If you're struggling to be consistent in family worship, read James Waddel Alexander

Regular family worship is one of the forgotten habits of family discipleship in the 21st century. But lest we imagine that the 19th century was a golden age of family worship, listen to James Waddel Alexander, in his book Thoughts on Family Worship: 

In a period when the world is every day making new inroads on the church, it has especially invaded the household. Our church cannot compare with that of the seventeenth century in this regard. Along with Sabbath observance, and the catechising of children, Family-Worship has lost ground. There are many heads of families, communicants in our churches, and (according to a scarcely credible report) some ruling elders and deacons, who maintain no stated daily service of God in their dwellings. It is to awaken such to their duty that this volume has been prepared.

Alexander covers the following topics in his book:

1. The Nature, Warrant, and History of Family Worship
2. The Influence of Family Worship on Individual Piety
3. The Influence of Family Worship on Parents
4. The Influence of Family Worship on Children
5. The Influence of Family Worship on Domestics
6. Family Worship as a Means of Intellectual Improvement
7. The Influence of Family Worship on Domestic Harmony and Love
8. The Influence of Family Worship on a Household in Affliction
9. The Influence of Family Worship on Visitors, Guests, and Neighbors
10. The Influence of Family Worship in Perpetuating Sound Doctrine
11. The Influence of Family Worship on the Church
12. The Influence of Family Worship on the Commonwealth
13. The Influence of Family Worship on Posterity
14. Practical Directions as to the Mode of Conducting Family Worship
15. The Reading of Scripture, as a Part of Family Worship
16. Psalmody, as a Part of Family Worship
17. The Household Exhorted to the Duty of Family Worship
18. Difficulties and Objections - Conclusion

Share this book with your family and friends!

John Anderson, Associate Presbyterian pastor, on Jesus Christ as the object of faith

The Lord’s Day is a day set aside for the worship of the living and true God, and to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Jesus Christ is the object of the Christian’s faith, His name is the only name under heaven which can save, and so perceiving of His person and work rightly is key. In 1793, the Reverend John Anderson of the Associate Presbyterian Church wrote a book on viewing Christ as the object of faith, aptly titled The Scripture Doctrine of the Appropriation which is in the Nature of Saving Faith. Perhaps this Lord’s Day you could read about Christ as the object of your faith!

Do you know the story of John Gloucester, and the First African Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia?

John Gloucester was one of the earliest African-American ministers in the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, and his story is told by William Catto in his book, A Semi-Centenary Discourse. Gloucester, born in 1776, had been the slave of Reverend Gideon Blackburn of Tennessee, who saw great potential for gospel ministry in the young man. When the opportunity for Gloucester to minister as an evangelist and pastor in Philadelphia was brought to Blackburn's attention by Dr. Archibald Alexander, Blackburn freed Gloucester and sent him to Philadelphia to work. Ordained by the Presbytery of Union in Tennessee in 1810, he was received by the Philadelphia Presbytery in 1811 and set about preaching the gospel in the city. He pastored the newly formed First African Presbyterian Church for decades. William Catto, who followed Gloucester in the pulpit of First African Presbyterian Church, summarized the coming of Gloucester to Philadelphia in this way:

"With many, the doctrines of the Presbyterian Church were in bad odor, and they failed not to make capital of it; others were 'careful for none of these things.' So it can be perceived that it required a man of no ordinary nerve and large share of the grace of God in his heart to battle with and overcome these opposing forces. Mr. Gloucester was the man for the occasion and the time; opposition could never deter him from duty; if God was for him, he cared not who was against him; in Christ lay all his strength and hope of success. Naturally, he was of a strong mind, as well as of stout, athletic frame, with a voice the deep tones of which fell powerfully on the ear he preached the Word. He was also a very sweet singer, and it is said of him that such was the melody and rich tones of his voice that, whenever he sang, a volume of music would roll from his mouth, charming and enchaining, as by a spell, the listening audience, and holding them in sweet suspense until he would cease to sing, when the spell would be broken and the people relieved, determined upon the first occasion to return and enjoy the labors of this devoted man as he broke unto them the bread of life, and sang again another of those songs of Zion. In prayer he was mighty; such was the fervor and energy, such his wrestling when engaged, that souls have fallen under its power, deeply convicted of sin."

May the Lord continue to raise up pastors black and white to bring the gospel of life to sinners from every tribe, tongue, people and nation!

How much do you know about New School Presbyterianism? Read Samuel Baird.

In 1837-38, the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America split in two. Suddenly, there were New School Presbyterians and Old School Presbyterians. Or perhaps it wasn't so sudden. How did this split occur? What was it over? What was New School Presbyterianism? What was Old School Presbyterianism? Samuel Baird, who compiled the first Digest of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, has given us a comprehensive history of this division, going all the way back to the beginnings of Presbyterianism in America in the 1600s. A History of the New School, and of the Questions Involved in the Disruption of the Presbyterian Church in 1838 is certainly not as well known as George Marsden's The Evangelical Mind and the New School Experience, but it is absolutely worth your time if you're wanting to understand 19th-century Presbyterianism better. 

Are you looking for 19th century commentaries on the book of Revelation? Here are three.

Our Presbyterian forefathers were not afraid to tackle one of the hardest books in the New Testament: the Book of Revelation. We've uploaded three commentaries on the book to the Log College Press website:

1. Alexander McLeod, Lectures Upon the Principal Prophecies of Revelation (1814)

2. Thomas Murphy, The Message to the Seven Churches of Asia (1895)

3. James Beverlin Ramsey, The Spiritual Kingdom: An Exposition of Revelation 1-11 (1873)

Though not full commentaries as we know them today, these books will give you a taste for how the 19th century viewed the book of Revelation. Happy historical hermeneutical treasure hunting!

Have you missed any of these 57 Log College Press blog posts? Read them today!

Log College Press launched on July 4, 2017, and over the past two months we've written 57 short blog posts, pointing you to the writings of 18th and 19th century American Presbyterians. Lord willing, these posts will continue being published each day. For as we continue to populate the Log College Press website with more and more documents, there will be an unending supply of material to encourage you to check out. 

If you've missed any of these 57 posts, click to read. Or visit the Blog page to see all of them, along with a category list. And please share this post with your friends!

8/30 - Are you looking for 19th century commentaries on the book of Revelation? Here are three.

8/29 - Even in 1864, parents thought catechizing was dry and difficult - so Jonathan Cross wrote these books.

8/28 - Jonathan Dickinson, early Presbyterian & first President of Princeton University, wrote a lot that we've forgotten about.

8/27 - What do Presbyterians believe? Read this short pamphlet by Archibald Alexander Hodge.

8/26 - Two tracts by Archibald Alexander

8/25 - Have you heard of Alexander McLeod Staveley? Here are a few of his sermons.

8/24 - Don't overlook these two 19th century commentaries on the Westminster Standards!

8/23 - Read the sermons of Samuel Stanhope Smith, President of Princeton University from 1795-1812

8/22 - If you've never heard of this Presbyterian missionary, you'll be thankful you saw this post!

8/21 - Negro Slavery Unjustifiable - by Alexander McLeod (1802)

8/19 - Two for one - Archibald Alexander's Systematic Theology lecture notes - written down by Charles Hodge!

8/18 - What did 19th century Presbyterian pastors tell their people about parenting? Read William Swan Plumer.

8/17 - Digital gold: B. B. Warfield's "On the Emotional Life of our Lord" and two Inaugural Addresses

8/16 - Late 19th century handbooks for busy Presbyterians in the pew

8/15 - How did Presbyterians in the first half of the 19th century think about the Lord's Day?

8/14 - Read the original source documents of Francis Makemie's stand for religious liberty here

8/13 - Henry Highland Garnet on when and where the demands of reformers will end (from 1865)

8/12 - James McDonald Chaney, the author of William the Baptist, wrote a sequel

8/11 - Works by Associate Presbyterians and Reformed Presbyterians coming soon to Log College Press!

8/11 - Some lesser known works by Gilbert Tennent...

8/10 - How should the pastor spend his time in the study? Read chapter 3 of Thomas Murphy's Pastoral Theology

8/9 - "Global missions is the powerhouse of local missions" - 1st General Assembly of the PCUS (1861)

8/8 - Have you heard of these 19th-century Presbyterian systematic theologies?

8/7 - The first African-American to speak in the US House of Representatives was a Presbyterian pastor!

8/6 - "The spirit of missions is the spirit of the gospel." James Henley Thornwell on the cross of Jesus and missions

8/5 - What was the mission of Jesus? What is the mission of the church? What is the mission of the minister?

8/4 - Is this the only 19th century Presbyterian to write a novel?

8/3 - A Missionary's Farewell - Why John Bailey Adger went to preach the gospel in Asia Minor

8/2 - William Swan Plumer's commentaries on Hebrews and Romans are as rich as his commentary on the Psalms.

8/1 - Another 19th century Presbyterian Biblical Theology - this one specifically on the OT

7/30 - What did a 19th century pastor want his motherless daughter to know as she set out in life?

7/29 - "There is a sense in which the preacher preaches himself" -- Joseph Ruggles Wilson

7/28 - Why do we remember the fathers and mothers of the faith? John L. Girardeau: "To magnify the grace of God."

7/27 - Presbyterians in South Carolina, do you know your church's history?

7/26 - The story of William Sheppard, African-American Presbyterian missionary to the Congo, is amazing.

7/25 - Why does Covenant Theology matter? A little known gem from John L. Girardeau

7/24 - The Practical Writings of Archibald Alexander

7/23 - Who can take the sinner's stead? Francis Smith Sampson on the necessity of the work of Jesus Christ

7/22 - There was a book on Biblical Theology in the 19th c. Presbyterian Church before Vos!

7/21 - What Do Presbyterians Believe About Baptism?

7/20 - Two key 19th century histories of the American Presbyterians Churches

7/19 - Should Christians raise children who love missions? Thomas Smyth says, "Absolutely. And here's what that means."

7/18 - Why should Christians care what the Bible says about the character and conduct of pastors? John Witherspoon answers.

7/17 - How did 19th century Presbyterians understand the history of the Presbyterian Church?

7/16 - A few biographies from which to select for your Lord's Day reading...

7/15 - Did Joseph Addison Alexander Ever Sleep?

7/14 - If You're Looking for Commentaries on the OT Prophets, Don't Miss These

7/13 - Does the 19th Century Have Anything to Teach Parents?

7/12 - The Works of Robert J. Breckinridge are Nearly Unknown But Still Affect Presbyterians Today

7/11 - The Sermons of Moses Hoge are Worth 15 Minutes of Your Day

7/10 - Are You Looking For Commentaries on the Gospels of Mark and Matthew?

7/10 - What Did a 19th Century African-American Think of Presbyterianism's Relationship to African-Americans?

7/8 - James Waddel Alexander on Earnest Preaching

7/8 - A 19th Century American Presbyterian Commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism

7/7 - Why is the Incarnation of Jesus So Glorious? William Swan Plumer Tells Us

7/5 – William Henry Foote’s Sketches of North Carolina and Virginia

7/4 – Why Log College Press?

Even in 1864, parents thought catechizing was dry and difficult - so Jonathan Cross wrote these books.

Jonathan Cross was a colporteur for the American Tract Society during the middle of the 19th century - a traveling salesman of Christian books, newspapers and pamphlets. And what he saw in churches across America led him to write a two volume set, Illustrations of the Shorter Catechism, a collection of brief commentary and stories for each question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Here is Cross' explanation of why he wrote, and it reminds us that the struggle of teaching children the catechism is not new: "For a score of years he has travelled more or less in most of the states of this Union, and been in some Sabbath-school almost every Sabbath, and whenever this Catechism was in use he has found superintendents and teachers labouring under the same difficulties. Many of our teachers are young and inexperienced in the Christian life, and many not even professors of religion. These often say that the Catechism is so dry they cannot get the children to learn it, and many honestly confess that they cannot understand it. In this way the Catechism fails to be taught to many of the rising generation in our churches. The same is true with thousands of parents. They say, 'We cannot get our children to learn the Catechism, it is such a dry study; and we are not competent to explain it to them in a way to interest them.' These complaints have been so long made, and to such an extent, that the author has been surprised that some one, much more competent than he, has not given to our Church long ere this a suitable work."

So even parents in the 19th century thought the Catechism was dry and catechizing was difficult! May the Lord use these books to help parents in their high calling to teach their children the doctrines of our holy religion.

Jonathan Dickinson, early Presbyterian & first President of Princeton University, wrote a lot that we've forgotten about.

One purpose of Log College Press is to rediscover books that were once well known, and have over the passage of time become unknown. Most students of American Presbyterianism recognize the name of Jonathan Dickinson, one of the earliest Presbyterians, and a New Englander who opposed the stricter Scotch-Irish Presbyterians. Dickinson was also the first President of Princeton University (though he died less than five months after his appointment to the position). But fewer students realize that Dickinson wrote several works, some of which were even reprinted in the 19th century. 

We have posted what we can find of Dickinson's writings here. You'll find a book of sermons on important doctrinal topics, a book vindicating the sovereignty of God, a collection of sermons and tracts that were published during his lifetime, and a series of letters he wrote on a variety of pastoral and theological issues. Happy browsing and reading!

What do Presbyterians believe? Read this short pamphlet by Archibald Alexander Hodge.

In 1869, the Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work published a pamphlet by Archibald Alexander Hodge (the son of Charles Hodge), entitled "Presbyterian Doctrine Briefly Stated." Thanks to Barry Waugh, and his website Presbyterians of the Past, we have a copy of this succinct summary of Presbyterian doctrine. Hodge covers the following topics briefly: 1. The source and standard of religious knowledge. 2. The being and attributes of God. 3. The person and office of Christ. 4. The original and present condition of man. 5. The motive, nature, application and effects of re­demption. 6. The Church - its nature and principles of organization.

Share this with your friends who wonder what in the world a Presbyterian is!

Two tracts by Archibald Alexander

The 19th century saw the publication of a large number of tracts and pamphlets. We hope to find as many of those as possible for the Log College Press website. Two are found on Archibald Alexander's page - "Christ's Gracious Invitation" (printed "for the soldiers" in 1861) and "Love to An Unseen Savior" (printed by the Evangelical Tract Society in 1863). Prepare for the Lord's Day and grow in your boldness as you witness to the lost. 

Have you heard of Alexander McLeod Staveley? Here are a few of his sermons.

Alexander McLeod Staveley was a Reformed Presbyterian pastor in Canada and America, pastoring for 61 years altogether - 38 at one church, St. John's of New Brunswick. An Irishman of manly stock, one obituary described him beautifully: "Mr. Staveley was in many respects a remarkable man - remarkable for his straightness of figure and character, for a stateliness of bearing and inborn courtesy of disposition which secured the affectionate esteem of all classes with which he came into contact. He was honored everywhere he labored because he was honorable; secured and retained many friends because he was friendly and loved and illustrated the goodness which manifested itself in purity, sincerity, rectitude, and charity." You can find some of his sermons here. 

Don't overlook these two 19th century commentaries on the Westminster Standards!

In a previous post, we highlighted Ashbel Green's Commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Today we point out two important commentaries on the Westminster Confession of Faith, one by a Northern Presbyterian (Archibald Alexander Hodge's Commentary on the Confession of Faith) and one by a Southern Presbyterian (Francis Beattie's The Presbyterian Standards). Hodge's book is familiar to most Presbyterian students of theology and church history, but fewer are aware of Beattie's volume - which is a shame, because he interacts with all three of the Westminster Standards together, and thus his work is particularly helpful. 

As an example of Beattie's theological sensibilities, I have appreciated his comment on the relationship between the covenant of grace and the covenant of redemption in light of WLC #31:

"Sometimes the distinction is made by theologians between what is called the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace. According to the former, God enters into covenant with his Son, giving him a people whom he redeems and assuredly saves. According to the latter, God enters into covenant with his people to redeem and save them by his Son, as the Mediator whom he has appointed. In the first case, God and the Son are the parties to the covenant, and the Son is the surety for his people; and in the latter case, God and the elect are the parties, and the Son is the Mediator between them. The Standards do not distinctly recognize this twofold aspect of the covenant. They speak of a second covenant, commonly called the covenant of grace, according to which God has been pleased to provide for and secure the salvation of the elect. This distinction may be regarded as a valid one, so long as the idea of two covenants is not entertained. Strictly speaking, there can be only one covenant, but that covenant may be viewed in the twofold aspect, which this distinction implies. The Scripture terms mediator and surety, as applied to Christ, quite justify this twofold view of the covenant of grace, though the covenant itself is always one and the same." 

Though not all will agree with this formulation, I believe all will agree that Beattie is a man who has wrestled with the Scriptures and the text of the Standards. Tolle lege!

Read the sermons of Samuel Stanhope Smith, President of Princeton University from 1795-1812

A student and son-in-law of John Witherspoon, Samuel Stanhope Smith was the founder of Hampden-Sydney College, and the seventh president at the College of Ner Jersey (modern day Princeton University). He was a teacher of Scottish Common Sense Realism.

His two volumes of published sermons contains:

Volume 1

I. Felix trembling before Paul.
II. On the Parable of the Prodigal Son
III. Repentance of the Prodigal
IV. Return of the Prodigal to his Father
V. On swearing in Common Conversation
VI. To a good man the day of death preferable to the day of birth
VII. The recompense of the Saints in Heaven
VIII. On Slander
IX. On Redeeming time
X. The giving of the Law on Mount Sinai
XI. A discourse on the guilt and folly of being ashamed of religion
XII. A discourse on the nature and danger of small Faults
XIII. On Charity, 259 XIV. Paul pleading before Agrippa
XV. Desire of the apostle to depart and be with Christ
XVI. Religion necessary to National Prosperity
XVII. The Original Trial and the Fall of Man, or the first sin and its consequences
XVIII. On the Love of praise
XIX. On Ruling Sin

Volume 2

I. History of the Golden Calf
II. Patriotism
III. On the Being of God
IV. On Divine Providence
V. On Christian vigilance and preparation for death
VI. The promised seed of the woman: or, the power of evil destroyed by Jesus Christ
VII. Trust in God
VIII. On Devotion
IX. Immortality clearly revealed
X. The progress of Vice
XI. History of Moses
XII. The love of God in giving his son for the redemption of the world
XIII. On the Nativity
XIV. Life of the Patriarch Abraham
XV. On Reading
XVI. On Fashionable amusements
XVII. On Fashionable amusements, No. II
XVIII. The Imperfection of our Knowledge
XIX. The History of Moses
XX. On the fear of Man
XXI. The excuses for not entering at present on a religious life, vain and absurd
XXII. On a wrong Conscience
XXni. Dangers of a wrong Conscience
XXIV. The perfection of christian morals
XXV. The christian passover, or dispositions proper for the Lord's table

If you've never heard of this Presbyterian missionary, you'll be thankful you saw this post!

John Leighton Wilson was a giant of 19th-century Presbyterian missions, but unfortunately, he is little-known today. Erskine Clark has recently told his story in By the Rivers of Waters, but his story was first told by another Presbyterian missionary, Hampden Coit Dubose. William Childs Robinson, in his book Columbia Theological Seminary and the Southern Presbyterian Church, tells this wonderful story: "At his vacation Wilson returned home from this memorable decision [to go to African as a missionary] made in prayer with John Bailey Adger at Columbia Theological Seminary. His father still refused to give his consent. "'Father,' said Leighton, 'would you be willing to go into the room and pray with me?' So they began, 'Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' The father could not go beyond that petition. Brought face to face with the world-embracing affections and purposes of God, he could not hold to any little contrary ambition of his own. Slipping his arm around his son's shoulder, he told him he could go." May the Lord use those who have gone before us in the faith to spur us on the bring the gospel to the nations!

Negro Slavery Unjustifiable - by Alexander McLeod (1802)

It is unfortunate that this 1802 discourse by Alexander McLeod, a Reformed Presbyterian Church minister in New York, did not have a greater impact upon Presbyterians across the nation. How different would our nation's history, and present, be if his arguments had pricked the hearts and changed the minds of his contemporaries, particularly if they had been able to reach into the South. 

Two for one - Archibald Alexander's Systematic Theology lecture notes - written down by Charles Hodge!

What would it have been like to sit in Archibald Alexander's class on Systematic Theology in the early days of Princeton Theological Seminary? Fortunately, Princeton has scanned in Charles Hodge's notes from that class - just think, if you had been sitting next to Charles Hodge and snuck a peak at his notes, this is what would you have seen. It's a remarkable thing that we have these, but I'm sure there are many other manuscripts of classroom lecture notes (and professors' lectures!) holed away in archives around the country. If you know of any others that are accessible online, please let us know! 

What did 19th century Presbyterian pastors tell their people about parenting? Read William Swan Plumer.

William Swan Plumer was a prolific author, and I could blog a different one of his writings every day for nearly two months. It will take time to get all he has written loaded on the Log College Press website. But don't miss one of his earliest works, a book on parenting: Thoughts on Religious Education and Early Piety (1836).

The table of contents may sound bland, but the book is chock full of rich fare: 

I. Importance of the Subject of Education
II. Education - What it is
III. Religious Education
IV. Rules for a Religious Education
V. Early Piety Possible
VI. Motives to Fidelity in Religious Instruction
VII. Cases of Early Piety
VIII. Conclusion
 

Digital gold: B. B. Warfield's "On the Emotional Life of our Lord" and two Inaugural Addresses

One of the great American Presbyterian theologians, B. B. Warfield's article "On the Emotional Life of our Lord" (from Biblical and Theological Studies published by the Princeton Theological Seminary faculty) is among his most important works. His two inaugural addresses are not far behind. The first was given at Western Theological Seminary (modern Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) in 1880, entitled "Is the Church Doctrine of the Plenary Inspiration of the New Testament Endangered by the Assured Results of Modern Biblical Criticism?" The second was given at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1888, entitled "The Idea of Systematic Theology Considered as a Science." You can find them both on the B. B. Warfield page of the Log College Press site. 

One of the projects we have in mind for reprinting is an anthology of seminary inaugural addresses from the 19th century. Does anyone else think this would be a worthwhile endeavor? 

Late 19th century handbooks for busy Presbyterians in the pew

The PCA Historical Center posted an excerpt of a helpful little volume yesterday, Robert Polluck Kerr's Presbyterianism for the People. This book walks through Presbyterian Church Government and Presbyterian Theology for the ordinary members of the church of Jesus Christ. Kerr writes in his preface, "This little volume is not for theologians. There are many abler and more elaborate works on Presbyterianism written for them. It is for the people —the busy, earnest people, who have neither the time nor the taste for an extensive study of this subject, but who ought to know—at least, in a general way—what Presbyterianism is, what it has been in the past, what it believes and teaches. In his pastoral work the author has often wished for such a book, and he earnestly hopes that this one may help supply what he believes to be a real need of the Church. For it he asks the blessing of God and the favor of the people."

Kerr also wrote The People's History of Presbyterianism in All Ages. The preface of this work is remarkable for its assessment of the state of affairs in 1888, as well as its prescription: "Books are written to be read, not to lie on dusty shelves. But this is a busy age, and most persons will not take time to read extensive treatises. The people call for short sermons, short prayers, and short books. Nor is this demand without reason; for life itself is short, and there is much to do." What would Robert Kerr say about the busyness of today? And what would we say about his evaluation of a cure? 

How did Presbyterians in the first half of the 19th century think about the Lord's Day?

A Manual on the Christian Sabbath, by John Holmes Agnew, will help to answer that question. Originally lectures to students at Washington College (now Washington and Lee College) in Lexington, Virginia, this work covers the perpetual obligation of Christians to observe the Lord's day, the design of the day, the blessings and usefulness of the day, and our duties on the day. Worth the price of the book (or rather, the download!) is a Packer-esque introduction by Samuel Miller. 

The 19th century has much to teach us about the Sabbath day; this volume, with Miller's introduction, is a good place to begin.