National judgments call for national repentance: E.D. McMaster

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Erasmus Darwin McMaster (sometimes spelled MacMaster) [1806-1866], son of Gilbert McMaster, was a notable leader in the Presbyterian Church In the United States of America (PCUSA). Raised in a Covenanter (Reformed Presbyterian) home, he had occasion once to speak of his thankfulness to God for such a heritage as a child of the covenant, along with his ecumenical (in the best sense of the word) desire to see all branches of the Church united as one:

God gave me my birth as a Presbyterian; and I am not ashamed of my ecclesiastical lineage. Without any invidious disparagement of other families of the great Christian commonwealth, I reckon the Presbyterian to be some of the best blood in Christendom. At any rate, the fact that I am born such, is in the predicable of inseperable accidents. I can’t help it. As I was born, so I expect to live and to die, a Presbyterian; - unless God should in mercy, before that event come to me, hasten the day, earnestly hoped for by all the good, when the watchmen upon the walls of Zion shall see eye to eye, and together lift up the voice; and when, as there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all, so there shall be visibly, as there is spiritually, but one body; and all these party names shall be sunk in the one catholic and glorious name, The church of the living God, the ground and pillar of the truth [Inaugural Address as President of Miami University, Ohio, 1845].

Born in Mercer, Pennsylvania, McMaster served the church in many ways - as pastor of the Ballston Centre Presbyterian Church in Ballston, New York (1831-1838); President of Hanover College, Indiana (1838-1845); President of Miami University, Ohio (1845-1849); Professor of Systematic Theology at the Presbyterian Seminary in New Albany, Indiana (later McCormick Theological Seminary) (1849-1858); and later, again, as Professor of Systematic Theology at the same seminary when located in Chicago (1866). More about his remarkable life can be found in L.J. Halsey’s A History of the McCormick Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church (1893); and in W.M. Glasgow’s History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in America (1888), who wrote that “He was confessedly one of the great men of the Presbyterian Church in America….As a scholar, theologian and preacher, he was of the first rank.”

In 1849, a cholera epidemic was raging throughout the United States. Not long after former President James K. Polk died of the disease in June, President Zachary Taylor declared a national day of fasting and prayer to be observed on August 3, 1849. E.D. McMaster, in his final days as President of Miami University in Ohio, preached a sermon that day titled Impending Judgments Averted by Repentance. In that sermon — based on Jeremiah 18:1-10, 17 — he speaks not only of personal and family repentance needed, but also corporate and national repentance called for, before the Lord. And, further, McMaster argues that the Lord has promised in His Word mercy, rather than judgment, for those who do personally and corporately repent.

At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them (Jer. 18:7-8).

Because to the Lord Jesus Christ, as a reward for his faithfulness, is given, in his mediatorial office of King, authority over all things (Matt. 28:18), all families, all nations, all societal associations, which are created and established by God, are encompassed under that authority, and have a duty to “Kiss the Son” (Ps. 2:12), that is, to confess subjection and loyalty to Him. This is the argument made by McMaster.

Pre-eminently is it true, that when God establishes a people, either as a Church, or as a nation, or as an aggregation of individuals bound together in the various relations of the society of comity, and associations of business and of pleasure, under peculiar advantages, especially in respect to the knowledge and means of the true religion, he claims a peculiar property in and dominion over them, that they shall subserve the interests of his kingdom….

And is not this equally true of us as a people? Has not God established us under peculiar advantages? I cannot wait to recount all his gracious dealings toward us, in our origin, in all the circumstances connected with our planting as a people, the achievement of our independence as a nation, the establishment of our institutions, political, ecclesiastical, and social, and the manifold blessings which, with so bountiful a hand, he has poured upon us through our whole unexampled career of prosperity. It is not true that God has signally marked us out by the bestowment of peculiar advantages, physical, intellectual, moral, social, political, and religious; especially in the possession of Christianity in its truest and purest forms, untrammeled by the commandments and ordinances of men? Surely must we say, he hath not dealt so with any other people. And is not all this that he may claim a special and peculiar property in and dominion over us as a people, and as a Church in the nation, that in all the different characters, capacities, and relations which we sustain, we shall exist, shall live, shall spend our being and be spent, in carrying through our own land and over the earth the triumphs of that heavenly reign by which the world shall be reclaimed to God, and to true happiness, honour and glory? Confused and mistaken ideas about the peculiar nature of the Israelitish Theocracy, so common even among writers of reputation, may perplex the minds of the ill-instructed and undiscriminating, and strengthen the hands of the wicked in seeking to deny and cast off the dominion of God and his Anointed. Other men will do as they choose, will believe as they choose, about this. For one, I believe and assert, that God’s Christ is as truly this day king of Ohio as he was ever the king of Judea; as truly the king of this whole Confederacy of States as he was ever the king of the twelve tribes of Israel. Say who will, “Who is Jehovah, that we should serve him? who is lord over us?” — who will, “We will not have this man to reign over us:” Jehovah, he is God; and this is the will of the Father, that all men honour the Son even as they honour the Father.

III. When a people peculiarly favored of God, especially in respect to the knowledge and means of the true religion, by a departure from God into sin are failing to accomplish, in the promotion of his kingdom, the end for which he has raised them up, then the destroying judgments of God are impending over that people.

McMaster goes on to discuss distinctions between the chastening of the Lord intended to correct and destroying judgments.

It is of these calamities, which are the execution of Heaven’s vindicatory justice, God’s destroying judgments because of sin, that we here speak. These, we say, are impending over a people, who, peculiarly favoured of the Lord, turn away from him, transgress his law, refuse his dominion, and so are failing to accomplish, in the promotion of his kingdom, the end for which he has raised them up. Much more is this so, if such a people are, not failing merely to accomplish the end for which God has planted and built them up, — but acting in opposition to that end; setting themselves to counterwork, to thwart, as much as in them lies, to defeat that end….

The plan and obvious principle upon which God proceeds in this is, that Jehovah is God the Lord; he has made all things for his own glory; and he will have service of his creatures, or he will reject and cast them away; he will have fruit of the work of his hands, or he will destroy it. So we are taught in the parable of the fig-tree; If it bear fruit, well: if not, cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? Such is the method in which God deals with a sinful people.

After laying out the principles by which God deals with nations in particular, McMaster brings home the point that the people of Ohio, and the the people of the United States, who — having been established by God under peculiar advantages, especially in respect to the knowledge and means of the true religion,” and been the recipients of the gracious blessings of God in so many ways — were at that time experiencing the effects of the dreaded cholera, were called upon “as a people, in all relations, individual, domestic, social, political, ecclesiastical, explicitly, truly, and practically to recognize both God and his Christ, and to enter into and prosecute that which is the appointed end of our being as a people.”

McMaster highlights in this sermon the fact that the Constitution of the United States, by a great and grievous omission, neglects to honor God and, specifically, Jesus Christ, as King over this nation. He also highlights the prevailing (at that time) sin of slavery that both existed and was allowed by that same Constitution. He further raised the question of the morality of the Mexican-American War. But especially McMaster addressed the prevalence of idolatry and superstition across the land and in the churches of 19th century America. Taking no delight in pointing out the sins of his own people, McMaster nevertheless implored his hearers to consider how blessed they were, and how greatly they had, as a people, departed from the commandments of the Lord, and how great their need of repentance was that a great and weighty judgment, which was hanging over their heads at present, might yet be averted.

…the Rule according to which God deals with a people in such a case is; that Repentance shall avert his threatened judgments; perseverance in disobedience to his voice shall upon them his judgments in sure and terrible destruction….

This turning of a people to God must be by them in all the different characters, capacities, and relations which they sustain, and in which they have sinned in departing from him. Individuals in concerns private and personal, families in concerns domestic, churches in concerns ecclesiastical, states and nations in concerns political and national, — all, — all, in their several places, capacities and relations, must return unto Him whose they are, and who claims an absolute and unlimited property in and dominion over them, and yield themselves in their whole being to receive the law of God in Christ, and to promote the ends of his kingdom. In this course there is safety. It is no where else to be found. God is, indeed, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. But he is God, and his honour he will not suffer to be taken from him.

The rod of his anger is a voice calling to America today, and it did in 1849. It calls us to repentance, corporate and personal, and such repentance is the only means by which we may find refuge from distress - in the ark of God, which is Jesus Christ. McMaster’s 1849 sermon is not a short read, but it is a valuable exposition of Biblical principles and analysis of a situation not unlike that which America faces in 2020. Take time to study this call to repentance on every level with prayerful consideration. God is indeed glorified in the repentance of his people, for true repentance on the part of his people, as a rule, leads to mercy on the part of our gracious God.

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Edward O. Guerrant: The Gospel of the Lilies

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Flowers preach to us if we will hear. — Christina Rossetti, “Consider the Lilies of the Field”

Edward O. Gurreant’s devotional work The Gospel of the Lilies is a treasure of encouragement with much meat for meditation. We have extracted his first message for your consideration today. May his remarks concerning our Lord’s sermon on the Mount — a sermon derived from the very flowers planted by our Creator on that mountain — render a blessing to your soul as you read and, “consider the lilies.”

THE GOSPEL OF THE LILIES

Consider the lilies. Matthew vi, 28, 29.

The greatest preacher was the simplest. The “common people heard Him gladly,” and under stood Him easily.

This was His first sermon, His “inaugural address.” In it He states the character of His kingdom, and lays down the laws of its government, and the duties of its subjects. He shows its superiority over all that preceded it and the absolute security and happiness of all its inhabitants.

Multitudes waited on His teaching. He was the “desire of all the nations.” For four thousand years a guilty hopeless world has been expecting a deliverer. All other helps and hopes had failed. “In the fulness of time,” He came to save a lost world; to bring a race of immortals back to God; to restore order and peace to God’s kingdom on earth. It was a mission worthy of a God, and only a God could do it.

This great sermon on the mountain was His first utterance. He used plain language. He was speaking to plain people. Most of them were poor and unlearned. Their life was a hard one; a struggle for bread, long and sharp. He was speaking to multitudes who were accustomed to “walk by sight,” to depend upon their own arm for a living. The inquiry was “how shall we get bread and clothes for ourselves and children?” They saw nothing beyond the narrow horizon of a hard life, and nothing above the humble roof of their homes.

For years they had been ground beneath the heels of tyrants, and deluded by teachers who taught a false religion, without a Savior or a hope. They felt the need of something better. This was the occasion. The object was to teach them, and you, and me, a better way — the divine, the heavenly way. We need it: The old Galilean cry has come down to us — “What shall we eat?” It occupies most of our thoughts, and time, and energies. He came to show us a better way; to set the world right; to put God back in His place in our lives; to lift up the burdens which have crushed humanity for six thousand years. His great theme was to let God do our thinking, planning, and providing; to let God bear our burdens; to let Him be, what He ought to be, our Father, our Helper, our Redeemer, our “All in All.” He showed them the utter helplessness of man; the utter folly of thinking more of their clothes than of their bodies; more of their food than their souls.

Looking down into the valley where beautiful lilies were blooming, He called their attention to them, and says, “consider the lilies.”

What a scene! What a sermon! How simple, yet how sublime! He made those lilies. He painted their heavenly colors with His sunlight; He refreshed them with His dews and showers; He dressed them in colors more regal than “Solomon in all his glory.” “They neither toil nor spin.” No milliner could have made their wardrobe. God only could make it. Now let us consider:

I. God’s care of the lilies. — He made them, and planted them along the mountain, glen and stream, in field and meadow. He fed and clothed them. The wild lilies have no other provider. God alone cares for them. How well it is done. No human heart or hand can take His place. He planted them where they grow. He selected their home. They grew as He wisely ordered, by stem and leaf and flower. He watered them when thirsty, and fed them when hungry.

“They have no care;
They bend their heads before the storm,
And rise to meet the sunshine warm,
“God cares for them.
His love is over every one;
He wills their good, His will be done.
He does neglect no single flower;
He makes them rich with sun and shower,
Their song of trust is sweet and clear,
And he that hath an ear, may hear.”

You see the lesson. The maker of the lilies made you; the Lover of the lilies loves you. Will He not clothe and feed you? Are you not worth more than all the lilies? Why, then, be “anxious about the morrow?” Why, then, be afraid to trust God? How unnatural How unreasonable! How ungrateful!

This is the lesson. Trust God like the lilies, and He will take care of you. This is the life of faith, the lily life; the child life, the heavenly life.

II. Then consider God’s prodigality to the lilies. — Go into a beautiful garden and examine the flowers. What a wealth of color and shape and perfume. All colors, all shapes beautiful, all exquisite perfumes. The wealth of heaven poured out on earth. No wonder Jesus called heaven “Paradise,” the beautiful garden of God.

But that lily is only a poor soulless flower. It can never know who feeds it, or made it, or loves it. It can never see, or know, or enjoy Him. You can. This is your God, your Father. Consider what He does for the lilies, then doubt what He will do for you, His child, His image, His loved one. You can know Him, see Him, love Him and enjoy Him. How much more then will He do for you. What prodigality of love and grace and riches and honor He has for you.

See what He has already done for you. For whom did He make the lilies and the birds and the sunshine and the world? All for you. Whom did Jesus die for? Whom are angels ministering to? Whom is heaven waiting for? All for you.

“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”

III. Then consider God’s resurrection of the lilies. — They vanish with the summer, and the snow of winter covers the graves of the lilies, and we imagine they are dead. The wild bees seek them in vain, and the valley is desolate where they bloomed, and the children wonder where they went, but God smiles over the landscape with April sun and showers, and the lilies rise from the dead, and bloom again. This is the resurrection of the lilies. Does it teach us no lesson? Hear Him say, “Consider the lilies.”

Have we loved ones beneath the sod, and the snow, whom we call dead?

“An angel form walks o'er the earth,
With soft and silent tread,
And bears our best loved friends away,
And then we call them dead.”

And will not the God of the lilies smile on them again, and make them rise from the grave and bloom again? He says He will. “Awake and sing, ye that sleep in the dust.”

Hear Him say, “Thy brother shall rise again,” and thy mother and husband and child.

We will consider the lilies, and thank God for the beautiful lessons they teach us. The loving hand that heals the broken lily with divine surgery, will bind up the broken heart of His child.

The mighty voice that calls the sleeping lilies from beneath the snow and sod, will call our loved ones from their graves. Blessed resurrection! With beauty beyond all lilies, and life beyond all death, we will receive them again to our rejoicing hearts and homes.

When hard times come and our hearts fail, “Consider the lilies, how they grow,” and take courage. When death comes and takes our best loved ones away, then “consider the lilies,” how they rise, and rejoice that we shall meet them again

“In those everlasting gardens,
Where angels walk,
And Seraphs are the wardens.”

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Reflections by Francis J. Grimké on the 1918 "Spanish Flu"

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Between October 1, 1918 and February 1, 1919, over 33,000 residents of Washington, D.C. contracted what was known as the “Spanish Flu” — 2,895 citizens of the city passed away during that time period. It was a devastating time for the city as well as the rest of the world, leading officials to ban, among other things, all church services in Washington, D.C. for the month of October 1918.

When the ban on such public gatherings was lifted, Francis J. Grimké, pastor of the Fifteenth Presbyterian Church, delivered a discourse on November 3, 1918 in which he offered his thoughts about the situation, which was published soon after under the title Some Reflections, Growing Out of the Recent Epidemic of Influenza That Afflicted Our City: A Discourse.

There were several takeaways for Grimké that may well serve Christians a century later to consider as well. To begin with, it is good to be reminded of the power of God.

I have been impressed with the ease with which large portions of the population may be wiped out in spite of the skill of man, of all the resources of science. Suddenly this epidemic came upon our city and country, and though every physician has been employed and every available nurse has been at work day and night, thousands have died, the awful death toll continued. Through all history we find populations thinned out in this way, not in ordinary, but in extraordinary ways. One night in Egypt death found its way into every Egyptian home. In Numbers 16:49, we read of a plague that broke out among the people in which 14,700 perished. In 2 Samuel 24:15, we also read of another plague that broke out in the reign of David in which, during three days, 70,000 perished. Thousands also have perished suddenly as the result of volcanic eruptions or earthquake shocks. How easy it would be for God to wipe out the whole human race, in this way, if he wanted to; for these terrible epidemics, plagues, the mighty forces of nature, all are at His command, are all His agents. At any moment, if He willed it, in this way, vast populations or portions of populations could be destroyed.

Grimké also wondered to himself, Why is it that the pestilence was fatal for some while others recovered?

The reason may be found, in one sense, in purely natural causes— some were physically better prepared to resist the disease, were stronger in vital power, and so pulled through. Others, not having sufficient vitality, went down under the strain; but I believe there is also another reason, and is to be found in the will of God. For some, the time of their departure had come, the limit of their earthly existence had been reached, and this was God's way of removing them out of this world into the next. Some day we have all got to go, but how, or when, or where, we do not know; that is with God alone.

In Grimké’s words, “We speak of accidental deaths, at times, but there are no accidents with God. All things are within the scope of His providence.” He continued to wonder, though, “Why are some taken with the disease and others not?” In meditating on the promise of preservation from illness in Psalm 91, Grimké acknowledged with humility that he didn’t know the secret will of God, but he did trust in the sovereign will of God.

He went on to address the problem of restricted civil liberties during the ban.

Another thing that has impressed me, in connection with this epidemic, is the fact that conditions may arise in a community which justify the extraordinary exercise of powers that would not be tolerated under ordinary circumstances. This extraordinary exercise of power was resorted to by the Commissioners in closing up the theaters, schools, churches, in forbidding all gatherings of any considerable number of people indoors and outdoors, and in restricting the numbers who should be present even at funerals. The ground of the exercise of this extraordinary power was found in the imperative duty of the officials to safeguard, as far as possible, the health of the community by preventing the spread of the disease from which we were suffering. There has been considerable grumbling, I know, on the part of some, particularly in regard to the closing of the churches. It seems to me, however, in a matter like this it is always wise to submit to such restrictions for the time being. If, as a matter of fact, it was dangerous to meet in theaters and in the schools, it certainly was no less dangerous to meet in churches. The fact that the churches were places of religious gathering, and the others not, would not affect in the least the health question involved. If avoiding crowds lessens the danger of being infected, it was wise to take the precaution and not needlessly run in danger, and expect God to protect us. And so, anxious as I have been to resume work, I have waited patiently until the order was lifted. I started to worry at first, as it seemed to upset all of our plans for the fall work; but I soon recovered my composure. I said to myself, Why worry? God knows what He is doing. His work isn’t going to suffer. It will rather be a help to it in the end. Out of it, I believe, great good is coming. All the churches, as well as the community at large, are going to be the stronger and better for this season of distress through which we have been passing.

Grimké was also led to reflect on the color-blind nature of the illness which swept his city and the world. It made no difference to the “Spanish Flu” whether those afflicted were white, black or brown; rich or poor; or in what class of society or locale they resided. All residents of Washington, indeed all human beings, were equally at risk of this disease - a fact which Grimké hoped would help those in power to see the foolishness of racial prejudice, or “colorphobia.”

Under such circumstances of what avail is the color of a man's skin, or his race identity? What does the lightning, the thunderbolt, the burning lava, the sea, care about color or race? White and black alike are dealt with indiscriminately; the one is smitten as readily as the other; the one is swallowed up as readily as the other. And that is the lesson which God is teaching everywhere through the operation of natural laws. And it is the great lesson which He also teaches in His inspired word; and which Jesus Christ, who said, "I am the light of the world. He that followeth after Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life," sought constantly to emphasize both by [precept] and example.

Grimké reminds us that we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves, no matter what may be a person’s skin color or background. Are we not all made in the image of God? This is the commandment of Christ, and we are to follow Christ’s own example.

Further, Grimké reflected on the importance of the church to the community at large. It was indeed a hardship for churches to be closed for a season.

The fact that for several weeks we have been shut out from the privileges of the sanctuary has brought home to us as never before what the church has really meant to us. We hadn't thought, perhaps, very much of the privilege while it lasted, but the moment it was taken away we saw at once how much it meant to us. One of the gratifying things to me, during this scourge, has been the sincere regrets that I have heard expressed all over the city by numbers of people at the closing of the churches. The theater goers, of course, have regretted the closing of the theaters. I do not know whether the children or the teachers have regretted the closing of the schools or not; I have heard no regrets expressed, but I do know that large numbers of people have regretted the closing of the churches. I hope that now that they are opened again, that we will all show our appreciation of their value by attending regularly upon their services. It would be a great calamity to any community to be without the public ministrations of the sanctuary. There is no single influence in a community that counts for more than the Christian church. It is one of the institutions, particularly, that ought to be strongly supported; that ought to be largely attended, and that ought to have the hearty endorsement and well-wishes of every right thinking man and woman within it. It is a great mistake for any one to stand aloof from the Christian church. Everybody in the community ought to have a church home, and ought to be found in that church home Sabbath after Sabbath.

Another profound consideration that Grimké raised is the importance of keeping eternal matters before our minds.

There is another thing connected with this epidemic that is also worthy of note. While it lasted, it kept the thought of death and of eternity constantly before the people. As the papers came out, day after day, among the first things that every one looked for, or asked about, was as to the number of deaths. And so the thought of death was never allowed to stay very long out of the consciousness of the living. And with the thought of death, the great thought also of eternity, for it is through death that the gates of eternity swing open. We don't as a general thing think very much about either death or eternity. They are not pleasant things to think about, and so we avoid thinking of them as much as possible. It is only when we are forced to that we give them any consideration, and even then only for the moment. They are both subjects of vital importance, however, involving the most momentous consequences. For after death is always the judgment. The grim messenger is God's summons to us to render up our account. That there is an account to be rendered up we are inclined to lose sight of, to forget; but it is to be rendered all the same. The books are to be opened, and we are to be judged out of the books. During the weeks of this epidemic — in the long list of deaths, in the large number of new-made graves, in the unusual number of funeral processions along our streets, God has been reminding us of this account which we must soon render up; He has been projecting before us in away to startle us, the thought of eternity.

Thus, Grimké implored all, especially those outside the household of faith, to weigh carefully the question of eternal life, and to seek the Lord while He may yet be found. In the midst of death, there is true and eternal life in Jesus Christ. And this true life gives great peace.

There is only one other thought that has come tome in connection with this epidemic; it is of the blessedness of religion, of the sense of security which a true, living, working faith in the Lord Jesus Christ gives one in the midst of life's perils. I felt, as doubtless you all felt, who are Christians, the blessedness of a firm grip upon Jesus Christ — the blessedness of a realizing sense of being anchored in God and in His precious promises. While the plague was raging, while thousands were dying, what a comfort it was to feel that we were in the hands of a loving Father who was looking out for us, who had given us the great assurance that all things should work together for our good. And, therefore, that come what would — whether we were smitten with the epidemic or not, or whether being smitten, we survived or perished, we knew it would be well with us, that there was no reason to be alarmed. Even if death came, we knew it was all right. The apostle says, "It is gain for me to die." Death had no terrors for him. He says, The hour of my departure is at hand: I .have fought the good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of glory which the Lord the righteous judge shall give at that day. And not to me only but to all them that love His appearing. And it was this same apostle who flung in the face of death the defiance, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

In the presence of such a faith, in the realization of God's love, as revealed in Jesus Christ, in the consciousness of fellowship with him, what are epidemics, what are scourges, what are all of life's trials, sufferings, disappointments? They only tend to work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. But, of course, if faith is to help us; if it is to put its great strong arms under us; if we are to feel its sustaining power under such distressing circumstances, it must be a real, living faith in God — it must be the genuine article — a faith that works, that works by love, and that purifies the heart. Any other faith is of absolutely no value to us in the midst of the great crises of life. And I said to myself while the epidemic was on, and while I was examining my own heart to see how far my religion was helping me to be calm, self-possessed. It is a good time for those of us who are Christians to examine ourselves to see exactly how it is with us, whether the foundation upon which we are building is a rock foundation — whether our faith is really resting upon Christ, the solid Rock, or not. And I still feel that one important function of this epidemic will be lost if it fails to have that effect upon us, if it does not lead to careful heart-searching on our part.

These reflections by Francis J. Grimké may well speak to our hearts a century after they were delivered. Pestilence is not new, and every generation must confront challenges to their faith, as well as their very lives and well-being. But our God changes not, and the lessons shared by Grimké in the midst of one epidemic are lessons that we who are in the midst of another do well to prayerfully consider.

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Presbyterians and the 1893 World's Fair

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The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition was a remarkable event for many reasons. It was designed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World, and additionally, to show how far the city of Chicago, Illinois had come since the 1871 Great Chicago Fire.

It was considered a success on many levels, but there was also great controversy on a religious level. The World’s Fair lasted from May to October, 1893. The organizers wanted to keep the exposition open on the Lord’s Day, but having sought federal support for the event, Congress - under pressure from Protestant denominations, including the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA), passed a resolution withholding financial support for Sunday events. After legal action was taken on the basis of the First Amendment, the fair was allowed to open on the Lord’s Day, although machines did not operate and most exhibits were closed.

The event served to inaugurate the World’s Parliament of Religions, known also at that time as the General Committee on the Congress of Religions, which was organized by the Presbyterian minister Dr. John Henry Barrows. This gathering of the world’s religious bodies - which clearly had ecumenical aims - did not receive full support from all Presbyterians, but some, including Dr. Philip Schaff, H.D. Jenkins and others gave addresses at the Parliament. Barrows chronicled the landmark event in two massive volumes.

The 1893 minutes of the PCUSA General Assembly record the following concerning the committee designated to represent the Presbyterian Church at the World’s Fair.

The Special Committee on the Columbian Exhibit presented its Report, which was adopted, and the Committee reappointed. The Report is as follows:

The Assembly’s Committee on the Presbyterian Exhibit at the World’s Columbian Exposition would respectfully report that, following the instructions of previous Assemblies, they have caused to be prepared an exhibit, now being installed in the space assigned for it by the Exposition authorities in the department of Liberal Arts, in the section occupied by the exhibits of other churches, and religious and reform societies.

By means of maps, charts, photographs, books, papers, and a small collection of curios, an exhibit is made of the numerical strength, the distribution, and the work of Presbyterianism in the world, and in particular of our own branch of the Church. The work of the various Boards of the Church is also exhibited, together with photographs of many of our educational institutions and their faculties. A full list of our denominational periodicals is displayed, as are the important issues of our Board of Publication. A fine heraldry of the Church has been prepared for the exhibit.

A prominent feature of the exhibit is an historical pamphlet prepared for the Committee by the Rev. H.D. Jenkins, D.D., giving the distinctive features of our history and polity. This pamphlet of some eighty pages is to be distributed gratuitously at the exhibit. It is hoped to present copies to the Assembly before the close of its session.

The cost of the exhibit up to this time has been nearly $2500, of which about one-third has been expended in the preparation and issue of the first edition of 10,000 copies of the historical pamphlet. A full statement of the expenses, and acknowledgment of the generous assistance the Committee has received from many sources, will be made from many sources, will be made in a final Report to the next Assembly.

Owing to some uncertainty in regard to the opening of the Exposition on Sunday, and also the impracticability of securing a definite assignment of space until a comparatively recent date, the Committee delayed active work for a considerable time. When it appeared certain that the Exposition would be closed on Sunday, the work was pushed forward as rapidly as possible, in accordance with the instructions given by previous Assemblies. Recently the question of opening the Exposition on Sunday has again been agitated. It seems improbable that this will be done, but if it shall finally be decided, against the protest of our own Church and that of many of the Churches of the country, to open the Exposition on Sunday, our exhibit will be withdrawn, according to the directions of this Assembly.

The General Assembly minutes from 1894 indicate that when the decision was made to keep the Exposition open on the Lord’s Day, the PCUSA asked the organizers to remove their exhibit, but permission was denied. At various times, as legal wrangling over the Sunday openings was ongoing, the exhibit remained in boxes with a sign posted indicating the General Assembly’s requirement for the exhibit’s closure in protest, and yet the exhibit did provide a testimony not only to the PCUSA’s opposition to Sabbath-breaking, but also to the witness of the American Presbyterian church at large.

An important fruit of the World’s Fair Committee’s labors in this regard was the book by Jenkins, Presbyterianism: A Brief Review of the Doctrine, Polity and Life of Our Churches, which is available to read here. From the 10,000 copies prepared, many were delivered to the various presbyteries, and helped to articulate the witness of the American Presbyterian Church to the world. It remains a worthy read today, and provides us today with a snapshot of how the PCUSA viewed itself - and other branches of the Presbyterian Church - in 1893. It was the World’s Fair that brought forth this witness, and has left us with this legacy.

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The Family Altar

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As chairman of the Executive Committee of Publication of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS), James Power Smith wrote the preface to a valuable work on family worship titled The Family Altar (1915). This has recently been added to Log College Press.

The Family Altar contains Scripture readings, hymn selections and suggested prayers for each day of the week, over a period of four weeks, as well as special occasional prayers from men such as Edward Reynolds of the Westminster Assembly, Henry Van Dyke, Jr., James Isaac Vance, Russell Cecil, Richard Clark Reed, William Marcellus McPheeters, and James Russell Miller.

Smith writes:

The daily worship of the household is of early origin. The Hebrew patriarchs builded their altars where they pitched their tents, and there called on the name of the Lord. The disciples of Jesus in earliest Christian times had "the church in the home." It has a natural foundation and reason, in the unity of the family, the close and tender relations of the household, and the sanctity and love of the Christian home; suggesting and inviting the family acknowledgment of mercies and petitions for Divine presence and blessing. Upon the family altar, continued through the ages, has rested the blessing of God.

It honors God, the giver of all our good, the source of all our happiness. It makes the home a sanctuary for God's dwelling. It binds the household together in a more hallowed love. It pleads the grace of Covenant promise. It instructs and unites all hearts in the truth and grace of Christ. It builds a wall of defense against the error and evil of the world around us. It bears witness for God, our Saviour, to the stranger within our gates. It devotes the day to the highest service and sweetens all the hours. It plants in every heart sacred memories to be profitable and happy in all the following years. It brings down from Heaven that blessing of God which maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it.

Be encouraged to take up the duty and privilege of family worship by this valuable aid published over a century ago. Daily family mercies received should lead to daily family prayers and thanksgivings. To God be the glory!

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Daniel Baker on what it means to be a Calvinist

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Daniel Baker was the author of a tract on God’s sovereignty which teaches that the dominion of God’s kingdom extends to all creation and that His omnipotent power governs all actions and events providentially. It is an excellent, brief argument for a Biblical doctrine which Calvinists are known to affirm. Baker also tackles the controversial word “Calvinist” head on:

3. The government of God extends^ not only to all things^ but to all events; not only to all creatures, hut to all their actions. I am aware that we are here launching into the deep ; but the Bible is our chart. It is a good chart, and we need fear nothing.

Reader, I am a Calvinist, so called; not that I embrace all the dogmas of the great Genevan divine, but certainly those that are embraced in the standards of our Church, and the longer I live, and the more carefully I examine the subject, the more thoroughly convinced am I, that the system, usually termed Calvinistic, is firmly based upon the Bible, and will stand the "test of scrutiny, of talents, and of time.” Nay, I will go further, and say that the system needs only to be correctly understood by all the true people of God to be received and loved. I repeat it, I am a Calvinist, but I am no fatalist!

He goes on to elaborate on what this means.

I hold to the sovereignty of God, and also to the free-agency of man, and whilst I believe that God worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, yet it is in such a way as "thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence done to the freedom of the creature; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established." It may not be possible for me to discriminate between the human and the divine agency; nor can I tell where one colour in the rainbow terminates, and where another begins; yet do I know that these colours are different, and both in the rainbow! I may not be able to reconcile the free-agency of man with the fixed purposes of God which I believe; nor can I reconcile the free-agency of man with the foreknowledge of God, which all must believe; suffice it to know that both doctrines are taught in the Bible, and I know that the Bible is true. Do I trample upon reason? I deny it — I have a syllogism. It is this. My heavenly Father says that these doctrines are all true. My heavenly Father never tells lies, and therefore these doctrines are all true! But can they ever be reconciled or explained? I believe they both can, and will be, when God gives the key! Suppose, for a moment, that you were utterly unacquainted with your twofold existence, as consisting of soul and body. Now, whilst believing yourself to be a simple, and not a compound being, suppose I should say: "You are a mortal man, and must soon die ;" and the next moment should pronounce you an immortal being, and affirm that you can never die, but must live for ever! Would you not say, that I spoke very absurdly, and used very contradictory language? But, should I add, wait a little, and you will have the key, and then all will be plain, and you will see that all is true, and there is no absurdity, no contradiction whatever; methinks you would reply, "No, sir, no key will answer, none can reconcile things so perfectly contradictory, 'mortal,’ and yet at the same time 'immortal!" must die! and yet, will not, cannot die! the thing Is absurd. It cannot be! But when you are let into the secret of your twofold nature — O, now! there is no difficulty at all! Even so, in relation to the sovereignty of God, and the free-agency of man, we find it difficult to reconcile these things now, because the key is wanting. In a future state the key will be given, and then there will be no difficulty at all. In the mean time let us remember, that the Bible is suited to our probationary state. We need our faith tried, as well as any other grace, or virtue. And now our grand inquiry is, What does the Bible teach? for

“This is the judge that ends the strife,
Where wit and reason fail;
My guide to everlasting life,
Through all this gloomy vale.”

That the government of God extends, not only to all things but to all events; not only to all creatures, but to all their actions. In other words, that the providence of God is, in some way or other, concerned with all that is done or transpires on earth, is manifest from very many passages of Scripture. The strongest, I think, are those which assert the providence of God in cases where, least of all, it might have been expected.

Thus, in the 127th Psalm, we find it thus written: "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." And again, "The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof, is of the Lord." But there is another passage of Scripture, perhaps, yet more remarkable; inasmuch as it asserts the providence and purpose of God in a case involving sin, dreadtul sin! The passage referred to is found in Acts ii. 23: "Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." The crucifixion of Christ, by envious and wicked Jews, was certainly a crime of great magnitude; and yet the apostle Peter tells us expressly that it was " according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.” The explanation of the matter is simply this: God knowing all things, foreknew what evil passions would be waked up in the bosom of the Jews by the life, and doctrines, and reproofs of our Saviour, and he also knew full well to what a murderous deed those evil passions would lead, if not restrained. For wise and benevolent purposes towards our race, God determined, not to restrain those evil passions, but to leave the Jews, (as of course he justly might) to the freedom of their own will — leave them to act out their own depravity; purposing, as I have said, to overrule the whole matter to the accomplishment of great ends. God was certainly under no obligation to exercise a restraining influence upon those wicked Jews; and if He foreknew what crime they unrestrained would commit, his "foreknowledge had no influence on their fault, which had proved no less certain unforeknown;" hence the apostle Peter, at the very time that he speaks of the crucifixion of Christ as being according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, nevertheless, charges home all the guilt thereof, upon the wicked Jews. Observe his language! "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.”

The case of Joseph also, is precisely in point. He was hated by his brethren, and by them sold into Egypt. This was a great sin; and afterwards, when in trouble, they freely confessed it. "And they said, one to another, we are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear, therefore is this distress upon us. And Reuben answered, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child, and ye would not hear, therefore, behold also, his blood is required." Thus, all who had a hand in selling Joseph, acknowledged, and felt that they had acted freely, and they writhed under the stings of an accusing conscience. Yet, when Joseph made himself known unto them, and they were greatly troubled at his presence, what said Joseph unto them? "I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now, therefore, be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life. Ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to save much people alive." There needs be no difficulty. The case is simply this. God being infinitely wise, knows how, in perfect consistency with the perfections of his character, to make use of all instrumentalities, good and bad, for the accomplishment of his wise and benevolent purposes. Certain things God brings to pass by a positive agency. Other things he simply permits to come to pass. And, let it be remarked, permission and approbation do not, by any means, mean the same thing. Napoleon Bonaparte, when a child, wished to go to a certain place, but was forbidden by his mother. Being headstrong, he persisted in going. "Well, my son," said his mother, "you may go, but remember! it is not with your mother's approbation." And thus God oftentimes permits things which, so far from commanding, he forbids, and highly disapproves. He permits sometimes because he would not interfere with the free-agency of the creature. He permits, sometimes, because he purposes (as in the cases already mentioned) to overrule the evil intended for good; and sometimes he permits, in a judicial way as a punishment for sins previously committed. Hence the language of Paul in reference to the heathen and their abominations: "Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them aver to do things which are not convenient."

And now let it not be forgotten, this is all that is meant by a certain passage in our Shorter Catechism, which has been much caviled at, viz. "The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass." In other words it may be stated thus: By the decrees of God, we mean no formal legislative enactment, (as, "Thus it shall be," and "thus it shall not be,") but, simply the calm and settled purpose of an infinitely wise and gracious God, to bring to pass; or permit to come to pass whatsoever does come to pass, for the glory of his name. Does any one ask, what is the difference between bringing to pass and permitting to come to pass? I answer, God brought to pass the incarnation of his Son; He permitted to come to pass his crucifixion. The difference is as wide as the east is from the west. Our doctrine, then, is simply this; By positive and permissive decrees, God, in wisdom and in love, manages the affairs of the universe, directs and controls all things, and all events, all creatures, and all their actions. It must be so, for suppose an event to take place without the divine permission; for example, then, it must be either because God is not aware of it, or cannot prevent it. If not aware of it. He cannot be omniscient; if He cannot prevent it, then he is not omnipotent; and then, of course, in the last case, "there must be a power behind the throne greater than the throne itself," which thought would be frightful! No, our doctrine is true, that the government of God extends not only to all things, but to all events, not only to all creatures, but to all their actions. In other words, that a Divine providence is concerned, in some way or other, concerned "in all the good and ill that checker human life."

Is further proof demanded? Permit me to quote a very remarkable passage found in Isaiah xlv. 7; "I form the light, and I create darkness; I make peace and create evil; I, the Lord, do all these things." What! the Lord create evil? Yes! but in such a way as casts no stain upon his moral perfections; but, on the contrary, will furnish new matter for admiration and praise. Hence, the language of joy and gratulation which immediately follows. "Drop down ye heavens from above! and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation. Let righteousness spring up together; I, the Lord, have created it." But how does God create evil. As he does darkness. The first sentence explains the last. Observe the language; I form the light, and I create darkness. How does God form the light? By a positive influence, pouring radiance around How does God create darkness? By withholding this radiance. Even so, by a positive influence, God makes peace, and by withholding that influence, creates evil, that is, permits it. In this, is God the author of sin? No more than the sun is the source of darkness, although its absence occasions that darkness.

Thus, as Baker explains, the Bible teaches — and so does Calvinism — that the sovereignty of God extends to all creatures and their actions in such a way that God is not the author of sin, but overrules all sinful actions to His glory and the good of His people. Read Baker’s full tract on The Sovereignty of God Explained and Vindicated here.

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J.W. Alexander on the blessings of trial

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At the end of James Waddel Alexander’s Thoughts on Preaching, edited by Samuel Davies Alexander, one will find many gems extracted from J.W.’s private journal. This is one such meditation on the “Blessings of Trial.”

§ 15. Blessings of Trial. — The trials which befall us, are the very trials which we need. The little daily excoriations of temper speedily heal themselves, but when the pain lasts, they have an errand to accomplish, and they accomplish it. These, as well as greater sufferings are ordered. They must be submit ted to with patience, resignation, and meekness, and if they enable us to see ourselves, and gain a victory over our pride, they are of great value. Instead of vain and impotent wishes to fly from them, or the circumstances which occasion them, it is the part of manly virtue to fear and forbear, and by grace to wax stronger and stronger.

It is not easy to hear that the trials which befall us are the very trials which God, in His wisdom, has determined that we need, but may such considerations lead us to learn to, in the words of Charles H. Spurgeon, “kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages.”

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John B. Reeve: A man of many books, and *the* Book

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Visit many good books, and live in the Bible. — Charles H. Spurgeon

Beloved to many, pastor and professor John Bunyan Reeve was especially dear to Francis James Grimké. It was Reeve who presented Grimké to the Presbytery of Philadelphia as a candidate for the ministry. The two remarkable ministries of these men were intertwined in God’s providence in many ways and over many decades. Three addresses by Grimké testify to the profound impact that Reeve had on his own life, and that of many others. These include: 1) “Remarks at the Semi-Centennial of the Ordination to the Ministry of the Reverend John B. Reeve, June 4, 1911;” 2) “Rev. John B. Reeve, January 20, 1916;” and 3) “A Short Address delivered at Howard University, November 11, 1930, in Connection with the Presentation of a Portrait of the Rev. John B. Reeve” [all found in Vol. 1 of Grimké’s Works].

Although Presbyterian by conviction, it is perhaps not surprising that a man named after John Bunyan, would take to Spurgeon’s maxim noted above. Reeve was an avid reader. Grimké describes him as '“an omnivorous reader.” A man knowledgeable in the Word, a man of prayer, a remarkable preacher - but a man who labored to bring that Word to the flock under his care.

As the under-shepherd of the flock, he realized that his great mission was to lead the flock into green pastures and by the side of still waters. And he knew that these green pastures and still waters were not stumbled upon, but had to be searched for, came as the result of careful, diligent, persistent effort. The scriptures must be searched; the truth must be digged for; waters out of the wells of salvation must be drawn out; there must be effort put forth, constant, persistent painstaking effort.

Reeve knew that after all the planting, watering and effort, “the increase comes from God.” But he did his job, searched the Scriptures, and studied to bring forth the Word faithfully. It is apt that such a man would help, along with Matthew Anderson and others, to establish the Berean School of Philadelphia (as well as the Department of Theology at Howard University).

The man that Grimké describes in his addresses is a man who loved God’s Word, and valued the study of good books to aid in the understanding and preaching of that Word.

He was a man of scholarly attainments. He never ceased to be a student; he never lost his taste for study; he never allowed himself by pressure from the outside to deprive him of his study hour. He was always delving; always seeking to enlarge the stores of his knowledge, to get a broader vision of things, and a greater store of information from which, not only to enrich his own intellectual and spiritual life, but also from which to draw supplies for his pulpit ministrations. He was an omnivorous reader. I don’t know any man among us who was as widely read as he was, who, during his lifetime, read as many books as he did. He was reading, always reading, and reading in many directions — history, poetry, philosophy, fiction, books of travel — books religious and books secular.

Very early in his college and seminary life he came to realize with Milton the value of good books. “As good almost kill a man as a good book;” you remember is what Milton said; “who kills a man kills a reasonable creature God’s image; but he who destroys a good book kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye.” “A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond.” Yes, good books; and he knew what the friendship of good books was; and that friendship was sedulously cultivated — continued to the very end.

The last time I was with him, we talked about books; and when I was coming away, he spoke about the sermon he had heard me preach just the day before, and of the interest which he felt in the line of thought discussed in it, and handed me a package containing two books, which he said, he wanted me to accept, and which dealt with one aspect of the same subject which I had treated in my sermon. He was able to put his hand, at once, upon books bearing upon the subject discussed. I mentioned this incident to show how wide was his reading, how he kept in touch through the printed page, with almost every phase of thought. And here, too, the younger men who are coming up, and are just forming habits, and the older men also, in many instances, might learn an important lesson from him as to keeping up their habits of study, and of cultivating an ever-growing friendship for good books.

Whether to the young or to the old, Grimké’s words — and Reeve’s example — ring as true today as they did over a century ago. The friendship of good books, in right proportion and for the right ends, is a valuable support to the study of the Good Book, the Holy Scriptures. That is the Berean way.

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Dabney's 200th Birthday

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One of the giants of 19th century American Presbyterianism, Robert Lewis Dabney, was born 200 years ago on March 5, 1820 in Louisa County, Virginia. Farmer, minister, chaplain, professor, theologian, scholar, author, architect, and family man - Dabney was all of these and more. He was a friend and biographer to Stonewall Jackson, and served as his chief of staff. His Systematic Theology, treatise on preaching (Sacred Rhetoric or Evangelical Eloquence), five volumes of Discussions, study of the Five Points of Calvinism, and many other sermons and writings, constitute a body of profound and Biblical commentary on theology and other matters that remains highly regarded by many today. His views in opposition to racial equality were challenged by fellow Southern Presbyterian John L. Girardeau,* and have been repudiated by many today. Two hundred years after his birth, Dabney, who never shied from controversy during his lifetime, remains controversial, but his legacy endures and cannot be ignored. We remember his bicentennial birthday today because of the mark he made on American Presbyterianism. Read him for yourself here, and you will understand why he is worthy of remembrance.

* “He and Dr. R.L. Dabney did not agree on every point in theology, nevertheless they were warm personal friends.” — George A. Blackburn, The Life Work of John L. Girardeau, D.D., LL.D., p. 367

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Samuel Davies on turning "Delight into a Sacrifice"

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A Verse may hit him whom a Sermon flies,
And turn Delight into a Sacrifice. - George Herbert, “The Temple”

These lines are quoted by Samuel Davies in the preface to his Miscellaneous Poems, Chiefly on Divine Subjects (1751) [not yet available on this site]. They indicate his strong conviction that poetry is a means to glorify God by the conveyance of truth. As Davies himself says: “On this Account I have frequently thought the Divine Art of Poetry might be made peculiarly subservient to the Interests of Religion and Virtue.” He clarifies his point with this caveat: “I do not mean that the Muse should be wholly confin'd to sacred Things. 'Tis only for a Proportion I plead. She might recreate herself in a thousand Excursions through the Credtions of Fancy; but let her seasonably return to the more important Themes she left.”

Davies was a prolific poet, as well as a dedicated preacher, and although the subjects of his poetry are diverse (and they include notably his beloved wife, “Chara”), it is worth noting how often he took pains to append poems to his sermons. At least 14 such compositions — “annext” to a sermon — appear in Book II of Miscellaneous Poems. They were meant to bring home the point of the preaching by aiming to reach him who — in Herbert’s words — “a sermon flies.” Davies writes: “It has been my usual Method for some Time, after studying a Sermon, to cast a few Thoughts into a poetical Form, either containing the Substance of the Sermon, or expressive of my Disposition in composing it.”

Many of the sermons referenced are “no longer extant” (Joseph C. Harrod, Theology and Spirituality in the Works of Samuel Davies, p. 83). But the verse he wrote may still “hit” a reader. Examples of this are given by Harrod (from Richard Beale Davies, ed., Collected Poems of Samuel Davies, 1721-1761) of poems appended to sermons he preached and published:

While Davies did not describe his methods of meditation, he recorded some [of] the fruits of his practice in his poems, and these poems illustrate the linkage between reflection on Scripture and personal piety. In a poem affixed to a sermon on Revelation 22:17 [titled “The Fountain”], Davies mused on the spiritual refreshment of the gospel: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (AV).

Today the living streams of grace
Flow to refresh the thirsty soul:
Pardon and life and boundless bliss
In plenteous rivers round us roll.

Ho! ye that pine away and die,
Come, and your raging thirst allay:
Come all that will, here’s rich supply;
A fountain that shall ne’er decay.

‘Come ALL,’ the blessed Jesus cries,
’Freely my blessings I will give.’
That spirit echoes back the voice,
And bids us freely drink and live.

The saints below, that do b'ut taste,
and saints above, who drink at will,
Cry jointly, ‘Thirsty sinners! haste,
and drink, the spring’s exhaustless still.’

Let all that hear the joyful sound,
To spread it thro’ the world unite;
From house to house proclaim it round,
Each man his fellow-man invite.

Like thirsty flocks, come let us go;
Come every colour, every age:
And while the living waters flow,
Let all their parching thirst assauge.

Here the “water of life” took on the character of “living streams,” “plenteous rivers,” and a lasting “fountain,” given to satisfy the spiritual thirst of sinners. This grace is offered without qualification for it is a “rich supply” that gives no hint of being exhausted and “all” may come to these waters. It is noteworthy that the “all” was truly inclusive of persons from every race. Davies used imagery drawn from the realm of nature to illustrate spiritual truths.

In another poetic meditation [titled “Love to God for His Holiness”], Davies contemplated God’s holiness as a motive for human affection.

Come, Holy Spirit! Come, enflame
Our lukewarm Hearts with Sacred Fire:
May all our Passions, to Thy name,
In Transports most refin’d aspire.

May Love sublime our Hearts posses,
From every selfish Mixture free,
Fir’d with the Charms of Holiness,
The Beauty of Divinity.

Thus in the glorious Worlds on high,
Where Holiness is most ador’d,
Th’ Angelic Choirs incessant cry,
’Thrice HOLY, HOLY, HOLY LORD!’

Refine our Hearts, inspire our Tongue,
And We in humble Notes below
Will imitate the heav’nly Song,
And eccho ‘HOLY, HOLY,’ too.

In this meditation, Davies invoked the Holy Spirit’s affective work, much as the classical poets might have invoked the muse. Yet the Spirit’s work here is to equip the saints for worship by giving them a pure vision of God’s total purity, a vision drawn from the biblical imagery of Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4-5 where heavenly worshippers behold God’s holiness and overflow with praise. In both examples of Davies’ meditation, biblical passages, theological doctrines, and natural observations join to create a powerful imagery to stir one’s heart for devotion.

In this way, Davies took to heart the words of Herbert, and whether by verse or by sermon, he continues to reach out to sinners and saints to put before them the Words of life. He employed the tools at his disposal to place before our minds and hearts even today the divine truth of the gospel, and by means of his poetry in particular, enables the reader to “turn Delight into a Sacrifice.”

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Presbyterian Presidential Correspondence

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Did you ever write a letter to the White House? At Log College Press, we are developing a growing body of correspondence between American Presbyterian ministers and U.S. Presidents.

• John Ewing, Ashbel Green and William Marshall to George Washington - These were among the signers of a 1797 joint letter of appreciation to Washington.

• Samuel Miller to George Washington - We have letters from Miller to Washington from 1793 and 1795. Miller would later preach a 1799 sermon on the occasion of Washington’s death (not yet available at LCP).

• Samuel Miller to Thomas Jefferson - We have seven letters from Miller to Jefferson from 1800 to 1808. Miller was once an enthusiastic supporter of Jefferson, but the two men experienced a breach in their relationship when Jefferson declined Miller’s request to recommend a national day of fasting and prayer. More can be read about this in Mark A. Beliles, The Selected Religious Letters and Papers of Thomas Jefferson (2014).

• Samuel Miller to James Madison - We have two letters from Miller to Madison dated 1822 and 1835.

• William McWhir to George Washington - McWhir was for ten years principal of an academy at Alexandria, Virginia, of which George Washington was a trustee, and whose step­children he taught. Two letters from McWhir to Washington are available to read here.

• William Linn to Thomas Jefferson - William Linn, along with John Mitchell Mason, was deeply concerned about the prospect of Jefferson becoming President during the election of 1800. We have one 1798 letter from Linn to Jefferson.

• Hugh Henry Brackenridge to Thomas Jefferson - Brackenridge was a Presbyterian jurist, novelist and scholar who corresponded with Jefferson. Two letters of his are included here from 1801 and 1813.

• Ezra Stiles Ely to Andrew Jackson - Ely was an admirer and a confidant of the Presbyterian Jackson, and advised him during the Peggy Eaton affair. We have four letter from Ely to Jackson from 1825 to 1830.

• Phineas Densmore Gurley to Abraham Lincoln - Gurley was pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, where Lincoln regularly attended (but was not a member). We have twelve letters from Gurley to Lincoln from 1861 to 1865. Gurley would later attend Lincoln’s deathbed and preach his funeral sermon.

• Stuart Robinson to Abraham Lincoln - Robinson wrote to Lincoln twice in 1864 and 1865 concerning the suppression of his newspaper during wartime.

• William Jennings Bryan, Sr. to Woodrow Wilson - Bryan served as Secretary of State under Wilson; both men were ordained Presbyterian ruling elders. We have his 1915 letter of resignation to Wilson.

We hope to continue to build on this material which provides a fascinating insight to our understanding of early American Presbyterian church-state relationships, not only in principle but in practice.

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Three kinds of grace, according to Gilbert Tennent

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What is grace? Archibald Alexander in his Pocket Dictionary (1829, 1831) defines it as “free favour, unmerited kindness.” Gilbert Tennent in his 1743 sermon on this attribute of God — from his series on the chief end of man, reprinted also in Archibald Alexander’s compilation of Sermons of the Log College, edited by Samuel Davies Alexander — also speaks of it as “undeserved kindness.” Tennent elaborates that grace is both a divine attribute of God, and the gift of God towards others — and that God’s grace extends to “ail Creatures, even to the noblest Angels.”

The fact that God’s grace — unmerited favor — extends to all creatures suggests that not all creatures are beneficiaries of what is known as “saving grace.” Thus, distinctions must be made in the types of grace that God extends to His creatures. These distinct types of the grace of God are discussed in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Charles Hodge, A.A. Hodge, Robert L. Dabney, W.G.T. Shedd, Geerhardus Vos and many other notable American theologians, all of whom properly distinguish between saving and common grace.

But to return to Gilbert Tennent’s sermon on grace, let us hear what this son of the founder of the Log College taught in 1743.

…Grace is Three-fold, viz., Universal, common, and saving. And

1st. Universal Grace is that, whereby Jehovah dispenses natural Things upon all his Creatures, and hence he is call’d the Saviour of all Men. 1 Tim. iv.10. And is said to preserve Man and Beast. Psa. xxxvi.6. He causes his Sun to rise upon the Fields of the Evil and the Good, and sends his Rain upon the Just and the Unjust: He gives to Man Life, Health, Strength, and all the Supports he enjoys therein, all which being undeserv’d, may be call’d Grace; but according to the Usage of Scripture and Antiquity, they seldom and less properly bear that Name.

2dly. Common Grace consists in the Communication of moral good Things upon Men promiscuously, whether they be good or bad, elect or not elect, just as natural Wisdom and Prudence, and all the Train of moral Vertues, in which even some Pagans have excell’d. And to these we may add, all outward religious Priviledges and Means of Grace; together with those transient Effects which are sometimes produced, by them upon the Unregenerate, such as some of Illumination, and Stirrings of religious Affection. In a Word all those common operations of the Holy Spirit, which are not follow’d by a habitual and saving Change, must be ascrib’d hereto. Of these mention is made Heb. vi.4-6. and also in the Parable of the Sower, Mat. xiii.20-21. But he that received the Seed into Stony Places, the same is he that heareth the Word, and anon with Joy receiveth it, yet hath he not Root in himself, but dureth for a while, for when Tribulation or Persecution ariseth, because of the Word, by and by he is offended. But

3dly. Saving Grace is that undue or undeserved Love of God, whereby he confers upon the Elect only, saving Benefits, of his own meer good Pleasure.

Thus, according to Tennent, the disposition of God towards all of his creatures is gracious, leading him to extend unmerited favor in some measure unto all, although saving grace is reserved for the elect only. The knowledge of God’s grace — in all its manifestations — is a mighty incentive to humility:

…methinks the Doctrine of Free Grace should powerfully induce us to Humility, Seeing that it is God only, who has made us to differ from others, and that we have nothing but what we have receiv'd. We are his Debtors, for all we have in Hand or Hope. The Nature of Grace supposes the Object, upon whom it is vouchsafed, unworthy of it. A continued humbling Sense of this, would as much conduce to our Benefit, as Ornament.

The sovereign and free grace of God, which flows from His very nature, will naturally bring low the pride of man and exalt the goodness of God. Consider this word from Tennent — the whole sermon is found in his Twenty-Three Sermons on Man's Chief End (1744) and in Alexander’s Sermons of the Log College (1855) — and may we then praise Him as the Psalmist does who said: “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Ps. 103:8).

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The Collateral Bible

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There is a 19th century Bible study resource of which many 21st century students of Scripture may not have heard. It is the three-volume The Collateral Bible; or, A Key to the Holy Scriptures: In Which All the Corresponding Texts are Brought Together Into One View, and Arranged in a Familiar and Easy Manner (1826-1828), produced by the combined labors of William McCorkle, Ezra Stiles Ely and Gregory T. Bedell. It was a monumental labor of love for God’s Word that attempted to collate Scripture texts in such a way as to show the harmony of the Old and New Testaments. It encompasses not only Genesis 1 through Malachi 4, but brings to bear New Testament verses suitably with those from the Old Testament. The introduction to the first volume explains further:

Such is the Bible. It is a sealed book to those who do not believe; but, [to] all those who believe, it is “able to make wise unto salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus.”

With this view of the subject, as Scripture is its own best expositor; harmonizing, explaining, and enforcing itself; THE COLLATERAL BIBLE was commenced fifteen years ago, but, owing to various causes, was delayed until this time, though its ultimate publication was never relinquished. The first Volume of it, is now, through the good providence of God, presented to the world. If it shall prove useful in his hands, as another means of explaining his word, so that it shall be plain to every capacity; of convincing and converting sinners; and of further instruction, edification, and consolation to his people; to Him be all the praise.

As in the present plan, verses from both the Old and New Testaments are brought together, which not only corroborate and support each other, but bring into view customs and uses of things; a number of Tables have been prefixed, which may sometimes prove necessary to the more complete understanding of particular phrases or passages of Scripture.

The work, it is trusted, will prove interesting and satisfactory. Although there are, of necessity, many repetitions, yet they will be found valuable and advantageous to the reader. It may appear to some, on a hasty perusal, that several of the collateral passages are not applicable; yet, on a closer and more critical inspection, it is believed they will be found not only strictly so, but of such a nature as to bring forward new views of the subject to the reflecting mind. Names are sometimes made collateral, as that is the only record we have or know of them. Frequently, in bringing together a number of verses from different parts of the Bible, they will be found to have various degrees of collateral affinity to the verse under which they are placed: some will be direct; others are by analogy, by implication, by inference, or by contrast; others are historical, prophetical, or monitorial. It has been therefore necessary, not only to avoid confusion where the affinities were diverse, but also to render this method of investigating and proving Scripture exceeding plain even to youthful readers, occasionally to substitute a name within brackets thus, [Abraham,] both to connect the sense, and to readily comprehend the original passage from which it was taken. The utility of this method, will be apparent at once.

Finally, should there be any who object to those passages of Scripture, which delineate either the crimes or frailties of fallen man, as has often been done without thought in some, and with malice in others, let them recollect what has previously been said; and, also, that there is nothing wrong in the BIBLE, but in themselves: that “to the pure, all things are pure,” and, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

One small example of these collated passages comes from Psalm 5:3:

3 (e) My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

(e) Ps. lv. 17. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and he shall hear my voice.

[Ps.] lxxxviii. 13. But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.

[Ps.] cxix. 147. I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.

Is. xxvi. 9. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Mark i. 35. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

These volumes have recently been added to the Ezra Stiles Ely page, and it is thought that these Bible collations may be of interest and usefulness to modern students of Scripture.

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Girardeau on "the queen of the sciences"

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In a tribute to John Lafayette Girardeau, Thorton C. Whaling once wrote:

Philosophy in this sense of the biblical ethics, psychology and ontology underlies the whole structure of the theology of redemption which is thus builded upon these philosophic presuppositions. Dr. Girardeau's profound interest in philosophy therefore rested upon the base of the inherently necessary service which as an ally and handmaid philosophy must render to the "queen of all the sciences."

Theology is known as “the queen of the sciences,” but there are those that have challenged that notion. Whaling continues (his tribute was published separately and in George A. Blackburn’s The Life Work of John L. Girardeau):

In selecting some specimens of Dr. Girardeau's theologizing, the first instance which falls to be mentioned is found in the field of Introductory Theology in his answer to the objection that theology cannot really be a science, because it involves an infinite and therefore an inconceivable and indefinable element, and since the thinking faculty which is the organ of science cannot handle an inconceivable element, there cannot therefore be a valid theological science.

Our theologian's reply is, that every science begins with an indemonstrable, inconceivable and indefinable element. Such is the Soul with which Metaphysics begins. Such is personality with which law begins, continues and ends. Such is life with which Medicine deals. Such is Substance, upon which all the physical sciences rest. The infinite is no more indefinable than is the Soul, Life, Substance. Further, the infinite is a datum furnished by Revelation. If the Scriptures are proven to be from God, theology may accept an infinite God as validly as the other sciences their principia.

Girardeau was elected as Professor of Didactic and Polemic Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary in 1875, and delivered his inaugural address the following year titled Theology as a Science, Involving an Infinite Element. Here he addresses the question squarely:

It is now so generally admitted that theology is a science, that any elaborate attempt to establish its claims to that denomination would seem to be superfluous. It has been said that the title of science is denied to theology, “partly on the ground that the habit corresponding to it is not natural, but supernatural; and partly on the ground that it does not spring from principles of reason, nor proceed by logical deductions. It does not, in other words, find a place under the Aristotelic definition of science.” Now, even were it conceded that it professes to be a subjective and not an objective science, the first of these objections would not necessarily be fatal. For if there may be a natural habit of natural knowledge, there is no just reason why there may not be a supernatural habit of supernatural knowledge: and if reason, in its natural condition, is adapted to the scientific treatment of the former, one fails to see why reason supernaturally enlightened may not be competent to deal with the latter. Theology, however, claims to be mainly a science in the objective sense, as concerned about the theory rather than the habit of religion, and the difficulty alleged is consequently deprived of force. To the other objection it may be answered that theology does in part spring from the indestructible principles of reason, endorsed and enforced by revelation; that in so far as it arises from the dicta of a supernatural revelation, it does no more than other sciences in accepting fundamental principles already furnished; that if that be granted, it grounds itself upon data which are at least of no lower original than those supplied by reason; and that if the facts and doctrines of a divine revelation be given so as to be apprehensible, our faculties, if supernaturally illuminated, not only may, but must, by a logical necessity, proceed to arrange and classify them — in other words, to reduce them to scientific form. It may surely be allowed to a theologian to do reflectively what every intelligent man of piety, to a certain extent, does spontaneously.

His argument that theology is indeed a science, “the science of sciences,” proceeds further:

But if we are made to know God, and not to know him as infinite is not properly to know him at all; if he has laid deep in the very ground-forms of the human soul a fundamental faith adapting us to that knowledge; if he has so constructed our powers as by the very virtue of their energies to conduct us to it, and if he has been pleased more fully and explicitly to reveal it to us in his written Word what hinders that, in the employment of our reasoning powers, which were made with an adaptation to order and system, we should attempt to arrange and digest that knowledge into a theoretical and practical science of religion? If the term infinite has no corresponding reality, it is of course admitted that there can be no science which involves an infinite element; but it also follows that there can be to us no God. But if the knowledge of the infinite Being and his infinite perfections be a real and not a delusive human knowledge, it may, under proper restrictions, be made the subject of scientific treatment, both inductive and deductive. Not only does the theologian act upon this assumption, but every preacher of the gospel proceeds upon it. He reasons concerning the Infinite inductively when, for example, by a collation of infinite titles and attributes and works, he establishes the divinity of Christ or the Holy Spirit. He reasons concerning it deductively, whenever, in reply to the difficulty of the sinner that his sins are infinitely great and deserve infinite reprobation, he infers the possibility of his pardon from the infinite mercy of God, from an infinite atonement, and from the infinite ability and willingness of Jesus Christ to save. It is obvious that there is a sense in which the Infinite not only may, but does and must enter into the reasoning processes of the human mind. That being conceded, the possibility of a science of theology is granted. Soberly and reverently to reason about God is not to dishonor him; not to do it is to degrade ourselves. This is the science of sciences which the theological instructor is called to teach.

Truly, if we are made know God, and He has revealed Himself to us in His Word, and by His creation, then, as Girardeau teaches, theology — the study of God — is the highest of all sciences, and the most noble of all pursuits.

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William H. McMillan on The Idea of Worship

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Now what Saint Augustine says is true, that no one is able to sing things worthy of God unless he has received them from him. Wherefore, when we have looked thoroughly everywhere and searched high and low, we shall find no better songs nor more appropriate for the purpose than the Psalms of David, which the Holy Spirit made and spoke through him. And furthermore, when we sing them, we are certain that God puts the words in our mouths, as if he himself were singing in us to exalt his glory. — John Calvin, Preface to the 1542 Genevan Psalter, quoting Augustine on Psalm 35

If you are seeking a succinct, Biblical definition of worship, look no further. The first sentence of John McNaugher’s The Psalms in Worship (1907), which is a compilation of essays from the two 1905 United Presbyterian conferences on the place of Psalms in worship, is like a home run in the first at-bat.

It comes from William Harrison McMillan, who served as the 1883 moderator of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church of North America (UPCNA). His essay was titled “The Idea of Worship,” and it was intended to present a general introduction to the principle of worship, as understood by Reformed Christians.

Worship is right conceptions of the character and works of God suitably expressed. It is seeing Him, and expressing our thoughts and feelings concerning Him. It is an act of the soul. There are forms of expression used in worship, but forms and words and attitudes are not in themselves worship. That is essentially an act of the soul. We are called upon to pour out our hearts to the Lord. God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. The most reverent genuflections, the divinest strains of music, and the most devotional words are nothing and worse than nothing unless the soul of the worshiper is going out to God in them.

After explaining that worship is only acceptable to God through our Mediator, Jesus Christ — “There is but one way, and Christ is that way. There is but one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. We must come by way of the Cross when we approach God to worship Him.” — McMillan continues:

Worship is an intelligent act. It is what we think about God that prompts it. Thought sweeps the whole field of knowledge concerning God, and from it all gathers material for worship. In Him are seen all power and majesty and dominion. Out into His infinite domain thought travels fast and far. Our solar system, with all its planets, and moons, and rings, we find, after all, to be but a mere speck in the immeasurable reaches of the kingdom of God. With souls awed and almost bewildered by the evidence of the infinite power and dominion of our King we bow and adore. We, in our conscious littleness, worship Him Who “hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance.”

And how the mercy of God compels us to adore Him!

…we who are guilty by nature and lost under sin find reasons for adoring, eager, and soulful worship in contemplating the mercy of God in Christ. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Surely the Scriptures write the truth when they declare that the souls are dead which do not worship Him for that.

McMillan emphasizes the natural response of the worshiper to the awesome goodness and mercy of God is to sing His praises.

Hallelujah! praise Jehovah.
O my soul, Jehovah praise.
While I live I’ll praise Jehovah,
To my God sing all my days. [Ps. 146]

The Psalms indeed provide matter for praise. They are given for that very purpose.

Every true Christian is a seer. He has seen the invisible, and heard things not written down in any of the philosophies of men. He has become acquainted in some measure with God, and there are great thoughts surging through his mind, and tidal waves of religious emotion swelling within him. He must speak the praises of his Lord. But he is there met by a difficulty. His words fail him. His words cannot put into expression all, or the half, of what is in his heart to say to God. His thoughts are too big for utterance. He is conscious of the need of divine aid to speak in sufficient and right terms the great themes of his worship. It is then that he turns with deepest satisfaction to the songs which the Spirit of God has written for the people of God as the expression of their devotion to Him. There the great things of God are unfolded as only the divine penman can unfold them, and there the petitions which we need to offer, and are allowed to offer, to God with assurance of being heard are framed for us. We are told that the Spirit makes intercession for the saints with groanings which cannot be uttered. This is nowhere more true than when the believer attempts to tell God what is in his heart of love, adoration, and trust. We began with the thought that worship is right conceptions of the character and works of God suitably expressed. We find, do we not, that such conceptions are taught and adequately expressed in the Psalms of the Bible as they cannot be in any words which the pens of uninspired men have written.

These are remarks concerning the fundamental principles of worship worth contemplating. Read McMillan’s full essay here.

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Those that love God will love His Church: William S. Plumer on the courts of God

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To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.…For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness (Ps. 84:1-4, 10).

The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there. And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people,  that  this man was born there. Selah. (Ps. 87:2-6).

These passages from the Psalms remind us that the Lord loves His Church — it is the dwelling place of His habitation and the focus of His blessing — and we ought to love and long for the Church too.

William Swan Plumer’s commentary on these Psalms gives helpful application on this point. Ps. 84:

The appointed worship of the true God has in all ages possessed great attractions for the regenerate….My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God, q. d., my whole nature is intensely wrought up to desire not only the privilege of worship, but actual communion with God. Without God all rites, though divinely appointed, profit not….The blessings connected with a regular and devout attendance at God’s house are so many and so great that the strongest terms may well be employed to describe them. Even the visitor of the sanctuary may be blessed, but those who dwell there are sure of great and numerous mercies….If we are not pleased with the solemn worship of God, it is because we lack the true spirit of devotion, and if we lack the spirit of devotion, we have no piety, vv. 1, 4….As true piety prevails, love for the worship of God increases….If our love to God and his house were as strong as it should be, as strong as it was in the bosom of the Psalmist, we should not find it necessary to spend so much time in seeking for evidences of a renewed state, and for marks of gracious affections, V. 10. Love is its own evidence. When it commands the soul, we cannot doubt its existence. When one desires God's word more than his necessary food, when he thinks it the highest privilege to be a worshipper of God, when he joyfully resigns his all to Jehovah, then his evidences are usually comfortable.

Plumer on Ps. 87:

God ought to be publicly worshipped. He is thereby honored. We should celebrate his works. Redemption is his chief work. As such worship is honorable, so it is pleasing to God….God's worship and presence dignify any place, thing or person pertaining to his service….To the end of the world they will be mentioned with respect by the best men of each succeeding generation….If we are truly pious, we will love all that God loves; and so we will love his church, v. 2….She is our mother. She is the spouse of Christ. She is the Lamb's wife. She is all glorious within. The glories of earthly kingdoms fade away before the glories of Zion, as the light of the stars is no longer visible when the sun rises.

Do you, Christian, like the Psalmist, long for the courts of God, that is, the Church? Do you know how much the Lord loves the gates of Zion, that is, the Church? If it is your heart’s desire to commune with God among His people, not merely in the outward observance of His ordinances of public worship, but with sincere inward devotion, that is evidence of a heart that loves what God Himself delights in. As the Christian Sabbath, or the Lord’s Day, approaches, may this heart be in each of us, and may we love the Lamb’s wife, the Spouse of Christ, as He indeed loves the Church.

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"To learn something from everybody I speak to" - Rules of conduct by Ashbel Green

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In 1791, Ashbel Green went on a journey from Philadelphia to New England. The theological climate of New England at that time was such that he would be challenged by interactions from very different viewpoints than his own. His diary records that before embarking on this trip, he made a concerted effort to regulate his conduct to the glory of God.

“June 6, 1791. — To-morrow, God willing, I expect to set out on a journey into New England. I think it will be useful for me to lay down some rules for the government of my own conduct, and to read them over every morning and evening.

Rule 1. To endeavour to promote, by every means in my power, the glory of God. Hence I must preach as much and as often as I can; and endeavour to recommend religion to all whom I may have intercourse with, by my whole conversation and deportment, and I must endeavour constantly to have this rule in my memory and recollection.

2. Let me avoid talkativeness; and be as modest and unassuming as possible. Let no controversy on religious subjects make me lose my temper, or say any thing hastily, harshly, or severely.

3. Let me not deny any sentiments that I really hold, be the consequences what they may.

4. Let me, in answering questions or in giving relations, and in every thing else, keep vigorously and entirely to the simple truth; neither adding nor admitting any circumstance, so as to convey an idea of things in any degree different from what they really are.

5. Let me endeavour to suppress pride and vanity; and not endeavour to shine by an affectation of knowledge, or qualities which I do not possess. It is dangerous; it may bring me into absolute disgrace; it is very wicked.

6. Let me observe characters with all attention. This is a principal object of my journey. Let me try to learn something from every body I speak to.

7. Especially let me observe the state of society, and the peculiarities of manners in the places where I go.

8. Let me recollect in remarkable places the distinguished events that have taken place in them, and see all the vestiges and remains of them. Let me inquire the state and history of colleges; and endeavour to see their professors, masters, libraries and philosophical apparatus. Let me, where I can, ask who are the leading men and principal characters in any town. Let me observe the general face of the country — its soil, productions, &c., &c.

9. Let me pay a particular attention to the state of religious opinions, and see if I can trace the cause of them.

10. Let me not be disconcerted with difficulties in my journey. Let me endeavour to keep up my spirits, and resolutely set about my business, in each particular place.

11. Let me not suffer the importunities of friends, or others, to break in on my own plans of travelling; but vigorously and constantly pursue them; denying with modesty, but at the same time with firmness.

12. Let me pay a personal and particular attention to my horse. It seems proper that I should mention that I travelled in a sulkey, without a servant or a companion.

13. Let me endeavour to travel in the morning, and lie by in the heat of the day.

14. I am at a loss, whether to rebuke profaneness in watermen, servants, &c.; in general it is, I believe, best to give them some check.

15. Let me not neglect secret prayer; and always remember my family and congregation in it.

16. Let me try in every way to get improvement; by getting men to talk on their favourite topics; by making deductions from their opinions; by comparing them together; by pursuing hints which I may take from what they say; by retaining and remembering all the information they convey.

17. Let me not neglect to write to my wife as often as possible.

18. Let me not find fault with the peculiarities of places to their inhabitants. Let me not make comparisons to their disadvantage, and tell them things are much better in the place I came from. People will not bear this.

A number of these rules contain things which I ought to be incapable of forgetting or neglecting; but I know for myself that the most obvious duties sometimes escape my attention. By examining myself on these rules, I shall be likely to remember, discover, correct, and avoid any errors and omissions; and I shall have my memory refreshed with a view of my business and duty."

The above rules, and the remark with which they are concluded, appear to have been very hastily written; and some of them are very incorrect in expression; but the intention of each of them is, I think, palpable; and I thought it would be best to give them verbatim as they were originally penned.

Allan Stanton wrote this brief summary of that trip:

During his journey, Green kept a brief journal with reflection upon every person that he met with especial consideration upon the piety and theological persuasions of pastors. The two most common observations of his journal are in reference to Anti-Trinitarian and Hopkinsian persuasions of these pastors. Green consistently concluded that the men he met were pious and that he avoided controversy with them while gaining invaluable insight into the ecclesiastical circumstances in which he found himself.

Stanton goes on to say that the religious pluralism which Green encountered in New England was a factor in his later push to establish what became Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey (Allan Stanton, “The Theological Climate of the Early Nineteenth Century and the Founding of a Polemical Seminary at Princeton,” in The Confessional Presbyterian (2010) 6:24).

Times have changed in some respects, but in other respects we can learn from Green’s rules of conduct and make useful application in the even more religiously pluralistic 21st century. There is great value in healthy and wholesome conversation, in striving to listen and learn from those with whom we engage, and doing what we can to avoid unnecessary controversy and rather build bridges that can be employed for the glory of God. Do you aim to learn something from everyone that you speak to? Green found this to be good advice to himself, and there is much to commend this advice in our present-day interactions, whether they be in our neighborhood, on public transit or online. Green’s rules (which can be read in The Life of Ashbel Green, pp. 204-207) helped him to redeem the time and to have a profitable trip, and there is profit in these rules for us today.

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"A rarer air / Where all is fair": L.T. Newland on "A Christian's Death"

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LeRoy Tate Newland (1885-1969) was a graduate of Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina; a long-time missionary to Korea; and he served at least two pastorates in the United States as well. He was also a prolific poet. A small number of his poems are available at Log College Press. His major work of poetry is not yet available here: So Rich a Crown: Poems of Faith (1963). One particular poem by Newland has been selected for today’s post. It appears to have been prompted by the 1953 death of L.D. Tester in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, while Newland was serving as pastor of Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church (source: Donald B. Saunders, For His Cause A Little House: A Hundred Year History of Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church (1988), p. 114). This poem was also reprinted in the Christian Observer with notice of Newland’s own death in 1969.

A Christian’s Death

And what is death?
A sudden stopping of the breath
That one may breathe a rarer air
Where all is fair.

You say he died.
Can life be greater glorified
Than to unclose pain-wearied eyes
In Paradise?

Is this the end?
He has but gone to meet a Friend
And, dying, found a way
To endless day.

Christian, consider this sweet meditation on the precious death of a saint (Ps. 116:15), and may it help to bring an eternal perspective to the painful event which caused even our Lord Jesus to weep (John 11:35).

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Samuel Miller on Presbyterianism - A 19th century classic that you can now pre-order

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If one was to look for the premier study of Presbyterianism by an American author in the 19th century, one would be hard-pressed to find a work superior to that by Samuel Miller. First published in 1835, Miller’s Presbyterianism the Truly Primitive and Apostolical Constitution of the Church of Christ has been republished by Log College Press under the title Presbyterianism: Its History, Doctrine, Government and Worship. With modernized spelling, and scholarly editing by Dr. Harrison Perkins, including detailed footnotes, this edition of Miller’s classic work offers Biblical wisdom on the church to 21st century readers.

This is an historical study of Presbyterian polity, including the doctrine, discipline, government and worship of the Presbyterian church. As valuable as it was when first published almost 200 years ago, it has a special benefit for modern readers, as Rev. Allan Stanton tells us in his introduction. He offers three reasons why this is so.

• To affirm the importance of ecclesiastical polity.

• To reconsider the range of the word of God.

• To evaluate modern doctrine and worship. 

In sum, Presbyterianism is far more than the five points of Calvinism (as important as they are). Miller sets forth the full scope of “the whole counsel of God” as it pertains to the church, and that is the beauty of this book. This important volume lays down the Scriptural, theological, historical, and practical foundations of our Presbyterian faith and practice.

Click here to order Samuel Miller’s Presbyterianism: Its Historical, Doctrine, Government and Worship.

Miller’s Presbyterianism is now available at a special pre-order rate of $10 through the month of February, 2020. There is good news for customers in the UK/Europe - Log College Press titles, including this one, can now be purchased at the Evangelical Bookshop in Belfast/Edinburgh.

Click here to order Samuel Miller’s Presbyterianism: Its Historical, Doctrine, Government and Worship.

Pre-order your copy today and see what Samuel Miller has to say about the Biblical basis for Presbyterianism for yourself.

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Who were "the sons of God and the daughters of men"? A 19th century Presbyterian answers

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A verse of Scripture that many have wrestled with over the years is that from Genesis 6:1-4:

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

So, who are “the sons of God” and “the daughters of men”? Are angels or demigods meant by “sons of God”? Was there some sort of superior race of beings that was the fruit of the union between the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men”?

There have been many fanciful ideas put forth regarding these matters, dating back to, perhaps, the non-canonical Book of Enoch. The idea of angels marrying human females and producing a race of Nephilim has an appeal to many. But this idea is examined by Professor William Henry Green of Princeton in The Presbyterian and Reformed Review (Oct. 1894) and is thoroughly refuted.

Sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one. As Green explains, Nephilim were clearly present before and after the intermarrying that took place, so they could not be the fruit of the union that is described. And the context of this passage in connection with the description of the flood which follows (and the reasons given for the flood), show that the text under consideration is meant to provide a reason for the punishment of the wicked. Although “sons of God” does mean angels in a few places in Scripture, it is also more broadly a term for God’s chosen people, that is, the godly on earth. Elsewhere, we are explicitly told that angels do not and cannot marry. Green: “There is no suggestion that angels are married or are given in marriage; the contrary is expressly declared (Matt. xxii. 30).” Our author, after analyzing these points, and in consideration of the context, shows that it is the intermarrying of the godly with the wicked that brings on the flood later in the chapter.

Green also tackles another idea that some have put forth suggesting that “sons of God” means persons of high rank, while “daughters of men” are those of inferior rank. Green: “But no such contrast is suggested here; and the intermarriage of different classes in society is nowhere represented as displeasing to God or provoking the divine judgment.”

The mythological and other erroneous ideas about this passage have led many astray, but the simple explanation, which is consistent with rest of Scripture, is that the godly intermarried with the wicked and, as a result, brought about a punishment “of Biblical proportions.”

Take time to read Green for yourself and work through the arguments presented. It is short (7 pages) but filled with solid exegesis. It will help to anchor your understanding of this passage to the rest of Scripture.

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