The Discussions of Robert Lewis Dabney

Robert Lewis Dabney (1820-1898)'s essays and papers on various topics were collected and edited in four volumes during his lifetime by Rev. C.R. Vaughan. In 1999, a fifth volume of his papers, which includes a 115-page previously unpublished poem by Dabney entitled "Christology of the Angels," was edited by J.H. Varner and published by Sprinkle Publications. All five volumes, which are a treasury of insights theological and otherwise, are now available to read online at Log College Press. 

1) Theological and Evangelical (1890)

2) Evangelical (1891)

3) Philosophical (1892)

4) Secular (1897)

5) Miscellaneous (1999) 

James McLeod Willson on the Nature, Duties, and Exercise of the Office of Deacon

James McLeod Willson was a Reformed Presbyterian pastor in Philadelphia, PA, when in 1841 he wrote The Deacon: An Inquiry into the Nature, Duties, and Exercises of the Office of the Deacon in the Christian Church. In Willson's day, many Presbyterian churches did not have deacons, much to his lament. In this 75 page book Willson establishes that the office of deacon is a biblical office, explains the nature of the office from the Scriptures and church history, challenges various substitutes that had been erected in his day for the diaconate, and finally explained how the deacons related to elders in the Session and other church courts. There aren't as many resources on the office of the deacon as there could be, so we are glad to be able to bring to light this forgotten book.

Samuel Miller's Thoughts on Public Prayer

Samuel Miller's Thoughts on Public Prayer (1849) is an important volume for teaching and ruling elders leading in corporate worship, as well as anyone who has to pray publicly, whether in family worship, social settings, or at other occasions. Miller lays out a history of public prayer, discusses liturgies, opens up frequent faults in public prayer, and shows forth the characteristics of a good public prayer, as well as the best means of attaining excellence in this gift and grace. Tolle lege!

Charles Hodge on the way of life.

"It is one of the clearest principles of divine revelation, that holiness is the fruit of truth; and it is one of the plainest inferences from that principle, that the exhibition of the truth is the best means of promoting holiness. Christians regard the word of God as the only infallible teacher of those truths which relate to the salvation of men. But are the Scriptures really a revelation from God? If they are, what doctrines do they teach? And what influence should those doctrines exert on our heart and life?"

Thus begins The Way of Life (1841), by Charles Hodge. This book first establishes that the Scriptures are the very word of God, then that all men are sinners. After reflecting on the causes of the indifference of men to the charge of sin, and the way the Spirit convicts men of sin, Hodge covers justification, faith, repentance, the sacraments, and holiness. 

May the Lord continue to use Hodge's words to teach truth and promote holiness! 

Robert James George's Lectures on Pastoral Theology

American Presbyterians have reflected deeply on the nature and calling of the minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. On the Log College Press website you will find William Swan Plumer's Hints and Helps in Pastoral Theology (1874) and Thomas Murphy's Pastoral Theology (1877). A lesser known work is the three-volume Lectures on Pastoral Theology, by Robert James George. This Reformed Presbyterian minister was the Professor of Theology and Church History in the Covenanter Seminary in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, from 1892-1910. His Lectures covered the character and services of a pastor (Volume 1), the pastor and the congregation, the pastor and the church courts (Volume 2), the pastor and the kingdom, and the pastor and the world (Volume 3), as well as additional material in Volume 3 concerning the distinctives of ministry in the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Any pastor will benefit from George's meditations upon the work of the minister.

A Forty-Three Year Pastorate in a Country Church for Sale Now!

If you've never heard of Cornelius Washington Grafton, do yourself a favor and buy his autobiographical address found in this booklet. He pastored the same church in rural Mississippi for 61 years, and at the 43-year mark he was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. This booklet was his Moderator's Address. The country is not the flashiest place to minister, nor is it in vogue to pastor the same congregation for a prolonged period of time. Yet Grafton shows us the fruitfulness that can come from a lengthy ministry in the country. 

The Ecclesiastical Catechisms of Alexander McLeod and Thomas Smyth

Most Presbyterians are familiar with the Westminster Shorter/Larger Catechisms, or the Heidelberg Catechism. But have you heard of Ecclesiastical Catechisms? At least two were written by Presbyterians in America in the 19th century: one by Alexander McLeod (1806) and one by Thomas Smyth (1843). These books present the doctrine of the church in question and answer format, so that God's people might more easily understand what the Scriptures teach about the institution that Jesus is building. McLeod and Smyth won't agree on everything (for instance, the number of offices Jesus has appointed in His church), so comparing and contrasting these two documents, written 40 years apart, will undoubtedly be an edifying and rewarding use of your time. 

Samuel Miller on how the Christian should think about suicide

Suicide is a deep misery, impacting family and friends of the loved one who takes his/her life. But it is also a sin, a breaking of the 6th commandment. We may think of suicide as a modern/post-modern problem. But in 1805, Samuel Miller was confronted with a rash of suicides (nine in 3 months). He approached the crisis head-on, preaching and then publishing addresses inscribed to the young people of his congregation: The Guilt, Folly and Sources of Suicide (1805). To the one who thinks he would never be tempted to commit suicide, Miller speaks these words:

Brethren, be not deceived! Every individual who hears me has an interest in this subject. Who can foresee the situations in which he may hereafter be placed, or the temptations by which he may hereafter be assailed? Or who can tell how soon the conduct of a near relative, or of a valued friend, may bring the subject home, with the deepest interest, to his bosom? It is probable, that the most of those who have fallen into this deplorable sin, were once as ready as any of my present hearers can now be, to think and to say, What, is thy servant a dog that he should do this thing? In truth, it becomes depraved creatures with regard to every sin, to be humble and watchful; for there is no sin into which they may not fall, if forsaken by restraining grace. That we may, therefore, be armed against the hour of temptation ourselves, and that we may be able to convince and warn others, let me request you seriously to attend, while I endeavour, First, To lay before you the Guilt and Folly of the sin in question; and, Secondly, By tracing the evil to its Sources, to put you on your guard against such principles and habits as may lead to danger.

Have you been touched by suicide? Are you being tempted to take your own life? Read Miller.

Buy The Five Points of Presbyterianism and A Forty-Three Year Pastorate in a Country Church now!

The first two publications of Log College Press are now available! The Five Points of Presbyterianism: The Distinctives of Presbyterian Church Government, by Thomas Dwight Witherspoon, and A Forty-Three Year Pastorate in a Country Church, by Cornelius Washington Grafton, are now available here. These booklets are $3.99 each, and shipping is 99 cents no matter how many copies you order. Witherspoon's work is a succinct explanation of Presbyterianism, perfect for officer training and anyone who wants to understand one of the main things that distinguishes Presbyterian churches from other gospel churches. Grafton's booklet is an autobiographical narrative of his incredibly long pastorate in Union Church, Mississippi. Both are great reads. Buy them today!

Have you seen all the works by B. B. Warfield on the Log College Press website?

Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield was born on this day in 1851. He was a prolific author, and we've posted a lot of his works on the Log College Press website here. One of his most famous books is The Plan of Salvation (1915), which nicely lays out the competing claims of autosoterism (self-salvation), sacerdotalism, universalism, and Calvinism. It is a must read by any serious student of theology. If you don't have a copy of it, download it from Warfield's author page.

The works of Samuel Davies are increasing on Log College Press...

Samuel Davies was born on this day in 1723, and so we highlight him today. On our website you will find not only his four volumes of Sermons, but his Letters Shewing the State of Religion in Virginia (1757) and an installation sermon he preached in 1754 entitled "The Duties, Difficulties and Rewards of the Faithful Minister." 

A new biography of Samuel Davies has been published by Dewey Roberts. If you're interested in learning more about this Presbyterian father in the faith, don't miss it. 

The dictionary definition of "prolific" is a picture of William Swan Plumer

It's "No Shave November," so here you go, men - aspire to the beardliness of William Swan Plumer. It will take likely you as long to read all his writings as it will take your beard to grow to the size of his. For we haven't even posted half of all the things William Swan Plumer wrote, and yet there are twenty-one books/pamphlets on the Log College Press site. He was an amazingly practical, pious, and pointed author, and working through his corpus will reward your soul. Start today! 

Archibald Alexander Hodge on the Westminster Shorter Catechism

If you are teaching through the Westminster Shorter Catechism, make sure to check out this commentary by A. A. Hodge and J. Aspinwall Hodge - The System of Theology Contained in the Westminster Shorter Catechism: Opened and Explained (1888). A. A. Hodge had written the first part of the book, and upon his death J. Aspinwall Hodge (his cousin) finished it. This relatively unknown volume is a great companion to Hodge's Commentary on the Westminster Confession.

B. B. Warfield on Luther's 95 Theses

If you're looking for some insight into the theology of Luther's 95 Theses, don't miss B.B. Warfield (1851-1921), The Ninety-Five Theses in Their Theological Significance (1917). Originally published in The Princeton Theological Review in honor of the 400th anniversary of the Reformation, this is a fascinating study of the document by Martin Luther that launched the Reformation on October 31, 1517.

The Protestant Reformation in the Writings of the 19th Century American Presbyterians

To commemorate what is arguably the great event in church history since Pentecost, Log College Press wishes to highlight select works by early American Presbyterians which relate to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation:

William Swan Plumer on Solus Christus

“In proportion as men are truly pious, they make Jesus Christ the foundation and top-stone, the sum and substance and center of all their hopes and rejoicings. He is believed on in the world, not merely because there is no other way of salvation, but because this way is so admirably adapted to all the necessities of sinners, and because it brings glory to God in the highest. The true believer not only trusts in Christ; he glories in him. He not only makes mention of him; he admits none into comparison with him. To all the ends, parts and purposes of salvation Christ stands alone. There is none like him, there is none with him, there is none before him, there is none after him, there is none beside him.” (From "Christ All in All" - Plumer's Inaugural Discourse at Western Theological Seminary)

Benjamin Morgan Palmer's sermon on Philippians 4:6

On July 29, 1855, Benjamin Morgan Palmer preached a sermon to his congregation at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC, on Philippians 4:6 entitled "The Antidote of Care." It had such an impact on the people of God that they asked him to publish it. The antidote of care is prayer. Palmer tells us why:

1. In prayer we are brought to a habitual and practical sense of the supreme will of a personal God.

2. Prayer leads to the contemplation of God in his Covenant relations to us, which will soften the lot otherwise rugged and difficult.

3. Prayer compels us to take an inventory of our mercies, and to balance, these against our trials. 

4. Prayer imparts a tone to the spirit, girding it for the hour of trial.

5. Prayer brings us to a distinct issue with ourselves in relation to our cares.

6. In prayer we apprehend the nearness of Heaven, which is a motive to submission and patience.