The Benediction: No Mere Form But a True Blessing - William H. Adams

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William Hooper Adams, Sr. argued in The Southern Presbyterian Review (Jan. 1874) that the benediction, which customarily concludes the public service of worship, is not a mere formality, but rather a crucial, and highly significant and meaningful, aspect of corporate worship.

After a study of the Biblical texts, and reference to many commentaries on the inspired Aaronic and New Testament blessings, Adams concludes that the benediction which customarily concludes a public worship service is not a mere dismissal of the congregation, not a mere prayer, and not a mere formality, but is instead rather a crucial affirmation of God’s blessing upon the worship that has just taken place.

Following Biblical precedent, it must be given by the pastor, who, invoking the sacred and holy name of the Most High, speaks peace to the people authoritatively and comfortingly, as the service concludes. In the words of Adams:

The Benediction is not so much our prayer as it is the Lord's "Amen" to his people's prayers and praises. Into it he collects all the desires and vows and holy meditations of the service now being terminated, and in this single sentence assures every true worshipper that every thing conformable with his will shall be accomplished; yea, that he will do exceeding abundantly, filling them with "all the fulness of God."

With this summary, Adams shows us how much the Lord gives to his children in the benediction, and what a high value we ought to place upon such a gift. Read his full essay on the matter here, and take note of what a rich blessing the benediction truly is at the conclusion of every public worship service.

John Murray on the Tercentenary of the Westminster Assembly

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On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the commencement of the Westminster Assembly, which first convened on July 1, 1643, John Murray wrote a series of articles for The Presbyterian Guardian sketching the history of its calling, work and catechisms. Those articles are now available to read at Log College Press.

  • The Calling of the Westminster Assembly, Part 1 (1942)

  • The Work of the Westminster Assembly, Part 1 (1942)

  • A Notable Tercentenary (1943)

  • The Calling of the Westminster Assembly, Part 2 (1943)

  • The Work of the Westminster Assembly, Part 2 (1943)

  • The Catechisms of the Westminster Assembly (1943)

Murray wrote a great deal about the Westminster Assembly and Standards over his long career. His knowledge of the history and his conveyance of that knowledge to readers is extensive and edifying. In his article on the Catechisms, he makes a point that students of this history do well to bear in mind: the Confession and the Catechisms have overlapping but also distinct places in the work of the Assembly.

The Catechisms of the Westminster Assembly were, of course, intended to serve a different purpose from that of the Confession, and any comparison of the Catechisms with the Confession should bear this in mind. It should be said, however, that the formulations of the Catechism, especially of the Larger, are at certain points an improvement over the formulations of the Confession. It is altogether nature that the greater maturity of thought attained at the time of the Catechisms were prepared should have had this effect. For example, the formulation of the doctrine of the Covenant of Grace found in the Larger Catechism is more lucid and felicitous than that found in Chapter VII, Section III, of the Confession. A comparison of this section with Questions 30 to 32 in the Larger Catechism will readily show what is meant. Again, the definition of the sinfulness of the estate into which the fall brought mankind, given in both Catechisms, is in at least one respect more adequate than Chapter VI, Sections I to IV, of the Confession. This concerns the question of the imputation of the guilt of Adam’s first sin, a doctrine distinctly asserted in the Confession (Chapter VI, Section III) but not clearly grounded in the covenant relationship between Adam and posterity, as is done in the Larger Catechism, Question 22, and in the Shorter, Question 16. Well-grounded may be the surmise of William Cunningham that the discussions taking place in France in connection with Placaeus’ doctrine of mediate imputation and the decisions of the Synod of Charenton (1644-1645) had become better known and the implications better understood when the divines prepared the Catechisms. In any case, greater precision is manifest in both Catechisms than appears in the Confession. Examples like these show how necessary it is, in determining the position of the Westminster Assembly, to consult the Catechisms as well as the Confession, and in the matter of the subordinate standards in Presbyterian churches a great deal is to be gained by the inclusion of the Catechisms as well as the Confession.

With such insights as these, Murray guides his readers through the times and significance of the Westminster Assembly and its work. This series of articles by a remarkable scholar and teacher is a wonderful introduction to such an important chapter in church history.

J.A. Alexander: Be Still and Know That I am God

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Joseph Addison Alexander, the remarkable Biblical scholar who was skilled in 25 languages, was also a prolific poet. In 1833, while on travel in Europe, he wrote what his biographer, H.C. Alexander, called “one of his noblest productions.”

Be Still and Know That I am God

I.

When fortune smiles and friends abound;
When all thy fondest hopes are crowned;
When earth with her exhaustless store,
Seems still intent to give thee more:
When every wind and every tide
Contribute to exalt thy pride;
When all the elements conspire
To feed thy covetous desire;
When foes submit and envy stands
Pale and abashed with folded hands;
While fame’s unnumbered tongues prolong
The swell of thy triumphal song;
When crowds admire and worlds applaud
”Be still and know that I am God.”

II.

When crowns are sported with and thrones
Are rocked to their foundation stones;
When nations tremble and the earth
Seems big with some portentous birth;
When all the ties of social life
Are severed by intestine strife;
When human blood begins to drip
From tyranny’s accursed whip;
When peace and order find their graves
In anarchy’s tempestuous waves;
When every individual hand
Is steeped in crime, and every land
Is full of violence and fraud;
”Be still and know that I am God.”

III.

When to the havoc man has made
The elements afford their aid;
When nature sickens, and disease
Rides on the wing of every breeze;
When the tornado in its flight
Blows the alarm and calls to fight;
When raging Fever leads the van,
In the fierce onset upon man;
When livid Plague and pale Decline
And bloated Dropsy, form the line;
While hideous Madness, shivering Fear
And grim Despair, bring up the rear;
When these thy judgments are abroad:
”Be still and know that I am God.”

IV.

When messages of grace are sent,
And mercy calls thee to repent;
When through a cloud of doubts and fears
The Sun of Righteousness appears;
When thy reluctant heart delays
To leave it’s old accustomed ways;
When pride excites a storm within,
And pleads and fights for every sin;
Be still, and and let this tumult cease;
Say to thy raging passions, “Peace!”
By love subdued, by judgment awed:
”Be still and know that I am God.”

Archibald Alexander on Prayer as a Means of Grace

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The fourteenth chapter of the Westminster Confession of Faith provides instruction concerning saving faith. In the opening paragraph, the following is stated:

The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word, by which also, and by the administration of the sacraments, and prayer, it is increased and strengthened.

By the infinite, eternal, and unchanging mercy of God, saving faith in Jesus Christ is instigated in a redeemed sinner’s heart by the work of the Holy Spirit; saving faith is a testimony to God’s grace (Jn. 3:8; 1 Cor. 12:3; Eph. 2:8; Titus 3:5). Furthermore, the confession teaches that saving faith is “ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word.” That is to say, that it is the normal course of action for the Holy Spirit to instigate saving faith through the reading, but especially, the preaching of God’s inspired Word. The apostle Paul testified to this when he penned the following:

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? (cf., Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 1:21).

Therefore, in echoing the authoritative teaching of God’s Word, the Westminster Confession has properly recognized that the Spirit ordinary initiates saving faith through the preaching of His Word. However, the confession also describes how saving faith is “increased and strengthened,” and it happens by the administration of the sacraments and prayer. Collectively, the preaching of God’s Word, the administration of the sacraments, and prayer are known as the “ordinary means of God’s grace” by which the Christian believes and is matured in his faith (see Westminster Larger Catechism Q&A 154). 

Admittedly, there is much to be said about how the preaching of Scripture and administration of the sacraments are a means of grace, but this essay is reserved for considering prayer in this regard and what our Presbyterian forefather, Archibald Alexander, had to say about it.

To arrive at how prayer is a means by which the Spirit strengthens a Christian’s faith, it should be understood what prayer is. The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines prayer as “an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies” (Q&A 98; see Ps. 10:17; 62:8; Matt. 6:9-13; 7:7-8; Jn. 16:23-24; 1 Jn. 1:9; 5:14).  While there are several elements to prayer noted, of importance is what the given definition of prayer assumes﹘it presupposes that there is access to the God of mercy. Hence, because of Christ’s accomplished work of salvation, redeemed sinners may offer up their desires unto God in order that they might be recipients of His grace. Thus, the author to the Hebrews has written:

Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

This is the essence of why prayer is a means of God’s grace. By prayer, the Christian may come before the throne of grace and find refuge in the Lord. Prayer is communion with the triune God and to commune with Him is no insignificant matter s the following verses reveal:

Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear… (Ps. 10:17).

Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us (Psalm 62:8).

Accordingly, Archibald Alexander has also written of this matter in a small article titled “Prayer A Privilege” [Practical Truths (1857), pp. 36-38] Therefore, in an attempt to elaborate on the significance of prayer as a means of grace, consider Alexander’s thoughts from his article:

Although God is everywhere present, yet he is invisible. He is an all-pervading Spirit, yet is perceived by none of our senses. We behold his glorious works in the heavens and in the earth, and may learn something, by careful observation, of the general laws by which the material universe is governed; but still the great Architect is concealed. As far as reason can lead us, we seem to be shut out from all intercourse with our Maker; and whether prayer is permitted would remain for ever doubtful, were it not for divine revelation. We are not surprised, therefore, that some deists have denied that prayer is a duty, or that it can be available to the Deity. Indeed, considering man as a sinner, it would seem presumptuous for such a creature to obtrude himself into the presence of a holy God. Natural religion, as it is called, is not at all suited to the wants of sinners, but divine revelation teaches us that God may be acceptably approached by sinners only through the mediation of his Son.

Prayer is everywhere in the Bible recognized as proper and inculcated as a duty. But it is also a most precious privilege, one of the richest blessings conferred on man. It opens a method of intercourse and communion with our Father in heaven; it furnishes a refuge for the soul oppressed with sin and sorrow; it affords an opportunity to the heart overwhelmed with an intolerable weight of misery to unburden itself, to pour its griefs into the ear of one who can pity and help.

The moral effect of prayer is important. It humbles the soul, and excites veneration for the august and holy character of God. But though prayer brings into exercise the noblest acts and emotions of which our nature is capable, yet it would be a grand mistake to confine the efficacy of prayer to their moral effects. Prayer, when offered in faith, for things agreeable to the will of God, actually obtains for the petitioner the blessings which he needs. It has an efficacy to obtain forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and deliverance from a thousand evils. Prayer enters into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth; the prayer of faith is the mightiest engine upon earth. The Lord of heaven has given his word to answer prayer. He will be inquired of by his people, that he may bless them.

God can make any means effectual; and among the instituted means for the government of the world, and the preservation and comfort of his people, prayer holds a high place. The objection that God is immutable, and knows what we need, has no more force against prayer than any other means—no more force than if urged against the necessity of cultivating the ground in order to obtain a crop, or receiving food to nourish the body. The Christian life is sustained by prayer. By it every grace is exercised, every blessing is obtained. Without the sincere desires of the heart, prayer is nothing; it is worse—it is a mockery. He is the best Christian who prays most. As God is ever near to us, “for in him we live, and move, and have our being,” we are permitted to hold intercourse with him at all times, and in all places. We are commanded to “pray without ceasing”—to “be instant in prayer”—to “pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands.”

In prayer there is not only an outgoing of the soul to God, in acts of faith, love, and confidence, but there is an actual communication from God to the soul. Prayer is a holy converse—a fellowship with God. One hour spent in prayer, will accomplish more good than many employed in study or labor. Surely, then, it is good to draw nigh to God.

Indeed, prayer is a privilege, and it is a privilege precisely because it is a means of strengthening saving faith. Thus, the Christian life ought to be filled with the joy of communing with the triune God in prayer.

The Shepherd Prince

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It was in 1853 that the Lithuanian writer Abraham Mapu (1808-1867) published what is considered to be the first Hebrew language novel, Ahavat Ziyyon (The Love of Zion). It is an historical romance set in the days of the prophet Isaiah. Although Mapu struggled to make ends meet as an author, this publication was a landmark event and would inspire many who worked to establish the nation state of Israel.

There were English translations of this novel in 1887 under title Amnon, Prince and Peasant, tr. by F. Jaffe; in 1902 as In the Days of Isaiah, tr. by Benjamin Alexander Moses Schapiro; and as The Shepherd Prince in 1922 and 1930, also by Schapiro, a Jewish-Christian missionary to the Jewish people. The 1922 translation was published with an introduction by the great Princeton linguistic scholar, Robert Dick Wilson.

Wilson, Robert Dick, Introduction to The Shepherd Prince Title Page cropped.jpg

Wilson’s praise of the story and the translation by Schapiro is remarkable given his expertise as a Christian Orientalist.

THE perusal of “The Shepherd-Prince,” translated from the work of the famous Jewish writer of fiction, Abraham Mapu, by Mr. B.A.M. Schapiro, will show how possible it is for the spirit and “atmosphere” of a people, as well as the environment and setting of ages long past, to be brought out so vividly as to make them real to the consciousness of readers of today. To achieve this is a distinction, the height of literary art.

This work is to be warmly commended to Christian readers because it presents in graphic form the ideas of a modern Israelite with regard to the life and ideals, the emotions and aspirations, of the Ancient Chosen People.

The period of this intensely interesting love story is that of the time of Isaiah, the greatest in the long list of prophets from Moses to Christ. And the incidents of the love-idyl and love-tragedy throughout its course, which, as in all human experience, did not run smooth, but was ultimately triumphant, are admirably developed and in language so felicitous that one feels almost as if it were from the Bible-fount itself.

Love—the greatest thing in the world—found expression in ancient times just as it does today; although the setting differed, the essentials are the same, and the reader of modern fictional literature will find something refreshing in the pure and ardent affection of the hero and heroine, in their tribulations and joys. We believe that this book will be uplifting and that it will have a healthful influence on readers of the present time; for, as has been well said, “There is no time in life when books do not influence a man,” and the potency and sway of a good book are incalculable.

The love story—the leading motive of the book—illustrates the theme of the Song of Songs: that love is stronger than death. It is interesting to observe that love at first sight was, in the estimation of Mapu, as common a thing as it is in our own times, and that the course of love ran no more smoothly then than now. The manner in which the passion was manifested, especially of the heroine, may shock the sensibilities of some of the readers, because of the departure from certain conventionalities to which they are accustomed; but it is well to learn how other people express their affection and how a great Hebrew scholar imagines the passion and the practice of love among the Israelites 2,700 years ago.

Mr. Schapiro has put the reading public unfamiliar with Hebrew language and literature under a deep debt of gratitude for the excellent manner in which he has rendered into English this masterpiece of Abraham Mapu, whose fame is known to the uttermost ends of the earth as the “Father of Jewish Fiction.”

The translator is an acknowledged master of Hebrew, the Rabbinical exegesis of the Old Testament, and the Talmudical interpretation of the same. He has written much and well, being the author of many useful and learned pamphlets. He is therefore eminently well qualified to translate for readers of English the wonderfully poetic and figurative language of the original, which abounds in prose-poetry and song of the highest character. Indeed, the translation is so free from the usual ear-marks of translated works that, if there were not two names on the title-page, it might well be taken for an original work in English.
…
Within the limits of a Foreword it is impossible adequately to do justice to the scholarship and intrinsic worth of such a work as this; but, without flattery, it can safely be asserted that Mr. Schapiro has presented in a singularly fascinating way in its English dress, the greatest novel that has ever been produced in the Hebrew language. To say more would be like painting the lily or refining pure gold.

The Shepherd Prince is now available to read at Log College Press at R.D. Wilson’s page. If you are in search of a classic historical novel, this is a great one to add to your reading list.

Abraham Gosman on Biblical Theology

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In reviewing Abraham Gosman’s 1894 charge to the new professor of Biblical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, Geerhardus Vos, it is interesting to note that he credited Joseph Addison Alexander and Caspar Wistar Hodge, Sr. as early precursors of this theological discipline.

Here is a brief extract from that charge which summarizes the nature of Biblical Theology, as conceived by a Director of the Seminary, and its relation to other areas of study.

Biblical Theology stands in close relations both to Exegetical and Systematic Theology, and yet has its own well-defined bounds. It presupposes Exegetical Theology; it furnishes the material for Systematic Theology. If Systematic Theology is, as we may conceive it to be, the finished building, harmonious in its proportions, symmetrical and beautiful; then Exegetical Theology may be regarded as the quarry from which the material is taken; and Biblical Theology, as putting the granite blocks into form, not polished and graven, but shaped and fitted for the place they are to fill, as the structure grows in its vastness and beauty. It seeks the saving facts and truths as they lie in the Word, and are embedded, and to some extent expressed, in the history of the people of God. God's methods are always historical and genetic, and it conforms to His methods. It views these words and facts in their historical relations and their progressive development. It aims not merely to arrive at the ideas and facts as they appear in particular authors and in the books justly ascribed to them, and as they may be modified in their form by time, culture, influences friendly or hostile; but to set forth these facts and truths thus ascertained in their relation to the other books in which they may appear in clearer light, — to trace their progress and unfolding from the germ to the ripened fruit. As the stream of sacred history runs parallel with that of revelation, it borders closely upon Historical Theology. But the two conceptions are distinct.

Read more of Gosman’s charge as well as Vos’ inaugural address on The Idea of Biblical Theology as a Science and as a Theological Discipline, at their respective pages, as well as the Biblical Theology page.

Samuel Davies on the Excellency of the Divine Being

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Editorial note: Rev. Dylan Rowland is Pastor of Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Mansfield, Ohio.

Recently, I have preached through various Psalms during our afternoon Lord’s Day service. In particular, I’ve preached sermons on Psalms 93 and 95 and will, Lord willing, preach from Psalms 96-100 in the near future. These Psalms are beautiful testimonies to the glory and majesty of the Lord God our King. For example:

Psalm 93:1–2 (NKJV): The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.

Psalm 95:3–7 (NKJV): For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.

Psalm 96:6–8, 13 (NKJV): Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts….For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.

These Psalms bring to the center of our attention the glory and majesty of theology proper (doctrine of God), and they do so in a pastoral way. The descriptions of God’s attributes were written in such a way so as to move readers to worship the Lord with humility, joy, thanksgiving, and with great adoration. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, these Psalms are meant to pastorally demonstrate how the doctrine of God culminates in our worship of Him.

However, I have also been reading through the collected sermons of Samuel Davies (1723-1761), an eighteenth century Presbyterian minister. In a sermon titled, The Nature and Universality of Spiritual Death, Davies comments on the majesty of God’s divine excellence (His nature and attributes) and answers the question as to why men fail to adore the Triune God for His excellence. 

The following is a quoted excerpt from Davies' sermon which is a helpful and humbling commentary detailing what an appropriate response to the nature of God should be. His insights are especially helpful in seeking to apply the wonderful truths of Psalms 93-100. Consider the following from Davies [Sermons on Important Subjects (1804 ed.), Vol. 1, pp. 133-135]:

Consider the excellency of the divine Being, the sum total, the great original of all perfections. How infinitely worthy is He of the adoration of all His creatures! How deserving of their most intense thoughts and most ardent affections! If majesty and glory can strike us with awe and veneration, does not Jehovah demand them, who is clothed with majesty and glory as with a garment, and before Him all the inhabitants of the Earth are as grasshoppers, as nothing, as less than nothing, and vanity? If wisdom excites our pleasing wonder, here is an unfathomable depth. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! If goodness, grace, and mercy attract our love and gratitude, here these amiable perfections shine in their most alluring glories. If justice strikes a damp to the guilty, here is justice in all its tremendous majesty. If veracity, if candor, if any, or all the moral virtues engage our esteem, here they all center in their highest perfection. If the presence of a king strikes a reverence; if the eye of his judge as the criminal, and restrains him from offending, certainly we should fear before the Lord all the day, for we are surrounded with His omnipresence, and He is the Inspector and Judge of all our thoughts and actions. If riches excite desire, here are unsearchable riches: if happiness has charms that draw all the world after it, here is an unbounded ocean of happiness; here is the only complete portion for an immortal mind. Men are affected with these things in one another, though found in a very imperfect degree. Power awes and commands, virtue and goodness please, beauty charms, justice strikes with solemnity and terror, a bright genius is admired, a benevolent, merciful temper is loved: thus men are affected with created excellencies. Whence is it, then, they are so stupidly unaffected with the supreme excellencies of Jehovah?

Here, my brethren, turn your eyes inward upon yourselves, and inquire, are not several of you conscious that, though you have passions for such objects as these, and you are easily moved by them, yet, with regard to the perfections of the Supreme best of beings, your hearts are habitually senseless and unaffected? It is not an easy thing to make impressions upon you by them; and what increases the wonder, and aggravates your guilt, is, that you are thus senseless and unaffected, when you believe and profess that these perfections are really in God, and that in the highest degree possible. In other cases you can love what appears amiable, you revere what is great and majestic, we eagerly desire and pursue what is valuable intends to your happiness; in all of this you do freely, spontaneously, vigorously, by the innate inclination and tendency of your nature, without reluctance, without compulsion, nay, without persuasion; but as to God and all of His perfections, you are strangely insensible, backward, and averse.  Where is the one being that has any confessed excellency in the compass of human knowledge, that does not engage more of the thoughts and affections of mankind than the glorious and ever blessed God? The sun, moon, and stars have had more worshippers than the uncreated Fountain of Light from which they derive their luster. Kings and ministers of state have more punctual homage and more frequent applications made to them than the King of kings and Lord of lords. Created enjoyments are more eagerly pursued than the Supreme Good. Search all the world over, and you will find but very little motions of heart towards God; little love, little desire, little searching after Him. You will often, indeed, see Him honored with the complement of a bended knee, and a few heartless words, under the name of a prayer; but where is the heart, or where are the thoughts, where the affections? These run wild through the world, and are scattered among a thousand other objects. The heart has no prevailing tendency toward God, the thoughts are shy of Him, the affections have no innate propensity to Him. In short, in this respect, the whole man is out of order: here he does not at all act like himself; here are no affectionate thoughts, no delightful meditations, no ardent desires, no eager pursuits and vigorous endeavors; but all is listless, stupid, indisposed, inactive, and averse: and what is the matter? “Lord, what is this that has seized the souls of Thine own offspring, that they are thus utterly disordered towards Thee?” The reason is, they are dead, dead in trespasses and sins. It is impossible a living soul should be so stupid and unaffected with such an object; it must be a dead soul that has no feeling. Yes, sinners, this is the melancholy reason why you are so thoughtless, so unconcerned, so senseless about the God that made you: you are dead. And what is the reason that you, who have been begotten again to a spiritual life, and who are united to Christ as your vital head, what is the reason that you so often feel such languishments; that the pulse of spiritual life beats so faint and irregular, and that its motions or so feeble and slow? All this you feel and lament, but how comes it to pass? What can be the cause that you, who have indeed tasted that the Lord is gracious, and are sensible that He is all glorious and lovely, and your only happiness–oh, what can be the cause, that you, of all men in the world, should be so little engaged to Him? Alas, the cause is, you have been dead, and a deadly stupor has not yet left you: you have (blessed be the quickening spirit of Christ!) you have received a little life; but alas, it is a feeble spark; it finds the principles of death still strong in your constitution; there it must struggle with, and by them it is often borne down, suppressed, and just expiring. Walk humbly, then, and remember your shame, that you were once dead, and children of wrath, even as others.

This is a humbling testimony from Davies and readers would do well to meditate on it. Therefore, it seems important to ask: when we read the Bible’s testimony concerning God’s divine excellencies, are we moved to worship and adoration? If not, why? To worship and adore the Triune God because of His divine excellencies is surely the lovely truth found in Psalms 93-100. Read more about Samuel Davies at the biographical links on his page, as well as the full sermon highlighted above.

Log College Press: Summer Update (August 31, 2021)

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So much has been going on at Log College Press that it is often hard to find time to write about it, but we wish to keep our readers aware, so here is a brief summary of recent activity.

In the month of August, we have added 17 new authors and almost 300 new works. That includes 45 works by Charles Henry Parkhurst, 19 by B.B. Warfield, and 16 by J.G. Machen.

We now have around 700 links to useful Secondary Sources which are well worth browsing.

This summer we published Mediations on the Lord’s Supper by Jacob Jones Janeway. And Log College Press was represented at a booth at the PCA General Assembly. We have received much kind feedback from our readers, and we thank everyone for their interest and support. One of our July posts was shared on Facebook at least 144 times and reached over 17,000 people. It is hoped that the work done at Log College Press in dusting off 18th and 19th century Presbyterian works is an encouragement and a blessing to our 21st century readers. We continue to grow and build on this project begun four years ago. Lord willing, there is much more to come.

Blessings to all!

The Presbyterian Pulpit

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Have you read the sermons that make up the Presbyterian Pulpit? From 1902 to 1904 there were ten volumes published, which included eight sermons each. Each volume is available to read below.

This is how the set was advertised in early 1904. Mitchell’s volume was originally to be titled The Divine-Human Face, but was changed. The full box set was for sale at the cost of $6.00.

An advertisement for the Presbyterian Pulpit series which appeared in the May 1904 issue of The Assembly Herald.

An advertisement for the Presbyterian Pulpit series which appeared in the May 1904 issue of The Assembly Herald.

There is much gold to be mined in these volumes. This set is a treasure to be well-studied. Tolle lege!

Advice to Lennie from Charles Hodge

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Hugh Lenox Scott — son William McKendree Scott, and grandson of Charles Hodge — who became a famed U.S. military officer, once wrote that

I was brought up a Presbyterian of the Presbyterians in Princeton within a stone's throw of Princeton Seminary, the very essence of Presbyterianism in America.

When he graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1876, his grandfather gave him a Bible inscribed with the following message:

Dear Lennie,

  • Never pass a day without reading the Bible and calling upon God in prayer.

  • Learn to pray always. The Lord Jesus is ever near you. It does not take long to pray: “Lord preserve me: Lord help me; Lord keep me from sin.” We need to say this a hundred times a day.

  • Never gamble.

  • Never drink intoxicating liquor.

  • Never use profane language.

  • Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.

  • Never incur debt.

  • Live peaceable with all men.

  • Never be afraid to confess Christ.

  • Let your last words every night be: “I take Jesus Christ to be my God and Saviour.”

  • May the blessing of God be upon always and everywhere.

Your loving grandfather,
Charles Hodge
Princeton, Sept. 15, 1876

Source: Paul C. Gutjahr, Charles Hodge: Guardian of American Orthodoxy, p. 320

Charles H. Parkhurst: An Advocate for Social Justice

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Although the term “Social Justice Warrior” was not in vogue (or in disrepute) at the time, the Rev. Charles H. Parkhurst might well have identified with the label. Parkhurst served as pastor of the Madison Square Presbyterian Church in New York City from 1880 to 1918, during which time he not only preached the gospel from the pulpit but also, beginning in 1892, famously took on municipal corruption in the form of Tammany Hall.

Vice and crime, as well as unjust law enforcement, had long been a concern of Christians in New York. The Rev. Howard Crosby preached a November 1883 Thanksgiving Sermon at the Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church titled The City’s Disease and Remedy. After Crosby’s death in 1891, it was Parkhurst who succeeded him as President of the Society for the Prevention of Crime.

In surveying the situation around him, Parkhurst began to realize that so much of the corruption he and his parishioners encountered was not only protected but supported and encouraged by the very officials charged with upholding and enforcing the law. This led to a remarkable sermon preached on February 14, 1892 based on the text “Ye are the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13) which he was later to refer to as “The First Gun of the Campaign” against Tammany Hall. His direct assault on city leaders ignited a firestorm of criticism and media attention. In fact, city leaders convened a grand jury to force him to either substantiate his accusations of corruption from the pulpit or else face possible charges himself for perjury.

Madison Square Park c. 1908

Madison Square Park c. 1908

Within one week he was indeed subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury and was not able to offer any substantive evidence to support his claims apart from “uncontradicted newspaper reports,” and thus a week later the grand jury issued a report completely rebuking him and apparently vindicating city leaders. Parkhurst looked upon this development not as a defeat, however, but as an encouragement to go out and investigate the matter himself (he did hire private detectives to assist) and to gather the direct evidence needed to show the link between criminal operations and police involvement. Meanwhile, he continued to preach denunciations of “municipal misrule” from the pulpit. On March 13, 1892, Parkhurst again proclaimed that it was his Christian duty to oppose the corruption that he saw around him.

I do not speak as a Republican or a Democrat, as a Protestant or a Catholic, as an advocate of prohibition, or as an advocate of license. I am moved, so help me Almighty God, by the respect which I have for the Ten Commandments, and by my anxiety as a preacher of Jesus Christ, to have the law of God regnant in individual and social life; so that I antagonize our existing municipal administration, because I believe, with all the individual exceptions frankly conceded four weeks ago, that administration to be essentially corrupt, interiorly rotten, and in all its combined tendency and effect to stand in diametric resistance to all that Christ and a loyally Christian pulpit represent in the world.

After Parkhurst presented evidence to a grand jury in March 1892, that grand jury issued a report which condemned the role of the New York Police Department in fostering and protecting vice and crime in the city. Newspapers took note of how the tables were turned. Public pressure continued to mount upon the Police Department and the Tammany Hall leaders, culminating in the Lexow Committee’s investigation of police corruption, including bribery and organized crime, which did much to expose the connections unearthed by Parkhurst and the City Vigilance League, of which he also served as President.

The boss of Tammany Hall, Richard Croker, was forced to leave the country and reside in Europe for three years following the work of the Lexow Committee. A new mayor was elected in New York City in 1894 who did much to reign in the abuses of Tammany Hall. Municipal reform achieved a great victory in these various ways, and much of that victory is attributable to the perseverance and unflinching determination of Rev. Charles H. Parkhurst in the face of great opposition from those who ran city hall.

He addressed an audience on May 14, 1894 at Union Theological Seminary on the topic of the place of the pulpit in the area of social reform.

I am to speak of the relation of the minister to good government. In order to avoid all misapprehension, let us start out by saying that nothing should be allowed to interfere with the pulpit's prime obligation to convert men, women, and children to Christ in their individual character. No one can have attended carefully to Christ's method of working in the world without appreciating the emphasis which he laid upon the individual, and without feeling the volume of meaning there is in the fact that so many of his finest words and deepest lessons were delivered in the presence of but a single auditor. There are no associate results which do not hide all their roots in the separate individualities that combine to compose such association.

At the same time, what God thinks most of is not a man in his individual character, but men in their mutual and organized relations. That is the idea that the Bible leaves off upon, and in that way throws upon the idea the superb emphasis of finality, culminating, as Scripture does, not in the roll-call of a mob of sanctified individualities, but in the apocalyptic forecast of a holy city come down from God out of heaven; not men, therefore, taken as so many separate integers, but men conceived of as wrought up into the structure of a corporate whole social, municipal, civic.

Men require to be sanctified, but the relations which subsist between them require to be sanctified also. Philemon was a Christian and Onesimus was a Christian; but Onesimus was still Philemon's slave. Philemon had been converted, and Onesimus had been converted, but the relation between them had not been converted. A good part of every man is involved in his relations, and heaven is not arithmetic but organic.

Wherever men rub against one another, therefore, the pulpit has something to say, or ought to have something to say.

Read the story of his reform efforts in his own words in Our Fight With Tammany (1895) and My Forty Years in New York (1923).

A Samuel Miller Bibliography

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Two bibliographies of the writings of Samuel Miller have been most helpful to us as we assemble the works he wrote at Log College Press. One is by Wayne Sparkman, Director of the PCA Historical Center, which was published in The Confessional Presbyterian, Vol. 1 (2005). The other was published by Margaret Miller, daughter of John Miller, and granddaughter of Samuel Miller, in The Princeton Theological Review (Oct. 1911).

The latter is now available to read online at Margaret’s and Samuel’s pages. It is a valuable resource which we continue to consult, and those whose are interested in the writings of Samuel Miller may benefit from this as well.

Princeton vs. The New Divinity

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Twenty years ago, a handy little volume was published by Banner of Truth titled Princeton Versus The New Divinity. It is a collection of a handful of articles written by 19th century Princeton divines in response to the movement known by various names, including New England Theology, Edwardsean, and The New Divinity, among other nomenclatures. In general, it was a movement that heavily emphasized evangelism and revival at the expense of Biblical theology on such matters as sin, total depravity, and grace.

Princeton divines were greatly concerned that this new movement needed to be countered by sound theology. A number of articles were written in The Biblical Repertory and Theological Review, The Biblical Repertory and Princeton Review and in other titles to respond to the movement by way of direct discussion and historical overview. Today we are thankful for the digitizing labors of those at the Library of the Princeton Theological Seminary who have made these articles, and others, so much more accessible.

As mentioned in the Banner of Truth volume, David Calhoun’s outline of the issues and authors involved, which appears in Princeton Seminary, Vol. 1, is highly recommended.

There were seven chapters/articles included in the 2001 Banner of Truth volume:

  • Charles Hodge, Review of Cox’s Sermon on Regeneration, and the Manner of Its Occurrence (1830) — titled “Regeneration” in the BoT volume;

  • Archibald Alexander, The Early History of Pelagianism (1830);

  • Archibald Alexander, The Doctrine of Original Sin as Held by the Church, Both Before and After the Reformation (1830) — titled “Original Sin” in the BoT volume;

  • Archibald Alexander, An Inquiry Into that Inability Under Which the Sinner Labours, and Whether it Furnishes Any Excuse for His Neglect of Duty (1831) — titled “The Inability of Sinners” in the BoT volume;

  • Charles Hodge, The New Divinity Tried (1832);

  • Albert Baldwin Dod, Finney’s Sermons (1835) and Finney’s Lectures (1835) — combined and titled “On Revivals of Religion” in the BoT volume — “William G. McLoughlin comments that Dod’s ‘review of the Lectures on Revivals can and should be properly considered the official and definitive counterattack upon the theological revolution that [Charles] Finney led,” David Calhoun, Princeton Seminary, Vol. 1, p. 467;

  • John Woodbridge, Review of The Scriptural Doctrine of Sanctification Stated and Defended Against the Error of Perfectionism (1842) — titled “Sanctification” in the BoT volume; and

  • Thomas Cleland, Bodily Affections Produced by Religious Excitement (1834) — an 1846 reprint was titled “Bodily Effects of Religious Excitement” and included the BoT volume.

All of these articles are available to read online at the links above. In addition, some others on this overall topic are also available to read and recommended for further study. Also, take note of our earlier post relating to the 1837-1838 split of the Presbyterian Church on the Old School-New School Explained.

  • Archibald Alexander, January 25, 1802 Letter to Nathan Strong (1802);

  • Lyman Hotchkiss Atwater, Dr. Woodbridge on Revivals: Influence of the New Divinity on Religion (1842);

  • Lyman Hotchkiss Atwater, Old Orthodoxy, New Divinity and Unitarianism (1857);

  • Lyman Hotchkiss Atwater, Jonathan Edwards and the Successive Forms of The New Divinity (1858);

  • Lyman Hotchkiss Atwater, Revivals of the Century (1876);

  • George Addison Baxter, January 1, 1802 Letter on the Kentucky Revival (1802);

  • Charles Hodge, Finney’s Lectures on Theology (1847);

  • William Buell Sprague, Lectures on Revivals of Religion (1832);

  • David Alexander Wallace, The Theology of New England (1856); and

There is even more to read at Log College Press on this topic. But this may serve for starters. If you have an interest in the theological innovations that disrupted in the Presbyterian Church in the early 19th century, and how Princeton divines responded, dive in to these materials prayerfully, and with a Bible at hand, to better understand what was at issue, and how God’s Word and the history of the church sheds light on these matters. The editor of the Banner of Truth volume had to say about the importance of the subject:

Why these articles should be reprinted at a date so far removed from the controversy which occasioned them warrants introductory comment. Some controversies represent no more than a passing disturbance in the church. It was not to be so with the New Divinity. Both contending parties in the controversy saw this clearly. Those who introduced the new ideas were insistent that they would have revolutionary and long-term benefits for the advance of the gospel. Especially would this be so, they claimed, with respect to effective evangelism and the promotion of revival. The Princeton men, and those who supported them, were equally convinced that, should the new teaching succeed, it would mean a change of direction exceedingly adverse to the spiritual interests of later generations. Where the ‘New School’ were certain of the practical benefits resulting from the changes for which they were working, the ‘Old’ saw disaster.

A Guide to Family Worship by Harold M. Robinson

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God is to be worshipped every where in spirit and in truth; as in private families daily, and in secret each one by himself (WCF 21.6; Mal. 1.11; Tim. 2.8, John 4.23-24; Matt. 6.11; Jer. 10.25; Deut. 6.6-7; Job 1.5; 2 Sam. 6.18, 20; 1 Pet. 3.7; Acts 10.2).

In 1923, Harold McAfee Robinson (1881-1939) published a helpful guide to family worship. It summarizes and give practical counsel regarding the three main features of worship in the family circle: the reading and study of the Holy Scriptures, prayer and song.

After providing reasons for the gathering of the family unit specifically to praise God, as well as summarizing leading principles that guide Biblical family worship — including such matters as focusing on the needs of the youngest children as well as older persons present, and what time of day to hold family worship — Robinson, in How to Conduct Family Worship, distinguishes the proper acts that constitute such a service.

The Cotter’s Saturday Night by William Kidd

The Cotter’s Saturday Night by William Kidd

What are the acts of family worship?

The acts of worship most appropriate to the family are the use of Scripture, prayer, and song. There are other acts of social worship, such as the sacraments and the bringing of offerings, which are not appropriate to the family. There are also other acts of worship which may be appropriate to the family, but these three acts are the most common and the most appropriate.

Regarding these three elements of family worship, Robinson devotes a chapter to each, which contains useful material to consider.

In the chapter on song, he encourages music in family worship, meaning hymns (he does not recommend the singing of psalms). Suggested material includes Louis F. Benson’s The Best Church Hymns.

Citing Robert M. M’Cheyne, who said, “You read your Bible regularly, of course; but do try to understand it, and still more to feel it. . . . Turn the Bible into prayer,” Robinson encourages families to read the Bible together in portions suitable to the abilities of the hearers, and to take what is read as seeds for prayer.

Finally, prayer is encouraged on the basis that the Word of God spoken to us should lead to a return of words spoken, sincerely, briefly and according to the needs and capacities of the family, back unto God. The matter of Scripture reading, the particular occasions which might call for particular prayers, and the general tenor of all family prayers are addressed.

There are several generally recognized elements in complete and orderly prayer. These are: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, petition, intercession, and submission.

There is much that is good in this handy little volume on family worship. Consider this manual as you and your family gather to praise God daily as we are commanded to do.

Herman Bavinck died a century ago - this was his eulogy

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Between 1920 and 1921, within the span of eight months, three great Calvinist luminaries with Princeton ties entered into glory: Abraham Kuyper, B.B. Warfield and Herman Bavinck. In Bavinck’s case, he ceased his mortal labors on this earth on July 29, 1921.

On the centennial anniversary of Bavinck’s passing, we take note of a eulogy written about Dr. Bavinck from the hand of a dear friend, Henry E. Dosker.

Dosker was born in the Netherlands and studied with Bavinck there before Dosker emigrated to the United States, eventually becoming a professor at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Dosker, writing in The Princeton Theological Review (July 1922), says:

Herman Bavinck was my lifelong friend and it was with the thought that this brief sketch may serve as a friend’s tribute to his memory, that it has been written. We studied together in the gymnasium of Zwolle and have been separated in 1873, but the tie of friendship remained unbroken; during all these well nigh fifty years, in fact almost to the time of his death, we corresponded and repeated visits, on either side of the Atlantic, deepened our friendship. Besides this I have been a constant reader of his writings and gladly admit that he was my preceptor as well as my friend. And as I set myself to the task of writing this sketch of the life of a truly great man it seems best to etch his life with a few strokes of the pen and then make an attempt at the analysis of his character as a theologian, his personality, methods of work and variety of interests.

In the following pages, Dosker does indeed sketch a remarkable life well-lived. We encourage our readers to scan those pages in tribute to one of the Netherlands’ greatest theologians. In closing, Dosker has this to say regarding his friend:

How he makes all doctrine to live! In reading his Dogmatics one can easily see how his students must have been carried away by his lectures. Theology was to Bavinck more than a science, more than a full concept of the teachings of the Scriptures, systematically arranged and philosophically expounded. The grace of God, a living faith in the Scriptures as principium, a hearty assent to their truth — all this was a prerequisite to its teaching and exploration. And every page of the Reformed Dogmatics indicates how true the great teacher was to his own principles. Of him as of Paul, it might well be said, he brought every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

J.F. Tuttle's search for the lost writings of Jacob and Ashbel Green

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There is a certain fascination with lost literary treasures. Thus the jubilation when such a manuscript or publication, seemingly lost to history, is re-discovered, is exhilarating. Such was the experience of the Joseph Farrand Tuttle — Presbyterian minister, President of Wabash College, and noted historian of Morris County, New Jersey — when he commenced a search for the lost writings of Jacob and Ashbel Green. Jacob Green was a colonial-era Presbyterian minister (who governed Princeton as Vice-President between the administrations of President Jonathan Edwards and President Samuel Davies) and his son, Ashbel Green, later served as President of Princeton. Tuttle first wrote about Jacob Green extensively in Rev. Jacob Green, of Hanover, N.J., as an Author, Statesman and Patriot (1893). A later account that Tuttle, an early biographer of Jacob Green, wrote about his search for the New Jersey Historical Society in 1896 is a fascinating read.

Known to Tuttle from his boyhood, “Parson (Jacob) Green” was an intriguing figure in history in part because of his role in the American War of Independence (a patriot who supported freedom, including that for American slaves).

Even in my boyhood I heard of “Parson Green , of Hanover.” My father's great-grandfather, “Timothy Tuttle, Esq.," as he is named in the “Morristown Bill of Mortality" and in Whitehead's “Combined Register of First Presbyterian Church of Morristown," was a resident with in the bounds of the Hanover Church. He owned a farm in Whippany, and, presumably from his title, was a Justice of the Peace. His brother Joseph, named as “Deacon Tuttle” and “Colonel Joseph Tuttle,” settled on land on Hanover Neck. He was a leading man in Parson Green's Church. He was distinguished as the man who had married five wives, “one at a time.” In this way it came to pass that I can scarcely remember the time when I had not heard the name of “Parson Green, of Hanover," occasionally mentioned as a remarkable one, a sort of universal genius, who could preach, or teach, or prescribe for a sick man, or write his will, or settle his estate, or perform any social function for his parishioners, in or out of the church, in this life or that which is to come. In after years it was my good fortune to secure as my wife the daughter of a lady whom Parson Green had baptized, and to find a home several years with a lady who was a native of Hanover, and who spent her life there previous to her marriage. In addition to these influences for several years it was my good fortune to be an associate pastor of the venerable Presbyterian Church of Rockaway, which antedated the Revolutionary War.

As time progressed, even after Rev. Tuttle moved west to Indiana, his passion for further knowledge of the life and work of Parson Green continued to motivate him. As he collected certain documents related to that history, he began to seek more. Some, known by reference, were no longer thought to be extant.

He spent time in libraries of private historical societies and public institutions, including the library of the Princeton Theological Seminary. He corresponded with many private holders of antiquities. He traveled up and down the East Coast, following clues, hints and leads. Over time, some of the particular works by Jacob Green which Tuttle acquired include:

The full account of his search is a fascinating read. Here he recounts the lessons learned:

And so I found "A Vision of Hell," which, whatever other good qualities it may have, was this — an encouragement to poor souls who have sought long and in vain for documents apparently lost hopelessly, not to be discouraged! “Hope on! Hope ever!" The “Vision of Hell” has taught me this, which, added to the finding of Parson Green's political tracts, as already related, is very encouraging to the despondent hunter after apparently lost literature!

Meanwhile, ironically, to us, those particular finds are not accessible on the Jacob Green page currently due to modern copyright restrictions.

Rev. Tuttle also made another exciting discovery. He located (and republished) the 1783 valedictory address delivered by Ashbel Green on the occasion of the thirty-sixth commencement at Princeton. It is mentioned in Ashbel Green’s autobiography that he never saved a copy of his oration but instead “carelessly” gave the original to another who published it in a local New Jersey newspaper in October 1783. But the text had seemingly been lost to history before Rev. Tuttle was able to locate it. It can be read (along with the details of Tuttle’s search) on the Ashbel Green page.

What a blessing to the church and to future generations when writings thought to be lost are re-discovered. We are thankful for Rev. Tuttle’s perseverance and passion for history. Read the full account of his remarkable search here.

William B. Sprague: An American Collector

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Do you have a hobby? Are you a pastor with a passion for something slightly outside your vocation? We have written previously about pastors who were collectors of antiquities. William Buell Sprague was such a pastor.

Early in life, Sprague was given by a widow a collection of manuscript sermons preached by her late husband. He was ten years old at the time. A decade later he served in Virginia as the private tutor of Major Lawrence Lewis, nephew of George Washington, from 1815 to 1816. In this capacity, he came into possession of some of Washington’s personal correspondence — a happy providence that strengthened what became a lifelong hobby of (in fact, a self-described “mania” for) collecting autographs and letters from the hands of famous contemporaries and luminaries of the past. He also acquired an extensive collection of books and pamphlets.

It was from Judge Bushrod Washington, another nephew of the first American President and keeper of his papers, that Sprague acquired a batch of 1,500 manuscript letters from George Washington’s personal papers, on the condition that he leave copies of each letter in replacement. From this seed, Sprague was able to develop a full set of autographs by each of the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence, and a full set of autographs by each of Washington’s generals. It is believed that, as a pioneer in the field, he was the first person ever to complete a full collection of the Signers, which he had acquired by 1834. By the time he died, he owned three complete such sets of the Signers’ autographs.

His collection included autographs of Augustine, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, Philip Melanchthon, John Wesley, John Bunyan, Oliver Cromwell, Richard Baxter, William Wordsworth, Presidents of the United States, cabinet officials, Moderators of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, college presidents (he wrote a series of 84 articles on American college presidents for the New York Observer), and many others.

One particular letter written by Sprague to President James Madison sheds light on his efforts to obtain certain notable autographs.

Albany, NY. December 12. 1831.

Dear Sir,

I fear you will think, and not without good reason, that I am presuming too much upon your kindness in troubling you with one more inquiry in connexion with my favorite pursuit of collecting autographs. I have at length succeeded, tho’ not without great difficulty in obtaining a letter or some other document in the hand writing of each of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, with the exception of Button Gwinnett, and I have the prospect of being able soon to procure something (at least a signature) of his. I am now attempting the same thing in respect to the Signers of the Federal Constitution, and have already succeeded to a considerable extent. Among those in which I am deficient is John Blair of Virginia. Will you, My dear Sir, if my requests on this unimportant subject are not already past endurance, be so good as to inform me to whom of his descendants or correspondents I may apply for a letter or note from him, with the prospect of success. I have a letter from a person of the same name who was Govr of Virginia several years before; and whom I at first identified with the Signer; but I have since discovered my mistake. I have only to say in apology for troubling you about this matter, that I could think of no other person who would be likely to have it in his power to give me the information; and I confess I have presumed a little upon my recollection of your past indulgence. With every sentiment of perfect veneration, I am, Dear Sir, Yr most obedt and obliged,

William B. Sprague

In the process of building his collection, which has been estimated to include somewhere between 40,000 to 100,000 autographs overall, Sprague corresponded with many other fellow-collectors, including Joseph Harrison Hedges of Philadelphia and Rev. Thomas Raffles of Liverpool, England. The correspondence of Sprague was a key feature in the development of a later biographical project, his magnum opus, the 9 vols. (one other left in manuscript) of the Annals of the American Pulpit. The letters he received constituted a great part of that work.

Ultimately, much of Sprague’s autograph collection was obtained by the Historical Society of Philadelphia. Around 20,000 of Sprague’s pamphlets were donated to the Princeton Theological Seminary Library; 8,000 were donated to the Andover Theological Seminary; 2,000 were donated to Union Theological Seminary in New York; and many were also donated to Yale, his alma mater. Other beneficiaries include the New York State Library, the Connecticut Historical Society Library; the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; the Wisconsin Historical Society, the New York Historical Society, and the American Antiquarian Society.

Some portions of Sprague’s autograph collection have been auctioned off, even in recent days. His own signatures on letters and sermons are not infrequently available for purchase on Ebay. He has been criticized for a willingness to expunge certain comments from letters by unorthodox persons of interest, such as Benjamin Franklin, but even though he was free with the scissors, and sometimes incurred the wrath of librarians who opposed his efforts to obtain all that he could for his personal collection, the greater part of his legacy is the found in the preservation of numerous historical documents and signatures, many of which he donated to institutions without any profit motive, or desire for fame, which otherwise might have been lost to history.

Sources consulted for this article include:

  • Draper, Lyman Copeland, An Essay on the Autographic Collections of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence and of the Constitution (1889);

  • Jenkins, Charles F., “The Completed Sets of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence,” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 49, no. 3, 1925, pp. 231–249. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20086575;

  • Moore, Charles, A Biographical Sketch of the Rev. William Buell Sprague (1877)

  • Mulder, John M., and Stouffer, Isabelle, “William Buell Sprague: Patriarch of American Collectors.” American Presbyterians, vol. 64, no. 1, 1986, pp. 1–17. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23330916; and

  • O’Leary, Derek Kane, “William Buell Sprague and the Trouble With Antiquarianism in the Early U.S.” (2019).

Cleland B. McAfee: Where He Is

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Cleland Boyd McAfee (1866-1944) was a Presbyterian minister who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, was known for his famous hymn “Near to the Heart of God,” and has left his mark on history as the originator of the acrostic “TULIP.”

In the biographical sketch of him, written by his daughter, Katherine McAfee Parker, Near to the Heart of God (1954), she made reference to the first book which he ever published, Where He Is (1899), a book about “immortality,” and its connection to her mother, Harriet, a Canadian-born fellow-graduate of Chicago’s Park College. They were married in 1892. It was a deep and abiding love that they shared, as evidenced by a poem that he wrote to her.

For more than sixty years since my mother took my father for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, she has held to the conviction that he was one of the best things the Lord ever made. He felt exactly the same way about her. He gave her the first copy of his first book and wrote on the flyleaf:

Harriet:

E’en heaven of Christ would lose
for me its joy,
Did I not know that “Where He Is”
there thou shalt be;
And this I know since where
thou art here in the earth
I catch the clearest vision
of the Christ of Galilee.

C.B.M.
5 Nov. 1899

They spent fifty-two years together on earth, companions of each other’s hearts and minds.

This poignant love poem is a reminder that a godly man’s greatest support, apart from Christ himself, is his wife. And that husband and wife ought to point each other to Christ, that they may both be where He is.

Some Pastors' Wives who were Prolific Writers

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The Child’s Story Bible [by Catherine Vos] was such a success that it sold more copies than all Geerhardus’s books combined. — Danny E. Olinger, Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian, p. 273

When we think of the most prolific or best-selling writers on Log College Press, names like B.B. Warfield, Archibald Alexander and Samuel Miller may come to mind. But some of the most prolific writers were often pastors’ wives, and, in some cases, as writers, out-sold their husbands. It is worth taking notes of some of their names and stories.

  • Isabella Macdonald Alden — The wife of Rev. Gustavus Rosenberg Alden, Mrs. Alden was the author of over 200 books, most written under the pen name “Pansy” (a childhood nickname), and contributed as a journalist and editor as well. Her literary fame was world-wide and she received much fan mail, responding to each letter individually. Rev. Francis E. Clark once said, “Probably no writer of stories for young people has been so popular or had so wide an audience as Mrs. G. R. Alden, whose pen-name, ‘Pansy,’ is known wherever English books are read.”

  • Charlotte Forten Grimké — Both before and after her 1878 marriage to Rev. Francis James Grimké, Charlotte was a poet, diarist and author of articles and essays. Her contribution to African-American literature is still greatly appreciated today.

  • Elizabeth Payson Prentiss — Mrs. Prentiss, author of Stepping Heavenward, was the wife of Rev. George Lewis Prentiss, author of her biography. Elizabeth wrote dozens of books, as well as poetry and hymns. Stepping Heavenward sold over 200,000 copies in the 19th century, and since a 1992 reprint was issued, at least another 100,000 copies have been sold.

  • Harriet Beecher Stowe — The wife of Rev. Calvin Ellis Stowe, Harriet is best known as the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. But she also wrote around 30 novels, plus articles and letters. She was a celebrity to many, infamous to others, but her writings were an important factor in the momentous events of 1861. Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold over 2 million copies worldwide by 1857 (5 years after its publication) and to date it has been translated into 70 languages.

  • Mary Virginia Hawes Terhune — Mrs. Terhune, wife of Rev. Edward Payson Terhune, was known by her pen name, Marion Harland. She was the author of many novels, short stories, cookbooks, books on etiquette and more. She gave birth to six children, three of whom survived into adulthood - all three became successful writers as well. Her autobiography contains many fascinating insights into the Presbyterian circles in which she participated in Virginia, such as her remarks on the anti-slavery convictions of Mrs. Anne Rice, wife of Rev. John Holt Rice.

Other prolific female Presbyterian writers, married (whose spouses were not ministers) or unmarried, include:

  • Pearl Sydenstricker Buck — Mrs. Buck, daughter of a missionary, Rev. Absalom Sydenstricker, and the wife of agricultural missionary John Lossing Buck (until they divorced) and Richard J. Walsh, is well-known for her liberal convictions and for her role in the upheaval that led to Rev. J. Gresham Machen’s departure from the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Her 1931 novel The Good Earth won her a Pulitzer Prize, and in 1938 she won the Nobel Prize for Literature in recognition of her writings on China.

  • Martha Farquaharson Finley — The author of the Elsie Dinsmore series and many more novels, Ms. Finley was a descendant of Samuel Finley and of Scottish Covenanters. Of the Elsie Dinsmore series, it has been said that it was “‘The most popular and longest running girl’s series of the 19th century,’ with the first volume selling nearly 300,000 copies in its first decade, going on to ‘sell more than 5 million copies in the 20th century.’”

  • Grace Livingston Hill — Niece of Isabella M. Alden, and daughter of Rev. Charles Montgomery Livingston and Mrs. Marcia B. Macdonald Livingston, she was a popular writer of over 100 books on her own, but also compiled the Pansies for Thoughts of her aunt, and they collaborated on other works as well.

  • Julia Lake Skinner Kellersberger — The wife of medical missionary Eugene Roland Kellersberger, both served the Presbyterian mission to the Belgian Congo. Mrs. Kellersberger wrote many books based on her experience, including a noted biography of Althea Maria Brown Edmiston.

  • Margaret Junkin Preston — Known as the “Poet Laureate of the Confederacy,” Mrs. Preston was the wife of Major John Thomas Lewis Preston, a professor of Latin at the Virginia Military Institute; the daughter of Rev. George Junkin; and the brother-in-law of Stonewall Jackson. Her literary productions were many, and she was a beloved poet of the South.

  • Julia McNair Wright — A very popular writer of books for children, including historical novels and introductions to science, and more, Mrs. Wright (wife of mathematician William James Wright), was a remarkable author, whose works were translated into many languages. Her The Complete Home: An Encyclopedia of Domestic Life and Affairs, Embracing all the Interests of the Household sold over 100,000 copies.

These brief notices show that there are a number of popular women Presbyterian writers from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Their bibliographies are lengthy, their legacies in some cases enduring to the present day, and their impact has been culturally significant. The work of adding all of their published writings is ongoing and in some cases far from complete at the present. We hope to make much more progress with each of these writers. The corpus of their literary productions is a real treasure.

A Tribute to the Puritans by John H. Bocock

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Following up on a recent tribute to John Flavel’s influence upon American Presbyterians, today we highlight John Holmes Bocock’s poem The Old Non-Conformists. It is a reminder of how the 17th century Puritan divines of England left their mark on 19th century American Presbyterians.

Busy from house to house, with constant toil,
Those reverend shepherds of our mother isle
Are feeding hungry souls with bread of life,
And speaking words of peace in days of strife.

In England’s ancient ministers they are preaching
The gospel pure as pearly dew from heaven;
The law of love to men of hatred teaching,
Whose perfect pattern by the Lord was given.

Young [Joseph] ALLEINE, with his Master’s spirit warm,
In Taunton sounds his earnest, king “Alarm:”
St. Dunstan hears the silver-tongued “[William] BATES,”
While the great “Harmony” of heaven he states.

Bold [Richard] BAXTER lifts his voice in Cromwell’s host;
To men of England, although now distrest
By din of war, in civil tempest toss’d,
He shows in heaven an “Everlasting Rest.”

Lo! where, in Bedford jail, in lofty dream,
Genius on [John] BUNYAN pours her brightest beam;
And learned [Stephen] CHARNOCK, with a sage’s ken,
The “Attributes” of God displays to men.

Good [John] FLAVEL, with a spirit rich in “grace,”
Stands by the “fountain” of man’s “life” eterne;
While [John] HOWE, with thoughts magnificent, does trace
Splendors that in the “Living Temple” burn.