John Moorhead: Pastor of Boston's Church of the Presbyterian Strangers

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In the midst of the great Puritan Migration to New England (1620-1640), some Scotch-Irish assembled a congregation in Boston, Massachusetts which was known as the ‘Church of the Presbyterian Strangers.’ Its first pastor was the Rev. John Moorhead (1703-1773). He was born in Newton, near Belfast, in County Down, Ireland (Ulster), and educated in Edinburgh, before arriving in Massachusetts.

All accounts indicate that he was a very pious minister, who engaged in family visitation, catechism, and a faithful ministry of the Word. He left a deep impression among his flock and others, and has been noted in various studies of New England Presbyterianism.

It was not until 1730 that a Presbyterian Church was organized in Boston. Under the leadership of the Reverend John Moorhead a congregation known as “The Church of the Presbyterian Strangers” was organized and met in a “converted barn” owned by John Little on Long Lane. In 1735 title to the property was conveyed to the congregation for use by the Presbyterian Society forever “and for no other use, intention, or purpose whatever.” This “converted barn” served the congregation until 1744 when a new edifice was erected. It was in this building in 1788 that action was taken to make Massachusetts a state, in commemoration of which the name Long Lane was changed to Federal Street and the meeting house came to be known as Federal Street Church.

The congregation flourished and by the time their new building was erected numbered more than 250. Mr. Moorhead served the group until his death in December, 1773, following which the church was supplied by itinerant ministers [including David McClure] until 1783 when the Reverend Robert Annan was called to be pastor. Internal strife and opposition from the Puritan oligarchy finally led Mr. Annan to resign in 1786 after which the group voted themselves into a Congregational Society and after 1803 when William Ellery Channing became pastor, they joined the Unitarian fold. Relocating and erecting a new building in 1860 this group became the Arlington Street Church. In similar fashion one by one most of the seventy fairly well established Presbyterian churches of eighteenth century New England went over to other denominations. — Charles N. Pickell, Presbyterianism in New England: The Story of a Mission, pp. 6-7

A memoir of Moorhead written in 1807 says this of the early days of that congregation:

This little colony of Christians, for some time, carried on the public worship of God in a barn, which stood on the lot which they had purchased. In this humble temple, with uplifted hearts and voices, they worshipped and honoured Him, who, for our salvation, condescended to be born in a stable.

This same biographer highlights an important aspect of Moorhead’s ministry - family visitation.

Once or twice in the year, Mr. Moorhead visited all the families of his congregation, in town and country; (one of the Elders, in rotation, accompanying him,) for the purpose of religious instruction. On these occasions, he addressed the heads of families with freedom and affection, and inquired into their spiritual state, catechised and exhorted the children and servants, and concluded his visit with prayer. In this last solemn act, (which he always performed on his knees, at home and in the houses of his people), he used earnestly to pray for the family, and the spiritual circumstances of each member, as they respectively needed.

In addition to this labour of family visitations, he also convened, twice in the year, the families, according to the districts, at the meeting-house, when he conversed with the heads of families, asking them questions, on some of the most important doctrines of the gospel, agreeably to the Westminster confession of faith; and catechised the children and youth.

A young parishioner of Rev. Moorhead, David McClure, who briefly ministered to the flock in Boston after Moorhead’s death, wrote in his journal about this feature of the ministry at the Church of the Presbyterian Strangers.

We had the special advantage of a religious education & government in early life. Our parents gave us the best school education that their circumstances would allow. The children who could walk were obliged to attend public worship on the Sabbath, & spend the interval in learning the Shorter & the Larger Westminster Catechisms, & committing to memory some portion of the Scriptures. My mother commonly heard us repeat the catechisms on Sunday evenings. My parents departed with the supporting hope of salvation through the glorious Redeemer. In her expiring moments my mother gave her blessing & her prayers to each of her children, in order. She had many friends who mourned her death. She was favored with a good degree of health & was very cheerful, active & laborious, in the arduous task of raising, with slender means, a large family. To the labours of our worthy minister the Rev. Mr. Moorhead, we were much indebted for early impressions of religious sentiments. His practice was frequently to catechize the Children & youth at the meeting House & at their homes & converse & pray with them. He also visited & catechized the heads of all the families in his congregation, statedly.

Moorhead is mentioned often in Alexander Blaikie’s History of Presbyterianism in New England (although under the spelling of “Moorehead”). Blaikie writes that Moorhead was ordained on March 30, 1730, and adds that

"This religious society was established by his pious zeal and assiduity."…He was the forty-sixth minister settled in Boston, and "soon after his induction he married Miss Sarah Parsons, an English lady, who survived him about one year."

André Le Mercier, the 37th minister settled in Boston, a French Huguenot Presbyterian, was a colleague of Moorhead’s at this time and is mentioned by Blaikie in this connection.

A letter from Rev. Moorhead [not yet available on Log College Press] was published in Glasgow, Scotland in 1741, which gives an account of conversions associated with the Great Awakening ministries of George Whitefield and Gilbert Tennent.

Portrait of Phillis Wheatley by Scipio Moorhead (1773). It is said to be “the first frontispiece depicting a woman writer in American history, and possibly the first ever portrait of an American woman in the act of writing.”

Portrait of Phillis Wheatley by Scipio Moorhead (1773). It is said to be “the first frontispiece depicting a woman writer in American history, and possibly the first ever portrait of an American woman in the act of writing.”

Moorhead was a slave owner. His slave, Scipio Moorhead, is famous in history for his artistic skill. His portrait of Phillis Wheatley appeared in her Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773). Wheatley wrote An Elegy to Miss Mary Moorhead, on the Death of Her Father, the Rev. Mr. John Moorhead in December 1773. Of him she wrote:

With humble Gratitude he render'd Praise,
To Him whose Spirit had inspir'd his Lays;
To Him whose Guidance gave his Words to flow,
Divine Instruction, and the Balm of Wo:
To you his Offspring, and his Church, be given,
A triple Portion of his Thirst for Heaven;
Such was the Prophet; we the Stroke deplore,
Which let's us hear his warning Voice no more.
But cease complaining, hush each murm'ring Tongue,
Pursue the Example which inspires my Song.
Let his Example in your Conduct shine;
Own the afflicting Providence, divine;
So shall bright Periods grace your joyful Days,
And heavenly Anthems swell your Songs of Praise.

The “Presbyterian Strangers” of Boston thought very highly of their pastor. In his funeral sermon [not yet available on Log College Press], by David McGregore, he was described as “an Israelite indeed.” He left an enduring legacy that is reflected in the lives of David McClure and others. Boston is not the city set upon a hill that it once was, although pockets of piety endure. But Moorhead is worthy of remembrance today as a pioneer of New England Presbyterianism.

Resources on Calvinism at Log College Press

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And I have my own private opinion that there is no such a thing as preaching Christ and him crucified, unless you preach what now-a-days is called Calvinism. I have my own ideas, and those I always state boldly. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in his dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering, love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the peculiar redemption which Christ made for his elect and chosen people; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having believed. Such a gospel I abhor. The gospel of the Bible is not such a gospel as that. We preach Christ and him crucified in a different fashion, and to all gainsayers we reply, "We have not so learned Christ." (Charles Spurgeon, Sermon no. 98, New Park Street Pulpit 1:100)

It is no novelty, then, that I am-preaching; no new doctrine. I love to proclaim these strong old doctrines, which are called by nickname Calvinism, but which are surely and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus. By this truth I make a pilgrimage into the past, and as I go, I see father after father, confessor after confessor, martyr after martyr, standing up to shake hands with me. Were I a Pelagian, or a believer in the doctrine of free-will, I should have to walk for centuries all alone. Here and there a heretic of no very honorable character might rise up and call me brother. But taking these things to be the standard of my faith, I see the land of the ancients peopled with my brethren - I behold multitudes who confess the same as I do, and acknowledge that this is the religion of God’s own church. (Charles Spurgeon, Sermon on Election 1:551)

Although Calvinism (which Charles Spurgeon has described as “the gospel, and nothing else”) permeates the works of American Presbyterians on numerous topics, and we have pages dedicated to the topics of Systematic Theology the Westminster Standards, there are particular resources on Calvinism to be found at Log College Press which we aim to highlight today. These may be worth bookmarking for future study by the student of the doctrines of grace.

Calvinism is also known by the acrostic TULIP, which is intended to make the so-called ‘Five Points of Calvinism’ easier to remember. It was the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) in The Netherlands which articulated the Calvinistic Five Points in response to the Arminian Remonstrants. And it was Loraine Boettner who popularized (and modified) the TULIP acrostic summarizing those Five Points in The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (1932), but it was Cleland Boyd McAfee who is believed to have coined it in the first place c. 1905. We have noted this previously, but it is worth mentioning again.

The history of McAfee’s utilization of TULIP as an aid to teaching the doctrines of grace was perhaps first recorded by William H. Vail in an important 1913 article as was discussed previously here. What’s particularly interesting about Vail’s historical study of the Five Points is that is draws from multiple authorities, including the Synod of Dort, Jonathan Dickinson, and several living (at that time) leading clergymen.

William H. Vail’s chart showing the Five Points of Calvinism compared historically. A represents the list derived from Abbott’s Dictionary of Religious Knowledge; B comes from Dr. Francis Landey Patton; C is from Dr. Hugh Black; D is from the Rev. G…

William H. Vail’s chart showing the Five Points of Calvinism compared historically. A represents the list derived from Abbott’s Dictionary of Religious Knowledge; B comes from Dr. Francis Landey Patton; C is from Dr. Hugh Black; D is from the Rev. George B. Stewart; and E is from the Rev. Isaac N. Rendall.

The Five Points, says Mr. Vail, “as formulated by the Synod of Dort, according to two authorities, are as follows:

1. Personal, Gratuitous Election to Everlasting Life.
2. Particular Redemption.
3. Depravity, Native and Total.
4. Effectual Calling, or Re generation, by the Holy Spirit.
5. Certain Perseverance of Saints unto Eternal Life.

1. Divine Predestination.
2. The Redemption of Men through the Death of Christ.
3. Total Depravity.
4 Redemption through Grace.
5. Perseverance of Saints.”

The list from Jonathan Dickinson is as follows:

1. Eternal Election. Ephesians i. 4, 5.
2. Original Sin. Romans v. 12.
3. Grace in Conversion. Ephesians ii. 4, 5.
4. Justification by Faith. Romans iii. 25.
5. Saints' Perseverance. Romans viii. 30.

The TULIP list from Cleland B. McAfee, as noted by Vail, is as follows:

1st, T stands for Total I)epravity.
2d, U “ “ Universal Sovereignty.
3d, L -- “ Limited Atonement.
4th, I -- “ irresistible (, race.
5th, P -- “ Perseverance of the Saints.

Jonathan Dickinson covered this ground in The True Scripture Doctrine Concerning Some Important Points of Christian Faith (1741).

Robert L. Dabney wrote on The Five Points of Calvinism (1895) [not yet available at Log College Press] and identified them as follows:

1.. Original Sin
2. Effectual Calling
3. God’s Election
4. Particular Redemption
5. Perseverance of the Saints

The works by Dickinson and Dabney have been republished by Sprinkle Publications in 1992 as one combined volume.

Loraine Boettner in 1932 wrote: “The Five Points may be more easily remembered if they are associated with the word T-U-L-I-P; T, Total Inability ; U, Unconditional Election; L, Limited Atonement; I, Irresistible (Efficacious) Grace; and P, Perseverance of the Saints.” This has become the standard meaning of the TULIP acrostic.

Other resources to be found at Log College Press which concern Calvinism either historically or theologically considered include:

  • Ashbel Green Fairchild, The Sovereignty of God, Especially in Election; The Great Supper: or, An Illustration and Defence of Some of the Doctrines of Grace; and What Presbyterians Believe;

  • Abel M. Fraser, Calvinism: A Bible Study;

  • John L. Girardeau, Calvinism and Evangelical Arminianism;

  • A.A. Hodge, Calvinism;

  • Samuel Miller, Introductory Essay to the Thomas Scott’s Articles of the Synod of Dort (available in print here); Presbyterianism the Truly Primitive and Apostolical Constitution of the Church of Christ (available in print here); and Mole-Hills and Mountains, or The Difficulties of Calvinism and Arminianism Compared;

  • Nathan L. Rice, God Sovereign and Man Free: Or, The Doctrine of Divine Foreordination and Man's Free Agency, Stated, Illustrated and Proved From the Scriptures;

  • W.G.T. Shedd, Calvinism: Pure and Mixed - A Defence of the Westminster Standards;

  • William D. Smith, What is Calvinism?; and

  • B.B. Warfield, Calvinism and Calvinism: The Meaning and Uses of the Term; and Calvinism.

There are additional works on the subject that Log College Press hopes to add in the future such as Robert Hamilton Bishop, An Apology For Calvinism; and Samuel A. King, Presbyterian Doctrines, as Contained in the Five Points of Calvinism. And many more are already on the site relating to the thought of both John Calvin and Augustine. Also, be sure to consult, David N. Steele, et al., The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, and Documented.

It is a core belief of historic Presbyterianism that people who are saved are saved by grace alone and not by works (Eph. 2:8-9). This is a reflection of both God’s sovereignty and man’s inability to save himself. The works referenced above concerning the doctrines of grace, and many more not mentioned by name here, are resources to take up and study by those who wish to better understand historic doctrine, which is, in the words of Spurgeon, “no novelty…no new doctrine,” but simply the fundamental teaching of God’s Word on soteriology. To God be the glory!

Plumer: He is Faithful that Promised

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Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised (Heb. 10:23).

William S. Plumer highlights, among other considerations in The Promises of God (1872), the characteristic of God’s faithfulness. It is a sweet meditation to consider what God’s Word teaches us about the God who is our Rock indeed.

V. The promises of God are affirmative, not negative; positive, not uncertain; absolute, not accompanied with hesitancy. So the apostle, speaking of our Lord, says: "All the promises of God in him are Yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." 2 Cor. 1:20. "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine ordinances." Ps. 119:89-91. There is no cause of doubt concerning the promises.

VI. The promises of God are all true, not fictitious; all faithful, not false. "Not one jot or tittle" of them can fail. It is only despondency or unbelief that ever cries out, "Doth his promise fail for evermore?" Ps. 77:8. Faith and Scripture say: "Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth." Isa. 25:1. "Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds." Ps. 36:5. "God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son." 1 Cor. 1:9. So remarkable are the truth and fidelity of God to all his engagements, that, at the dedication of the temple, Solomon felt bound to say before all Israel and the world, "Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant." 1 Kings 8:56. "Faithful is he that calleth you." 1 Thess. 5:24.

Dear Reader, consider the faithfulness of God today. If he has promised, he is faithful to do what he has promised. Men may fail, the world may fail, but our God is faithful always. Read more of Plumer on The Promises of God here.

Sprunt Lectures at Log College Press

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THE JAMES SPRUNT LECTURES

In 1911 Mr. James Sprunt of Wilmington, North Carolina, gave to The Trustees of Union Theological Seminary in Virginia the sum of thirty thousand dollars, since increased by his generosity to fifty thousand dollars, for the purpose of establishing a perpetual lectureship , which would enable the institution to secure from time to time the services of distinguished ministers and authoritative scholars, outside the regular Faculty, as special lecturers on subjects connected with various departments of Christian thought and Christian work. The lecturers are chosen by the Faculty of the Seminary and a committee of the Board of Trustees, and the lectures are published after their delivery in accordance with a contract between the lecturer and these representatives of the institution. — W.W. Moore, in Francis L. Patton, Fundamental Christianity (1926, 1928)

An endowment that began 110 years ago, and continues today, for a lectureship at Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, has included — from a roster that is worldwide — some notable American Presbyterians. The early years encompass some authors found at Log College Press, as noted below.

These lectures contain rich material on a variety of topics. Machen’s lectures are particularly well-known even today, but all of these contributions to the church from a century ago are worthy of study by the current generation. (Interestingly, Kyle also delivered the 1919 Stone Lectures at Princeton.) Sprunt’s legacy consists not only in his own writings, which are fascinating — especially for those interested in eastern North Carolina history — but in the lectureship he established which lives on.

19th century American Presbyterians on recognizing loved ones in heaven

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Have you ever considered the question of whether we will recognize loved ones in heaven? It is a topic considered and discussed specifically in larger works by English Puritans (such as Thomas Watson and Richard Baxter), and by Dutch Puritans (such as Wilhelmus à Brakel) - but at least three American Presbyterians have written full-length books on the subject. And among the resources available at Log College Press is an article by J. Gray McAllister.

Aikman, William, Heavenly Recognitions Title Page cropped.jpg

If you have an interest in this issue, be sure to check out the works referenced above. According to the light given to us from Scripture, there is hope and comfort in the doctrine that the saints will know one another in heaven.

Life's Golden Lamp: A Devotional

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A devotional prepared by Robert M. Offord (a minister in the Reformed Church in America and the editor of the New York Observer) in 1888 and published in 1889 is a remarkable resource. This writer was combing the bibliography of B.B. Warfield some time ago when it first came to his notice. A daily devotional by Warfield based on Hebrews 2:13 for January 13 — How Shall We Escape, If We Neglect So Great Salvation? — is included. The volume is titled Life’s Golden Lamp For Daily Devotional Use: A Treasury of Texts From the Very Words of Christ. 365 ministers contributed devotional meditations for every day of the year, and many of them were American Presbyterians who are found on Log College Press. Some ministers outside America were included, such as Charles Spurgeon and Adolph Saphir, both of London. Some were at the time serving as American missionaries in foreign lands. All of the contributors were generally Reformed and Calvinistic. Life’s Golden Lamp represents an anthology of Scriptural passages and devotional literature from around the world by men who were actively serving the kingdom on earth in 1888-1889.

In recent days, we have circled back to this particular devotional, and thus, many other extracts from this volume have been added to the site. The number of LCP author contributors is remarkable. Work is ongoing to identify all the Presbyterian ministers whose devotionals are included, but here is a partial list so far:

Each daily devotional includes a poetic composition, and the signature of the author of the devotional meditation. The whole volume is worth consulting, but we draw your attention to the fact that this 1889 yearly devotional contains at least 50 contributions by Log College Press authors, many of whom are luminaries of church history. It is a work that is filled with the sweet savor of Biblical piety, and we highly commend it to your consideration.

J.R. Miller: The Christian Sabbath the pinnacle of days

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J.R. Miller speaks of how setting apart the Lord’s Day, in which we are elevated to the loftiest of spiritual heights, has a tremendous blessing which carries over throughout the other days of the week.

In The Joy of Service (1898), pp. 244-248, he writes:

The influence of the Sabbath, like a precious perfume, should pervade all the days of the week. Its spirit of holiness and reverence should flow down into all the paths of the other days. Its voices of hope and joy should become inspirations in all our cares and toils in the outside world. Its teaching should be the guide of hand and foot in the midst of all trials and temptation. Its words of comfort should be as lamps shining in the sick-room and in the chambers of sorrow. Its visions of spiritual beauty should be translated into reality in conduct, disposition, and character.

A well-spent Sabbath is an excellent preparation for a week amid cares and struggles. There is blessing in the Sabbath rest. We cannot go on forever; we pause here and there to renew our strength.

“Birds cannot always sing;
Silence at times they ask, to nurse spent feeling,
To see some new, bright thing,
Ere a fresh burst of song, fresh joy revealing.

Flowers cannot always blow;
Some Sabbath rest they need of silent winter,
Ere from its sheath below
Shoots up a small green blade, brown earth to splinter.

Tongues cannot always speak;
O God! in this loud world of noise and clatter,
Save us this once a week,
To let the sown seed grow, not always scatter.”

True Sabbath rest, however, is not merely the cessation of all effort, the dropping of all work. As far as possible we should seek to be freed from the common tasks of the other days. Happy is he who can leave behind him, on Saturday night, all his week-day affairs, to enjoy a Sabbath in heavenly places, as it were, engaged with thoughts and occupations altogether different from those of the busy week. This even alone gives rest.

As for the Sabbath itself, it should be a day for the uplifting of the whole life. A tourist among the Alps tells of climbing one of the mountains in a dense and dripping mist, until at length he passed through the clouds, and stood on a lofty peak in the clear sunlight. Beneath him lay the fog, like a waveless sea of white vapor; and,, as he listened, he could hear the sounds of labor, the lowing of the cattle, and the peals of the village bells, coming up from the vales below. As he stood there, he saw a bird fly up out of the mists, soar about for a little while, and then dart down again and disappear. What those moments of sunshine were to the bird, coming up out of the cloud, the Sabbath should be to us. During week-days we live down in the low vales of life, amid the mists. Life is not easy for us; it is full of struggle and burden-bearing. The Sabbath comes; and we fly up out of the low climes of care, toil, and tears, and spend one day in the pure, sweet air of God’s love and peace. There we have new visions of beauty. We get near to the heart of Christ; into the warmth of his love. We come into the goodly fellowship of Christian people, and get fresh inspiration from the contact.

Thus we are lifted up for one day out of the atmosphere of earthliness into a region of peace, calm, and quiet. We see all things more plainly in the unclouded sky; and we are prepared to begin another week with new views of duty, under the influence of fresh motives, and with our life fountains refilled. Thus the Sabbath rest prepares us for the work and the struggle of the other days. We learn new lessons, which we are to live out in the common experience of the life before us. We see the patterns of heavenly things as we read our Bible, and bow before God in prayer; and we are to go down from the holy mount to weave the fashion of these new patterns into the fabric of our character. We should be better, truer-souled, and richer-hearted al the week because of the Sabbath inspirations. We should carry the holy impressions, the sacred influences, in our heart as we go out into the world, singing the songs of heaven amid earth’s clatter and noise. True Sabbath-keeping makes us ready for true week-day living.

“There are, in this loud, stunning tide
Of human care and crime,
With whom the melodies abide
Of th’ everlasting chime —
Who carry music in their heart,
Through dusky lane and wrangling mart,
Plying their daily task with busier feet
Because their secret souls a holy strain repeat.”

Sweet words to contemplate on the Sabbath day and indeed throughout the week. The Lord’s Day is the pinnacle of days, a holy mount, from which we may be refreshed by the beatific vision, and strengthened for all the days of our Christian pilgrimage. Read more by J.R. Miller here.

The story of an Muslim African-American slave who converted to Christ: Omar ibn Said

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Omar ibn Said was born in 1770 in the West African kingdom of Futa Toro (modern-day Senegal). At the age of 27, he was sold into slavery, and ultimately arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, just before the United States banned the importation of slaves. After an attempted escape from his first master, he was eventually purchased by James Owen, who would go on to serve as North Carolina legislator and as President of the Wilmington & Raleigh Railroad. His brother John also served as Governor.

Owen helped Said learn English by obtaining for him a translation of the Koran. He then acquired for Said (with the assistance of John Louis Taylor, Chief Justice of North Carolina, and Francis Scott Key, composer of “The Star-Spangled Banner”) a Arabic translation of the Bible (which is currently held at the Davidson College Library Rare Book Room). It was on December 3, 1820 that Said was converted to Christianity. He soon joined the First Presbyterian Church of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

His 1831 autobiography, The Life of Oman ibn Said, is the only known native-language autobiography by a slave in America. It was written in Arabic and can be read at Log College Press, along with two English translations. It is a short work, and leaves many gaps in his life story, which Said was not inclined to fill over the course of his ninety-four span - “Omar was noted for being obscure and evasive when speaking about his life in Africa.”

Two accounts by notable Presbyterian ministers give great insight into the story of a man who has fascinated so many. William S. Plumer wrote of him for the New York Observer in 1863:

Meroh, A Native African

In the fall of 1826, I went to Wilmington, N.C., to preach a few Sabbaths in the Presbyterian Church. While there I was visited by a venerable man, a native of Africa. He came to the door of my rooms, entered, and approached me. I rose to receive him. He took my hand between both of his, and earnestly pressed it to his bosom. Our interview was not long, but I received very deep impressions of his moral worth.

I have met him once or twice since, but was commonly hindered from learning much respecting him, as he was much more inclined to hear then to speak — to ask questions than to answer them. Yet from him and from others I have learned the following things.

Meroh was born about the year 1770. If he is still living, as he was by my last advices, he is over ninety years of age. He was born on the banks of the Senegal river, in Eastern Africa. His tribe were the Foolahs. Their religion was Mahomedanism. Many of them had the Koran and read and wrote the Arabic language. I have now in my possession a letter written by Meroh in Arabic, bearing all the marks of expert penmanship.

I write his name Meroh. It was originally Umeroh. Some write it Moro; and some put it in the French form, Moreau. It is commonly pronounced as if spelled Moro.

Meroh’s father in Africa was a man of considerable wealth. He brought up his children delicately. Meroh’s fingers are rather effeminate. They are very well tapered. His whole person and gait bear marks of considerable refinement.

At about five years of age he lost his father, in one of those bloody wars that are almost constantly raging in Africa. Very soon thereafter he was taken by an uncle to the capital of the tribe. Here he learned and afterwards taught the Arabic, especially some prayers used by Mahomedans. He also learned some rules of Arithmetic, and many of the forms of business. When a young man he became a dealer in the merchandise of the country, chiefly consisting of cotton cloths. Some years since I saw in some newspaper an account of this man, which I believe to be quite correct. I make an extract: —

“While engaged in trade, some event occurred, which he is very reluctant to refer to, but which resulted in his being sold into slavery. He was brought down to the coast shipped for Africa, in company with only two who could speak the same language, and was landed at Charleston in 1807, just a year previous to the final abolition of the slave trade. He was soon sold to a citizen of Charleston, who treated him with great kindness, but who, unfortunately for Moreau, died in a short time. He was then sold to one who proved to be a harsh cruel master, exacting from him labor which he had not the strength to perform. From him Moreau found means to escape, and after wandering nearly over the State of South Carolina, was found near Fayetteville, in this State [North Carolina]. Here he was taken up as a runaway, and placed in the jail. Knowing nothing of the language as yet, he could not tell who he was, or where he was from, but finding some coals in the ashes, he filled the walls of his rooms with piteous petitions to be released, all written in the Arabic language. The strange characters, so elegantly and correctly written by a runaway slave, soon attracted attention, and many of the citizens of the town visited the jail to see him.

“Through the agency of Mr. Mumford, then sheriff of Cumberland county, the case of Moreau was brought to the notice of Gen. James Owen, of Bladen county, a gentleman well known throughout this Commonwealth, for his public services, and always known as a man of generous and humane impulses. He took Moreau out of jail, becoming security for his forthcoming, if called for, and carried him with him to his plantation in Bladen county. For a long time his wishes were baffled by the meanness and the cupidity of a man who had bought the runaway at a small price from his former master, until at last he was able to obtain legal possession of him, greatly to the joy of Moreau. Since then, for more than forty years, he was been a trusted and indulged servant.

“At the time of his purchase by General Owen, Moreau was a staunch Mahomedan, and, the first year at least, kept the fast of Rhamadan with great strictness. Through the kindness of some friends, an English translation of the Koran was procured for him, and read to him, often with portions of the Bible. Gradually he seemed to show more interest in the Sacred Scriptures, until he finally gave up his faith in Mahomet, and became a believer in Jesus Christ. He was baptized by Rev. Dr. [William Davis] Snodgrass, of the Presbyterian Church, in Fayetteville, and received into the church. Since that time he has been transferred to the Presbyterian church in Wilmington, of which he has long been a consistent and worthy member. There are few Sabbaths in the year in which he is absent from the house of God.

“Uncle Moreau is an Arabic scholar, reading the language with great facility, and translating it with ease. His pronunciation of the Arabic is remarkably fine. An eminent Virginia scholar said, not long since, that he read it more beautifully than any one he ever heard, save a distinguished savant of the University of Halle. His translations are somewhat imperfect, as he never mastered the English language, but they are often very striking. We remember once hearing him read and translate the twenty-third Psalm, and shall never forget the earnestness and fervor which shone in the old man’s countenance, as he read of the gown down into the dark valley, and using his own broken English, said, ‘Me no fear, Master’s with me there.’ There were signs in his countenance, and in his voice, that he knew not only the words, but felt the blessed power of the truth they contained.

“Moreau has never expressed any wish to return to Africa. Indeed, he has always manifested a great aversion to it when proposed, changing the subject as soon as possible. When Dr. Jonas King, now of Greece, returned to this country from the East, he was introduced in Fayetteville to Moreau. Gen. Own observed an evident reluctance on the part of the old man to converse with Dr. King. After some time he ascertained that the only reason of his reluctance was his fear that one who talked so well in Arabic might have been sent by his own countrymen to reclaim him, and carry him again over the sea. After his fears were removed, he conversed with Dr. King with great readiness and delight.

“He now regards his expatriation as a great Providential favor. ‘His coming to this country,’ as he remarked to the writer, ‘was all for good.’ Mahomedanism has been supplanted in his heart by the better faith in Christ Jesus, and in the midst of a Christian family, where he is kindly watched over, and in the midst of a church which honors him for his consistent piety, he is gradually going down to that dark valley, in which, his own firm hope is, that he will be supported and led by the hand of the Great Master, and from which he will emerge into the brightness of the perfect day.”

This pious man is supplied with a copy of the Arabic New Testament. He says the translation is not good. Yet with the aid of the English he has gained much knowledge of God’s Word. His appearance, at any time I have seen him, was striking and venerable. His moral and Christian character are excellent. No one who knew him well doubted that he was preparing for a better world. Perhaps he has already gone to the rest of the redeemed.

Omar had opportunities to return to Africa as a missionary but declined to do so on account of age and health considerations. He did seek to work with the American Colonization Society to promote the spread of the gospel in Africa in other ways. The Secretary of the ACS, R.R. Gurley, wrote about him thus in 1837:

In the respected family of General Owen, of Wilmington, I became acquainted with a native African, whose history and character are exceedingly interesting, and some sketches of whose life have been already published. I allude to Moro or Omora, a Foulah by birth, educated a Mahometan, and who, long after he came in slavery to this country, retained a devoted attachment to the faith of his fathers and deemed a copy of the Koran in Arabic (which language he reads and writes with facility) his richest treasure. About twenty years ago, while scarcely able to express his thoughts intelligibly on any subject in the English language, he fled from a severe master in South Carolina, and on his arrival at Fayetteville, was seized as a runaway slave, and thrown into jail. His peculiar appearance, inability to converse, and particularly the facility with which he was observed to write a strange language attracted much attention, and induced his present humane and Christian master to take him from prison and finally, at his earnest request, to become his purchaser. His gratitude was boundless, and his joy to be imagined only by him, who has himself been relieved from the iron that enters the soul. Since his residence with General Owen he has worn no bonds but those of gratitude and affection.

“Oh, ‘tis a Godlike privilege to save,
And he who scorns it is himself a slave.”

Being of a feeble constitution, Moro’s duties have been of the lightest kind, and he has been treated rather as a friend than a servant. The garden has been to him a place of recreation rather than a toil, and the concern is not that he should labor more but less. The anxious efforts made to instruct him in the doctrines and precepts of our Divine Religion, have not been in vain. He has thrown aside the bloodstained Koran and now worships at the feet of the Prince of Peace. The Bible, of which he has an Arabic copy, is his guide, his comforter, or as he expresses it, “his Life.” Far advanced in years, and very infirm, he is animated in conversation, and when he speaks of God or the affecting truths of the Scriptures, his swarthy features beam with devotion, and his eye is lit up with the hope of immortality. Some of the happiest hours of his life were spent in the society of the Rev. James King, during his last visit from Greece to the United States. With that gentleman he could converse and read the Scriptures in the Arabic language and feel the triumphs of the same all-conquering faith as he chanted with him the praises of the Christian’s God.

Moro is much interested in the plans and progress of the American Colonization Society. He thinks his age and infirmities forbid his return to his own country. His prayer is that the Foulahs and all other Mahomedans may receive the Gospel. When, more than a year ago, a man by the name of Paul, of the Foulah nation and able like himself to understand Arabic, was preparing to embark at New York for Liberia, Moro corresponded with him, and presented him with one of his two copies of the Bible in that language. Extracts from Moro’s letters are before me. In one of them he says “I hear you wish to go back to Africa; if you do go, hold fast to Jesus Christ’s law, and tell all the Brethren, that they may turn to Jesus before it is too late. The Missionaries who go that way to preach to sinners, pay attention to them, I beg you for Christ’s sake. They call all people, rich and poor, white and black, to come and drink of the waters of life freely, without money and without price. I have been in Africa; it is a dark part. I was a follower of Mahomet, went to church, prayed five times a day and did all Mahomet said I must: but the Lord is so good. He opened my way and brought me to this part of the world where I found the light. Jesus Christ is the light, all that believe in him shall be saved, all that believe not shall be lost. The Lord put religion in my heart about ten years ago. I joined the Presbyterian Church, and since that time I have minded Jesus’ laws. I turned away from Mahomet to follow Christ. I don’t ask for long life, for riches, or for great things in this world, all I ask is a seat at Jesus’ feet in Heaven. The Bible, which is the word of God, says sinners must be born again or they can never see God in peace. They must be changed by the Spirit of God. I loved and served the world a long time, but this did not make me happy. God opened my eyes to see the danger I was in. I was like one who stood by the road side and cried Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy; he heard me and did have mercy. ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ I am an old sinner, but Jesus is an old Saviour; I am a great sinner, but Jesus is a great Saviour: thank God for it. — If you wish to be happy, lay aside Mahomet’s prayer and use the one which our blessed Saviour taught his disciples — our Father, &c.

In another letter to the same, he writes, “I have every reason to believe that you are a good man, and as such I love as I love myself. I have two Arabic Bibles, procured for me by my good Christian friends, and one of them I will send you the first opportunity; we ought now to wake up, for we have been asleep. God has been good to us in bringing us to this country and placing us in the hands of Christians. Let us now wake up and go to Christ, and he will give us light. God bless the American land! God bless the white people. They send out men every where to hold a crucified Saviour to the dying world. In this they are doing the Lord’s will. My lot is at last a delightful one. From one man to another I went until I fell into the hands of a pious man. He read the Bible for me until my eyes were opened, now I can see; thank God for it. I am dealt with as a child, not as a servant.”

These accounts provide to 21st century readers a look at life as it existed in Africa and in the Southern United States in the early 19th century with all its harshness and yet with the sweet savor of the gospel as it freed the souls of men, if not always their chains. Omar died in 1864 not having received his freedom legally, but the chains which bound his soul had been broken many years hence.

Besides the 19th century original and English manuscript translations of Omar’s remarkable autobiography, there is a 2011 critical English edition, edited by Ala Alryyes, available at our Secondary Sources page.

The life story of a man who was born an African Muslim in the 18th century, who was then sold into slavery and who later became a devoted follower of Jesus Christ in America is a tale that redounds to the glory of God!

The Almond Tree in Blossom: A Tribute to the Godly Father of T. De Witt Talmage

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Thomas De Witt Talmage — “the American Spurgeon,” one of the most famous preachers in American history — was the youngest son of David T. and Catherine “Catey” Van Nest Talmage. Born in New Jersey, where his father would serve in the state legislature, the son was raised in the Reformed Church (David served as a deacon in the First Church of Raritan), and that is where Thomas began his ministry before being called to serve in the Presbyterian Church.

Engraving of the 1833 Leonid Meteor Shower by Adolf Vollmy (1889), based on the painting by Karl Jauslin.

Engraving of the 1833 Leonid Meteor Shower by Adolf Vollmy (1889), based on the painting by Karl Jauslin.

Thomas once gave an account of his father’s experience traveling between work and home of an event that astronomers still talk about today. The horse that David Talmage was riding was named “Star.”

My father was on the turnpike road between Trenton and Bound Brook, coming through the night from Trenton, where he was serving the State, to his home, where there was sickness. I have often heard him tell about it. It was the night of the 12th and the morning of the 13th of November, 1833. The sky was cloudless and the air clear. Suddenly the heavens became a scene never to be forgotten. From the constellation Leo meteors began to shoot out in all directions. For the two hours between four and six in the morning it was estimated that a thousand meteors a minute flashed and expired. It grew lighter than noon-day. Through the upper air shot arrows of fire! Balls of fire! Trails of fire! Showers of fire! Some the appearances were larger than the full moon. All around the heavens explosion followed explosion. Sounds as well as sights! The air filled with an uproar. All the luminaries of the sky seemed to have received marching orders. The ether was ribbed and interlaced and garlanded with meteoric display. From horizon to horizon everything was in combustion and conflagration. The spectacle ceased not until the rising sun of the November morning eclipsed it, and the whole American nation sat down exhausted with the agitations of a night to be memorable until the earth itself shall become a falling star. The Bible closes with such a scene of falling lights — not only fidgety meteors, but grave old stars. St. John saw it in prospect and wrote: ‘The stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind.’ What a time there will be when worlds drop! Rain of planets! Gravitation letting loose her grip on worlds! Constellations falling apart and galaxies dissolved!

David Talmage also served as sheriff, and worked to promote education in New Jersey. He lived a long and fruitful life (1783-1865). When he died, Thomas delivered a commemorative sermon titled “The Beauty of Old Age,” based on Ecclesiastes 12:5: “The almond tree shall flourish.”

An almond tree in blossom.

An almond tree in blossom.

Thomas spoke of how his father shined so brightly even in old age. Even as the almond tree blossoming is a picture of the same.

Finally, I notice that in my father’s old age was to be seen the beauty of Christian activity.

He had not retired from the field. He had been busy so long, you could not expect him idle now. The faith I have described was not an idle expectation that sits with its hands in its pocket idly waiting, but a feeling which gather up all the resources of the soul, and hurls them upon one grand design. He was among the first who toiled in Sabbath-schools and never failed to speak praise of these institutions. No storm or darkness ever kept him away from prayer-meeting. In the neighbourhood where he lived, for years he held a devotional meeting. Oftentimes the only praying-man present before a handful of attendants, he would give out the hymn, read the lines, conduct the music, and pray. Then read the Scriptures and pray again. Then lead forth in the Doxology with an enthusiasm as if there were a thousand people present, and all the Church members had been doing their duty. He went forth visiting the sick, burying the dead, collecting alms for the poor, inviting the ministers of religion to his household, in which there was, as in the house of Shunem, a little room over the wall, with bed and candlestick for any passing Elisha. He never shuddered at the sight of a subscription-paper, and not a single great cause of benevolence has arisen within the last half-century which he did not bless with his beneficence. Oh! this was not a barren almond-tree that blossomed. His charity was not like the bursting of the bud of a famous tree in the South, that fills the whole forest with its racket, nor was it a clumsy thing, like the fruit in some tropical clime, that crashes down, almost knocking the life out of those who gather it, for in his case the right hand knew not what the left hand did. The churches of God, in whose service he toiled, have arisen as one man to declare his faithfulness and to mourn their loss. He stood in the front of the holy war, and the courage which never trembled or winced in the presence of temporal danger induced him to dare all things for God. In church matters he was not afraid to be shot at. Ordained, not by the laying on of human hands, but by the imposition of a Saviour’s love, he preached by his life, in official position, and legislative hall, and commercial circles, a practical Christianity. He showed that there was a such a thing as honesty in politics. He slandered no party, stuffed no ballot-box, forged no naturalization papers, intoxicated no voters, told no lies, surrendered no principle, countenanced no demagogueism. He called things by their rightful names; and what others styled prevarication, exaggeration, misstatement, or hyperbole, he called a lie. Though he was far from being undecided in his views, and never professed neutrality, or had any consort with those miserable men who boast how well they can walk on both sides of a dividing-line and be on neither, yet even in the excitements of election canvass, when his name was hotly discussed in public journals, I do not think his integrity was ever assaulted. Started every morning with a chapter of the Bible, and his whole family around him on their knees, he forgot not, in the excitement of the world, that he had a God to serve and a heaven to win. The morning prayer came up on one side of the day, and the evening prayer on the other side, and joined each other in an arch above his head, under the shadow of which he walked all the day. The Sabbath worship extended into Monday’s conversation, and Tuesday’s bargain, and Wednesday’s mirthfulness, and Thursday’s controversy, and Friday’s sociality, and Saturday’s calculation.

Through how many thrilling scenes he had passed! He stood, at Morristown, in the choir that chanted when George Washington was buried; talked with young men whose grandfathers he had held on his knee; watched the progress of John Adam’s administration; denounced, at the time, Aaron Burr’s infamy; heard the guns that celebrated the New Orlean’s victory; voted against Jackson, but lived long enough to wish we had one just like him; remembered when the first steamer struck the North River with its wheel buckets; flushed with excitement in the time of National Banks and Sub-Treasury; was startled at the birth of telegraphy; saw the United States grow from a speck on the world’s map, till all nations dip their flag at our passing merchantmen, and our “national airs” have been heard on the steeps of the Himalayas; was born while the revolutionary cannon were coming home from Yorktown, and lived to hear the tramp of troops returning from the war of the great Rebellion; lived to speak the names of eighty children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Nearly all his contemporaries gone! Aged Wilberforce said that sailors drink to “friends astern” until half way over sea, and then drink to “friends ahead.” With him it had for a long time been “friends ahead.” So also with my father. Long and varied pilgrimage! Nothing but sovereign grace could have kept him true, earnest, useful and Christian through so many exciting scenes.

He worked unweariedly from the sunrise of youth to the sunset of old age, and then in the sweet nightfall of death, lighted by the starry promises, went home, taking his sheaves with him. Mounting from earthly to heavenly service, I doubt not there were a great multitude that thronged heaven’s gate to hail him into the skies — those whose sorrows he has appeased, whose burdens he had lifted, whose guilty souls he had pointed to a pardoning God, whose dying moments he had cheered, whose ascending spirits he had helped up on the wings of sacred music. I should like to have heard that long, loud, triumphant shout, of heaven’s welcome. I think that the harps throbbed with another thrill, and the hills quaked with a mightier hallelujah. Hall, ransomed soul! thy race run — thy toil ended. Hail to the coronation!

Like an almond tree in blossom — which does so in winter, as Thomas notes (see “The Almond-Tree in Blossom” in his 1872 Sermons) — David Talmage served God well in old age, and the tribute that his son left for him is an encouragement to others, young and old, that one can hold on the starry promises, and shine all the brighter, not only in the noon-day of life, but also towards the end our days, even in the darkest of nights.

The Man, Charles Hodge

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Editorial note: This is the first in a planned series of articles by Rev. Dylan Rowland, Pastor of Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Mansfield, Ohio, about the life and legacy of Dr. Charles Hodge.

Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was an American Presbyterian theologian and prolific theological commentator. Some have even gone so far as to refer to Hodge as being the so-called, “Pride of Princeton,” and this not without good reason [1]. Having studied theology at Princeton Seminary and graduating in 1819, Hodge was soon called to be the third professor at the seminary along with Presbyterian luminaries such as Archibald Alexander and Samuel Miller. There, Hodge began what would become more than 50 years of educating and preparing men for Christian ministry. During his theological career, Hodge produced a variety of works including his popular The Way of Life, numerous articles for The Biblical Repertory and Princeton Review, his three-volume systematic theology, and much more. Due to his theological vigor, Hodge is recognized by many as being one of the most important American Presbyterian theologians of the nineteenth century.

However, it ought not merely be Hodge’s academic prowess which awards him this status, but also the quality of person he was. I contend that Hodge is worth spending hours reading, not only because of his intellectual brilliance, but also because of the man himself. Hence, this article is the first of many exploring the personal life of Charles Hodge. In studying Hodge’s personal life, readers will find what kind of man God had raised up to teach subsequent generations of pastors and theologians. Prayerfully, a study concerning Hodge’s personal life will demonstrate to a greater degree the value of Hodge’s theological ministry at Princeton Seminary. 

To begin this study, it is necessary to begin at the end, after Hodge had gone to be with the Lord. The following is a testimonial concerning the life and work of Hodge printed in the National Repository, a Methodist magazine. The editor’s words set the stage for understanding better Charles Hodge, the man:

Timothy Dwight, Nathaniel Emmons, Samuel Hopkins, Edwards A. Park, Moses Stuart, Nathaniel W. Taylor, Albert Barnes, the Alexanders, Francis Wayland, Tayler Lewis, Bishop McIlvaine, Bangs, Fisk, McClintock, Whedon, Bledsoe, Dr. True, whose loss we have just been called on to mourn also, and a hundred others have shed lustre on the American name since the era of independence opened; but none of these can, in grandeur of achievement, compare with Charles Hodge, who recently died at Princeton, an octogenarian. He was not only par excellence the Calvinistic theologian of America, but the Nestor of all American theology, and though we differ widely with him in many things, we yet accept this master mind and beautifully adorned life as the grandest result of our Christian intellectual development. He produced many valuable writings, but above all stands his ‘Systematic Theology,’ a work which has only begun its influence in moulding the religious thought of the English-speaking world. We could wish that its fallacy of dependence on the Calvinistic theology were not one of its faults. But what is this slight failing compared to the masterful leading of a thousand, lost in speculation, from the labyrinth of doubt and despair to the haven of heavenly faith and angelic security? We may say of this now sainted man, ‘With all thy faults we love thee still.’ Princeton has lost its greatest ornament, the Presbyterian Church its most precious gem, the American Church her greatest earth-born luminary [2].

[1] See the insightful biography of Charles Hodge written by W. Andrew Hoffecker, Charles Hodge: The Pride of Princeton (2011, Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing).
[2] A.A. Hodge, The Life of Charles Hodge D.D. LL.D. (1880), pp. 585-586.

B.B. Warfield entered into glory 100 years ago today

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On February 16, 1921, B.B. Warfield, one of the most respected and prolific Reformed theologians in history, passed away in Princeton, New Jersey — an event witnessed personally by J.G. Vos, son of Geerhardus Vos — after previously experiencing angina pectoris.

Dr. C.W. Hodge, Jr. (who would go to assist in the publication of Warfield Works) wrote soon after:

In the death of Dr. Warfield on Feb. 16 Princeton University has lost one of its most distinguished alumni, and Princeton Theological Seminary has suffered an irreparable loss. Dr. Warfield not only occupies a place with the greatest men who have taught in Princeton Seminary, he was probably the greatest living theologian holding the Reformed Faith. With the late Dr. Kuyper of Amsterdam and Dr. Kuyper’s successor, Dr. Bavinck, Dr. Warfield was recognized as a leading expounder and defender of Calvinistic or Augustinian theology. The whole Christian Church will mourn his loss as one of the great leaders in religious thought.

Dr. Francis Landey Patton, in his memorial address for Warfield, said:

Princeton Theological Seminary is walking today in the shadow of an eclipse which in various degrees of visibility has been observed, I doubt not, throughout the greater part of the Christian world. Men may agree with Dr. Warfield or they may differ from him, but they must recognize his unswerving fidelity to what he believed to be the truth. Students of theology in whatever Christian communions they may be found must recognize him as an earnest coworker in defending the authority and contents of the New Testament and in vindicating the central doctrines of our common Christianity. Nothing but ignorance of his exact scholarship, wide learning, varied writings, and the masterly way in which he did his work should prevent them from uniting with us today in the statement that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel.

Well may it be said that today we remember “a prince and a great man in Israel” who entered glory exactly one century ago. The life and legacy of B.B. Warfield have had a profoundly enduring impact on the Christian Church. We continue to add to his page, with over 200 of his published writings available to read at Log College Press. We invited you to take time to reflect on the life of this great theologian, and learn more about him, here.

How They Kept the Faith: A Huguenot Tale by Annie R. Stillman

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A descendant of French Huguenots herself, Annie Raymond Stillman (1855-1922), niece of Charles A. Stillman (see below), and parishioner of Thomas Smyth (also see below), was the author of a noted work of historical fiction titled How They Kept the Faith: A Tale of the Huguenots of Languedoc (1889, 1899), a book which was republished by Inheritance Publications in the 1990s as part of their Huguenot Inheritance Series.

Biographical sketches of Miss Annie (she never married, and wrote under the pseudonym “Grace Raymond”) appear in Mary D. Irvine and Alice L. Eastwood, Pioneer Women of the Presbyterian Church, United States (1923) and Margaret A. Gist, Presbyterian Women of South Carolina (1929). The latter work is not yet available at Log College Press, but we can quote a portion concerning Miss Annie.

ANNIE RAYMOND STILLMAN OR “GRACE RAYMOND”

Any history of the outstanding women of Charleston Presbyterial is incomplete without some mention, however brief, of the author of “How They Kept the Faith.” The daughter of Alfred Raymond Stillman and Amelia H. Badeau, Anne Raymond Stillman was born on January 25, 1855, in Charleston and in the congregation of the Second Presbyterian Church, of which her father was an elder. During the latter part of the Confederate War the family refugeed in Summerville, but Miss Stillman received her education at the Memminger Normal School of Charleston, from which she was graduated in 1870.

Miss Stillman had begun to write before that time, but her first published work was a memorial poem to her pastor, Dr. Thomas Smyth, in 1873. After that many of her poems and children’s stories were written for the “Southern Presbyterian", always under the name “Grace Raymond”, while she wrote the Charleston “News and Courier” a story of the Confederate War called “Palm and Pine.” Her mother, through whom came Miss Stillman’s Huguenot blood and spirit, suggested the book which brought her into prominence as an author. “How They Kept the Faith” is an important contribution to the history of the martyred Huguenots and of Christianity. Mrs. Stillman also instilled in her daughter an enthusiasm for Foreign Missions.

The gradual failure of Miss Stillman’s sight delayed the completion of her book and prevented all reading, but it never was allowed to cloud her cheerful spirit or her heavenly vision. No photograph of her is available, but none who knew her in youth may forget that exquisite regular profile, the blond hair brought down, madonna-wise, on each side of the delicate face, the eyes veiled against the light, and the intent interest in sermon or talk.

Miss Stillman later resided in Tuscaloosa, near the institute founded by her distinguished uncle, Dr. Charles Stillman, but as with all good Charlestonians, her heart lived in Charleston and Charleston was the better for it. She lies with her people in the old burying-ground in the shadow of Second Church.

If you are seeking edifying and inspirational historical fiction to read, which begins with a poetic tribute to the author’s mother and the heroic Christians from whom she was descended, the story of two Huguenot families in 17th century France, is a good choice for readers young and old and can be read online here.

Machen on the consecration of culture

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Some have well and truly observed that the interest of religion and good literature hath risen and fallen together. – Increase Mather

Of the five paradigms sketched by H. Richard Niebuhr in Christ and Culture (1951), it is clear that J.G. Machen fits not into the “Christ Against Culture” category, or most of the others found therein, but the “Christ Transforming Culture” paradigm is good match. Culture is not irredeemable or inherently antagonistic to Christianity, but can be sanctified to the glory of God, in Machen’s view.

Machen’s 1912 address “The Scientific Preparation of the Minister” was published in 1913 as Christianity and Culture, and here he makes this case.

Are then Christianity and culture in a conflict that is to be settled only by the destruction of one or the other of the contending forces? A third solution, fortunately, is possible — namely, consecration. Instead of destroying the arts and sciences or being indifferent to them, let us cultivate them with all the enthusiasm of the veriest humanist, but at the same time consecrate them to the service of our God. Instead of stifling the pleasures afforded by the acquisition of knowledge or by the appreciation of what is beautiful, let us accept these pleasures as the gifts of a heavenly Father. Instead of obliterating the distinction between the kingdom and the world, or on the other hand withdrawing from the world into a sort of modernized intellectual monasticism, let us go forth joyfully, enthusiastically to make the world subject to God. …

There are two objections to our solution of the problem. If you bring culture and Christianity thus into close union — in the first place, will not Christianity destroy culture? Must not art and science be independent in order to flourish? We answer that it all depends upon the nature of their dependence. Subjection to any external authority or even to any human authority would be fatal to art and science. But subjection to God is entirely different. Dedication of human powers to God is found, as a matter of fact, not to destroy but to heighten them. God gave those powers. He understands them well enough not bunglingly to destroy his own gifts. In the second place, will not culture destroy Christianity? Is it not far easier to be an earnest Christian if you confine your attention to the Bible and do not risk being led astray by the thought of the world? We answer that of course it is easier. Shut yourself up in an intellectual monastery, do not disturb yourself with the thoughts of unregenerate men, and of course you will find it easier to be a Christian, just as it is easier to be a good soldier in comfortable winter quarters than it is on the field of battle. You save your own soul — but the Lord’s enemies remain in possession of the field. …

I do not mean that the removal of intellectual objections will make a man a Christian. No conversion was ever wrought simply by argument. A change of heart is also necessary. And that can be wrought only by the immediate exercise of the power of God. But because intellectual labor is insufficient, it does not follow, as is so often assumed, that it is unnecessary. God may, it is true, overcome all intellectual obstacles by an immediate exercise of his regenerative power. Sometimes he does. But he does so very seldom. Usually he exerts his power in connection with certain conditions of the human mind. Usually he does not bring into the kingdom, entirely without preparation, those whose mind and fancy are completely dominated by ideas which make the acceptance of the gospel logically impossible. …

Modern culture is a tremendous force. It affects all classes of society. It affects the ignorant as well as the learned. What is to be done about it? In the first place, the church may simply withdraw from the conflict. She may simply allow the mighty stream of modern thought to flow by unheeded and do her work merely in the back-eddies of the current. There are still some men in the world who have been unaffected by modern culture. They may still be won for Christ without intellectual labor. And they must be won. It is useful, it is necessary work. If the church is satisfied with that alone, let her give up the scientific education of her ministry. …

The church is puzzled by the world’s indifference. She is trying to overcome it by adapting her message to the fashions of the day. But if, instead, before the conflict, she would descend into the secret place of meditation, if by the clear light of the gospel she would seek an answer not merely to the questions of the hour but, first of all, to the eternal problems of the spiritual world, then perhaps, by God’s grace, through his good Spirit, in his good time, she might issue forth once more with power, and an age of doubt might be followed by the dawn of an era of faith.

As man can be redeemed, so can the society of men, and all their political, scientific, artistic and other endeavors and forms of expression when consecrated to God. The Spirit works not only in individuals, but in their social relationships as well. And as we pray, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, so may we affirm, work for, and rejoice with the promise that one day it will be evident that, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). Machen believed in cultural engagement — not abandonment or rejection of culture — and in the transforming power of God’s grace to redeem society as well as individuals. Consecration, as Machen would say, is key.

Judith G. Perkins: The Flower of Persia

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Although we have previously highlighted the letter of 10 year-old A.A. Hodge and his younger sister Mary Elizabeth to the “heathen” of India, both went on to live full lives on earth to the glory of God. Today we highlight a young lady who lived her full life on earth to the ripe age of twelve years old.

Judith Grant Perkins was the daughter of Justin and Charlotte Perkins, missionaries to Persia, the fourth of seven children in the family. Her biography was primarily authored by Joseph Gallup Cochran: The Persian Flower: A Memoir of Judith Grant Perkins of Oroomiah, Persia (1853). Judith was born on August 8, 1840 at Urmia, Persia (now Iran).

She visited America once as a child. The story of that journey is found in Justin Perkins, A Residence of Eight Years in Persia, Among the Nestorian Christians (1843). But otherwise, she lived in Persia the rest of her life.

Judith was a precocious girl, who learned to read and write very well (her biography includes a number of letters that she wrote, and Log College Press has one letter in her own hand — written at the age of eight — which shows her excellent penmanship). She was interested in music, an avid reader (one of the last books she read — out loud to her mother — was Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin), and she assisted her father in his translation labors. She had a heart for advancing the gospel in other parts of the world, even thinking of one day laboring in China as a missionary.

Judith's interest in the cause of missions, was of early growth. When quite a small child, she often spoke of becoming a missionary, and was then particularly interested in China, as a prospective field of labor. And to the last, she always seemed to assume, that she should be a missionary somewhere, if her life were spared. Reading the memoirs of female missionaries, as the memoir of Harriet Newell, and that of Mrs. Dwight and Mrs. Grant, and of Mrs. Van Lennep, and others, served to quicken that desire, and strengthen that impression; and her circumstances on missionary ground, naturally kept the subject fresh before her mind. She said to some of the older Nestorian girls of the seminary, the last time she ever saw them, and only four days before her death, "I hope, after I return from Erzroom, to study very hard, and afterward go to America, and attend school awhile there, and then return and be a missionary here; or, I would prefer to go and labor where there are no missionaries."

In an important sense, Judith had long been a missionary helper. She ever manifested a very deep interest in all the departments of the good work among the Nestorians, and sought to aid in its progress in every way in her power. She had sat patiently many an hour, and assisted her father in adjusting the verses of the translation of the Bible according to the English version; reading the latter verse by verse; and she seldom seemed happier than when aiding him in that great work, which she longed to see accomplished. During the last year of her life, she assisted her mother in teaching a few Nestorian females connected with the Sabbath school, and .eagerly engaged in the loved employment.

Perkins, Judith Grant photo 2 smaller.jpg

It was while traveling with her family that she was stricken with illness. While lingering like the fragile flower she was, her father later recounted a conversation with Judith that reveals her inner spirit.

Once when I asked her, 'Dear Judith, is Jesus precious to you?' ‘O yes,' she replied; 'I have just had a view of Him; O how lovely!' What a balm was that reply to our writhing hearts! At another time, I inquired, 'Dear Judith, have you a desire to get well?' She replied, 'O, yes, papa, if it be God's will.' 'Why, dear Judith?' I inquired. '‘That I may do good,' she answered. ‘And if it is His will to take you now to Himself, are you not satisfied?' I inquired. 'O yes, papa; His will be done,' was her reply.

Towards the end, her father records a prayer that she uttered:

About this time, her papa and mamma kneeled over her and prayed in succession. She remained silent a few moments after we closed; and then, without any suggestion from us, uttered the following short prayer, slowly and distinctly, and evidently from the depths of her soul — 'O Lord, accept me; if it be thy will, make me well again; if not, oh let me not murmur.' We responded an audible amen.

She died of cholera on September 4, 1852 at the age of twelve, and was buried at the American Mission Graveyard outside of Urmia, where it is reported of the 60 or so individuals interred there, around 40 are children.

Her witness to the grace of Jesus Christ, who worked in her and through her, touched the lives of those who knew her, and many others who have read her life story over the years. We remember her as a flower who grew in Persia, and was transplanted to a more a beautiful garden above.

19th century American Presbyterians on the Bahá'í Faith

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It was in the middle of the 19th century that the Baháʼí Faith was founded in Iran (then known as Persia) by the Báb and Baháʼu'lláh. It was not until the 1893 at the World’s Fair held in Chicago where Henry Harris Jessup, through a paper read at the World’s Parliament of Religions, first brought attention to the words of Baháʼu'lláh in America.

The Baháʼí Faith arose in the context of Islam but it conceives of the founders of all major world religions as being sent from God, culminating in the Baháʼu'lláh, who died in 1892. It teaches, among other cardinal principles, that there is an essential unity and harmony among all religions, and all peoples.

Jessup was an American Presbyterian missionary to Syria / Lebanon, who was one of earliest to encounter the Baháʼí Faith. He concluded his 1893 paper with an optimistic assessment:

In the palace of Behjeh, or Delight, just outside the fortress of Acre. on the Syrian coast, there died a few months since a famous Persian sage, the Babi saint, named Behá Allah — the "Glory of God" — the head of that vast reform partv of Persian Moslems, who accept the New Testament as the Word of God and Christ as the deliverer of men, who regard all nations as one, and all men as brothers. Three years ago he \\a> visited by a Cambridge scholar, and gave utterances to sentiments so noble, so Christ-like, that we repeat them as our closing words:

“That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should he strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease and differences of race be annulled; what harm is there in this? Yet so it shall be. These fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the' Most Great Peace' shall come. Do not you in Europe need this also? Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind."

Yet, in his 1910 autobiographical memoir Fifty-Three Years in Syria, Vol. 2, p. 687, his perspective of the Baháʼí Faith (which he terms “Babism”) had changed:

I can understand how an intelligent Moslem might be attracted to Babism, on account of its liberality towards other sects, as contrasted with the narrow conceited illiberality of Islam. But I cannot understand how a true Christian can possibly exchange the liberty with which Christ makes us free and the clear, consistent plan of salvation through a Redeemer, for the misty and mystical platitudes of Babism.

The following is a brief list of resources currently available at Log College Press by American Presbyterians who addressed the claims of the Baháʼí Faith.

  • William Fred Galbraith: 1) Babism or Behaism (1906);

  • Francis J. Grimké: 1) 1918 correspondence between Grimké and Joseph H. Hannen, an American Bahá'í in The Works of Francis J. Grimké, Vol. 4, pp. 209-211;

  • Henry Harris Jessup: 1) The Religious Mission of the English Speaking Nations (1893); 2) The Babites (1901); 3) Babism and the Babites; and 4) Fifty-Three Years in Syria (1910);

  • Robert McEwan Labaree: 1) Review of Horace Holley, Bahai, The Spirit of the Age (1922);

  • John Haskell Shedd: 1) Babism — Its Doctrines and Relation to Mission Work (1894)

  • William Ambrose Shedd: 1) Bahaism and Its Claims (1911);

  • Samuel Graham Wilson: 1) Bahaism (1914); 2) Bahaism an Antichristian System (1915); 3) The Bayan of the Bab (1915); and 4) Bahaism and Its Claims: A Study of the Religion Promulgated by Baha Ullah and Abdul Baha (1915).

The Bahá'í Faith rose significantly in popularity in America in the 1960s, but the impressions, particularly by missionaries to the Middle East, provide a fascinating insight for us today into how earlier American Presbyterians viewed this 19th century religion.

Note: This writer was at one time a Bahá'í, before he was saved by Jesus Christ, by the grace of God.

An American Presbyterian missionary martyr in Persia: B.W. Labaree

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On March 9, 1904, tragedy struck the Presbyterian Mission to Persia (Persia is now known as Iran). Rev. Benjamin Woods Labaree and his servant Israel were killed by a band of Kurds near Urmia. It was “the first murder in the mission’s seventy-year history. The motive was either religious or racial hatred, combined with robbery” (Susan M. Stein, On Distant Service: The Life of the First U.S. Foreign Service Officer to Be Assassinated, p. 218).

Labaree was the son of American Presbyterian missionary to Persia Benjamin Labaree. The account of his death (by repeated dagger blows) is given in a letter by the younger Labaree’s wife, Mary A. Schauffler Labaree Platt (she later remarried). He, his servant, and another male missionary set off from Urmia to escort two female missionaries to the city of Khoy. It was on the return trip that their journey left “this mortal coil.” The timeline of events relating to Labaree’s death is given by the editor of Woman’s Work for Woman.

March 4.—Mr. Labaree left Urumia in charge of a party of several persons bound for Khoi.

March 9.— Murder of Mr. Labaree and servant, by a Persian and three Kurds.

March 10 or 11. — Rev. Wm. Shedd with escort of soldiers went to Ula to bring the bodies of the dead to Urumia.

March 11. — The Governor of Urumia sent a long, sympathetic telegram from Tabriz, assuring Dr. Cochran that he would heartily do all in his power to find the murderers.

March 14. — Funeral at the College, one mile and a half outside the city, and burial at Seir, six miles farther out.

The return of the bodies of B.W. Labaree and his servant, Israel, after their murder by Kurds, on the road from Khoi to Urmia, March 1904.

The return of the bodies of B.W. Labaree and his servant, Israel, after their murder by Kurds, on the road from Khoi to Urmia, March 1904.

Accounts of this tragedy may be found in Robert Elliott Speer’s biography of Joseph Plumb Cochran, “The Hakim Sahib",” The Foreign Doctor: A Biography of Joseph Plumb Cochran, M.D., of Persia (1911); and Mary Lewis Shedd’s biography of her husband, The Measure of a Man: The Life of William Ambrose Shedd, Missionary to Persia (1922). William A. Shedd dedicated his book Islam and the Oriental Churches (1908) to the memory of B.W. Labaree, “who met a cruel death, Salmas, Persia, March Ninth, MCMIV - a true friend and devoted missionary.”

His widow wrote days after the sad event:

God is very close to us and His help is real and wonderful. As I realize more and more what He is to me, it makes my whole heart yearn to teach these people of this poor, wicked land to know Him. Do not grieve and mourn too much for us, dear ones, but pray that we may be able to bear it and that this overwhelming sorrow may be to the glory of God.

Later, when some came to offer her condolences and in so doing cursed the murderers of her husband, “She cried out, ‘O how your words hurt ! Every one is a dagger to my broken heart. My children and I are praying that God may revenge us by changing the hearts of those men and saving them from eternal death. We are praying as our Master did for His enemies, 'Forgive them,' for they knew not what they did. It is my comfort to believe that out of this great sorrow shall come that great blessing’" (Elwood Morris Wherry, Methods of Mission Work Among Moslems, p. 112).

B.W. Labaree’s younger brother, Robert McEwan Labaree, after learning of the tragedy, volunteered to serve as a missionary to Persia in his place. After many years of service in that mission field, he went on to become a highly respected professor at Lincoln University near Oxford, Pennsylvania.

In July 1904, Seyid Ghaffar, the accused murderer, was captured and incarcerated. He claimed a lineal descent from the Prophet Muhammad, and so the local authorities were unwilling to execute him for his crime (he was also accused of killing another British citizen on a separate occasion), but he died in prison several years later. Other members of his band were captured but did not stay in prison long.

The Labaree Memorial Church in Urmia was erected in 1906 in memory of the martyred missionary. B.W. Labaree’s legacy has inspired many over the years to pray and labor for the cause of Christianity in the Middle East. The example of forgiveness by his widow is a powerful witness to the grace of God toward sinners. May we continue to honor the legacy of the missionary martyr and his widow with our prayers and labors today.

Recent Additions to Log College Press -- January 28, 2021

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As we approach 10,000 separate works available to read for free online at Log College Press, we wish to keep our readers apprised of some recently-added highlights.

  • Caleb Cook Baldwin (1820-1911) and his wife Harriet Fairchild Baldwin (1826-1896) were American Presbyterian missionaries to China. Together they served Chinese Christians for almost five decades, and translated much of the Bible into the Fuzhou (Foochow) dialect. Mrs. Baldwin’s poems were published posthumously, and her pencil sketches are a joy to behold.

  • John Armor Bingham (1815-1900) was a friend of Titus Basfield (whose correspondence was destroyed sadly in the 1990s). He is known to history as a lawyer who participated in the trial of the conspirators involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, a prosecutor in the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, and as the primary author of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

  • Alexander Latimer Blackford (1829-1890) was an American Presbyterian missionary and the first moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil.

  • Amos Dresser (1812-1904) was a Presbyterian minister, abolitionist and pacifist. He was once publicly beaten in Tennessee for carrying abolitionist literature and advocating their contents, a story recounted in his famous Narrative.

  • Edward Payson Durant (1831-1892) was a ruling elder to whom A.A. Hodge gives credit for inspiring Hodge to write his commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith.

  • Mary Augusta McConnell Palmer (1822-1888) was the wife of Benjamin Morgan Palmer.

  • Elizabeth Lee Allen Smith (1817-1898) was the wife and biographer of Henry Boynton Smith. She is also known for her hymn translations, including that of I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art, attributed sometimes to John Calvin (this attribution is disputed).

  • Lewis French Stearns (1847-1892) was the son of Jonathan French Stearns. Lewis served as a professor at Bangor Theological Seminary in Maine, and was greatly mourned when he died in his early 50s.

  • Hermann Warszawiak (1865-1921) was a born a Polish Jew, but after his conversion to Christ, his heart was set on missions to the Jews who lived in New York City.

  • Loyal Young (1806-1890) and Watson Johnston Young (1838-1919) were father and son Presbyterian ministers. Samuel Hall Young, the famous missionary to Alaska, was another son of Loyal Young. Loyal’s commentary on Ecclesiastes was a noteworthy contribution to Biblical exegesis. Both Loyal and Watson were poets as well.

  • Many additional writings by Lyman Hotchkiss Atwater, Albert Barnes, Francis Landey Patton, Henry Boynton Smith, and others have been added in recent weeks as well.

As always, we are grateful for the suggestions of our readers for people and works to add to the site. And as Log College Press continues to grow, keep checking back to see what’s new. Tolle lege!

Joel Parker's Initiatory Catechism

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We have previously drawn our readers’ attention to The Presbyterian's Hand-Book of the Church: For the Use of Members, Deacons, Elders, and Ministers (1861), prepared jointly by Joel Parker (1799-1873) and Thomas Ralston Smith (1830-1903). In its guidance to Christian parents and to church officers, the teaching of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is naturally encouraged. But included also is a related tool, described as the Initiatory Catechism, by Joel Parker, which we wish to highlight today.

Originally published in 1855 under the title The Pastor's Initiatory Catechism, or, The Shorter Catechism: Made More Brief and Simple for Young Children (we do not yet have the 1855 edition on Log College Press), it is republished in The Presbyterian’s Hand-Book of the Church. Our author describes it thus:

A short explanation of the design of this appendage may not be out of place.

The Initiatory Catechism passes over the same general ground as the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, with a little additional matter in respect to the ecclesiastical arrangements of our revered and beloved Church. This is the main thing which distinguishes it as the Presbyterian Initiatory Catechism. The Assembly's Shorter Catechism is added in a compact style, in order that these forms of instruction, by being bound up in the Manual, may serve to remind parents of their duty, and that they may not be lost, as they are apt to be when possessed only in the cheap penny editions prepared for children's classes.

Organized under three headings, the first is titled “Christian Doctrine” (73 questions and answers). Next, is “Christian Duty” (48). And finally, there is “The Christian Church” (8) - for a total of 129 questions and answers. It begins thus:

1. Who made you?

God.

2. What else has God made?

He made all things.

3. Of what did God make all things?

Of nothing.

4. For what did God make you?

To love and serve him.

5. What will make you most happy?

To love and serve God.

6. How long will it make you happy to love and serve God?

All my life.

7. Will to love and serve God make you happy in the next world too?

Yes, when I die.

8. What is the rule to show you how to love and serve God?

The Word of God.

9. What does the Word of God teach you?

To love the truth and do right.

10. Is God good?

Yes; in all he thinks and does.

11. Does God know all things?

Yes; he knows all ray thoughts.

12. Does God see all things?

Yes; and he sees me all the time, night and day.

13. Did God make all men at once?

No; he first made one man and one woman.

14. What were their names?

Adam and Eve.

One can see the overlap with Westminster as well as Joseph P. Engles’ Catechism for Young Children, and yet note points of divergence as well. The third section on the church in particular covers fresh ground. It is a catechism that is not well known today, but it was appreciated and employed in its day. To read it in full, see The Presbyterian’s Hand-Book on the Church, pp. 56-70 here. It is a short read and edifying to see how one pastor in the mid-19th century employed a catechism based on Westminster to meet the particular needs of those coming into the Presbyterian Church.

Happy birthday to John T. Faris!

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Editor, author, traveler and Presbyterian minister, John Thomson Faris was born 150 years ago today on January 23, 1871 at Cape Girardeau, Missouri. John studied at several schools, including Princeton and McCormick Theological Seminary. His father, William Wallace Faris, was both a Presbyterian minister and an editor, in whose footsteps, in both capacities, John would follow. John’s brother, Paul Patton Faris, also became a minister and an author.

In the field of journalistic publishing, John worked for The Talk, Anna, Illinois (1890); The Occident, San Francisco, (1891–1892); and The North and West, Minneapolis (1892). Ordained to the ministry in 1898, John ministered in Mt. Carmel, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri, before taking on official journalistic duties for the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA). He saw the importance of Sunday School, and this would become a focus of his labors.

He served as editor of the Sunday School Times, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1907–1908); and editor of the Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath School Work, Philadelphia (1908–1923). He was the Director, Editorial division, of the Board of Christian Education of the PCUSA (1923–1937). Finally, he served as General Director of the editorial department of the Presbyterian Board of Christian Education, and as President of the Sunday School Council of the Evangelical Denominations.

He had a special affinity for J.R. Miller, whose biography he authored, and several of whose works he posthumously edited and published.

John T. Faris traveled extensively, and wrote prolifically. He published over 60 books, many of which highlighted the history and the geography of America. He focused on the romance of the past, and the virtues needed for the present, as well as the value of Sunday School for the strengthening the work of the kingdom. He seemed to have a vision for reaching people through words and imagery that evoked the best virtues in his readers. He died on April 13, 1949, and is buried in the same cemetery at Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania as where J.R. Miller is interred. We continue to add Faris’ writings to Log College Press, but today we remember that while his mortal life began 150 years ago, his legacy through the written word endures.

Samuel Higginbottom: The only cure for caste is Christ

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Sam Higginbottom (1874-1958) was an English-American Presbyterian who graduated from Princeton, and went on to serve as a missionary to India, where he founded the Allahabad Agricultural Institute (now known as the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences in his honor). He writes about his friendship with Mahatma Gandhi in his autobiography, while carefully distinguishing Gandhi’s Hindu beliefs from Christianity. Higginbottom was very concerned to present the gospel to Indians, particularly those of the lower caste, while also seeking to address the full scope of their needs, both temporal and spiritual.

Sam Higginbottom (photo colorized by Matthew Lankford).

Sam Higginbottom (photo colorized by Matthew Lankford).

In The Gospel and the Plow; or, The Old Gospel and Modern Farming in Ancient India (1921), pp. 30-32, he has this to say:

There was a day when the missionary felt that baptism was the end. To-day he knows it is only the beginning. When these people come they are still poor, still ignorant, their eyes not yet clear, so that they see men as trees, walking. They have in them the inheritance of centuries of oppression and degradation. If we only baptize them and leave them alone we do them infinite harm. Baptized they are babes in Christ and need the milk of the Word that they may grow up to the full measure of the stature of men in Christ Jesus. How can we help such a lowly, dependent folk, who have no traditions of independence or liberty to brace them? If we dole out charity to them we rob them of the very thing they need training in most of all. It is not doles of charity they need but help to help themselves. Teach them by their own efforts how to earn their own living, and such a living as will enable them not only to have enough to eat, and to be decently clothed, but a living which contemplates education for the children, contributions to schools and churches, to hospitals and libraries, a living which enables them to take full responsibility as citizens.

I believe the best and quickest way to do this is to train them in agriculture, train the best and brightest in a good central institution so that the ones so trained can go out to their own folk in the villages. The ones trained in modern farming can earn much more than the un-trained, so much more in fact that they can pay their own way and take their part as self-supporting members of the community. Some people who have seen this mass movement work criticize it. They say these people do not understand Christianity, that their motives are mixed and often unworthy, that they come to Christ for what they can get out of Him, that they are mercenary Christians, that they come for the loaves and fishes, that they are rice Christians. Having said so much they think the work is condemned and the case closed, but is it? Grant all they say, it means that these poor folk see in Christianity more than in their old faith. While adhering to their old faith material progress was impossible, under Christianity it is possible. Under their old faith they were denied common human rights, under their old faith they were denied the spiritual resources of that faith, under Christianity their only limit is their capacity to comprehend the length and breadth and depth and height of the love of God for the lost. It always seems to me that Jesus must have had the low-caste in mind when He stated His mission to be to seek and to save that which was lost. After all, it is not the motive with which men or women come to Christ that matters, but the motive with which they stay with Him, and many can bear witness that God is raising up to Himself out of these whom man despises, a body of believers that are the spiritual equals of any body of believers anywhere on earth. In faithfulness even to death, in the last great supreme sacrifice for His dear sake, they are abundant witnesses. The low caste converts educated in our mission schools and colleges often attain positions of distinction and high responsibility. They move freely among high-caste people, where, had they not been converted and trained, they never could have gone. As I see the progress of these masses to Jesus I come to see that the only cure for caste is Christ. That He effectually takes away any disability that caste causes. That in this life if any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creation.

HT: Matthew Lankford

Read more by this noted missionary and educator at his page here.