Communion Seasons and Tokens in Early American Presbyterianism

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What has been like a revelation to me in my research was, finding out the extensive use of Tokens in the United States. All the early Presbyterian churches appear to have used them. — Robert Shiells, The Story of the Token as Belonging to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper (1891), p. 150

Colonial American Presbyterianism, utilizing the Westminster Directory of Presbyterian Worship until 1788, relied much on Scottish Presbyterian traditions which included both communion seasons and tokens. These important features of simple Presbyterian worship were also associated with notable revivals, including both the Great Awakening and the Second Great Awakening. “The communion seasons in Virginia, as wherever the Presbyterian Church was planted, were seasons of revival.” (Mary McWhorter Tenney, Communion Tokens: Their Origin, History, and Use (1936), p. 87). Leigh Eric Schmidt writes:

With the transplantation of Presbyterianism to the American colonies came Old World ways of organizing worship and devotion. The sacramental occasion, as one of the most prominent features of the evangelical Presbyterian tradition, was soon re-created in America. In New England, for example, enclaves of Presbyterian immigrants almost immediately staged sacramental occasions fully reminiscent of Scotland and Ulster….

In the middle colonies, where Presbyterian immigration was much heavier than in New England, sacramental occasions were proportionally larger and more pronounced. The communion seasons — prevalent, powerful, and well attended — figured prominently in the religious life of the Presbyterian immigrants throughout the region [Schmidt, Holy Fairs: Scottish Communions and American Revivals in the Early Modern Period (1989), pp. 53-54].

Julius Melton also notes this important feature of early American Presbyterian worship as well as its transatlantic nature:

One especially prominent aspect of the Presbyterian’s worship experience in the colonies was the “sacramental season.” This was the practice, inherited from Scotland, of placing the infrequent celebrations of the Lord’s Supper within a series of services — days of fasting, sermons, examination of communicants and singing for which crowds would gather from an entire region. After dwelling at length on their sins and Christ’s work of salvation, Presbyterian drew near to receive the sacrament with great awe [Melton, Presbyterian Worship in America: Changing Patterns Since 1787 (1967, 2001), p. 16].

The Great Awakening was at least in part built on the foundation of sacramental seasons of revival. This was true for the Tennents (William, Sr., William Jr., Gilbert, and John included), some of whom contributed to a famous collection of Sermons on Sacramental Occasions by Divers Ministers (1739).

Gilbert Tennent was born into a family of Scots living in Ulster, in the northeast of Ireland. By the close of the seventeenth century, Ulster had become an enclave of dissenting Presbyterians, rebels against both the English crown and the Anglican Church, who were forced by the government to settle there. These dissenters kept alive the Scottish Presbyterian tradition of field communion, or sacramental occasions, a distinctive practice that helped to maintain ties to their heritage [Kimberly Bracken Long, The Eucharistic Theology of the American Holy Fairs (2011), pp. 83-84].

Gilbert Tennent wrote in 1744 of revival that took place in his congregation at New Brunswick, New Jersey:

I may further observe, that frequently at Sacramental Seasons in New-Brunswick, there have been signal Displays of the divine Power and Presence: divers have been convinced of Sin by the Sermons then preached, some converted, and many much affected with the Love of God in JESUS CHRIST. O the sweet Meltings that I have often seen on such Occasions among many! New-Brunswick did then look like a Field the Lord had blessed: It was like a little Jerusalem, to which the scattered Tribes with eager haste repaired at Sacramental Solemnities; and there they fed on the Fatness of God’s House, and drunk of the River of his Pleasures [Thomas Prince, ed., The Christian History (1745), p. 294].

Neshaminy, Pennsylvania was the site of a sacramental occasion in June 1745 where David Brainerd assisted Charles Beatty administer the bread and the wine to “three or four thousand” in attendance which Brainerd described as a “sweet melting season.” Brainerd went on during the following year to build on this experience, along with counsel from those who commissioned his missionary labors — the Society in Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge — to host his own sacramental seasons among the Native Americans to whom he ministered.

Brainerd followed the Scottish pattern basically to the letter: Friday was “set apart for solemn Fasting and Prayer”; Saturday was given over to further preparations and exhortations; Sunday brought the Lord’s Supper and more sermons; Monday concluded “the Sacramental Solemnity” with praise, thanksgiving, and calls for sustained moral discipline….This sacramental season proved to be among the most satisfying events in Brainerd’s life; indeed, the “sweet Union, Harmony and endearing Love” he experienced there was “the most lively Emblem of the heavenly World, I had ever seen” [Schmidt, Holy Fairs, p. 55].

Brainerd spoke similarly of a sacramental occasion that he participated in at Freehold, New Jersey just a couple of months later (June 1746) which was hosted by William Tennent, Jr., describing it as “a season of comfort to the godly, and of awakening to some souls” (ibid., p. 56). These sacramental seasons are a running theme throughout his ministry, especially to the Native Americans. Yet, as Schmidt notes, “No one, as far as I know, has ever taken stock of Brainerd’s sacramental revivals and seen just how thoroughly Presbyterian in this matter he had become” (ibid., p. 235).

The first Covenanter communion in America took place at the “Junkin Tent” in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 1752, and was administered by John Cuthbertson. This was also the first instance of the use of communion tokens in America. It bore the simple abbreviation “L.S.” for “Lord’s Supper” on one side only. These tokens were used to signify admittance to the Lord’s Table.

Commemorative 1752 communion token (photo by R. Andrew Myers).

In colonial Virginia, even before the arrival of Samuel Davies, a sacramental occasion was held by William Tennent, Jr. and Samuel Blair, where it was reported that “The Assembly was large, and the Novelty of the Mode of Administration did peculiarly engage their Attention….It appeared as one of the Days of Heaven to some of us; and we could hardly help wishing we could with Joshua have delayed the Revolutions of the Heavens to prolong it” [Samuel Davies, The State of Religion Among the Protestant Dissenters in Virginia (1751), p. 17]. A few years later, a paper communion token was used by Samuel Davies in Hanover County, Virginia. Note the sacramental poem written by Davies himself.

Samuel Davies’ communion token held at the William Smith Morton Library, Union Theological Seminary, Richmond Virginia (photo by R. Andrew Myers).

John Todd, John Wright, Robert Henry, John Brown and John Craig were among other Virginia Presbyterian evangelists who observed sacramental occasions and found them to be “special outpourings of the spirit” (John Wright, January 20, 1757 Letter found in John Gillies, Historical Collections (1845 ed.), p. 520). David Rice, who grew up under the ministry of Samuel Davies and John Todd, also helped to bring the practice of sacramental seasons to Kentucky.

The importance of communion gatherings in Davies's practice and Rice's conversion reveals that both men stood in the long tradition of Presbyterian sacramental seasons dating back to seventeenth-century Scotland. From the beginning, these "holy fairs" were protracted religious celebrations, sometimes attracting thousands of participants, which included not only the celebration of the sacrament but also fervent preaching. Such seasons were centers of religious renewal and revival, and the practice was continued by many Presbyterians in North America. In particular, this tradition can be traced through the family history of the Tennents, the Log College and its offshoots, the work of Samuel Davies, and Rice himself, who conducted similar communion seasons throughout his ministry. These gatherings would continue to be central to religious life on the frontier, though they would also become centers of controversy as the frontier context and new religious trends took the communion seasons in new directions [Andrew M. McGinnis, “Between Enthusiasm and Stoicism: David Rice and Moderate Revivalism in Virginia and Kentucky,” The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Vol. 106, No. 2 (Spring 2008), pp. 172-173].

Robert B. Davidson notes that communion seasons and tokens were part of the Kentucky Revival:

The sacramental meetings, or sacraments, as they were called, were held at long intervals, when several ministers attended and took part; tokens were distributed; a long Action Sermon preached; the tables duly fenced; a succession of tables served; a fresh minister assigned to each table, and a fresh exhortation to each company; and when the communicants were numerous, (many coming from a distance,) the services were protracted till sunset, and became extremely tedious and fatiguing [Davidson, History of the Presbyterian Church in the State of Kentucky (1847), pp. 103-104].

James McGready was a pioneer Kentucky evangelist who seemed to be most in heaven while on earth at the communion table. Hear how he speaks in “The Believer Embracing Christ”:

The believer sometimes meets with Christ and embraces him in the arms of faith when he is seated at a communion table, then by faith, he sees a mangled, bleeding, dying, rising, triumphant Jesus, heading his own table, and feasting his blood-bought children with the bread of life and the milk and honey of Canaan [McGready, The Posthumous Works of the Reverend and Pious James M’Gready (1831), pp. 134-135].

As colonial Presbyterianism became less oriented towards traditional Scottish worship and more distinctly American, communion seasons and communion tokens began to fade away from the 19th century mainline American Presbyterian experience, and even, more slowly so, from the experience of Reformed (Covenanter) and Associate Reformed Presbyterians. John M. Mason was among those who argued for more frequent communion, and in this he was followed by James W. Alexander (see The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper [1840]), and others, until the communion season was no longer found to be the norm in the American Presbyterian experience.

THE LORD’S SUPPER. This sacrament, although celebrated infrequently, was still probably the high point in the worship experience of an Old School Presbyterian, as diaries and autobiographies of the period indicate. The high value placed upon the Communion is seen also in the effort that was made to bring about more frequency in its celebration and to separate it from the cumbersome appendages of the sacramental season. This idea had been advanced by the revisers of the Directory [of Public Worship] in 1787, but was overruled by the 1788 synod. A harbinger of change was the decision by a New York congregation of the Associate Reformed Presbytery to “discontinue the custom of observing a fast day before, and thanksgiving day after, the administration of the Lord’s Supper.” This change, which prompted much discussion in that Presbyterian denomination, had been promoted by the New York pastor John Mitchell Mason, author in 1798 of the book Letters on Frequent Communion [Melton, Presbyterian Worship in America: Changing Patterns Since 1787, pp. 39-40].

Nevertheless, to hold a communion token in one’s hands is to hearken back to that bygone era when sacramental seasons marked perhaps the pinnacle of an Old School American Presbyterian’s spiritual pilgrimage on earth. If one listens closely, one might almost hear the faint sounds of a psalm sung, “Perhaps Dundee’s wild-warbling measures rise, / Or plaintive Martyrs, worthy of the name; / Or noble Elgin beets the heavenward flame” (Robert Burns, A Cotters’ Saturday Night).

Planted on the hillside here the ‘Banner of Blue,’
And worshipped God in simple form as Presbyterians do.
Upon this very ground was heard the voice of prayer,
And ancient Psalm to solemn tune they sang. —
’Do good in thy good pleasure, Lord, unto our Zion here;
The walls of our Jerusalem establish Thou and rear.’
Thus prayer and praise were made to God,
Nor dread of any foe
Dismayed our fathers in their work
So many years ago.
— Paraphrase of William McCombs, Two Hundred Years Ago (1842) in Mary McWhorter Tenney, Communion Tokens: Their Origin, History, and Use (1936), p. 59

Some Reflections by James W. Alexander on His Father

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Among the “Homiletical” and “Miscellaneous Paragraphs” found in James W. Alexander’s posthumously-published Thoughts on Preaching (1861), one may discern a number of interesting reflections on his father, Archibald Alexander. He had previously authored the standard biography of his father, The Life of Archibald Alexander, D.D. (1854). These reflections, however, were collected separately from James’ private journals by his brother, Samuel D. Alexander, in the preparation of Thoughts on Preaching, and they reveal the deep appreciation he had of father — his pastoral genius, his personal counsel and his spiritual gifts.

§ 7. On Composing Sermons. — Notes on Conversations with J.A.A. — My father says a man should not begin with making a plan. Should not wait until he is in the vein. Begin, however you feel; and write until you get into the vein — however long it be. 'Tis thus men do in mining. Yon may throw away all the beginnings. Men who write with ease think best pen in hand. This applies to sermons, and also to books. It might be well to write a sermon currente calamo, and then begin again and write afresh (not copying, or even looking at the other, but), using all the lights struck out in the former exercise [pp. 3-4].

More generally still, avoid all that brings the speaker's personality before the hearer. A better model than our honoured father, in this, there could not be [p. 25].

In delivery, learn to know when to dwell on a point; let the enlargement be, not where you determined in your closet it should be; but where you feel the spring flowing as you speak — let it gush. Let contemplation have place while you speak.

For this, pauses are all important. Thus Rob. Hall preached. Thus my beloved honoured father, above all men I ever heard; his eye kindled, his face was radiant; he forgot the people; and as he was rapt in contemplation, he thought aloud.

…The best written discourse of my father is no more to his best preaching, than a black candle is to a burning flame [pp. 28-29].

I perceive my father was right, when he advised me to write my first draught current calamo, without any plan, with absolute abandon; giving free scope in every direction whenever a vein was struck, and reserving the particulars for the copy [p. 30].

§ 66. My Father. — My dear and honoured father has some excellencies as a writer, which I did not value at a proper rate when I was younger. He goes always for the thought rather than the word; and is never led along by the bait of fine language or the course of figures. I am led to think that a man must early in life make his election between these two kinds of writing, and that I have fallen into the inferior one: though I am regarded among my friends as a simple writer.

Another remarkable quality of my father, is his going for truth and reason, rather than for authority. This is the more remarkable, as he has been one of the greatest and most miscellaneous readers I ever knew; has had the most extensive knowledge of books, and the most wonderful memory of their contents, so that I have often known him to give a clear account of works which he had not seen for forty years; and yet how seldom does he make citation! The train of his thoughts is all his own, with a thorough digestion in his own mind, and reference of all things to their principles. Hence he is original in the best sense; which superficial readers would not admit, because his style had no salient points, or overbold expressions.

I attribute this in some degree to the fact that almost every day of his life, known to me, it was his habit to sit alone, in silence, generally in the twilight, or musing over the fire, in deep and seemingly pleasurable thought. At such times he was doubtless maturing those trains of reasoning, which he brought out in his discourses; and this may account for his extraordinary readiness at almost any time, to rise in extemporaneous address [p. 55].

Dr. [John M.] Mason used to say that all his theology was from [John] Owen on the Hebrews, and my father often remarked, that with all Owen’s power, erudition, and originality, he never deviated in his theology into any thing eccentric or hazardous [p. 501].

My father used to say one should read “Owen’s Spiritual Mindedness” once a year. I add his “Forgiveness of Sin;” and his “Mortification of Sin” [p. 502]

My father used to say to me: Think long and deeply on your subject, and as if nobody had ever investigated it before. I did not then know what he meant. One of the chief uses of writing sermons is, that it keeps one a-thinking. Then pen seems to recall the thoughts. Some cannot think without it; which is bad — very bad. This is all a matter of habit. The greatest other use of writing is, that the matter is preserved. For I will not include correctness, and polish of style, &c., which can be fully obtained by the other method [p. 514].

One can picture the father and the son, the mentor and the pupil, at the fireside, sharing contemplative moments, or wisdom acquired from experience. It is mentioned more than once in James’ biography of his father how students would learn from the teacher at the fireside and in his study. These personal recollections and reflections speak volumes about both men, and of lessons learned by the son. We are grateful for the fact that these private journal entries were collected and published after the author’s passing. These fireside reflections from the pen of Archibald Alexander’s son shine brilliantly indeed.

Davidson's Desiderata

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Early on in its history, in May 1853, a discourse was delivered at the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Robert B. Davidson: Presbyterianism: Its True Place and Value in History (1854). After an overview of the history of Presbyterianism in Scotland and in early America, Davidson left his hearers with a list of things things desired or wanted in connection with the goal of preserving the history of Presbyterianism - a desiderata. This list was an inspired effort to steer the work of the Presbyterian Historical Society as it began to put into practice the vision of its founder, Cortlandt Van Rensselaer.

  1. Collections of pamphlets, tractates, controversial and other essays, bearing on the history of the Presbyterian church in this country, especially touching the Schism of 1741. These should be bound in volumes, and arranged in chronological order, handy for reference. No time should be lost in this work, for pamphlets are very perishable commodities, and speedily vanish out of sight. A copy of Gilbert Tennent’s Remarks on the Protest cannot now be obtained. One was understood by Dr. Hodge, when he wrote his History, to be in the Antiquarian Library, in Worcester, Mass., but the work is reported by the librarian as missing. This shows us that we should hoard old pamphlets and papers with Mohammedan scrupulosity, especially when there are no duplicates.

  2. Collections, like Gillies’, of accounts of Revivals, and other memoranda of the progress of vital religion. Such collections would be supplementary to Gillies’ great work, which does not embrace the wonderful events of the present century in America.

  3. Collections of memoirs of particular congregations, of which quite a number have been at various times printed, and which ought to be brought together and preserved.

  4. Collections of occasional Sermons, both of deceased and living divines. As old productions are of interest to us, so such as are of recent publication may interest posterity. Such collections would furnish good specimens of the Presbyterian pulpit, and might be either chronologically or alphabetically arranged.

  5. Collections of discourses delivered about and after the era of the Revolution. They would exhibit in a striking and favorable light the patriotic sympathies of the clergy at that period, as also the popular sentiment on the independence of the States, and their subsequent union under the present constitution.

  6. A similar collection of Discourses preached on the day of Thanksgiving in the year 1851, would be very interesting; exhibiting the various views held on the Higher Law, and the preservation of the Union, and also the value of the Pulpit in pouring oil on the strong passions of mankind.

  7. Biographical sketches of leading Presbyterian divines and eminent laymen. It is understood that one of our most esteemed writers is engaged in the preparation of a work of this sort, embracing the different Christian denominations. Whatever emanates from his elegant pen will be sure to possess a standard value; but it is thought, from the very structure of his projected work, such a one as is now recommended will not interfere with it, nor its necessity be superseded. Mark the stirring catalogue that might be produced, names which, though they that bare them have been gathered to their fathers, still powerfully affect us by the recollection of what they once did, or said, or wrote, and by a multitude of interesting associations that rush into the memory: Makemie, the Tennents, Dickinson, Davies, Burr, Blair, the Finleys, Beattie, Brainerd, Witherspoon, Rodgers, Nisbet, Ewing, Sproat, the Caldwells, S. Stanhope Smith, John Blair Smith, McWhorter, Griffin, Green, Blythe, J.P. Campbell, Boudinot, J.P. Wilson, Joshua L. Wilson, Hoge, Speece, Graham, Mason, Alexander, Miller, John Holt Rice, John Breckinridge, Nevins, Wirt. Here is an array of names which we need not blush to see adorning a Biographia Presbyterianiana. And the materials for most of the sketches are prepared to our hand, and only require the touch of a skilful compiler.

  8. Lives of the Moderators. There have been sixty-four Moderators of the General Assembly; and as it is usual to call to the Chair of that venerable body men who enjoy some consideration among their brethren, it is fair to infer that a neat volume might be produced. Many were men of mark; and where this was not the case, materials could be gathered from the times in which they lived, or the doings of the Assembly over which they presided.

  9. A connected account or gazetteer of Presbyterian Missions, both Foreign and Domestic, with sketches of prominent missionaries, and topographical notices of the stations. Dr. Green prepared something of this sort, but it is meagre, and might be greatly enlarged and enriched.

  10. Reprints of scarce and valuable works. It may be objected that we have already a Board of Publication, who have this duty in charge; but it is not intended to do anything that would look like interference with that useful organ. The Board are expected to publish works of general utility, and likely to be popular, and so reimburse the outlay; this society would only undertake what would not fall strictly within the Board’s appropriate province, or would interest not the public generally, but the clerical profession.

  11. A continuation of the Constitutional History of the Presbyterian Church to the present time. The valuable work of Dr. Hodge is unfinished; and whether his engrossing professional duties will ever allow him sufficient leisure to complete it is, to say the least, doubtful.

  12. Should that not be done, then it will be desirable to have prepared an authentic narrative of the late Schism of 1838; or materials should be collected to facilitate its preparation hereafter, when it can be done more impartially than at present. Dr. Robert J. Breckinridge did a good service in this way, by publishing a series of Memoirs to serve for a future history, in the Baltimore Religious and Literary Magazine.

  13. It might be well to compile a cheap and portable manual for the use of the laity, containing a compact history of the Presbyterian Church in America.

Other proposals on Davidson’s list include a history of the rise and decline of English Presbyterianism; a history of the French Huguenots; and a history of the Reformation in Scotland as well as biographical sketches of Scottish divines.

It is a useful exercise for those who share Davidson’s interest in church history to pause and reflect on the extent to which the goals that he proposed have been met. The Presbyterian Historical Society itself — located in Philadelphia — has certainly done tremendous legwork in this regard as a repository of valuable historical materials which has allowed scholars the opportunity to study and learn from the past. We are extremely grateful for the efforts of the Presbyterian Historical Society. Samuel Mills Tenney’s similar vision led to the creation of the Historical Foundation of the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches in Montreat, North Carolina. The PCA Historical Center in St. Louis, Missouri is another such agency that has done great service to the church at large as a repository of Reformed literature and memorabilia.

We do have access today to Gilbert Tennent’s Remarks Upon a Protestation Presented to the Synod of Philadelphia, June 1, 1741. By 1861, we know that a copy was located and deposited, in fact, at Presbyterian Historical Society. Though not yet available in PDF form at Log College Press, it is available for all to read online in html through the Evans Early American Imprint Collection here.

The biographical sketches then in progress that Davidson referenced in point #7 were carried through to publication by William B. Sprague. His Annals of the American Pulpit remain to this day a tremendous resource for students of history, yet, as Davidson wisely noted, though many writers have followed in Sprague’s footsteps on a much more limited basis, there is always room for more to be done towards the creation of a Biographia Presbyterianiana.

Regarding the Lives of Moderators (point #8), we are grateful for the labors of Barry Waugh of Presbyterians of the Past to highlight the men that Davidson had in mind. The lists and biographical sketches that he has generated are a very useful starting point towards achieving the goal articulated by Davidson, and help to bring to mind the contributions of Moderators to the work of the church.

There are a number of organizations that have taken pains to reprint older Presbyterian works of interest. Too many to list here, the contributions of all those who share this vision to make literature from the past accessible to present-day readers is to be applauded, including the efforts of Internet Archive, Google Books and others who digitize such works. We at Log College Press also strive to do this both with respect to reprints and our library of primary sources. For us, the past is not dead, primary sources are not inaccessible, and the writings of 18th-19th century Presbyterians are not irrelevant. It is worth noting that there are topical pages with growing resources available on Log College Press that highlight material on biographies, church history, the 1837 Old School / New School division, sermons and much more.

Much more could be said in regards to the extent to which organizations, historians and others have carried forward the goals articulated by Davidson. But for now we leave it to our readers to consider Davidson’s Desiderata, articulated over 150 years ago, and its connection to our shared interest in preserving the history and literature of early American Presbyterianism.

No God in the Constitution

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The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God (Ps. 9:17).

A concern of many 19th century Presbyterians regarding the American Constitution is that it omits any reverent acknowledgement of God Almighty. The failure to honor the God of nations in our national charter was noted in a previous post highlighting the remarks of George Duffield IV and George Junkin. Today’s post highlights a remark attributed to Vice-President Alexander Hamilton. The omission of God in the U.S. Constitution was noticed by Presbyterians even outside of the Covenanter Church (which from the beginning of America’s founding as a nation until the 1960’s held to the position of political dissent) very early in American history as we shall see.

Appended to Thomas Smyth’s 1860 sermon The Sin and the Curse are comments regarding this defect of the U.S. Constitution.

No God in the Constitution

“The name of God does not occur in the Constitution which they framed, nor any recognition of Divine Providence.”

As a fitting accompaniment to an article in last week’s Observer, of which the closing period forms an appropriate title to still another item of history, connected with the same subject, some of your readers wil be, perhaps, interested in an extract or two from one of the many Congratulatory Addresses presented to President Washington on his election as First President under the new Constitution, with his reply.

“The First Presbytery of the Eastward,” in their “Address to George Washington, President of the United States, after many pious congratulations, &c., proceed thus:

“Whatever any have supposed wanting in the original plan” [of the Constitution], “we are happy to see so wisely provided in its amendments; and it is with peculiar satisfaction that we behold how easily the entire confidence of the people, in the man who sits at the helm of government, has eradicated every remaing objection to its form.

“Among these we never considered the want of a religious test, that grand engine of persecution in every tyrant’s hand: but we should not have been alone in rejoicing, to have some explicit acknowledgment of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent, inserted somewhere in the Magna Charta of our country, &c., &c.

“October 28, 1789.”
…
The venerable Dr. [John] Rodgers once met Alexander Hamilton, soon after the adoption of the Constitution of the United States and said to him, “Mr. Hamilton, I am grieved to see that you have neglected to acknowledge God in the Constitution.” Hamilton replied, “My dear sir, we forgot to do it.”

George Duffield V also took note of the reported conversation between John Rodgers and Alexander Hamilton in The God of Our Fathers: An Historical Sermon (1861).

Hamilton said to Dr. Rodgers, “Indeed, Dr., we forgot it!”

In the same sermon Duffield quotes the words of John Mitchell Mason:

“That no notice whatever should be taken of that God who planteth a nation, and plucketh it up at his pleasure, is an omission which no pretext whatever can palliate. Had such a momentous business been transacted by Mohammedans, they would have begun, “In the name of God.” Even the savages, whom we despise, setting a better example, would have paid some homage to the Great Spirit. But from the Constitution of the United States, it is impossible to ascertain what God we worship; or whether we own a God at all. * * Should the citizens of America be as irreligious as her Constitution, we will have reason to tremble, lest the Governor of the Universe, who will not be treated with indignity by a people, any more than by individuals, overturn, from its foundation, the fabric we have been rearing, and crush us to atoms in the wreck.” — Works of J.M. Mason, D.D., Vol. i., p. 50.

Hamilton’s biographer Ron Chernow, when speaking of the story of Hamilton’s quip about forgetting God, says: “One is tempted to reply that Alexander Hamilton never forgot anything important” (Alexander Hamilton, p. 235). James Renwick Willson would concur.

There is no acknowledgment of Almighty God, nor any, even the most remote, token of national subjection to Jehovah, the Creator. It is believed, that there never existed, previous to this constitution, any national deed like this, since the creation of the world. A nation having no God! In vain shall we search the annals of pagan Greece and Rome, of modern Asia, Africa, pagan America, and the isles of the sea — they have all worshipped some God. The United States have none — But here let us pause over this astounding fact. Was it a mere omission? Did the convention that framed the constitution forget to name the living God? Was this an omission in some moment of national phrenzy, when the nation forgot God? That, indeed, were a great sin. God says, “the nations that forget God, shall be turned into hell.” It was not, however, a thoughtless act, an undesigned omission. It was a deliberate deed, whereby God was rejected; and in the true atheistical spirit of the whole instrument, and of course, done with intent to declare national independence of the Lord of hosts (Prince Messiah's Claims to Dominion Over All Governments; and the Disregard of His Authority by the United States, in the Federal Constitution (1832), p. 25).

Pre-Eminent American Presbyterians of the 18th and 19th Centuries: A List

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The question is sometimes asked, “Who are the important or significant early American Presbyterians to know historically?” Another question that is often posed to Log College Press is ”Where should someone unfamiliar with this time period start?” These are difficult question to answer because the period of which we are speaking — primarily the 18th and 19th centuries — was so diverse and there are so many representative authors. But in an attempt to respond helpfully, as well as to introduce readers of Log College Press to some of the pre-eminent authors on our site, we have developed a list - or actually a set of lists. Lists are both subject to scrutiny and often have a subjective element, and this one can certainly be modified or adjusted as needed. But lists provide a starting point for discussion. Consider the following as our contribution in response to some excellent questions that challenge with their simplicity.

17th Century American Presbyterian Worthies

  • Francis Makemie (1658-1708) - Although Makemie was not the first Presbyterian minister to serve in the American colonies, because of his pioneering labors along the Eastern Seaboard, particularly in the establishment of the first Presbytery in America, he is often credited as “the Father of American Presbyterianism.”

18th Century American Presbyterian Worthies

  • David Brainerd (1718-1747) - A pioneer Presbyterian missionary who died young, his diary was reprinted by Jonathan Edwards and remains a spiritual classic.

  • Samuel Davies (1723-1761) - Davies accomplished much in a short life, contributing significantly to the Great Awakening as a pioneer minister in Virginia and as President of the College of New Jersey (Princeton).

  • Jonathan Dickinson (1688-1747) - Dickinson was the first President of the College of New Jersey and an important voice in American colonial Presbyterianism.

  • John Mitchell Mason (1770-1829) - Mason was a leading figure in the Associate Reformed Church.

  • David Rice (1733-1816) - An early Presbyterian opponent of slavery, “Father Rice” helped to build the Presbyterian Church in Virginia and Kentucky.

  • John Rodgers (1727-1811) - An early colleague of Samuel Davies, Rodgers went on to play a very influential role in the establishment of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.

  • Archibald Stobo (c. 1670-1741) - Stobo helped to found the first Presbytery in the New World (Panama) and the first Presbytery in the Southern United States (South Carolina).

  • Gilbert Tennent (1703-1764) - The son of the founder of the original Log College, Gilbert Tennent was also known as the “Son of Thunder.” A New-Side adherent, he was involved in both the 1741 split of the Presbyterian church and the 1758 reunion.

  • William Tennent, Sr. (1673-1746) - The Founder of the original Log College seminary was a major force in the early American Presbyterian Church who left a legacy of well-educated ministers and many academies and schools which trace their roots to his labors.

  • John Thomson (1690-1753) - The architect of the Adopting Act of 1729, which influenced the course of the American Presbyterian Church tremendously, Thomson was an Old Side minister who served different pastorates throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

  • John Knox Witherspoon (1723-1794) - President of the College of New Jersey, Witherspoon was also the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence, and he signed the Articles of Confederation as well.

19th Century American Presbyterian Worthies

  • John Bailey Adger (1810-1899) - Adger served the church as a widely-respected and influential pastor, missionary, seminary professor and author.

  • Archibald Alexander (1772-1851) - Pastor, author and first professor of the Princeton Theological Seminary, Alexander was a major force in American Presbyterianism in the first half of the 19th century. He also served as President of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia for 9 years.

  • James Waddel Alexander, Sr. (1804-1859) - Son of Archibald Alexander, J.W. was, like his father, an eminent pastor, professor and author.

  • Daniel Baker (1791-1857) - The founder of Austin College was a pioneer missionary and noted preacher who did much to bring Presbyterianism to the Western United States.

  • Robert Lewis Dabney (1820-1898) - A leading voice of Southern Presbyterianism, Dabney was a noted preacher, seminary professor, author and architect. His 5 volumes of Discussions remain in print today.

  • John Lafayette Girardeau (1825-1898) - A pastor with a heart for ministering to former slaves, as well as author and seminary professor, Girardeau became one of America’s greatest theologians.

  • Ashbel Green (1762-1848) - President of the College of New Jersey, Green authored lectures on the Westminster Shorter Catechism and was an influential voice within the Presbyterian Church in the first half of the 19th century.

  • Francis James Grimké (1850-1937) - A former slave of French Huguenot descent, Grimké was a leading African-American Presbyterian during his lengthy ministry, mostly based in Washington, D.C.

  • Archibald Alexander Hodge (1823-1886) - Son of Charles Hodge, A.A. Hodge was the author of a well-respected commentary on the Westminister Confession of Faith, and followed in his father’s footsteps as a leader at Princeton.

  • Charles Hodge (1797-1878) - One of the most important leaders of the Presbyterian Church in the 19th century, Hodge authored a 3-volume Systematic Theology, served as principal of Princeton Theological Seminary, and wrote numerous articles as editor various theological journals.

  • Moses Drury Hoge (1818-1899) - Hoge served as a minister of the Second Presbyterian Church of Richmond, Virginia for almost 54 years, during which time he was a widely-respected leader throughout the Presbyterian Church.

  • Jacob Jones Janeway (1774-1858) - Janeway served the Second Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1828, and also authored sermons, articles and other works for the advancement of missions, both foreign and domestic.

  • Alexander McLeod (1774-1833) - McLeod was an important leader both in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, influencing its institutional opposition to slavery, and within the broader Presbyterian Church, by means of his evangelistic efforts and concerns for the welfare of society.

  • Samuel Miller (1769-1850) - The second professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, Miller was a prolific writer, and diligent minster of the gospel, who was widely recognized as a leader in 19th century American Presbyterianism. Many of his works remain in print today.

  • Benjamin Morgan Palmer (1818-1902) - Palmer was a leader in the Southern Presbyterian Church because of his pastoral ministry, and his role as a seminary professor and author.

  • Thomas Ephraim Peck (1822-1893) - Peck was an important Southern Presbyterian minister, author and seminary professor whose 3 volumes of Miscellanies remain in print today.

  • William Swan Plumer (1802-1880) - Plumer was an Old School minister, seminary professor and prolific writer with a heart for teaching God’s Word to as many as possible, young and old.

  • John Holt Rice (1777-1831) - Rice did much to preach the gospel and promote education in the South as a minister, seminary professor and editor.

  • Stuart Robinson (1814-1881) - Robinson’s advocacy of the spiritual independence of the church during a time of civil conflict made him a controversial but respected figure in the Presbyterian Church.

  • Thomas Smyth (1808-1873) - Minister, scholar, seminary professor, author - Smyth’s 10 volumes of Works reveal his prolific output and influential voice within the 19th century Presbyterian Church.

  • William Buell Sprague (1795-1876) - A prolific preacher and author, Sprague is also known as the “Patriarch of American Collectors,” for his collection of autographs, including those of every signer of the Declaration of Independence, pamphlets and other materials. He authored the Annals of the American Pulpit, an important collection of biographical sketches.

  • James Henley Thornwell (1812-1862) - Thornwell wrote and accomplished much in a short lifetime, helping to found The Southern Presbyterian Review, and representing the Southern Presbyterian perspective on matters of ecclesiology in debates with Charles Hodge.

  • Cortlandt Van Rensselaer, Sr. (1808-1860) - Van Rensselaer served the church as a pastor, missionary, editor and as the first President of the Presbyterian Historical Society.

  • Moses Waddel (1770-1840) - Founder of the “American Eton,” Waddel pioneered education in the South.

  • Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1851-1921) - An eminent Biblical scholar and seminary professor, Warfield was a prolific author. His Works were collected into 10 volumes.

  • James Renwick Willson (1780-1853) - A leader in the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Willson was known as an opponent of slavery, and for his call to reform the United States Constitution.

  • John Leighton Wilson (1809-1886) - Wilson was a pioneer Southern Presbyterian missionary to West Africa, and the first to bring a skeleton of a gorilla back to the United States.

Early 20th Century American Presbyterian Worthies

  • John Gresham Machen (1881-1937) - A conservative minister and Princeton professor, Machen led a split from the increasingly liberal mainline Presbyterian Church to help form what became known as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

  • John McNaugher (1857-1847) - "Mister United Presbyterian," McNaugher served the United Presbyterian Church of North America as a pastor, professor of New Testament literature, seminary president and as a writer and teacher.

  • Geerhardus Vos (1862-1949) - A Dutch-American minister and seminary professor, Vos is known as a pioneer of Biblical Theology, and as an eminent expositor of Scripture. He was a also a poet.

Other Early American Presbyterian Worthies to Know

  • John Boyd (1679-1708) - Boyd was the first Presbyterian minister ordained in America (1706).

  • David Stewart Caldwell, Sr. (1725-1824) - Caldwell is known for many contributions to church and society, but especially as the founder of the “Southern Log College,” near Greensboro, North Carolina.

  • James Caldwell (1734-1781) - “The Fighting Parson” was a noted supporter of the colonists in the civil conflict with Great Britain.

  • John Chavis (1763-1838) - Chavis was the first African-American Presbyterian to be ordained as a minister (in 1801).

  • Alexander Craighead (1707-1766) - Craighead was the first Reformed Presbyterian minister in America, a member of Hanover Presbytery, and the Mecklenburg Declaration of Indpendence, although written after his death, may be his greatest legacy.

  • John Cuthbertson (1718-1791) - Cuthbertson was a pioneer Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter) missionary in America, and helped to found the first RP Presbytery in America, and the Associate Reformed Church as well. He estimated that during his missionary labors he rode over 70,000 miles on horseback.

  • Theodore Ledyard Cuyler (1822-1909) - Pastor of the largest Presbyterian congregation in the United States in New York City, Cuyler was a leading minister and prolific writer, as well as a friend to many American Presidents.

  • Henry Highland Garnet (1815-1882) - Garnet was the first African-American to address Congress (in 1865), and later served as a diplomat to Liberia, where he died, as well as a minister of the gospel.

  • John Gloucester, Sr. (1776-1822) - An early African-American Presbyterian minister (ordained in 1811), he was a former slave who helped to found the First African Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

  • William Graham (1745-1799) - As principal of Liberty Hall Academy in Lexington, Virginia, Graham trained Archibald Alexander and John Chavis, among others.

  • Jacob Green (1722-1790) - Father of Ashbel Green, Jacob was a chaplain in the American War of Independence, and an early opponent of slavery.

  • John McMillan (1752-1833) - “The Apostle of Presbyterianism to the West,” McMillan’s great legacy was the pioneering educational institutions which he founded.

  • Samson Occom (1723-1792) - Occom was one of first Native American Presbyterian ministers whose writings were published in English.

  • James W.C. Pennington (1807-1870) - The former “Fugitive Slave”-turned-Presbyterian minister and author became the first African-American to receive a doctorate of divinity at a European university.

  • Thomas De Witt Talmage (1832-1902) - “The Spurgeon of America” was one of the most popular ministers in America during the last half of the 19th century with an estimated 30 million readers of his sermons in the newspapers, and elsewhere.

  • Marcus Whitman (1802-1847) - Whitman was a pioneer ruling elder and medical missionary whose tragic death in Oregon inspired others to travel westward and continue to spread the gospel.

  • Julia McNair Wright (1840-1903) - An important Presbyterian author, she wrote widely on various topics, but is known especially for her Christian biographies for young readers.

  • Theodore Sedgwick Wright (1797-1847) - Wright was the first African-American to attend a theological seminary in the United States (Princeton). He was a leader in the Underground Railroad, as well as a well-respected minister of the gospel.

This list, it is hoped, will help to introduce readers to important figures in early American Presbyterianism. While not definitive or all-encompassing (it was difficult to leave off certain names from the approximately 900 authors that we have on Log College Press alone), it highlights some people very much worth getting to know. Their contributions to the Presbyterian Church, America and the world endure, and their memory is cherished.

Noah Webster and Log College Press, Cross-Referenced

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Noah Webster is well known for his American dictionary, first published in 1828. Not only did he identify the meaning of 70,000 entries in two volumes, but often he would reference sentences from the Bible, or classic literature, to provide examples of usage. Some of the usage sources provided came from Log College Press authors. In the introduction, he specifically alludes to such Presbyterian writers as John Mitchell Mason, David Ramsay, and Samuel Stanhope Smith; but there are others too.

A sampling of almost 50 references to Log College Press authors in the ground-breaking 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language is shown below, along with additional information about the specific writings cited by Webster. Some of the quotes are quite memorable, and the sources in general indicate something of the evangelical reading done by Webster himself.

Abandon – “Wo to that generation by which the testimony of God shall be abandoned.” – Dr. Mason * This quote may be found in the introduction to John Mitchell Mason’s The Christian’s Magazine, Vol. 1 (1807).

Abrahamic – Pertaining to Abraham, the patriarch, as Abrahamic Covenant. -- Mason * John Mitchell Mason says in his essay on the Church of God, in Works, Vol. 2, “That the church of God, his visible church, taken into peculiar relations to himself, by the Abrahamic covenant, subsists without injury through the change of dispensation and of members.”

Advocate – “The idea of a legislature, consisting of a single branch, though advocated by some, was generally reprobated.” – Ramsay, Hist. Carolina. * This quote appears in David Ramsay, History of South Carolina, Vol. 1.

Alternation – Alternate performance, in the choral sense. – Mason * The term “alternation” appears in John Mitchell Mason’s review of Henry Hobart’s Apology for Apostolic Order and Its Advocates in Vol. 2 of The Christian’s Magazine (1809).

Appreciate – “Lest a sudden peace should appreciate the money.” -- Ramsay * This quote appears in David Ramsay, History of South Carolina, Vol. 1, where, speaking of currency inflation during the American War of Independence from Great Britain, Ramsay writes: “The sanguine, flattering themselves with the delusive hopes of a speedy termination of the war, were often induced to sell lest a sudden peace should appreciate the money, in which case it was supposed they would lose the present opportunity of selling to great advantage.”

Boatable – Navigable for boats, or small river craft. -- Ramsay * The term “boatable” appears in David Ramsay, History of South Carolina, Vol. 1.

Burning – “The burning plains of India.” – S.S. Smith * In An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species (1810), Samuel Stanhope Smith writes, “While the spirit of fanaticism carries the sun-burnt Saracen to the North, the love of war, and of plunder transplants the Tartar from the snows of Scythia to the burning plains of India.”

Climatical – “limited by a climate.” – S.S. Smith * Also in his 1810 Essay, Samuel Stanhope Smith writes, “To those who can satisfy themselves with regard to the communication of these properties, the transmission of climatical or national differences ought not to appear surprising.”

Conscience – “Conscience is first occupied in ascertaining our duty, before we proceed to action; then in judging of our actions when performed.” – J.M. Mason * This quote is derived from John Mitchell Mason’s essay On the Formation of a Good Conscience in Vol. 1 of The Christian’s Magazine (1807), in which he states: “I begin by remarking, that the scriptures, at tending to the operations of the human mind, ascribe a twofold agency to conscience. The first is occupied in ascertaining our duty before we proceed to action ; the second in judging of our actions, after they have been performed.”

Delegation – “The duties of religion cannot be performed by delegation.” – S. Miller * In the first of his Letters Concerning the Constitution and Order of the Christian Ministry (1807), Samuel Miller writes, “Religion is the common business of all men. Its duties cannot be performed by delegation.”

Deter – “A million of frustrated hopes will not deter us from new experiments.” – J.M. Mason * John Mitchell Mason, in his sermon on The Gospel for the Poor (Works, Vol. 3), says: “An irresistible law of our being impels us to seek happiness. Nor will a million of frustrated hopes deter from new experiments; because despair is infinitely more excruciating than the fear of fresh disappointment.”

Distributable – “That may be distributed; that may be assigned in portions.” – Ramsay * The term “distributable” appears in David Ramsay, History of South Carolina, Vol. 2.

Dogma – “Compliment my dogma, and I will compliment yours.” – J.M. Mason - This quote appears in John Mitchell Mason’s essay On Liberality in Religion in Vol. 1 of The Christian’s Magazine (1807).

Error – “Charge home upon error its most tremendous consequences.” – J.M. Mason * This quote appears in John Mitchell Mason’s essay On Religious Controversy in Vol. 1 of The Christian’s Magazine (1807).

Exquisite – “The most exquisite of human satisfactions flows from an approving conscience.” – J.M. Mason * This quote appears in John Mitchell Mason’s essay On the Formation of a Good Conscience in Vol. 1 of The Christian’s Magazine (1807).

Grade – “While questions, periods, and grades and privileges are never once formally discussed.” – S. Miller and “When we come to examine the intermediate grades.” – S.S. Smith * The former quote is derived from Samuel Miller, Letters Concerning the Constitution and Order of the Christian Ministry (1807): “While questions respecting priority, and grades, and privileges, are never once formally discussed, only occasionally alluded to, and then in a manner so indistinct and cursory as to show that they were considered as objects of inferior moment.” The latter quote is from Samuel Stanhope Smith’s An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species (1810).

Guise – “That love which is without dissimulation, wears not the guise of modern liberality.” – J.M. Mason * In his essay On Liberality in Religion in The Christian’s Magazine (1807), John Mitchell Mason writes: “That ‘love’ which is ‘without dissimulation,’ wears no such guise.”

Habitual – “Formed by repeated impressions; rendered permanent by continued causes; as, an habitual color of the skin.” – S.S. Smith * Samuel Stanhope Smith refers to “an habitual colour of the skin” in An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species (1810).

Humanity – “It is a debt we owe to humanity.” – S.S. Smith — This is taken from Samuel Stanhope Smith’s An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species (1810): “It is a debt which we owe to humanity to recognize our brethren in every class of men into which society is divided, and under every shade of complexion which diversifies their various tribes from the equator to the poles.”

Identify – “Every precaution is taken to identify the interests of the people, and of the rulers.” – Ramsay and “Paul has identified the two ordinances, circumcision and baptism, and thus, by demonstrating that they have one and the same use and meaning, he has exhibited to our view the very same seal of God’s covenant.” – J.M. Mason * The first quote appears in David Ramsay, History of South Carolina, Vol. 1. The second quote is derived from John Mitchell Mason’s essay on the Church of God in Works, Vol. 2: “He [Paul] has, therefore, identified the two ordinances: and thus, by demonstrating that they have one and the same use and meaning, he has exhibited to our view the very same seal of God's covenant, under the forms of circumcision and baptism respectively.”

Idol – “An idol is any thing which usurps the place of God in the hearts of his rational creatures.” – S. Miller — This quote comes from Samuel Miller’s 1826 sermon The Evidence and Duty of Being on the Lord's Side.

Improvable – “A scarcity of improvable lands began to be felt in these colonies.” – Ramsay * David Ramsay, in his History of South Carolina, Vol. 1, writes: “Notwithstanding the vast extent of territory contained in the provinces of Virginia and Pennsylvania, a scarcity of improvable lands began to be felt in these colonies, and poor people could not find vacant spots in them equal to their expectations.”

Initiating – Introducing by instruction, or by appropriate ceremonies. – J.M. Mason * John Mitchell Mason refers to the “initiating seals” of circumcision and baptism in his essay on the Church of God, Works, Vol. 2.

Irregeneracy – Unregeneracy. – J.M. Mason * John Mitchell Mason defines the Scripture phrase “uncircumcision of your flesh” as “uncircumcision put for the state of irregeneracy” in his essay on the Church of God, Works, Vol. 2.

Irresistable – “An irresistible law of our nature impels us to seek happiness.” – J.M. Mason * As noted above, John Mitchell Mason, in his sermon on The Gospel for the Poor (Works, Vol. 3), says: “An irresistible law of our being impels us to seek happiness. Nor will a million of frustrated hopes deter from new experiments; because despair is infinitely more excruciating than the fear of fresh disappointment.”

Non-Episcopal, Non-Episcopalian – Not episcopal; not of the episcopal church or denomination…. – J.M. Mason * The term “non-episcopal brethren” appears in John Mitchell Mason’s Essays on Episcopacy in Works, Vol. 2.

Non-Essential – Non-essentials are things not essential to a particular purpose. – J.M. Mason * In Catholic Communion, Works, Vol. 1, John Mitchell Mason writes: “To draw the line of distinction between the essentials and non-essentials of our most Holy Faith, it at all times a delicate and difficult task.”

Obligate – “The millions of mankind, as one vast fraternity, should feel obligated by a sense of duty and the impulse of affection, to realize the equal rights and to subserve the best interests of each other.” – Proudfit * The precise quote given has not yet been located by this writer, but there is a similar quote found in Alexander Moncrief Proudfit, Practical Godliness in Thirteen Discourses on the Duties of the Closet, and Family, and Sanctuary (1813), Sermon 9: “By inferring that there is an intimate connection between man and man, and that each is obligated to aim at promoting the perfection of the whole.”

Perdition – “If we reject the truth, we seal our own perdition.” – J.M. Mason * This quote appears in John Mitchell Mason’s essay On Religious Controversy in The Christian’s Magazine, Vol. 1 (1807).

Pestilence – “Profligate habits carry pestilence into the bosom of domestic society.” – J.M. Mason * This quote appears in John Mitchell Mason’s introduction to The Christian’s Magazine, Vol. 1 (1807).

Philosophy – “True religion and true philosophy must ultimately arrive at the same principle.” – S.S. Smith * This quote appears in Samuel Stanhope Smith’s An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species (1810).

Putrescible – That may be putrefied; liable to become putrid; as putrescible substances. – Ramsay, History. * David Ramsay, History of South Carolina, Vol. 2: “The daily removal of putresicble substances lessens the evils of impure air, but is inadequate to the purpose intended.”

Recallable – That may be recalled. - Ramsay * The term “recallable” appears in David Ramsay, The Life of George Washington (1807).

Reconciliation – “Reconciliation and friendship with God, really form the basis of all rational and true enjoyment.” – S. Miller * Samuel Miller stated this in his 1826 sermon The Evidence and Duty of Being on the Lord’s Side.

Redeem – “The mass of earth not yet redeemed from chaos.” – S.S. Smith and “He could not have redeemed a portion of his time for contemplating the powers of nature.” – S.S. Smith * Both quotes are derived from Samuel Stanhope Smith, An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species (1810).

Republicanize – To convert to republican principles; as, to republicanize the rising generation. -- Ramsay * David Ramsay, in his History of South Carolina, Vol. 1, utilizes the phrase “to republicanize the rising generation.”

Savagism – “The state of rude uncivilized men; the state of men in the native wildness and rudeness.” – S.S. Smith. Walsh. * Samuel Stanhope Smith uses the term “savagism” several times in An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species (1810).

Scene – “The shepherds, while watching their flocks upon the plains of Bethlehem, were suddenly interrupted by one of the most sublime and surprising scenes which have ever been exhibited on earth.” – W.B. Sprague * This quote comes from William Buell Sprague’s “Right Hand of Fellowship” at the 1825 ordination of Congregational minister William C. Fowler.

Scepticism – “Let no despondency or timidity or secret skepticism lead any one to doubt whether this blessed prospect will be realized.” – S. Miller * This quote appears in Samuel Miller, A Sermon, Delivered in the Middle Church, New Haven, Con. Sept. 12, 1822: at the Ordination of the Rev. Messrs. William Goodell, William Richards, and Artemas Bishop, as Evangelists and Missionaries to the Heathen (1822).

Semi-deistical – Half-deistical; bordering on deism. – S. Miller * The term “semi-deistical” appears in Samuel Miller, Letters Concerning the Constitution and Order of the Christian Ministry (1807).

Skirt – “Savages – who skirt along our western frontiers.” – S.S. Smith * This quote comes from Samuel Stanhope Smith, An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species (1810).

Stationary – “Not advancing, in a moral sense; not improving; not growing wiser, greater or better; not becoming greater or more excellent.” – S.S. Smith * The term “stationary” is used in Samuel Stanhope Smith, An Essay on the Causes of the Variety of Complexion and Figure in the Human Species (1810).

Unbending – Unyielding; inflexible; firm; applied to things; as, unbending truth. – J.M. Mason * The term “unbending” appears in John Mitchel Mason’s pastoral resignation speech, which is in his Works, Vol. 4.

Uncovenanted – Not promised by covenant; not resting on a covenant or promise. – S. Miller * The term “uncovenanted” appears several times in Samuel Miller, Letters Concerning the Constitution and Order of the Christian Ministry (1807).

Unquestioning – Not calling in question; not doubting; unhesitating. – J.M. Mason * The term “unquestioning” appears in John Mitchell Mason’s essay on the Church of God, Works, Vol. 2.

World – “There may be other worlds, where the inhabitants have never violated their allegiance to their Almighty sovereign.” – W.B. Sprague * This interesting quote comes from Sprague’s 1826 sermon on The Mediation of Christ the Ground of the Believer’s Triumph, in which he states: “I do not deny that purposes were answered in the Divine administration by the death of Christ, which have never yet been revealed to us; purposes, it may be, even more magnificent than those which relate to our own redemption. There may be other worlds than ours within the dominions of Jehovah, where a spirit of rebellion has been manifested, and the benefits of Christ’s death enjoyed. And there may be other worlds still, where the inhabitants have never violated their allegiance to their Almighty Sovereign, in which the revelation of this wonderful fact may serve as a mirror to reflect the brightest of the divine glories. But it is not with other parts of the system that we are so immediately concerned. The death of Christ, for aught we know, may exert an influence of some kind or other, wherever there are intelligent beings; but in respect to ourselves, and the world to which we belong, there is no room for doubt.”

This snapshot from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, cross-referenced with Log College Press, provides insight into what Webster read and drew upon to help codify, as it were, the English language in America. It represents another avenue of influence by 19th century Presbyterian writers that is not widely recognized, but nevertheless is profound.

250th Birthday of John M. Mason

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Perhaps no one person in the Associate Reformed Church of that era made a greater contribution of service, or caused a greater degree of controversy than John M. Mason. He had a brilliant mind, an eloquent manner of speech, and a boundless capacity to work. He was, some would say, a man ahead of his time, and impatient to wait on others to catch up with him. — Ray A. King, A History of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, p. 119

It was 250 years ago today, on March 19, 1770, that John Mitchell Mason was born. He was a major force in early 19th century American Presbyterianism, and most especially, within the Associate Reformed Church. His writings advocating more frequent observance of communion, and on occasional communion; on lotteries; concerning the election of Thomas Jefferson; and on religious controversy show his willingness to engage and challenge others on disputed matters. But while he challenged the church, and those outside the church, he loved and labored for God’s kingdom in America and around the world. He helped to establish and organize a theological seminary for the Associate Reformed Church in 1804, he founded The Christian’s Magazine in 1806, and he served as President of Dickinson College, in additional to his ministerial labors.

Four volumes of his Works, and other writings, along with a volume (by his son-in-law) of his memoirs and correspondence, are available to peruse at Log College Press. Also, be sure to take note of Mason’s place in Robert R. Lathan’s History of the Associate Reformed Synod of the South, To Which is Prefixed a History of the Associate Presbyterian and Reformed Presbyterian Churches (1882). John M. Mason was a 19th century giant among other giants of early American Presbyterianism, and his 250th birthday is the perfect time to remember his contributions to the Church, which were extensive. To God be the glory for such a servant who labored diligently for his kingdom!

Presbyterian Presidential Correspondence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

American Presbyterians on Election Day

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From the colonial era to the early days of the American republic, election sermons were preached from the pulpit and circulated in print form as a way of encouraging godly government on the part of magistrates and the citizens who were expected to vote for them. They were especially prominent in New England, where Election Day was a commemorated as a holiday. One such election sermon has a memorable place in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

As Election Day 2019 approaches in the United States, Log College Press is highlighting some noteworthy Presbyterian election sermons from the past, as well as some works by those who promoted Christian civil government or held to the doctrine of political dissent (ie., the necessity of not voting under the terms of a godless constitution, or not voting for any but Christian candidates).

We begin with an anonymous tract published in 1800: Serious Considerations on the Election of a President: Addressed to the Citizens of the United States. It was primarily the work of William Linn (1752-1808), who served as both the first chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives and as President of Rutgers University, although he was assisted by John Mitchell Mason as well. The chief concern of this work was to warn of the danger of electing an unbeliever to the office of the Presidency, specifically, Thomas Jefferson. The election of 1800 was a complicated one (perhaps more so than the election of 2000), with candidates including Aaron Burr, Jr. (who became Vice-President), Charles C. Pinckney and John Adams (it was not widely known at the time that Adams was a Unitarian).

Mason followed this tract with another publication that bore his name and references the former: The Voice of Warning, to Christians, on the Ensuing Election of a President of the United States (1800), also concerned to warn Christians against voting for an “infidel” for President (Thomas Jefferson). This work appears at the end of Vol. 4 of Mason’s Works.

William Buell Sprague published The Claims of Past and Future Generations on Civil Rulers: A Sermon, Preached at the Annual Election (1825), a sermon preached on a May Election Day while he was in Massachusetts. The claims spoken of pertain to the obligations of magistrates both to God and to the citizens who have entrusted them with the authority they possess.

Three years later, Ezra Stiles Ely preached The Duty of Christian Freemen to Elect Christian Rulers (1828). Dr. Wayne Sparkman writes:

It was in 1827 on July 4 that Rev. Ely called for “Christian freemen to elect Christian rulers.” He went on to advocate for a “Christian party in politics,” to keep unorthodox liberals and deists out of office. The underlying concern of this Presbyterian pastor was against the secular policies and practices of President John Q. Adams. President Adams in turn simply denounced Rev. Ely as “the busybody Presbyterian clergyman.” So Pastor Ely called upon Presbyterian Andrew Jackson to run for that highest office. Mobilizing Christian workers, Andrew Jackson was elected in 1828. The good pastor told President-elect Jackson to avoid the judgement of the Lord’s wrath by not traveling on the Lord’s Day to Washington, which Jackson obeyed. However, their association did not long continue on a favourable basis, as the President grew wary of this outspoken Presbyterian minister.”

An argument that Christians ought for Biblical reasons only to vote for godly candidates under a godly constitution is found in RPCNA minister James Renwick Willson’s 1832 sermon Prince Messiah's Claims to Dominion Over All Governments; and the Disregard of His Authority by the United States, in the Federal Constitution. For his pains in preaching this sermon, the sermon itself was burned publicly by the New York Legislature in Albany, and he was hung in effigy.

In 1892, RPCNA minister Nathan Robinson Johnston’s letter to the editor of the Christian Instructor, titled “Political Dissent,” was also published by Political Dissenter. In it he articulates his reasons for abstaining from voting and his understanding of what it means to be a Christian citizen.

RPCNA minister Thomas Houston Acheson published a two-part tract on Why Covenanters Do Not Vote (1912). Here he gives six reasons on behalf of the historic RPCNA position in favor of political dissent, and twelve responses to objections against this position.

As many in America prepare to go to the polls, and some anticipate staying home for reasons of conscience or otherwise, it is worthwhile to prayerfully consider how Presbyterians in the past have approached the issue of elections. May these resources aid in that endeavor.