legislation, and entered upon their work by looking first to Him for His guidance and blessing.
On July 30, 1619, the First Representative Legislative Assembly ever held in America met in the church at Jamestown. A more commodious structure had by this time supplanted the homely church "like a "barne" and the ancient "Colonial records" state that the most "convenient place we could finde to sitt was the Quire of the Churche, where Sir George Yeardley, the governour, being sett downe in his accustomed place, those of the Counsel of Estate sate nexte him on both handes. But forasmuche as men's affaires doe little prosper where God's service is neglected, all the Burgesses tooke their places in the Quire till a prayer was said by Mr. Bucke, the minister, that it would please God to guide and sanctifie all our proceedings to His own glory and the good of this plantation." Thus as the first homes of the Virginia settlers were built within the triangular fort about the Church, which was placed in the center, so the first laws passed by the First Legislative Assembly in Virginia were passed by men assembled in God's Church, and acting in conscious dependence upon His blessing and guidance. The first laws passed were for the defence and support of the Christian religion. During this century the records give constant evidence of the co-operation of the Church and the legislature in promoting the cause of religion, and give evidence of the spread of the Church's influence. It was in those years that most of our ancient parish lines were established in eastern Virginia, showing that the Church of England was following her children out into the wilderness to minister to them in the name of Christ. The parish vestries were made the guardians of public morals, the custodians of dependent orphans, and the overseers of the public poor. Ministers' salaries were fixed at so many pounds of tobacco, and people were ordered to attend church and behave themselves while there or suffer the consequences of being fined for neglecting to do either. Before 1707 in many of the Parishes substantial brick churches had been erected,
