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William Jessup Armstrong (1796-1846) ministered in Trenton, New Jersey, and in Richmond, Virginia, before serving as Secretary for the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The son of Amzi Armstrong and brother of George Dodd Armstrong, William was an eminent preacher a volume of his sermons shows. He died tragically and bravely on the steamer Atlantic in Long Island Sound in the early hours of November 27, 1846. Reports from the survivors of that wreck speak of his prayers as the ship was in peril through that night, and the spiritual comfort which he offered to his fellow passengers. His memoir records a poem of his composition which merits notice. The nautical imagery is particularly striking.
The Bible
The Bible, man’s best friend on earth,
Friend, indeed, of Heavenly birth,
Precious gift of God to man,
Who Thy excellence can scan?In this vale, where sorrows spring,
Thou canst make the mourner sing;
In this land of darkest night,
Thou canst cheer with heavenly light.When the heart corrodes with care,
Sweet Thy consolations are;
When the anguished spirit dies,
Springs of life are Thy supplies.In the hour of ardent youth,
May I love Thy scared truth;
May it all my actions guide,
May it check my passions’ tide.When advancing on life’s stage,
I arrive at middle age,
Be thou still my chosen friend,
All my footsteps to attend.May I never, never stray,
From that calm and peaceful way,
Over life’s tempestuous sea,
Pointed out alone by Thee.When I hear the billows roar,
As they dash against that shore
Whither all are tending fast,
At which all must end at last:As a beacon shed Thy light,
O’er the waves, dispel the night,
Cheer the darkness, cheer the gloom,
Thickening awful o’er the tomb.Light me to that blissful port,
Where my Saviour holds his court;
Then I’ll chant Thy praises high,
There my joys will never die.
Read more about Armstrong’s life, and his sermons, here. In fifty years of life on this earth, he gave a powerful testimony to the grace of God by word and deed. What Charles Spurgeon said of John Bunyan might well be said of Armstrong: “Prick him anywhere — his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him.”
