American Independence and Presbyterians

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

Log College Press began officially on July 4, 2017. We identify this date not only with the origin of LCP, but of course also with the founding of the United States of America, when the Declaration of Independence was promulgated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1776.

In 2018, we wished our readers a Happy Independence Day; in 2019, we spoke of “Freedom’s Cost’; in 2020, the theme was “Presbyterians and the Revolution”; and today we highlight Fourth of July orations and sermons by some noted Presbyterians.

It was customary for many Presbyterians to commemorate American Independence with speeches and sermons. Here we bring to your attention a representative sample of some specimens of Presbyterian Independence oratory.

• Samuel Clark Aiken (1827) - Speaking to the Sunday School Societies in Utica, New York, on the 51st anniversary of American Independence, Rev. Aiken of the need for nations who have been greatly blessed to maintain religion in its public and private spheres, and of the role that Sunday Schools play in this.

• Diarca Howe Allen (1861) - Rev. Allen’s discourse, published in 1862, focused on the centennial of Lebanon, New Hampshire in the context of a celebration of national independence.

• Nathan Sidney Smith Beman (1841) - Rev. Beman’s discourse was titled The Western Continent. Looking both the past and the future, he spoke of national blessings which should continue to expand westward.

• Elias Boudinot IV (1793) - Speaking to the Society of the Cincinnati of the State of New Jersey on the 17th anniversary of American Independence, Rev. Boudinot called upon his hearers, with a direct preceding message to President George Washington, to strive to maintain the ideals for which American patriots had fought: “The obligations of mankind to these worthy characters increase in proportion to the importance of the blessings purchased by their labors.” He also advocated for increased rights for women.

• Frederick Thomas Brown (1865) - Speaking on the first Fourth of July following the War Between the States, Rev. Brown argued that this was an important moment for the country in which he prayed that our nation would become stronger and more unified.

• Hooper Cumming (1817, 1821, 1824) - Rev. Cumming, in his short life, delivered a number of Fourth of July orations, some of which are found on his page. In each, he stirs up his hearers to appreciate our national blessings, and to strive to maintain godly ideals.

• Daniel Dana (1814) - Delivered in the midst of the War of 1812, Rev. Dana reminded his audience that God is concerned with national affairs. He highlighted God’s providence not only with respect to America but also with respect to the affairs of Europe.

• Ezra Stiles Ely (1827) - Rev. Ely preached a Fourth of July sermon (published in 1828) — based on the concluding verses of Psalm 2 — on The Duty of Christian Freemen to Elect Christian Rulers. According to Ely, the Lord Jesus Christ is the rightful sovereign of all lands.

• Timothy Flint (1815) - Speaking on the first Fourth of July after the War of 1812 ended, Rev. Flint called to mind the troubles that the nation had endured, but with thankfulness for the mercies of God in seeing the country through.

• Ralph Randolph Gurley (1825) - Rev. Gurley spoke in Washington, D.C. of a religious celebration of national blessings; yet, he also addressed the fact that slavery continued to be a stain on our national honor, and of efforts to colonize Western Africa with freed slaves.

• Symmes Cleves Henry (1824) - In this oration delivered before the Society of Cincinnati of the State of New Jersey, Rev. Henry spoke of the ideals represented by the historical events commemorated on the 48th anniversary of American Independence.

• William Linn (1791) - Rev. Linn’s sermon, preached in New York, was based on Ps. 16:6: “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” He recounted many of the blessings that God’s favor had granted to a young nation.

• John McKnight (1794) - Rev. McKnight’s Fourth of July sermon, preached in New York City, was titled God the Author of Promotion and based on Ps. 75:6-9. In the context of celebrating the birth of the American nation, he reminds his hearers that it is God who raises up and casts down.

• Samuel Miller (1793, 1795) - Among the earliest published sermons of Rev. Miller were two Fourth of July messages preached in New York City. The first was titled Christianity the Grand Source and Surest Basis for Political Liberty.

• Eliphalet Nott (1801) - On the 25th anniversary of American Independence, Rev. Nott spoke of The Providence of God towards American Israel.

• George Potts (1826) - It was on the same day that both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died that Rev. Potts, speaking in Philadelphia, commemorated the 50th anniversary of American Independence.

• Horace Southworth Pratt (1828) - Preaching in Fryeburg, Maine Rev. Pratt spoke of the nature of freedom and liberty Biblically understood.

• Nathaniel Scudder Prime (1825) - Rev. Prime’s sermon highlighted a critical defect in our national freedom from tyranny: The Year of Jubilee; But Not to Africans: A Discourse, Delivered July 4th, 1825, Being the 49th Anniversary of American Independence.

• David Ramsay (1778) - Speaking to an audience in Charleston, South Carolina on the 2nd anniversary of American Independence, Dr. Ramsay encouraged his hearers to consider the advantages of liberty in the midst of a war that was far from over. He would go on to record the history of the American War of Independence.

• Henry Ruffner (1856) - Addressing his fellow Virginians in 1856 (before West Virginia seceded), Rev. Ruffner spoke of the necessity of maintaining the Federal Union: “United we stand, divided we fall.”

• William McKendree Scott (1851) - In time-honored fashion, Rev. Scott spoke to his fellow citizens at a “barbacue” held in Danville, Kentucky to commemorate our national independence.

• Isaac Nathan Shannon (1852) - Rev. Shannon, preaching in New Brunswick, New Jersey, highlighted the providence of God in the history of the American nation.

• William Buell Sprague (1827, 1830) - Rev. Sprague preached on the 51st and 54th anniversaries of American Independence, calling for religious celebration of this momentous event in our history, and reminding his congregation that “Happy is the people whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 144:15).

• Joseph Sweetman (1810) - Rev. Sweetman preached on religion as the foundation for national prosperity at Charlton, New York.

• Joseph Farrand Tuttle (1876) - Speaking on the centennial of American Independence, Rev. Tuttle recalled the efforts and sacrifices of the revolutionary forefathers of Morris County, New Jersey.

• William Spotswood White (1840) - Rev. White preached on 4th of July Reminiscences and Reflections: A Sermon in Charlottesville, Virginia, also on Ps. 144:15. Acknowledging the political agitations that were convulsing the land at the time, he spoke of the providential guidance and blessing that America has received and for which we should give thanks.

It is worth taking time to brush off the dust, so to speak, on these historical orations and sermons and consider what our American Presbyterian forefathers had to say about independence, liberty, national blessings, and the need for further reformation, and freedom for all.

Happy Independence Day to our readers from Log College Press!

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

The Impact of John Flavel on American Presbyterians

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

Robert Murray M’Cheyne once recounted a memorable story about the lasting impact of a sermon by John Flavel, the 17th century English Puritan (Serm. XXXVI, “God Let None of His Words Fall to the Ground,” in The Works of Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne: Complete in One Volume, 1874 ed., pp. 221-222):

The excellent John Flavel was minister of Dartmouth, in England. One day he preached from these words: “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha.” The discourse was unusually solemn — particularly the explanation of the curse. At the conclusion, when Mr. Flavel rose to pronounce the blessing, he paused, and said: “How shall I bless this whole assembly, when every person in it who loves not the Lord Jesus is anathema maranatha?” The solemnity of this address deeply affected the audience. In the congregation was a lad named Luke Short, about fifteen years old, a native of Dartmouth. Shortly after he went to sea, and sailed to America, where he passed the rest of his life. His life was lengthened far beyond the usual term. When a hundred years old, he was able to work on his farm, and his mind was not at all impaired. He had lived all this time in carelessness and sin; he was a sinner a hundred years old, and ready to die accursed. One day, as he sat in his field, he busied himself in reflecting on his past life. He thought of the days of his youth. His memory fixed on Mr. Flavel’s sermon, a considerable part of which he remembered. The earnestness of the minister — the truths spoken — the effect on the people — all came fresh to his mind. He felt that he had not loved the Lord Jesus; he feared the dreadful anathema; he was deeply convinced of sin — was brought to the blood of sprinkling. He lived to his one hundred and sixteenth year, giving every evidence of being born again. Ah! how faithful God is to his word. He did let none of his words fall to the ground.

Besides this remarkable example, the legacy of John Flavel’s ministry has deeply affected many around the world — such as John Brown of Haddington and Charles Spurgeon — including American Presbyterians. On this side of the pond, a number of Flavel’s works were republished in the 19th century by the American Tract Society and the Presbyterian Board of Publication, and also noted Philadelphia publisher William S. Young.

• Samuel Davies — When Davies wrote to Rev. Joseph Bellamy in 1751, a letter published as The State of Religion Among the Protestant Dissenters in Virginia, he listed the “experimental” divines whose methods of conversion he followed, and among them he included Flavel - who wrote The Method of Grace. See Joseph C. Harrod, Theology and Spirituality in the Works of Samuel Davies, pp. 88, 92-95 for more discussion of Flavel’s influence on Davies.

• Archibald Alexander — In The Life of Archibald Alexander, we read autobiographical accounts by Archibald, and the remarks of his son and biographer, James W. Alexander. Archibald wrote of the time he served as a tutor in Virginia at the Posey Plantation. Books by Flavel were placed in his hand by a Baptist lady named Mrs. Tyler. She loved Flavel and this exposure to his writings would lead Archibald to explore his Presbyterian beliefs and views on conversion. Archibald went on to say, “My services as a reader were frequently in requisition, not only to save the eyes of old Mrs. Tyler, but on Sundays for the benefit of the whole family. On one of these Sabbath evenings, I was requested to read out of Flavel. The part on which I had been regularly engaged was the 'Method of Grace;' but now, by some means, I was led to select one of the sermons on Revelation iii. 20, "Behold I stand at the door and knock," &c. The discourse was upon the patience, forbearance and kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ to impenitent and obstinate sinners. As I proceeded to read aloud, the truth took effect on my feelings, and every word I read seemed applicable to my own case. Before I finished the discourse, these emotions became too strong for restraint, and my voice began to falter. I laid down the book, rose hastily, and went out with a full heart, and hastened to my place of retirement. No sooner had I reached the spot than I dropped upon my knees, and attempted to pour out my feelings in prayer; but I had not continued many minutes in this exercise before I was overwhelmed with a flood of joy. It was transport such as I had never known before, and seldom since. I have no recollection of any distinct views of Christ; but I was filled with a sense of the goodness and mercy of God ; and this joy was accompanied with a full assurance that my state was happy, and that if I was then to die, I should go to heaven. This ecstacy was too high to be lasting, but as it subsided, my feelings were calm and happy. It soon occurred to me that possibly I had experienced the change called the new birth.” Archibald further stated that “I began to love the truth, and to seek after it, as for hid treasure. To John Flavel I certainly owe more than to any uninspired writer.”

• Samuel Miller — An 1847 letter to Chancellor James Kent, found in The Life of Samuel Miller, Vol. 2, p. 492 gives evidence of the high regard that Miller had for Flavel: “I take for granted that, in whatever degree your attention may have been heretofore directed to theological reading, that degree will be, hereafter, rather increased than diminished. Under this impression, permit me to say, that there are few writings that I have found more pleasant and edifying to myself, than the works of the late John Newton, of London, and of Thomas Scott, the commentator. I can also cordially recommend the two works by John Flavel, the old Puritan divine, of England, viz., his "Fountain of Life Opened," and his "Method of Grace;" both of which have been lately published, in an improved form, by the American Tract Society. Dr. Stone knows them all well, and will, I have no doubt, add his testimony to their value. True, you will not find in these volumes any thing new. They aim at exhibiting and recommending those great elementary truths of the Gospel with which you have been familiar from your earliest years; which your venerated parents and grandparents loved and rejoiced in; and which the truly pious of all Protestant denominations scarcely know how enough to value and circulate.”

• James W. Alexander — In Alexander’s posthumously-published Thoughts on Preaching, we may see how highly James, like his father, valued Flavel. There are a number of references to Flavel, but we particularly take note of this: “How could I have postponed to this place [pp. 129-130] dear JOHN FLAVEL? No one needs to be told how pious, how faithful, how tender, how rich, how full of unction, are his works. In no writer have the highest truths of religion been more remarkably brought down to the lowest capacity; yet with no sinking of the doctrine, and with a perpetual sparkle and zest, belonging to the most generous liquor. It has always been a wonder to me, how Flavel could maintain such simplicity and naïveté, and such childlike and almost frolicksome grace, amidst the multiform studies which he pursued. I can account for it only by his having been constantly among the people, in actual duty as a pastor. Opening one of his volumes, at random, I find quotations, often in Greek and Latin, and in the order here annexed, from Cicero, Pope Adrian, Plato, Chrysostom, Horace, Ovid, Luther, Bernard, Claudian, Menander, and Petronius. His residence at Dartmouth would afford a multitude of pastoral instances, if this were our present subject.”

• Jonathan Cross — In his autobiographical Five Years in the Alleghenies, the famous colporteur wrote that he read Flavel and Thomas Boston from the ages of ten to thirteen which brought him to a deep state of conviction over his sinfulness and his need for Christ.

• Thomas Murphy — Among the best books recommended for a minister’s library by Murphy in Pastoral Theology includes, in the area of practical piety, “Flavel’s Keeping the Heart,” and, among the “Great Puritan Writers,” “Flavel’s works — highly recommended.”

• Wayne Sparkman — The Director of the PCA Historical Center is a good friend to us at Log College Press. He, too, has been influenced by John Flavel. Barry Waugh quotes him in Westminster Lives: Eight Decades of Alumni in Ministry, 1929-2009, p. 56, regarding this influence: “Some years ago I read John Flavel’s work The Mystery of Providence. Flavel’s message has stuck with me and undergirds much of how I approach the work of the PCA Historical Center. Writing during a time of intense persecution, Flavel was eager to impress upon his congregation the realization that God is at work in the lives of His people, accomplishing His purposes and demonstrating His love. In that truth, that our lives have been truly changed by the reality of Christ our Savior, rests the basis of why the life of every Christian is important. Each life lived by faith is a testimony to the grace of God. Obviously, we cannot preserve the story of every saint, but it is important that we try to preserve something of the life-testimony of those who may have been used more strategically in the advance of God’s kingdom. Thus, the purpose of the PCA Historical Center is to preserve and promote the story of the Presbyterian Church in America and its predecessor denominations, as well as the people who make up those groups and related ministries. We preserve these things precisely because men and women were truly changed by a very real Savior. [We preserve these things because each in some way bears testimony to the reality of the gospel.]”

We take note of this great Puritan preacher because of the powerful impact he has had on so many. We prize Flavel for his heart for God, his remarkable ability to convey the Gospel in terms that all can understand, his tender compassion on both saints and sinners, and for his labors on behalf of the kingdom of God as well as the hardships he endured after being ejected from his pulpit for the gospel’s sake. The word that he preached gives powerful testimony to the fact that God’s Word goes forth to accomplish his will. It was Flavel who testified of the Word of God thus, “The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of suffering, and the most comfortable way of dying.” Consider these witnesses, and how a non-conformist English Puritan minister from the 17th century has left his mark on American Presbyterianism.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

A Chat with the Author of the Elsie Dinsmore Books

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

The May 5, 1894 issue of The Cecil Whig, a newspaper based in Elkton, Maryland, contains an interview with one of its most famous local residents: Martha Farquaharson Finley, author of the Elsie Dinsmore book series.

A descendant of both Samuel Finley, President of Princeton, and of the Scottish Covenanter martyr John Brown, she references both in this interview, which took place in her home at Elkton.

It was just after her 66th birthday, when Martha spoke of her ancestry, and how she came to settle in Elkton, Maryland, after being born in Chillicothe, Ohio, and living in South Bend, Indiana. She wrote about the persecutions of Covenanters and Waldenses, among other periods of history. She spoke about the process of writing and publishing her books, books; her anonymous publications and those published under the pen name of “Martha Farquaharson”; and many anecdotes of her experience as a writer.

One day I called to see the publishers and was accosted by the cashier who said — ‘This is Miss Martha Farquharson, I believe?” “Yes, sir,” I replied. “I believe I have a check for you,” and with these words he passed out into a back room. Presently he returned and regarding me with a puzzled expression remarked: No, I see it is made out to Miss Finley.” At this I laughed and explained that though Martha Farquharson wrote the books Miss Finley took the checks given in payment for them.

Her Presbyterian affiliation and heritage was a major influence in all of her writings. Her great purpose in writing was to reach and edify young people, though readers of all ages have benefited from her prolific publications.

We hope to keep adding works by Ms. Finley. This interview stands out as a window into her experience as a writer, and we are glad to add it to her page at Log College Press.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

Closing the Closet Door: T.D. Witherspoon

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly (Matt. 6:6)

T.D. Witherspoon has a brief piece in The Homiletic Review for June 1898 about what it means to completely, rather than partially, close the door to the prayer closet.

Shutting the Closet Door

There is a class amongst us who may be denominated “Open-Closet Christians.” We can not doubt that they obey the first part of the Savior’s injunction as to prayer. They “enter into their closets.” The devoutness of spirit and consecration of life which they exhibit manifest the reality of their communion with God. But the trouble with these good brethren is that they do not close the door behind them. They not only leave it a little ajar, but in a great many instances they, unconsciously perhaps, throw it wide open and invite us to look in and see them at their devotions. A brother is called to account by his brethren for holding and teaching views which they consider inconsistent with his ordination vows, and immediately he begins to tell you how he has carried the whole matter into his closet to the Master, and what he said to the Master and what the Master said to him. He has swung the door wide open. A brother begins to write a book, and his first words are something like these: “On my knees, with the Word of God open before me, and invoking the aid of the Holy Spirit, I write these first lines, etc.” It was all right for him to take his proposed book into the closet. I honor him for doing so; but he should have closed the door behind him, if he would comply fully with the Master’s will.

What makes this the more unfortunate is that there is a class of so-called perfectionists whose stock in trade is largely a detailing for the public ear of the secrets of their closet life. They not only swing open the door, but they turn the closet inside out. The most inner and sacred experiences of the soul in communion with Christ are wantonly exposed to the gaze of men. And the worst of it all is that under the influence of a most suitable form of self-righteousness, of which they are scarcely conscious, but which their bearing toward others clearly reveals, they have persuaded themselves that the men who keep the closet door shut, as our Savior enjoined, have no closet life at all.

It may be well for these good brethren to be reminded in a very gentle way, and without intending any offense, of certain old adages, long current, such as: “Still waters run deep”; “He loves most who talks least of his love”; “It is the empty wagon that makes the most noise,” etc.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

Log College Press Audio Resources

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

It is well known that J.G. Machen delivered radio addresses, utilizing a medium that was new at the time, to advance the gospel. In recent years, much of this material has been reproduced as audiobooks or in print/digital format: The Person of Jesus: Radio Addresses on the Deity of the Savior (2017); Who Is Jesus?: Radio Addresses on the Deity of the Savior (2017); What Is Predestination?: Radio Addresses on the Election of God's People (2017); Is the Bible Inspired?: Radio Addresses on the Origin of Scripture (2017); and Things Unseen: A Systematic Introduction to the Christian Faith and Reformed Theology (2020).

There are others on Log College Press whose voices may be heard today. Below we have assembled a few links for those who enjoy hearing as well as reading voices from the past. Certainly, there are more, but the resources below will be of interest to some.

• Donald Grey Barnhouse - A variety of sermons are available to listen to here;

• Mary McLeod Bethune - Some audio recordings by (and even a video about) Mrs. Bethune are available here;

• Hugh Thomson Kerr - A sermon delivered on June 20, 1948, at the Mt. Lebanon Methodist Church can be heard here;

• Clarence E.N. Macartney - A sermon titled “Come Before Winter,” delivered on October 12, 1952, at First Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, can be heard here;

• John Alexander Mackay - There are some audio recordings of this President of Princeton here;

• John Murray - A variety of sermons are available to listen to here; with other recordings here;

• Ernest Trice Thompson - Audio recordings by and about Dr. Thompson are available to be heard at Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia;

• Cornelius Van Til - Van Til on Christianity & Culture: Pro Rege can be heard here: Part 1 and Part 2; Sing Praise to God; other recordings can be heard here; and

• Woodrow Wilson - His 1923 Armistice Day radio speech can be heard here.
  

As mentioned, more such audio resources are certainly available out there, and we hope to keep expanding on this material to let our readers and hearers know where to find them. It is one thing to read, and another to hear, voices from the past. Take a listen to these recordings, and enjoy!

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

An unpublished religious novel by Archibald Alexander

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

This post is about a work by Archibald Alexander that was never published. We aim to explore what is known about the manuscript. What is perhaps most interesting and intriguing about it is the genre: a religious novel.

As Michael J. Paulus, Jr. writes (“Archibald Alexander and the Use of Books: Theological Education and Print Culture in the Early Republic,” Journal of the Early Republic, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Winter 2011), p. 645):

Another interesting project that Alexander worked on in Virginia was a religious novel titled Eudocia. The project is interesting because American novels were rare — only twenty-five appeared in the first decade of the nineteenth century — and American Calvinists were often suspicious of the genre.

Archibald’s son, and biographer, James W. Alexander, introduces us to the project (The Life of Archibald Alexander, p. 290):

A literary project of Mr. Alexander, which he had entertained before leaving Virginia, was matter of much entertainment in his little circle of intimates. He had begun, and perhaps had completed, a work of fiction, answering exactly to what has since been called the religious novel. It was entitled "Eudocia," and purported to be the history of a young lady of wealth and beauty, who is led through various changes and degrees, from giddy ignorance to piety and peace. The plot was engaging; there was a thread of romantic but pure love, running through the whole; it abounded in graphic description and lively dialogue. Some of the scenes were eminently pathetic; and Mr. [Conrad] Speece was known to burst into tears, when it was read aloud. The whole was made subservient to the inculcation of evangelical truth. The author finally determined to suppress it. The manuscript was not destroyed, but the delay — beyond the nonum prematur in annum — resulted in the destruction of more than one half. What remains would fill a good duodecimo.

Rev. Speece had this to say in a letter dated August 15, 1808 to Alexander:

I am delighted with the prospect of seeing your sweet Eudocia presented to the public. Before I received your letter I had resolved to write to you soon, principally to entreat that the door which confined her might be opened, that she might walk forth for the entertainment and edification of the world. I hope the humorous and satirical parts of the work will be retained. They will be useful in themselves, and will render the book alluring to a larger number of readers. And though I should not like to differ in a point of taste from Mrs. Alexander, allow me to put in a word in behalf of the dream, or dreams, which you read to me from the manuscript. Dreaming is indeed a delicate subject, both in philosophy and religion. But we believe that God does sometimes speak to men, 'in dreams and visions of the night’ to fasten important instruction upon their hearts.

John Holt Rice, another friend and confidant of Alexander, wrote to him regarding the novel on January 28, 1810 (at which time Alexander was serving as pastor of the Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia):

Three days ago I finished the perusal of ‘Coelebs’ [Coelebs in Search of a Wife (1809) by Hannah More]. Miss Lightfoot Carrington, who is now in Richmond, met with it there, and sent it to me. I had often laughed at her for spending so much time in reading novels. When she got Coelebs, 'Here,' says she, 'is a novel at last which I know that Mr. Rice will be pleased with;' and accordingly despatched it to Charlotte, I read it with more pleasure than any thing of the author's writing. It delighted me; I trust it improved me too. It put me much in mind of a certain Miss Eudocia, whom I have been longing to see for some time past. The rage for novels is so great that I have long wished to see that species of writing converted to a better purpose. Miss Hannah More has very completely answered my wishes, and has, by the way, obtained that credit with the religious world which I think in all reason belonged to you. If you differ with me on this point, we will discuss it after we shall have talked over this new-fashioned school affair and other matters; which I hope to do in May next. At that time Mr. Speece and I hope to be with you, and then — ! I give you notice that Mr. Speece will come with his pockets loaded with money, in the full spirit of trade. I know that he intends to make some grand speculation, for he has within the year past sold nearly two hundred dollars' worth of books, with a view of taking the money to Philadelphia.

Now the question may be asked, Who was Eudocia? It is possible that the protagonist was Aelia Eudocia (c. 401-460 AD), a young lady from a wealthy background who became a Byzantine Empress, and an accomplished Christian poet. It is not known to this writer whether the partial manuscript by Alexander survives. If so, it would be worthy of study. A work of historical fiction about her life and faith would certainly food for thought. One can wonder at the possibility of a religious novel published Archibald Alexander. His intimate circle of friends very much appreciated the work. As it is, we can only imagine.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

W.S. Rentoul's "The Bible"

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

Described as “an odd-looking character, a Scotchman by birth,” William Skinner Rentoul (1812-1898) was a Philadelphia bookseller, publisher, writer and poet of the old school Presbyterian variety. He is best known for publishing both the Keys Psalter and Rentoul’s Library of Standard Bible Expositions, which includes some notable commentaries: 1. Ralph Wardlaw, Lectures: Expository and Practical, on the Book of Ecclesiastes (1868); 2. Alexander Moody Stuart, The Song of Songs: An Exposition of the Song of Solomon (1869); and 3. George Lawson, Practical Expositions of the Whole Books of Ruth and Esther (1870). He was also the author of a metrical version of the Song of Solomon, appended to Stuart’s commentary on the same.

Today we highlight a poetic composition he published in 1862. It is a sweet meditation on the Word of Life, and a reminder of what a precious gift the Lord has given unto us.

The Bible

O, rarest gift to mortals given!
Blest book! thou point’st the path to heaven.
The sinner, lost in darkness drear,
Heart-sick thro’ sin, whose eye the tear
Of anguish scalds, thro’ griefs and woes
That fill the poisoned cup of those
On whose soul rests, with weighty load,
The wrath of an offended God,
That takes thy sweet and kindly light
For guide, shall still be led aright;
Shall find Jehovah’s angry face
To favour changed. His smiles shall grace
His earthly labours: and at last, —
Eternal life, eternal rest —
Purchased by Jesus for his own;
For all who love that Holy One,
And wait His glorious coming - his cup of bliss shall crown.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

Zebulon Butler's charge to the new President of Oakland College

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

In December 1851, following the tragic murder of President Jeremiah Chamberlain three months before, Oakland College in Lorman, Mississippi (now known as Alcorn State University) inaugurated a new President, Robert L. Stanton. On that occasion the charge to the new President was delivered by Zebulon Butler, who had helped to pioneer Presbyterianism in the area around Port Gibson, Mississippi.

Rev. Butler’s inspirational words that day are worthy of remembrance.

Let the Presidents in other Colleges strive for literary distinction, and be held to duty by the charm of wealth, or the world’s coveted otium cum dignitate; be it ever your aim, to please our Master and glorify his name.
…
This College is the child of Religion; and over its interests the Omnipotent Redeemer will ever keep a sleepless watch. To its members, you must exhibit, in doctrine, an unalloyed evangelism, with the mingling of sectarianism; and in practice, all the loveliness of Christian character, undimmed by worldliness, selfishness, intolerance, or ostentation.

I would then, most earnestly entreat you, as a co-worker in the cause of Letters and Religion, to enter upon this noble enterprize in the spirit of untainted benevolence, and unflinching fortitude; and resolved on continuance, despite of toil, disappointment, opposition, poverty, sickness, or “any of the ills which flesh is heir to,” and to which virtue is exposed. You have a bring example in the life and character of your martyred predecessor, whose noble deeds we this day commemorate. He found not “the primrose path of dalliance,” but the constant fight of faith: and by his toils, his tears, and his blood, we hope he has achieved the conquest. And yours may be a work of comparative repose, in building up this Institution, in the sylvan shades of Mississippi. Yes, I am certain, you have been moved by the impulse of holy benevolence, and a willingness “to spend, and be spent” in the cause of Truth, and for the interests of our race.

Such being our views and sentiments, in the name of the Board of Directors and Trustees, I promise you our sympathies, our prayers, and our faithful cooperation, in your work of faith and labor of love; and if we prove, reciprocally, “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,” we are infallibly assured, that this Institution shall advance and improve, till it shall be the proudest monument and richest blessing of which Mississippi can boast.

With such words was the tenure of Rev. Stanton inaugurated as President of Oakland College. He went on to serve as Moderator of the PCUSA General Assembly in 1866. But as we recall the events of that day in December 1851, the charge of Rev. Butler may inspire others, even beyond the “sylvan shades of Mississippi,” to aspire, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to both virtuous Christian conduct as well as excellence in scholarship.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

In defense of a learned ministry: George A. Baxter

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

In his notable ordination sermon for William McPheeters, preached at Bethel Presbyterian Church in Augusta County, Virginia, in 1806, George Addison Baxter, besides noting the necessity of ordination and election, as well as the duties of the gospel ministry, in speaking of the qualifications for the office he also articulated a defense of what later became Samuel Miller’s 1812 clarion call at Princeton for “an able and learned ministry.”

The the text upon which Baxter preached was 1 Tim. 3:1: “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” He says that “vital piety” is the chief qualification for such a man. And so it is. But then he goes on to add remarks that lay the groundwork for solid Biblical training for ministers. He joins the head with the heart in his description of the godly minister.

But I think it not only necessary that a minister should possess religion, and that in an eminent degree, he ought to be a man of the most upright, exemplary, and prudent conduct, patient, and forbearing, and able, on all occasions, to command his own temper. I mention this, because there are some professors of religion, of whom charity would teach us to hope well, who are, notwithstanding, subject to a fickleness and inconsistency of conduct, which would be very incompatible with the office of the gospel ministry. Together with the qualifications already mentioned, I think it very desirable, if not absolutely necessary, that a minister of Christ, should possess, in a good degree, the assurance of faith, and a warm zeal for glorifying God in the gospel of his Son.

It is undoubtedly of great importance, that the work of the ministry should not be committed to weak or ignorant men, who might be unable to teach others; competent gifts, as well as graces are indispensably requisite. I do not mean, that candidates ought to be rejected for the want of preeminent talents, but a gospel minister ought to possess a mind naturally sound, and well cultivated. A liberal education may not in all cases be indispensably necessary - uncommon natural talents combined with certain circumstances, may compensate in some degree for the want of improvement; but generally speaking, I think what is commonly called a liberal education ought to be required. A minister of Christ should certainly attend to all those branches of human learning, which might enable him to deliver his message with propriety; and in order to understand his message he ought to be acquainted with the sacred scriptures, in the original languages. There may be some dispute as to the course of study most proper to effect the first of the purposes, or to qualify a man for speaking, but it is certain that to accomplish both the purposes just mentioned, a considerable course of human learning, is absolutely requisite.

But there are some denominations in the world, who declare absolutely against the necessity of a learned ministry, and in support of their sentiments, allege the example of our Saviour, who chose fishermen and mechanics to be the first ministers of the new testament. Their error however, as happens in almost every case of bad reasoning, consists in comparing things which do not resemble. It is true that our Saviour in the first instance, chose mechanics and fishermen to publish the gospel: but to say nothing of the advantages which these men derived from his personal instructions and example, for upwards of three years; when he sent them in to the world, he endowed them with miraculous qualifications; he enabled them to perform miracles, to speak all languages that were necessary, and by a supernatural inspiration, instructed them what they ought to speak. ‘But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in the same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not yet that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you’ [Matt. x.19-20]. Here now, were men, endowed with every qualification, that can be conceived of, or supposed necessary for the purpose. The gift of miracles which arrested the attention and carried conviction to the consciences of the world - the gift of tongues which contributed to the same end, and also furnished them with an opportunity of communicating the treasures of the gospel to all nations - and the spirit of inspiration, which enabled them to give the most appropriate and salutary instructions, on every occasion. I should think, if any thing can be inferred from our Saviour’s example in this case, taking the whole of it together, it would be that a minister of Christ, ought to possess all qualifications necessary for convincing and instructing the world.

But those with whom we contend, will suppose that by possessing real religion, and being taught in the school of Christ, they obtain all the knowledge and qualifications which are necessary. In reply to this, I will readily admit that religion is the best preparative, for understanding the word of God, and I have no doubt the divine Spirit, conspiring with the use of means, greatly assists a pious minister in his studies. But distinct from the qualifications which grace may confer, there are others absolutely necessary, and which may be acquired by a course of human means. It will, no doubt be admitted, as of the first importance, that a gospel minister should have a correct knowledge of the holy scriptures, for without this he is no better than the blind leading the blind. But to understand the holy scriptures, we should be acquainted with them, in the original languages, we should be acquainted with the history of those customs, and events, in the midst of which the inspired penman wrote, and to which they frequently allude; we should be versed in literary science, so as to understand the different modes of writing - the different phrases and figures with which all compositions abound, and the rules of interpretation, to which all writings human or divine, must be subjected, without some knowledge of this kind we shall not be qualified even to follow a good Commentator on the scriptures, or to form any opinion for ourselves. But how is this knowledge to be obtained? It may as already said be obtained by human means, or it might be conferred by the extraordinary inspiration of the divine Spirit. But those who neglect the natural means, and pretend that divine teaching gives them all necessary knowledge, are pretending to an inspiration which supersedes the use of means, and is therefore very distinct from the common operations of grace; for common grace does not supersede means, but encourages and assists in the use of them. But when any one makes pretensions of this kind, he ought to support them by miracles, or some supernatural evidences. The teaching of which he speaks is a secret miracle, and amounts to something like that inspiration which the apostles possessed, and if it be of this kind it needs a public miracle to make it credible. All pretending therefore that we are taught by the divine Spirit what things we ought to learn, as others learn them, should be rejected in the present day, as self-righteous presumption: and if any people give credit to such pretensions, they are manifestly in the high road of error and delusion: and what is worse, they put themselves under the influence of a delusion, which cannot be corrected or reasoned down because they do not profess to be led by reason, or evidence, or scripture, but by the unsupported assertions of a fellow creature. It perhaps would be well to recollect, that the plain line of distinction between impostures, and the real messengers of heaven, has been pretty much the same in every age. An impostor never proves his assertions. Mahomet had his secret miracles and inspirations, but he did not pretend to confirm them by any public miracles; and modern impostors, have their illumination and teachings for which they can give no evidence but their own assertion. On the other hand the real messengers of grace always deal with mankind as with reasonable creatures; when they introduced a divine revelation into the world at first they confirmed it by sufficient and undeniable miracles, and since the age of miracles has ceased they require the belief of nothing but what can be proved from a revelation sufficiently authenticated. These observations will, I trust, be sufficient to show that the improvement or knowledge necessary for the ministerial office are not to be expected in a supernatural way, and therefore that a course of scientific education is absolutely necessary.

But let it be remembered, that although all knowledge may be useful to a clergyman, his principal attention should be turned to the subject of divinity. His business is to understand and teach the doctrines of the word of God, and every man ought to be better acquainted with what belongs immediately to his own profession, than with any thing else. I have now taken a brief view of the principal things necessary to qualify a man for preaching the gospel. What I have mentioned are real and cordial religion, a prudent and upright moral deportment, a good degree of the assurance of faith, a fervent zeal for glorifying God in the gospel of his Son, and a mind sufficiently improved with useful knowledge. These things taken together and connected with a favorable train of providences, constitute what may be termed a divine call to the ministerial office. They are very much mistaken, who suppose a ministerial call to consist in blind impulses or impressions, of which a person can give no rational account, and which have no relation to his fitness for the work. A ministerial call comprehends all the necessary qualifications for the office, both human and divine. And a ministerial call without ministerial qualifications, in the greatest absurdity in the world.

In line with Presbyterians before and after him, Baxter here articulates an understanding of the qualifications for the gospel ministry that show the necessity for a well-rounded education, encompassing many branches of human learning, subordinate to the queen of sciences, that is, divinity. The faithful minister, in the age wherein apostolic miracles have ceased, must join human learning with divine knowledge, to best and most adequately deliver the message of reconciliation between God and man. An able and learned ministry is what God calls men to in accordance with his gracious declaration to mankind: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18).

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

J.W. Rosebro on seeking the Lord

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

From the Southern Presbyterian Pulpit (1896), today we highlight a sermon by J.W. Rosebro which is based on Isa. 55:6: “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near." As Rosebro notes, the text is both a invitation and a command, both a privilege and a duty, and incorporates both a promise and a warning.

Rosebro (1847-1912) was educated at Davidson College, North Carolina, Princeton University, and Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. He served pastorates at Mossy Creek Presbyterian Church in Augusta County, Virginia; Lewisburg, West Virginia; and at the Tabb Street Presbyterian Church in Petersburg, Virginia. He also served as President of Fredericksburg College (Virginia); director of Union Seminary, Richmond; and as a professor at Southwestern Presbyterian University in Clarksville, Tennessee. He was the son-in-law of B.M. Smith.

Returning to our sermon, after an insightful introduction showing the connective tissues between the 53rd, 54th and 55th chapters of Isaiah, Roseboro shows the connection between God’s gracious invitation and firm command.

The command is, "Seek ye the Lord." It comes from one who has the right to command. Let not the fulness and freeness of the invitation lead you to think you have nothing to do. It is true Jesus says he came to seek as well as save the lost; yet he also declares we must seek if we would find. It is true, he stands at the door and knocks, yet must we knock if we would have it opened unto us. It is true, God opens wide the door of his grace and proclaims, “whosoever will may come”; yet must we "strive to enter in." He offers the water of life “without money”; yet must we “buy” it. God presses the gift of eternal life on us; yet is it true, “I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel." God forces himself on no soul. He offers himself, and then it is our privilege, our duty to "seek the Lord.” We cannot sit down and wait for salvation; we must seek the Lord, though he. is not far from us.

It is on the basis of Christ’s work as Redeemer, seen so vividly in Isa. 53, that the promises given to those who come at God’s gracious call do rest.

If God invites us to come and commands us to come, there is surely an implied promise of acceptance, when we obey the command and accept the invitation. He has filled his book with richest promises and holds up before us one illustration after another, that we may see how sinful souls came to accept his invitation and that none ever went away unblest. He assures us that the favor of God standeth sure, and that '''whosoever'' cometh to drink of this water shall receive it without money….It is a glorious, amazing truth, that since Jesus died God is graciously bound to receive every soul that comes trusting in Jesus who died.

Yet with the call, there is an admonition to the hearer.

The preacher would not be faithful to you did he not press on your thoughts the warning in this text. Do not the words, "while he may be found," "while he is near,” warn us that there is a time when he may not be found, when he is not near?

This is the full-orbed, whole gospel message which Rosebro conveys to his auditors and readers.

Oh! while the Spirit is whispering in your heart, "To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart," while Jesus once more invites, while God is near, come! come! Provoke not that state in which it will be impossible to renew you again to repentance. It were better for you, if you had never been born.

Begin now to seek the Lord. Stop and think. You cannot stop and think of your sin and ingratitude against such love and patience without coming to repentance. You cannot think of Jesus bearing your guilt, of his suffering and death for you, without learning to love him who thus first loved you. "My people will not consider" is the mournful charge God brings against us. Therefore does he entreat us to — "Come now let us reason together." "Harden not your heart,” but "seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near.”

Read the full sermon by Rosebro here. Oh, may the Spirit of God quicken us to draw near and not shrink back when God graciously calls us to himself. To God be the glory for his kindness and love towards undeserving, unworthy sinners for Christ’s sake.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

A Preface to the Bible by John Witherspoon

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

The first complete English Bible published in America was by Robert Aitken in 1782. The first family Bible published in America (Trenton, New Jersey) was by Isaac Collins in 1791. The 1791 Collins Bible featured a preface to the reader that was written by John Witherspoon. This preface was reprinted in many other succeeding editions of the Holy Scriptures, including an 1801 edition of the King James Version which is available to read at Log College Press.

This preface is a memorable history and defense of translating the Word of God from Hebrew and Greek into the vernacular languages. Witherspoon highlights “the providence of God” made “manifest in” the “preservation and purity” of the Holy Scriptures as he describes the historical process by which the English Bible was translated for American readers. It is a brief but well-stated introduction to a translation beloved by many. Read it in full here.

---

Postscript on Witherspoon:

Last month we published a blog post on “John Witherspoon’s Letter From a Blacksmith.” An alert reader reached out to us to let us know that the attribution of Witherspoon as the author of this anonymously-published 1759 letter is disputed and far from clear. As a result of our friend’s helpful information, and following further research, we have removed that letter from Witherspoon’s page. It is unknown for certain who wrote it. But in the meantime, we have also added many more works by Witherspoon, including the preface to the Bible noted above. Thank you to our friend for reaching out to help us clarify this point.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

John Holt Rice: "I have more books than I can read"

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

What and where my relish for books, which I may be hungry for? Lord, Because I shall see thee, or serve thee, the more for the reading of them. – Cotton Mather

Not long after Archibald Alexander’s inauguration as the first Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, he made a significant addition to his collection of books with the acquisition of a private library that belonged to a Dutch Reformed minister. Hughes Oliphant Old tells us that

At one point he was able to buy the private library of a learned Dutch theologian, the Reverend Mr. John van Harlingen. This provided him with many of the classics of Reformed theology from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as well as editions of the Church Fathers (The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Vol. 6, p. 233).

After hearing of this acquisition, his friend John Holt Rice wrote to him on November 4, 1813 to commend his purchase.

I could not help exclaiming when I heard of the fine library you had purchased, "O fortunatum!" but I could hardly add, "equidem hand invideo" But why should I repine? I have more books than I can read.

This is recorded in J.W. Alexander’s Life of Archibald Alexander, p. 353, but the full letter by Rice is found here.

Rice describes what the Japanese refer to as Tsundoku, having more books than one can read. We have previously made mention of this concept. If one is to err, it may be best to err on the side of having more books than one can read, than on the other side. But nevertheless, it is fascinating to read about the libraries and book purchases of godly men who have gone before. And, of course, it is best to read all that we can to the glory of God!

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

Geerhardus Vos on the Fruits of the Spirit

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Gal. 5:22-23).

In 1915, James Hastings published his Dictionary of the Apostolic Church in 2 volumes for which Geerhardus Vos contributed nine articles. Many of these address the fruits of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5:22-23. Together, they constitute a rich and insightful description of the virtues and graces of the Christian life.

Articles he wrote, which have recently been added to Log College include Brotherly Love / Love, Goodness, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering. He also wrote on Kindness and Pity / Compassion. In the first article, he writes:

Religious love in general is a supernatural product. It originates not spontaneously from a sinful soil, but in response to the sovereign love of God. and that under the influence of the Spirit (Ro 5.5-8, 1 Co 8.3 [where 'is known of him' = 'has become the object of his love']. Gal 4.9 [where 'to be known by God' has the same pregnant sense], 1 Jn 4.10-19). Love for the brethren specifically is also a product of regeneration (1 P 1.22-23; cf. 1.2-3). Especially in St. Paul, the origin of brotherly love is connected with the supernatural experience of dying with Christ, in which the sinful love of self is destroyed, and love for God, Christ, and the brethren produced in its place (Ro 6.10ff, 7.4, 2 Co 5.14-16, Gal 2.19-20). Accordingly, love for the brethren appears among other virtues and graces as a fruit of the Spirit, a charisma (Ro 15.30, 1 Co 13, Gal 5.22, 6.8-10).

John Murray once wrote, "Dr. Vos is, in my judgment, the most penetrating exegete it has been my privilege to know, and I believe, the most incisive exegete that has appeared in the English-speaking world in this century." Take time to review Vos’ remarks on the fruits of the Spirit as found here.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

Remarks on the Providence of God by Alexander McLeod

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

…what in me is dark
Illumine, what is low raise and support;
That, to the height of this great argument,
I may assert Eternal Providence,
And justify the ways of God to men. — John Milton, Paradise Lost, Bk. 1, Lines 22-26

These lines are quoted by Alexander McLeod in a 2-part essay which appeared in the November and December 1822 issues of The Evangelical Witness. The essay, Remarks on the Providence of God, is based on the words of the Psalmist:

The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all (Ps. 103:193).

In defense of what McLeod calls a “mysterious” but “undeniable” doctrine from Scripture — “divine overruling providence” — our author demonstrates that it is reasonable to acknowledge God’s providence over all, that it is a doctrine derived and proved from Scripture, and that objections to the doctrine may be satisfactorily answered.

Looking to the heavens, the seat of God’s throne, one cannot rationally see chaos as the overriding principle of the universe. McLeod points out that all nations acknowledge a God of some sort. Instead, the systemic harmony and connections found in nature speak to the creation of a wise and omnipotent Creator who reigns supreme over all. In concurrence with Romans 1, McLeod argues that all of nature is witness to this truth, that there is, and must be, a God who rules from above.

The “most conclusive” evidence for the doctrine of providence comes from Scripture. From the story of Joseph and his brothers, McLeod shows that God, without being the author of sin, was sovereign over all that happened in Joseph’s life and wrought good out of evil. From the prophecies of Scripture, fulfilled in history, he shows that God’s purposes must of necessity be accomplished though their outworking may outspan the lives of men and the duration of kingdoms, which is only possible for One who rules over time and space. He further elaborates on this by discussing the meaning of Eph. 1:11; Prov. 26:33; Luke 12:6-7; and Ps. 147:4, 17; all of which affirm that God governs the world even in the minutest of details.

After addressing several objections to the doctrine of providence, in particular the usual claim that it makes God the author of sin, McLeod goes on to leave his readers on a great practical encouraging note.

God, indeed, is king over all the earth . His power and his sovereignty are pledged in covenant by his word and his oath, in defence of the redeemed. His all-pervading providence is especially employed in their interest; and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. Murmur not at his dispensations; for the most painful afflictions act, at his command, to promote your everlasting welfare. Droop not at the remembrance of your own unworthiness; for the Lord hath not forgotten you. He that spareth not his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things.

Christians! your Redeemer reigneth. He directs in providence over all the earth. While natural causes proceed to their effects in their natural course, while the moral world proceeds in its successive generations, with an agency that is voluntary. He by a supernatural power controls all causes and results, and gives to them a direction subservient to the interests of his church. The building is safe upon the rock: and the living stones of the temple shall live forevermore. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. God in your own nature, your husband, and your high priest, rules upon his throne. Touched with a sense of your infirmities, he will not leave you comfortless. He will guide you with his counsel and afterwards receive you to glory. Praise the Lord, O! Jerusalem; praise thy God, O! Zion, who hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Read the full essay here, and consider his helpful exposition of a verse and a principle that is of the highest importance and the greatest comfort to every believer. Hallelujah, the Lord reigns over all!

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

Log College Press Remembers Thomas Chalmers

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

Who is Thomas Chalmers, and what was his significance to 19th century American Presbyterianism?

Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) was a Scottish Presbyterian churchman and a leader of the Free Church of Scotland, founded after the 1843 “Disruption.” A man of many interests and gifts, he contributed much to the church and the community in which he served. He is known for his eloquent sermons, his voluminous and edifying theological writings, and for his “West Port Experiment” in Edinburgh (1844-1847). He died on May 31, 1847.

J.W. Alexander highly commended the sermons of Thomas Chalmers and Samuel Davies (Letters, Vol. 1, p. 74).

Charles A. Aiken, in his 1879 Tribute to Charles Hodge, wrote that

It was my high privilege to spend with Dr. Chalmers the last evening but one of his life, Saturday, May 28, 1847. At sunrise on the ensuing Monday, the cry rang through Edinburgh, Dr. Chalmers is dead! Not to go into the details of that memorable interview, let it suffice to say, as bearing upon the passage in the text, that I have never received a more cordial and hearty greeting than that with which, taking both my hands in his own, he welcomed me to Morning-side. He had returned from London only the day before, and spoke of himself as being in unusually good health. All the benevolence of his character came out in his genial smile. His courtesy, his affability, the tones of his voice, the graciousness and even warmth of his whole manner, as he talked with me of grave questions with which the Free Church Assembly, then in session, was likely to be agitated, and the kindliness with which, on my rising to leave, he pressed an invitation for us (the ladies of my party had remained at the hotel that evening) to breakfast with him, first on Tuesday and then on Monday morning — all this made a lasting impression upon me so grateful and so vivid that I cannot at all take in that disparaging estimate of his own social nature which I have quoted from his "Sabbath Readings."

While Chalmers lived, and after his death, American Presbyterians wrote often to him and of him. Below are just some of the writings available on Log College Press that concern Chalmers directly.

• Archibald Alexander, The Works of Doctor Chalmers (1841) and Chalmers’ Mental and Moral Philosophy (1848);

• J.W. Alexander, The Works of Doctor Chalmers (1841) and Chalmers on Education and Ecclesiastical Economy (1842) [“Chalmers’s experiential preaching and active social philanthropy were of special interest to Alexander in the urban ministry settings where he labored.” — James M. Garretson, Thoughts on Preaching & Pastoral Ministry: Lessons From the Life and Writings of James W. Alexander, p. 296, note 46];

• Charles Hodge, An Earnest Appeal to the Free Church of Scotland, on the Subject of Economics (1847);

• Clarence E.N. Macartney, Thomas Chalmers (1919);

• James McCosh, A Tribute to the Memory of Dr. Chalmers, By a Former Pupil (1847);

• Alexander McLeod, Review of Thomas Chalmers on Astronomy (1817) and Review of Two Sermons by Thomas Chalmers (1818);

• James C. Moffat, Life of Thomas Chalmers (1853)';

• John Holt Rice, August 14, 1819 Letter to Thomas Chalmers (1819, 1835);

• Thomas Smyth, The Character of the Late Thomas Chalmers, D.D., LL.D. and the Lessons of His Life From Personal Recollections (1847-1848) in Vol. 3 of Smyth’s Works (1908); and

• William B. Sprague, On the Life and Death of Thomas Chalmers (1847).

Some notable American Presbyterians were, presumably, named for the great Scottish churchman, such as John Thomas Chalmers and Thomas Chalmers Vinson.

Respect was directed both ways across the Atlantic. According to William B. Sprague, Chalmers thought of Samuel Miller’s 1831 essay on The Warrant, Nature, and Duties of the Office of the Ruling Elder as “the very best work that has been given to the church on that subject.” (A Discourse Commemorative of the Rev. Samuel Miller, D.D. (1850), p. 29). (An extract from Miller’s February 28, 1831 letter to Chalmers may be read in The Life of Samuel Miller, Vol. 2, p. 167.)

Chalmers was beloved by both Scottish and American Presbyterians, and many others. We remember him today as we recall his entrance into glory nearly two centuries ago. Read more about him, starting with Moffat’s Life of Chalmers, and the tributes to him by James McCosh, Thomas Smyth and William B. Sprague.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

Journeys of a Church Historian: On the trail of William A. Scott

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

Over the past few years, this writer has visited the birthplace of Samuel Davies, many of the churches he founded, the repository of his personal Bible with handwritten annotations, the college of which he served as President, and the site of his burial place, among other locations associated with his journey through this mortal life.

He is a favorite theologian of this writer, and so, it was with a sense of empathy that I recently read about Clifford M. Drury’s journey to trace the steps of a beloved minister, William Anderson Scott. The extract below comes Drury’s 1967 biography titled William Andrew Scott: “No Ordinary Man” [see our secondary sources page], pp. 339-343.

Dr. Morton H. Smith once wrote a review of this volume in which he states:

Dr. Clifford M. Drury who for twenty-five years occupied the California Chair of Church History in San Francisco Theological Seminary, has given us a most interesting biography of Dr. William Anderson Scott. Anyone who takes the time to read this volume will [agree] with Dr. Frederick Cropp who introduces it by saying, “Dr. William Anderson Scott, whose life spanned seventy-two years of the nineteenth century, 1813-1885, walked into my life in the pages of this book. Dr. Drury has made him live again, a century later.”

And as the reader hears Dr. Drury below tell the story of his personal experience in re-tracing the steps of a most fascinating figure in American Presbyterian church history, one will take of how history became alive for him, and as Dr. Smith and Dr. Cropp note, alive for the modern reader as well.

On top of the hill on the campus of San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California, is cut stone castle-like building whose gray walls and round tower are covered with ivy. On a certain morning during the last week of September 1919, a new student at the seminary stood before this building. After reading the inscription over the arched entrance, he asked: “Why is this called Scott Library Hall?” He was told: “After Dr. William Anderson Scott who founded this seminary in San Francisco about fifty years ago. This building was erected as a memorial to him.” I was that new student and that was the first time I had ever heard of Dr. Scott.

Since Dr. Scott had died in 1895, there were still living in 1919 a number of people who remembered him. Among them was Arthur W. Foster, a prominent Marin County business man, a trustee of the seminary, and since he had married Louisiana Scott, he was also a son-in-law of the founder. In 1889 Foster had given the seventeen-acre campus in San Anselmo to the Seminary. He was a frequent campus visitor when I was a student and I have vivid memories of his portly figure usually clad in a Prince Albert coat. His silk hat and gold-headed cane made him an impressive figure in my eyes. Mrs. Foster, who often accompanied her husband to the campus, laid the cornerstone of the library building dedicated to the memory of her father on October 17, 1891. There were others whom I came to know who also had memories of the unusual person whose biography I have undertaken to write.

After my graduation from the seminary in 1922, I served for more than fifteen years in several pastorates and then returned to my alma mater in 1938 as a member of the faculty. As Professor of Church History, it was both my duty and my pleasure to delve into the history of Christianity on the Pacific Coast. One day in the basement of Scott Hall I came across three large chests filled with Dr. Scott’s manuscripts. The contents of these chests had previously been damaged by water as the result of a fire in the Foster home. Water poured upon the fire had settled in the basement and had innundated the chests. After the water had drained away, the contents of the chests gradually dried out, but most of the papers were damaged beyond use. After the lapse of many years, the chests were sent to the seminary and stored in the basement of Scott Hall where I found them. Among the papers still readable was Scott’s diary for 1836, several important addresses, some early sermons, and many lectures.

Then came World War II. After serving for five years as a chaplain in the United States Navy, I returned to the campus in 1946 and returned to my attention to Dr. Scott with the hope of some day writing his biography. I began a systematic examination of the large collection of Scott papers which members of the family had given to Bancroft Library, University of California, in Berkeley. This collection contains about nine hundred letters which Scott received or wrote during the years 1832-85; diaries, journals, and record books; hundreds of newspaper clippings dealing largely with controversies in which he was involved; pictures and many other exceedingly rich in detail. No one had ever made a serious study of this bonanza of biographical data.

During the years that followed, sometimes by visits and again by correspondence, I probed into historical collections and libraries scattered throughout the nation for further information about Dr. Scott’s life and work. In the library of the State University of Louisiana at Baton Rouge, important material was located which dealt with the Clay controversy of 1844-47. Original Scott letters were located in the Library of Congress, the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, in Princeton Theological Seminary, and in Huntington Library, San Marion, California. The extensive collection of original records of various Presbyterian judicatories on the Pacific Coast, on deposit at San Francisco Theological Seminary, contains a wealth of information dealing with Dr. Scott’s activities in California during the years 1854-85. I also had access to the original records of the two Presbyterian churches he founded in San Francisco, Calvary and St. John’s. Added to these were the original records of the seminary of which he was the chief founder.

Among the important sources of California church history owned by the seminary is the editor’s file of the Pacific for the years under review. This was a New School Presbyterian and Congregational weekly founded in San Francisco in August 1851. The seminary also has the only complete file extant of the Occident, a Presbyterian weekly published in San Francisco 1868-1900. I compiled a page by page index of the Pacific from 1851-69 and of the complete file of the Occident. These indices, consisting of thousands of cards, provided by the magic key which unlocked the hidden historical treasures of these important California church periodicals. The columns of the Pacific for the years of Dr. Scott’s first residence in San Francisco, 1856-61, reveal the unpleasant story of ecclesiastical jealousies within Presbyterian and Congregational circles which contributed much to the series of unhappy events connected with Dr. Scott’s ministry in Calvary Church. Much light is thrown upon the vigilante movement in San Francisco, which Dr. Scott had the courage to oppose, and also upon the conflicting emotions and prejudices which stirred California in the events leading up to the Civil War.

After Dr. Scott was forced to leave California in 1861, he and his family spent two years in France and England. In the spring of 1956, I had opportunity to examine some original ecclesiastical records of the Presbyterian Church of England on deposit in its Historical Society in London. Some information was found therein regarding Dr. Scott’s work in London and Birmingham. After returning to the United States in the summer of 1863, Dr. Scott served as pastor of a Presbyterian church in New York City for six years. The original records were located in the library of Union Theological Seminary in that city.

Added to all that could be gleaned from such manuscript and published materials relating to this long neglected but important churchman, were the personal memories and family traditions. Perhaps the last individual to have personal recollections of both Dr. and Mrs. Scott, was Mrs. Mary F. Kuechler, a granddaughter, of Ross, California. She passed away on May 16, 1965. Stories about Dr. Scott are associated with a number of family heirlooms owned by several of his descendants.

In 1960, having completed some other projects which had priority, I began writing the preliminary sketches of this biography. I soon realized that a personal visit to the scenes connected with Dr. Scott’s youth and to the various parishes he served before going to California was essential. In order to make such an investigation, the seminary granted me sabbatic leave beginning January 1, 1962. The American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia made a grant of $600 for expenses connected with the basic research. On February 26th my wife and I left by automobile for a tour of the South which lasted ten weeks. We visited Dr. Scott’s parishes at Opelousas and New Orleans, Louisiana. He spent two years, 1834-36, in the former and twelve years, 1842-1854, in the latter. In New Orleans, he came to the fulness of his powers as a pulpit orator, and from here in 1858 Dr. Scott was elected Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., the highest honor within the power of his church to bestow.

We then visited Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he had a two-year ministry, 1840-42. From there we proceeded to Montreat, North Carolina, where I had opportunity of consulting Presbyterian judicatory records and periodicals for the years immediately preceding the Civil War. Also at Montreat were the original records of the First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans covering the period that Dr. Scott served as pastor.

From Montreat we drove into eastern Tennessee, first visiting Winchester where Scott, as a young newly-wedded minister, served as principal of female academy and pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church from 1836-38. From there we went to Nashville, passing within a few miles of his birthplace in Marshall County without then knowing its exact location. Scott served as principal of a female academy in Nashville from 1838-40 and also as stated supply of two small country churches. He alternated on week ends going to the Hermitage Church where General Andrew Jackson lived and to Harpeth. Each church was ten or twelve miles distant from Nashville but in different directions. In both places I found the original buildings still standing and had access to the original sessional records. The Scott Collection in Bancroft Library contains some letters from General Jackson to Scott. At Nashville I located the other half of the correspondence, the letters from Scott to Jackson.

We then drove to McKenzie, Tennessee, where the Cumberland Presbyterian Theological Seminary is located. Scott began his ministry in the Cumberland Church and did not transfer to the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., until 1838. As a Cumberland Presbyterian circuit rider, when only eighteen years old, he spent a year on a circuit which included some thirty communities in northwestern Tennessee. McKenzie lies about in the center of that circuit. With Scott’s 1830 diary before me and with the help of Dr. Thomas Campbell, president of the seminary, we were able to locate many of the communities listed.

All along the way as we followed Scott’s trail, we found new material and much local color, sometimes in the most unexpected places. We met with a generous response from all to whom we turned for help, librarians, pastors, local historians, and just common folk who, when they heard of her quest, cooperated in many ways.

After returning to our home in San Rafael, California, in May 1962, I was able by correspondence to clear up many unsolved questions. By this means the place of Scott’s birth in Marshall County and the grave of his mother near Raleigh were located. Bit by bit, like the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle which had been scattered through 150 years and over half of the continent, the important facts relating to the life and work of Dr. Scott were assembled. Gradually a clearer picture of the boy, the student, the itinerant backwoods preacher, the educator, the orator, the author, and the churchman emerged.

As I sat before my typewriter writing this life of “no ordinary man,” I have had the feeling that Dr. Scott has been looking over my shoulder. Although the portrayal is designed to give a sympathetic interpretation of his life, yet I have not hesitated to record what appear to be personal weaknesses and errors of judgment. Dr. Scott himself would have been the first to deny any claim to perfection. The artist needs both light and shadow to sharpen the outlines of his picture. Most church members today would agree with his stand against the compulsory reading of the Protestant version of the Bible in public schools and with his opposition to the Vigilance Committee’s unlawful activities in San Francisco. They would disapprove, no doubt, his attitude toward slavery and his support of the Southern rebellion against the federal government. Dr. Scott was a Southerner by birth, education, and sympathies. He lived during those critical years preceding the Civil War when the Presbyterian Church was forging its philosophy of the relationship of the church to social issues in the hot fires of sectional controversy. Partly because of the leading role that Scott played in the national affairs of his denomination, he inevitably became a central figure in these discussions.
…
The story of William Anderson Scott is a vivid commentary on his time. His deep opposition to the Vigilance Committee, for instance, throws much light upon the lawlessness existing in San Francisco in the mid 1850s. In the events surrounding the second hanging of Dr. Scott in effigy before his church on Sunday morning, September 23, 1861, we see how deeply the issues which precipitated the Civil War stirred the citizens of San Francisco. Scott’s close connection with the national leaders of the Presbyterian Church had a direct bearing upon the unfortunate division which split the Old School Assembly of 1861 into the northern and southern branches. Here is a hitherto unexplored chapter in American Presbyterian history.

To recapitulate, the great wealth of source material including nearly nine hundred letters, diaries, journals, books, pamphlets, ecclesiastical records, hundreds of articles in religious and secular periodicals, sermon and lecture notes, together with family memories and personal observations has made this book possible. Herein we can become acquainted not only with what Dr. Scott did and what he said, but also with many of his inner thoughts and feelings. As we move with him through the years, we come to appreciate his problems and share with him his sacrifices and his sufferings. We enter into his dreams and aspirations and rejoice in his accomplishments. When the full story is told, we are amazed to see how one who emerged from such an unpromising backwoods environment, handicapped by a crippled foot, and with such a limited formal education, should have been able to do such.

The journey of a church historian to learn about his subject shows that the past is not dead, but very much alive, which is what we at Log College Press also believe. Get to know Clifford Merrill Drury and William Anderson Scott, among many others associated with American Presbyterianism, at Log College Press.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

Log College Resources

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

At Log College Press, we aim to survey the broad landscape of American Presbyterianism, from mainstream denominations to dissenting branches, both conservative and liberal, to provide insight into the history and claims of those who speak for Presbyterianism in America. But we have a special place in our heart for the original Log College, which served as the first Presbyterian seminary in the colonies.

A 19th-century sketch of the Log College with an interesting background described here.

Here is an effort to provide resources for further study on that Log College and specially connected to it. This is not a complete survey, but it is hoped that readers who wish to study the Log College more in-depth can do so ably with the material referenced below.

The Founders of the Log College (c. 1726) were William Tennent, Sr. (1673-1746) and Catherine Kennedy Tennent (1683-1753). Each of their male children were among the graduates of the Log College program of education: Gilbert, William, Jr., John, and Charles. Other famous Log College alumni include Samuel Blair, John Blair, Samuel Finley and Charles Beatty. The Log College planted seeds which later resulted in the founding of Princeton, the Log Colleges of John McMillan, David Caldwell and others.

There are many valuable works about the Log College and its alumni and influence available to read at Log College Press, including:

• Archibald Alexander - Biographical Sketches of the Founder, and Principal Alumni of the Log College (1845) and Sermons and Essays by the Tennents and Their Contemporaries (1855)

• Elijah R. Craven - The Log College of Neshaminy and Princeton University (1902)

• Nathaniel Irwin - Memoirs of the Presbyterian Church of Neshaminey (1793, 1904)

• Guy S. Klett and Thomas C. Pears, Jr. - Documentary History of William Tennent and the Log College (1940)

• Thomas Murphy - The Presbytery of the Log College; or, The Cradle of the Presbyterian Church in America (1889)

• Douglas K. Turner - History of Neshaminy Presbyterian Church of Warwick, Hartsville, Bucks County, PA, 1726-1876 (1876); Sketch of Log College (1886, 1909); and The Log College (1889)

Also of interest is Charles Spencer Richardson, Jr., A Week in Log College Country (1903), available to read here. William B. Sprague’s Annals, Richard Webster’s History of the Presbyterian Church in America, and many other biographical and historical literature is also available to read at Log College Press.

Other works known to the writer, but not yet available on Log College Press include:

• George H. Ingram - The Story of the Log College (1927) and Biographies of the Alumni of the Log College (1929-1930)

• Clarence E.N. Macartney - The Log College and the Beginning of Princeton (1946-1947)

• Richard McIlwaine - The Influence of the Log College in the South (1889)

• Thomas C. Pears, Jr. - History by Hearsay or New Light on William Tennent: A Footnote on the 'Documentary History of William Tennent (1940)

• Gary E. Schnittjer - William Tennent and the Log College: A Common Man and an Uncommon Legacy (1992) and The Ingredients of Effective Mentoring: The Log College as a Model for Mentorship (1994)

Books which directly treat aspects of the Log College from the Secondary Sources page at Log College Press include:

• Milton J. Coalter, Jr. - Gilbert Tennent, Son of Thunder (1986)

• S. Donald Fortson III - Colonial Presbyterianism: Old Faith in a New Land (2006)

• John F. Hansen - The Vision That Changed a Nation: The Legacy of William Tennent (2007)

• Margaret Adair Hunter, Education in Pennsylvania Promoted by the Presbyterian Church, 1726–1837 (1937)

• Alexander Leitch - A Princeton Companion (1978)

• Howard Miller - The Revolutionary College: American Presbyterian Higher Education, 1707-1837 (1976)

• Mary A. Tennent - Light in Darkness: The Story of William Tennent, Sr. and the Log College (1971)

There is a great deal of literature on Princeton which can be read online at Log College Press, or ordered from the Secondary Sources page, which touches on the history of the Log College. Many titles are not mentioned here, but could be included in a more thorough compilation. But it is hoped that the resources highlighted here will provide the student of colonial American Presbyterian history with readily available information to assist in their studies of a remarkable chapter of church history.

And let us remember that “the past is not dead,” because the story of the Tennents and the Log College is but prologue to the present. The William Tennent House Association continues its work in a different direction to make this history and legacy alive and accessible to visitors as well. One Log College, and the many others which followed, did so much to leave a godly legacy for America. We are glad to help others learn more about the story, and we are thankful to God for the legacy.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

John Witherspoon's Letter From a Blacksmith

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

Blacksmith, A. John Witherspoon, D.D. A letter from…to the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland…L. 1759. — William Cushing, Initials and Pseudonyms: A Dictionary of Literary Disguises (1885), Vol. 1, p. 36.

Before John Witherspoon came to America to serve as President of Princeton, and before he signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, Witherspoon served as a minister of the Church of Scotland. In 1759, while serving as the pastor of Laigh Kirk, Paisley, he published a work under a pseudonym, A.T., supposedly a blacksmith, aimed at reforming contemporary worship: A Letter From a Blacksmith to the Ministers and Elders of the Church of Scotland. Interestingly, the anonymous but learned blacksmith with a heartful desire to see reform in the Church of Scotland references the Ecclesiastical Characteristics, which Witherspoon himself authored in 1753.

The work challenges officers of the church to amend the manner of worship in regards to defects in the public reading of the Scriptures, singing of Psalms, the manner of the administration of the Lord’s Supper, prayer, and preaching. He aims to show that such worship as was achieved by the Reformers had degenerated in the author’s day, and also that set forms of public prayer, which he argues were used by John Knox and others, would be more helpful than the extemporaneous prayers then currently employed.

Witherspoon’s Letter From a Blacksmith has recently been added to Log College Press. It is an intriguing read, especially knowing who the author was - a minister, not a blacksmith, who was in fact, writing to his colleagues. Witherspoon also later served as the convening Moderator of the 1789 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, which adopted a revised Directory of Worship. Take time to explore this fascinating early work by Witherspoon here.

As noted in a later (June 8, 2021) blog post - Postscript on Witherspoon:

Last month we published a blog post on “John Witherspoon’s Letter From a Blacksmith.” An alert reader reached out to us to let us know that the attribution of Witherspoon as the author of this anonymously-published 1759 letter is disputed and far from clear. As a result of our friend’s helpful information, and following further research, we have removed that letter from Witherspoon’s page. It is unknown for certain who wrote it. But in the meantime, we have also added many more works by Witherspoon, including the preface to the Bible noted above. Thank you to our friend for reaching out to help us clarify this point.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

The Princeton Magazine - An Alexander Family Project

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

On March 5, 1850, James W. Alexander wrote to his old friend and long-time correspondent John Hall to tell him about a new publishing venture.

My brother William is about to set up “the Princeton Magazine;” pp. 48, monthly. Of course we shall all help. It will not exclude scientific, classical, crudite, sportive, or Jersey articles. Probably a number out three weeks hence. “Princeton in 1801,” will open it, a reminiscence of my father.

James was referring to William Cowper Alexander’s editorial work on a publication that lasted just one year, but led to a tremendous outpouring of fascinating literature by the Alexander family.

Henry C. Alexander, in his biography of Joseph Addison Alexander, Vol. 2, p. 682, speaks of the family venture thus:

The Magazine was written by members of the family (principally by J.W.A.) with occasional articles by an outsider. The volume contained one hundred and twelve articles. Eighty-three articles were written in the family. To these may be added sixty-one notices of new books. These notices were almost exclusively from the pen of the editor.

John Hall adds that this one volume was treasury of valuable literary output by the family.

Twelve numbers of this magazine appeared in 1850, after which it was discontinued. The brothers James and Addison made it the repository of many of their desultory effusions….In a letter to the editor of these Letters, from the late Mr. Walsh, (Paris, Nov. 12, 1850,) that eminent scholar wrote — “The promise of the youth of the brothers Alexander seems to have been fulfilled. The Magazine abounds with matter which I read with keen relish.” — Forty Years’ Familiar Letters of James W. Alexander, D.D., Vol. 2, p. 112.

Samuel D. Alexander notes the family contributors to The Princeton Magazine in his Catalogue of the Writings of the Alexander Family, but only as to their names, not their specific writings. The articles and book notices by the Alexanders (Archibald, James, Addison and William) are varied and include poetry by Addison, social commentary by James, reminiscences by Archibald and much more. Attribution of these writings largely comes from John Hall and Henry C. Alexander. Sometimes authorship can be ascertained from the nom-de-plumes chosen by the authors, such as “C.Q.” for “Charles Quill,” a favorite pseudonym of James. Many of these “essays, dialogues, satirical squibs, bits of Latin criticism, popular philosophy,” etc. (H.C.A.), showing the wit and humor, knowledge of the world and of Scripture, and the keen intellect of brilliant writers have been added to the respective author pages at Log College Press, including the full volume of the magazine at William C. Alexander’s page. The magazine represents a slice of Princetoniana well worth diving into, and though it only lasted for one year, constitutes a treasury of Alexander family literature that is remarkable in its diversity of topic and quality of writing.

1850 was a very productive year for the Alexanders, and now that these articles are being added to Log College Press, we hope you will see what a treasure The Princeton Magazine of that year was.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!

J.W. Alexander on Thankful Review following the Lord's Supper

(Receive our blog posts in your email by clicking here. If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.)

Q. 175. What is the duty of Christians, after they have received the sacrament of the Lord’s supper?

A. The duty of Christians, after they have received the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, is seriously to consider how they have behaved themselves therein, and with what success; if they find quickening and comfort, to bless God for it, beg the continuance of it, watch against relapses, fulfill their vows, and encourage themselves to a frequent attendance on that ordinance: but if they find no present benefit, more exactly to review their preparation to, and carriage at, the sacrament; in both which, if they can approve themselves to God and their own consciences, they are to wait for the fruit of it in due time: but, if they see they have failed in either, they are to be humbled, and to attend upon it afterwards with more care and diligence. — Westminster Larger Catechism

A wonderful little handbook or manual for those seeking to rightly observe the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is Plain Words to a Young Communicant (1854) by James W. Alexander (republished in 2000 by Banner Truth under the title Remember Him).

In the space of 85 brief chapters (80 in the Banner of Truth edition), Alexander addresses preparation for the Table, whether doubters can approach the table, self-examination, retrospect following communion, and many various aspects of the Christian Walk, including meditation, prayer, Sabbath-keeping, church attendance, and other means of grace and sanctification. Under the heading “Questions Before the Communion,” he has borrowed from a work by Ashbel Green titled Questions and Counsel for Young Converts (1831) [attributed erroneously by Banner of Truth to William Henry Green]. These questions are helpful to young believers (and old) in ascertaining the state of the soul before God.

There is one chapter especially worth highlighting for those who have just recently partaken of the sacrament: Thankful Review.

Through the tender mercies of our God, the cases are numerous, in which the young communicant retires from the Table of the Lord, strengthened and encouraged. The cardinal truth of Christianity has been set before his thoughts and become incorporated with his faith. He has seen Jesus [John 12:21]. His views of the infinite freedom of salvation have been made more clear. The evidences of his acceptance with God have become brighter. He is more disposed than ever before, to yield himself as a sacrifice, soul, body, and spirit, which is his reasonable service [Rom. 12:1]. Where any part of this is true, you have new cause for gratitude. It is “the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit” (Isa. 48:17). Now is the time, to bless him for this grace, and to beg the continuance of it. Now is the time to set a watch against relapses, and to carry into effect the vows which you have made at the Lord’s Table. Henceforth, you will look for the recurrence of this sacrament with a lively expectation, founded on experience.

If you are preparing to partake of the Lord’s Supper or have just partaken, this devotional manual is a good aid to right observance. Read J.W. Alexander’s handbook for communicants in full here.

Click here to browse our Bookstore!