, the daughter of a respectable deacon in the Christian church. He located in Frederick county, Virginia. After the death of his first wife, he married again. The name of his second wife was Nancy Murphy.

      In "Black Creek Valley," Virginia, Elder C. Sine was successfully laboring in 1882, and was visited by Rev. I. N. Walter. Elder Sine says, "The good cause of the Bible is still progressing in these regions, sinners are bowing to the mild sceptre of Emmanuel, sectarianism is on the decline, bigotry abashed begins to hide its [189] deformed face, and the demon of intolerance is about yielding up the ghost." He was reported well engaged in 1838. This same year, the preliminary meeting for the organization of "The Christian Conference of the Valley in Virginia" was held near his residence in Frederick county, on the 27th of August. He was chosen Secretary. The first regular session of the Conference was held at Antioch in Rockingham county, on the 8th of November. Rev. Sine offered prayer, and the Conference was organized by choosing Elder John Zahn, Moderator, and Elder C. Sine, Secretary. The address before Conference was then delivered by Elder Sine, for which he was given a vote of thanks. In his address he spoke the following:

      "Although an episcopal form of government may grow in monarchical soil, it cannot prosper in the soil of American freedom. It is not befitting free men, an& should have no existence in the soil of equal rights. Hence, we arrive at some of the causes that gave rise to the Christian Church in the United States. The principles and church polity of the various sects, being at variance with our free and liberal institutions; and the spirit of civil liberty which has been diffused abroad through our happy land, caused an inquiry to arise in the minds of many of the reflecting part of our community, with regard to sectarian bondage, and the evils of human authoritative creeds. Among the most conspicuous of those who espoused the cause of liberal Christianity, (in opposition to those evils,) in the South, was James O'Kelly, of North Carolina, who united with several other preachers of that state, and of Virginia, in pleading zealously for a congregational system of government in the Methodist church. They contended that their conferences should be composed of preachers and of an equal delegation from the churches, and that [190] the New Testament be their only book of discipline. But when the weight of influence turned on the side of Episcopacy, Mr. O'Kelly, with several other preachers, and a large number of brethren seceded, and on the 25th of December, 1793, made a final separation from the Methodist Episcopal Church, and took the name of "Republican Methodists," but in a subsequent Conference they resolved to be known by the name of "Christians," and to have no creed or discipline but the word of God. Such was the origin of the Southern branch of the Christian Church. In the North we have the name of Dr. Abner Jones, of Hartland, in the State of Vermont, and Elias Smith, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; both of whom were zealous preachers of the Baptist church. They espoused the cause of liberal Christianity, near the same time. They also took the New Testament for their only rule of faith and conduct, and the name "Christian," as their only distinctive appellation. It was not long until a number of preachers, and whole churches flocked to the standard, which they had unfurled, while many young men were raised up among them, who were zealously engaged in propagating the same heaven-authorized sentiments. Such was the origin of the Northern branch of the Church.

      "About the commencement of the present century, a great revival of religion took place in the State of Kentucky, among the Presbyterians, at a general meeting on Cane Ridge, which was protracted for many days. The number of converts at this meeting was reckoned at from five hundred to one thousand. Several able ministers of the gospel, who were deeply engaged in the good work at this meeting, received more liberal sentiments than are common among that people, among whom were Marshall, Thompson, B. W. Stone, Dunlavy, and McNemar. Those men seeing the evils of human authoritative creeds, renounced them and espoused the [191] cause of liberal sentiments, and labored with great success for the establishment of the same. At first they formed themselves into what they called "The Springfield Presbytery;" but shortly afterward they resolved to be known simply by the name "Christian," and to have no creed but the New Testament, as a rule of faith and conduct. It was not long however, till Messrs. Marshall and Thompson retrograded into Presbyterianism, in consequence of not receiving sufficient remuneration for their labors, while Dunlavy and McNemar joined the Shakers, probably, from the same cause, and thus B. W. Stone was the only one of the original five who had stepped from the ranks of sectarianism, that remained firm on the ground which they had taken. This noble spirit, however, remained unshaken amidst the cruel storms of persecution, which was poured upon him by his quondam brethren. Several ministers had already united in the same glorious cause, who were shortly joined by many more, who zealously engaged in diffusing abroad the same sentiments. Such is a short and in so many respects imperfect account of the origin of the three branches of the Christian Church. These several branches of the church have taken the same ground,--having taken the Scriptures as the only rule of faith and conduct; they of course reject all doctrines which are not taught therein, which has been the cause of much misrepresentation, slander, and abuse, from the old style orthodox denominations. But "the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew," until they had spread through almost every state in the Union, and have now, "like kindred drops, been mingled into one." They have, indeed, prospered beyond any thing recorded in the annals of church history: so that in little more than a quarter of a century they have increased from a very small beginning, to about one [192] hundred thousand members and perhaps near a thousand ministers.

      "We have had in this valley the labors of ministers from each of the different branches of the church, who have labored together without a jarring note, which must be a convincing argument, that those who will make the word of God their only rule, will agree in every important point of Christian doctrine and practice. They have at this time a number of conferences organized in the different states, in all, perhaps about thirty; and in many places there are large congregations, and zealous preachers, who are not united by any conference. Their government is generally considered congregational, but, strictly speaking, it is a divine theocracy, their conferences being merely advisory councils, ¹ and not intended to make laws for the government of the church of Christ. In their doctrine they are strictly orthodox, being sound in the faith that was once delivered to the saints, hence they reject all doctrine as heretical which is not found in the sacred volume. They are sanguine in the belief that they have taken the only ground upon which the church can ever be united, and that the time will come when human creeds and dogmas shall grow into disrepute, and the Scriptures of divine truth be received by all professing the Christian religion, as the only infallible rule for Christian faith and Christian manners. May that time speedily roll on, is the supreme desire of your brother in the cause of liberal Christianity. Amen."

      At the Christian meeting house in Hampshire county, the Conference met November 11, 1839, and Elder Sine was chosen its standing secretary. He was appointed a messenger to visit the Elders and churches in Western Virginia and Pennsylvania, in behalf of his [193] Conference. He was also appointed on the presbytery to ordain Rev. Levi W. N. Barton. In 1840, at the Conference on Timber Ridge, Elders Sine and Miller were appointed to "visit the churches belonging to the Norfolk [Eastern Virginia] Christian Conference for the purpose of forming a more intimate acquaintance with them in order to our co-operation." He also served on a committee to adjust certain difficulties in the Passage church. He had visited the churches in Green and Fayette counties, Pennsylvania. In 1841, the Conference met at Antioch in Rockingham county, and Elder Sine was appointed to travel on the Hampshire circuit, and supply all the churches on that circuit with preaching the ensuing year. In 1842, he was at a meeting on Timber Ridge, commenced by Elder Walter on the 28th of May and conducted for three days. At the Conference at Christian chapel, in Hampshire county, he served on the committee to receive Rev. B. Seever. In 1843, the Conference met in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, I and Elder Sine was continued on the Hampshire circuit.

      He was present at the organization of the Virginia Central Conference at East Liberty, August 10, 1849.

      In his latter years he seemed to have embraced the doctrines of the Disciples' church. He was an active minister of the gospel more than thirty years, but he was not well grounded in the principles of the Christian Church. The full fruitage that might have crowned his efforts failed to mature. Before his death he joined the Disciples, and thus failed to harvest his labors. "In his personal appearance the Elder was a tall, heavy-built man, with a dark complexion. He had a very commanding appearance in the pulpit." His voice was somewhat harsh, but having mastered his subject, he was clear and fluent in speech. Out of the pulpit he was sociable and conversed usually on religious topics. He was well read in history which he used effectively in his preaching. [194]

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