In 1884, a memorial volume was published in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Columbia Theological Seminary (we'll have this book uploaded eventually!). There were several significant articles in this volume, but perhaps none more important than John Lafayette Girardeau's "The Federal Theology: Its Import and Its Regulative Influence." Girardeau gives several reasons why covenant theology matters, and the way it shapes our theology as Presbyterians. This thirty-three page has been reprinted in the last twenty-five years, but it is now out of print. Yet it still deserves a broad readership. So read, share, and read again. You won't be disappointed.
The Practical Writings of Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander (1772-1851) was an academic: nine years the President of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, and thirty-nine years the first Professor of Princeton Theological Seminary. But he was also an author that aimed to take his great learning and bring it down to the level of the people. One of the last volumes he published in his lifetime (Practical Sermons, 1850) , and a volume published posthumously (Practical Truths, 1857), are proof. The former was written for families to use in family worship, and the latter was a "Collected Writings" that contained "about forty articles written by Dr. Alexander in the latter years of his life, for the American Messenger; seven standard Tracts on high evangelical themes, for the Tract Society's general series; six small books written in simple style, and issued in large type, to gain the attention of common readers; selections from his cheering correspondence with the Society, and brief sketches of his life and character" (from the Preface).
Who can take the sinner's stead? Francis Smith Sampson on the necessity of the work of Jesus Christ
Francis Smith Sampson (1814-1854) was a pastor and professor at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. He died young, but left us with several gems, including a commentary on Hebrews and a lecture on the canon. The following is an excerpt from a sermon included in his Memoirs, written by Robert Lewis Dabney. It beautifully expresses the sole sufficiency of Jesus Christ to save sinners.
"It behooved another, far above every creature and every name that is named, whether in Heaven or on Earth, to undertake and execute for us. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, coequal with the Father, in all respects divine, stoops to take our nature upon himself. It is not man, nor angel, but God-man, or God manifest in the flesh, that is our Saviour. It is he, whose are the worlds and all the inhabitants thereof: who holds in his hands the government and the law: dependent on no being, and bound to none beyond his own righteous ordination. Of his own account, therefore, he comes; and, moved by no obligation but his own merciful and sovereign purpose, he assumes our nature complete, saving sin; thus freely subjecting himself to the law, that he may meet all its demands upon the sinner, and not only deliver him from eternal death, but secure for him everlasting life. To purchase Heaven, he obeys the law: to save from Hell, he suffers death. Infinite justice accepts the substitute. No mere creature could ever so magnify the law and make it honorable. No obedience was ever so worthy, no suffering was ever so satisfactory. The law can ask nothing more: its claims are fully met. Our iniquities were laid upon him: his righteousness is reckoned to us. Hell was our desert; Heaven is our reward! It only remains that this Saviour be able to take us, all deformed as we are, and fashion us after his own glorious image: that he be able to deliver us from the bondage of Satan, whose captives we are, and from sin, whose pollutions we love; and thus, while he gives us freedom, enable us to preserve and enjoy it: and he is all the Saviour, and the very Saviour that we need.
All this he can do, and will, for all who call upon him in truth. A new heart he will give them: new desires he will create within them, and new objects of pursuit he will set before them. He will never leave nor forsake them. In all the wilderness he will be their companion and guardian and guide: no enemy shall triumph over them, no weapon formed against them shall prosper. All the trials and difficulties of the way he will convert into blessings: all things, by his care, shall work together for their good. And when, their course being finished and their work done, they come to leave all that is dear on earth, he will take them to himself: Heaven will be their home, and in his presence they shall dwell: sorrow and sin shall have seen their end; and the high and holy joys of angels and saints shall be theirs forever and ever.
There was a book on Biblical Theology in the 19th c. Presbyterian Church before Vos!
If you have never heard of or read Stuart Robinson's Discourses of Redemption, you are in for a treat. Traversing the story of God's covenants with His people, Robinson opens up redemption in Jesus Christ from the beginning of God's dealings with men in the Garden of Eden, through Abraham, Moses, David, the Prophets, and culminating in Christ Jesus and His apostles. In addition to opening up the theology of the gospel and its sacramental signs/seals in historical and theological fashion, along the way he sets forth his views on the abiding principle of Sabbath observance, the place of the church in the plan of redemption, the relationship between church and state, and the non-secular character of the church. Like most of the Southern Presbyterian clergy, Robinson was an advocate of slavery, and that position comes through at times in his writings. But this book deserves a wider audience nonetheless. It has been reprinted by Tentmaker Publishers.
What Do Presbyterians Believe About Baptism?
As Baptists and Presbyterians spread throughout the growing United States in the 19th century, debates about baptism became more prevalent. Thus the century saw many books written on the subject of baptism: its meaning, its mode, its recipients. The subject has not lost its importance, and sometimes the writings of the 19th century can be more helpful than modern works. We'll put as many as we can find on our website eventually, but for now check out one from the early 19th century (John Holt Rice's Essay on Baptism), and one from a 19th century man in the early 20th century (Thomas Cary Johnson's Baptism in the Apostolic Age).
Two key 19th century histories of the American Presbyterians Churches
In the late 1890s, Phillip Schaff led a team of editors in publishing the American Church History Series, "consisting of denominational histories published under the auspices of the American Society of Church History." Thomas Cary Johnson wrote the history of the Southern Presbyterian Church, and Robert Ellis Thompson wrote the history of the Northern Presbyterian Church. Both are foundational for understanding how the 19th century Presbyterian churches understood themselves and their past, present, and futures. One nice feature of these books is a detailed bibliography of sources used from the 18th and 19th centuries. These volumes are little known, but worth reading.
Should Christians raise children who love missions? Thomas Smyth says, "Absolutely. And here's what that means."
"It is evident that parents are laid under obligation not only to “train their children in the way that they should go, that when they are old they may not depart from it,” but also to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” that is, (as the words certainly mean, and should be rendered in order to make them more intelligible,) “bring them up in the education and discipline of Christians,” that is, of those who “are the Lord's.” We are thus taught that our children by their baptism are devoted to the Lord, and become members of his church and kingdom, and that we are under obligation to bring them up as such, not merely by instructing them, and thoroughly imbuing their minds with Christian truth, but also by accustoming them to, and interesting them in, every part of Christian activity, devotedness, and zeal.
"It follows, therefore, as an undeniable inference, that it is incumbent upon every Christian, parent, teacher, and church, to see to it that the children of their charge are brought up as the Lord's,—as Christians,—as members of his visible church,—and therefore not only as those who ought to believe in him, and to know the doctrines that are of God, but as those who are bound also to love him, to serve him, to honor him, and to co-operate, according to their measure of ability and their sphere of influence, in the promotion of his glory, and the advancement of his cause. And as the term “Missionary” is employed to designate the work of making known “the glorious gospel of the blessed God” to those that know it not,—which is the great work and duty of the church, and of every Christian—it is therefore our manifest duty to bring up our children in a missionary spirit, and in a missionary practice.
"A missionary is one who is sent to preach the gospel to those that are “sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death,” whether abroad, or in our own country. To have a missionary spirit, is to be anxiously desirous that such missionaries should be sent, and the gospel made known to all that are “perishing for lack of knowledge.” And a missionary practice or habit, is the habit of carrying out this desire, first, by praying that such missionaries may be raised up “and sent forth by the Lord of the harvest, into every part of his vineyard ; secondly, by contributing as far as we can towards meeting the necessary expense of sending and supporting these missionaries, and supplying what is necessary to establish schools and print bibles, and other needful books; and, thirdly, by uniting with zeal in such efforts as will promote this spirit, and secure this habit…
"[It] is utterly impossible to have a missionary spirit, unless the heart is full of love and devotion to the cause of Christ; unless we can with pleasure give up everything however much it might add to our present comfort or happiness if it interferes with our duty; and unless we can bear all sorts of privations and trials that we may meet with in that narrow path. In short, to be able in all things to give up self, and think only how we can best serve God, promote his glory, and do his will, this alone is a real Missionary spirit. But this is the very spirit which must be shown, if we would see God's glory promoted, in every situation of life in which it may please him to place us. And hence we have seen some people who never went ten miles from home, do as much good in winning souls to Christ, as if they had left their country and travelled thousands of miles to reach the heathen. Missionaries, therefore, in the true sense of the word, but above all, a Missionary spirit, are needed everywhere! and in every condition of life."
-- from Thomas Smyth, "The Duty of Interesting Children in the Missionary Cause," in Complete Works of Thomas Smyth , Volume 7, pages 332, 345.
Why should Christians care what the Bible says about the character and conduct of pastors? John Witherspoon answers.
"To understand what ought to be the character, and what principles should animate the conduct of a minister of the Gospel, cannot be without profit, even to a private Christian. It will teach him whom to prefer, when he is called, in providence, to make a choice. It will teach him to hold such in reputation for their office sake, and to improve the privilege of a regular gospel ministry, if he himself is favored with it. And I think it must incline him to make daily supplication to the Lord of the harvest, to send forth faithful laborers into his harvest." -- John Witherspoon, "Ministerial Character and Duty," in Works (Volume 2)
How did 19th century Presbyterians understand the history of the Presbyterian Church?
It's always interesting to see how a particular time period understood itself - where it was, how it got there, and where it was going. We've just uploaded two classic histories of the Presbyterian Church: Richard Webster wrote in the middle of the 19th century about the Presbyterian Church from its founding till 1760. George Hays wrote at the end of the 19th century about the entire history up to his day. Hays' work is unique in that he asked authors from the respective Presbyterian denominations of that time to write the history of their particular church (i.e., Moses Drury Hoge writes the history of the Southern Presbyterian Church).
A few biographies from which to select for your Lord's Day reading...
We have links to several 19th century biographies of 19th century men on the Log College Press website: among others, The Life and Letters of Moses Drury Hoge (by Peyton Harrison Hoge), The Life of Archibald Alexander (by James Waddell Alexander), The Life of Joseph Addison Alexander (by Henry Carrington Alexander), a biography of John Gloucester (by William Catto), The Memoirs of John Leighton Wilson (by Hampton Coit DuBose), and Southern Presbyterian Leaders (by Henry Alexander White). We'll be posting more in weeks to come, but these should keep you occupied till then!
Did Joseph Addison Alexander Ever Sleep?
There are a few people in history, even in our own day, of whom the word "prolific" does not even begin to describe the amount of writing they have been able to produce and publish in a normal life span. Joseph Addison Alexander, the son of Archibald Alexander, was one of those men. He wrote commentaries on Isaiah, Acts, Mark, Matthew, the Psalms - and he had time to preach. But this doesn't even include everything he wrote that's available in digital form! It may take you a lifetime to read what he wrote in his 51 years of life. But here it is, available to you when you need it. Enjoy!
If You're Looking for Commentaries on the OT Prophets, Don't Miss These
The 19th century published its share of commentaries, and Presbyterians were at the forefront of that effort. Thomas Verner Moore wrote on the post-exilic prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, while Joseph Addison Alexander wrote on Isaiah (in two parts - the second part will be posted soon!). There are more commentaries that we need to find and make available, but hopefully soon all 19th-century Presbyterian commentaries will be accessible from this site.
Does the 19th Century Have Anything to Teach Parents?
Thomas Dwight Witherspoon, a 19th century Presbyterian pastor who ministered in Oxford, MS, and Memphis, TN, among other places, had much to say to Christian parents in his book Children of the Covenant. The following paragraphs come from a section in which he is unpacking several difficulties that he believes lie at the root of why we do not see more conversions among our covenant children:
But a third difficulty, and one far more subversive of the great end of the family relation, is found in the failure of Christian parents to cultivate perfect freedom of communication, and intimacy of relationship, with their children. Many parents never seem to win the confidence of their children at all. They never come into confidential relations with them. The most intimate thoughts of the child's mind, the most sacredly cherished emotions of its heart, are never communicated to the parent. Between father, or mother, and child, there is an unnatural barrier of reserve—a wall of mutual separation. The few communications as to its inner life, which the natural yearnings of the child lead it to make, are treated with indifference, or, perhaps, made the occasion of severe rebuke.
At all events, they do not meet with the proper encourageinent, and its timid nature recoils upon itself. Henceforth, these deep experiences are concealed from parental view. As the nature unfolds, and the confiding spirit of early childhood begins to give place to the reserve and coyness of youth, there comes a studied habit of concealment. The parent sees only the outer life of the child. Its inner nature is a hidden mystery. And there are now long constituted and strengthened barriers to intimate and confidential intercourse, which can never be overcome, however much the parent may strive to secure the end.
And yet, how miserably has that parent failed to secure the true end of the family relationship, whose child respects him, fears him, obeys him, and, it may be, loves him, with a kind of distant, reverential affection; but whose bosom has never become the repository of the joys and sorrows of his child; whose heart never beats in conscious accord with the deep and yearning sympathies of its nature; to whom the most tender and sacred experiences of its young life are all a sealed book! How can such a parent exert over his child the influence which God designed him to exert? How can such a house, (for home it does not deserve to be called,) witness anything else than the growth into manhood and womanhood, of children who are virtually orphans in the world, and who, like waifs of the sea, are liable to be "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine"—the easy sport of circumstances, the strong anchorage in the family circle being totally wanting?
How easy it is in early childhood to gain this intimacy and confidence to which I have referred. The little child naturally seeks to confide everything to its parent. Let but the slightest encouragement be given; let the little one only feel that there is a loving heart ready to sympathize with it; to rejoice with it; to solve patiently its difficulties; to bear forgiveingly with its wrongs, and to lead it kindly by the hand through all the perplexities of its path; and how naturally, how unreservedly does it cast itself upon the bosom that seeks its confidence, and pour out there the very deepest and most sacred thoughts and feelings of its heart.
And who shall say what advantage such a parent will have, in the training of his child! He is like the physician who has had the full diagnosis of the disease he is to treat. He Is like the lawyer to whom the client has fully unburdened his case. He knows how to direct the mind and mould the character of his child; and at the same time, as the result of this loving intimacy, he acquires an influence over it — the influence of mind over mind, and of heart over heart — the blessed results of which it is impossible to estimate.
-- Thomas Dwight Witherspoon, Children of the Covenant, 198ff.
The Works of Robert J. Breckinridge are Nearly Unknown But Still Affect Presbyterians Today
Three works by Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (The Christian Pastor; Presbyterian Government, Not a Hierarcy, but a Commonwealth; and Presbyterian Ordination, Not a Charm, but an Act of Government) have been forgotten by modern Presbyterians. And yet, thanks to the reviewing work of James Henley Thornwell in the Southern Presbyterian Review, and the power of Breckinridge's ideas, much (though certainly not all) of what he believed has found its way into the Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America, and perhaps other American Presbyterian denominations. For instance, the right of rulings elders to lay hands on teaching elders being ordained is powerfully argued for by Breckinridge, as is the need for ruling elders to make up a quorum of a church court. If you've never read these short treatises, you can find them here.
The Sermons of Moses Hoge are Worth 15 Minutes of Your Day
The preaching of 19th century American Presbyterians was more textual and topical than what we understand as expositional preaching today. They would take a verse or snippet of a verse, explain its meaning in its immediate context, and then unpack and apply that meaning to their people from many different angles. Each sermon is more of what we would think of as an in-depth theological study of a particular topic, but they were never merely for theology's sake. Rather, the goal was conversion of the lost, and transformation of the found, through the knowledge of the truth.
One of the early preachers of the American Presbyterian church was Moses Hoge, a student under William Graham and later James Waddel. He became the President of Hampden-Sydney College in 1807, and helped lay the foundation for Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. His sermons were renowned for their eloquence and erudition, and are found here.
Are You Looking For Commentaries on the Gospels of Mark and Matthew?
Joseph Addison Alexander, the third son of Archibald Alexander, wrote commentaries on several books of the Bible, all of which we will be posting soon. So far, we have posted his commentaries on the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Matthew. You can find them here.
What Did a 19th Century African-American Think of Presbyterianism's Relationship to African-Americans?
Matthew Anderson entered Princeton Theological Seminary in 1874, and was the first black student to reside in the main seminary building. He became the pastor of Berean Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA, and in 1897 he wrote Presbyterianism: Its Relation to the Negro. As the 21st century church seeks gospel peace and harmony among various ethnicities, this book would be an interesting and important source from which to learn how our heritage has thought through these issues in years gone by.
In the preface to his work, Anderson remarks, "We have always thought, and we believe rightly, that the Presbyterian Church has an important mission to perform among the colored people of the United States. The doctrines held by the church are the best calculated to correct the peculiar faults of the Negro, his legacy from slavery, and thus give him that independence and decision of character necessary to enable him to act nobly and well his part as a man and a citizen of our great republic" (7-8). In spite of what from our vantage point could be viewed as a paternalistic tone from Anderson toward his own people, yet his conviction is sound: the Presbyterian Church does indeed have a great and important mission to perform among - and the doctrines of our church are best calculated to correct the faults of - white, black, brown and every other color of skin under the sun.
James Waddel Alexander on Earnest Preaching
"The reason why we have so little good preaching is that we have so little piety. To be eloquent one must be in earnest; he must not only act as if he were in earnest, or try to be in earnest, but be in earnest, or he cannot be effective. We have loud and vehement, we have smooth and graceful, we have splendid and elaborate preaching, but very little that is earnest. One man who so feels for the souls of his hearers as to be ready to weep over them, will assuredly make himself felt. This is what makes [preaching] effective; he really feels what he says."
-- Thoughts on Preaching, page 6.
A 19th Century American Presbyterian Commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism
If I asked you for a list of commentaries on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, chances are this two volume set by Ashbel Green wouldn't be on it. But you can find it here, written for the youth of his day. He also published a history of Presbyterian mission work during the 19th century. There's more Ashbel Green material out there to be found, so check back again soon.
Why is the Incarnation of Jesus So Glorious? William Swan Plumer Tells Us
William Swan Plumer, the 19th century Southern Presbyterian pastor and theologian, wrote more than most of us have time to read. But you don't want to miss this, an excerpt from the 21st chapter of his book The Grace of Christ (available here!) on the beauty and glory of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The gospel is richly here, soak in it today and lets it truths permeat your soul:
“Our Lord Jesus Christ became incarnate, was made under the law, lived, acted, obeyed, suffered died and rose again for his people.
He came down to earth that they might go up to heaven.
He suffered that they might reign.
He became a servant that they might become kings and priests unto God.
He died that they might live.
He bore the cross that their enmity might be slain, and their sins expiated.
He loved them that they might love God.
He was rich and became poor that they, who were poor, might be made rich.
He descended into the lower parts of the earth that they might sit in heavenly places. He emptied himself that they might be filled with all the fullness of God.
He took upon him human nature that they might be partakers of the divine nature.
He made flesh his dwelling place that they might be an habitation of God through the Spirit.
He made himself of no reputation, that they might wear his new name, and be counted an eternal excellency.
He became a worm, and no man, that they, who were sinful worms, might be made equal to the angels.
He bore the curse of a broken covenant that they might partake of all the blessings of the everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure.
Though heir of all things, he was willingly despised of the people, that they, who were justly condemned, might obtain and inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.
His death was a satisfaction to divine justice, a ransom for many, a propitiation for sin, a sweet smelling savour to God, that we, who were an offense to God, might become his sons and daughters.
He was made sin for his people that they might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Though Lord of all He took the form of a servant, that they, who were the servants of sin, might prevail like princes with God.
He, who had made swaddling-clothes bands for the sea, was wrapped in swaddling-clothes that they, who were cast out in their blood, might be clothed in linen white and clean, which is the righteousness of the saints.
He had not where to lay His head that they who otherwise must have laid down in eternal sorrow, might read the mansions in His Father’s house.
He was beset with lions and bulls of Bashan, that his chosen might be compassed about with an innumerable company of angels and of the spirits of just men made perfect.
He drank the cup of God’s indignation that they might for ever drink of the river of His pleasures.
He hungered that they might eat the bread of life.
He thirsted that they might drink the water of life.
He was numbered with the transgressors that they might stand among the justified, and be counted among the jewels.
He made His grave with the wicked that they might sleep in Jesus.
Though He was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was, yet He became a helpless infant, that creatures of yesterday, sentenced to death, might live for ever.
He wore a crown of thorns that all, who love His appearing, might wear a crown of life.
He wept tears of anguish that His elect might weep tears of repentance not to be repented of.
He bore the yoke of obedience unto death that they might find His yoke easy and His burden light.
He poured out His soul unto death, lay three days in the heart of the earth, then burst the bars of death, and arose to God, that they, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage, might obtain the victory over the grave and become partakers of His resurrection.
He exhausted the penalty of the law that His redeemed might have access to the inexhaustible treasures of mercy, wisdom, faithfulness, truth and grace promised by the Lord.
He passed from humiliation to humiliation, till He reached the sepulcher of Joseph, that His people might be changed from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord.
He was matchless in grace that they might be matchless in gratitude.
Though a Son, He became a voluntary exile, that they, who had wickedly wandered afar off, might be brought nigh by His blood.
He was compassed about with all their innocent infirmities that He might perfect His strength in their weakness.
His visage was so marred more than any man, that His ransomed might be presented before God without spot, or blemish, or wrinkle, or any such thing.
For a time He was forsaken of His Father that they, whom He bought with His blood, might behold the light of God’s countenance forever.
He came and dwelt with them that they might be forever with the Lord.
He was hung up naked before His insulting foes that all, who believe on His name, might wear a glorious wedding garment, a spotless righteousness.
Though He was dead, He is the firstborn among many brethren.
Through His sorrow His people obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing flee away.
Though He endured the worst things, they do and shall forever enjoy the best things
Wonderful mystery! God was manifested in the flesh! Here is no absurdity, no contradiction, no fiction, and yet a mystery that baffles all attempts to solve it, and dazzles all human and angelic vision. Blessed is he, who is not offended in Jesus. Blessed is he, who loves the incarnate mystery, and rests upon it. It is a mystery of love, of power, of salvation. It is the mystery of Godliness. It is the great study of the inhabitants of heaven, and shall be while immortality endures.”