There is a long heritage of Thanksgiving sermons in America, and Presbyterian ministers in the 18th and 19th centuries found many occasions for such special sermons. Sometimes they were occasioned by notable calamities, such as epidemics or war (for example, the War Between the States led to starkly different Thanksgiving sermons on both sides of the conflict), and others were associated with the annual, distinctly-American holiday of Thanksgiving each November. Following is a sampling of the growing body of Thanksgiving sermons found at Log College Press.
Samuel Davies (1723-1761) preached a Thanksgiving sermon for national blessings received in 1759 (Serm. 71 in Vol. 4 of his Sermons).
Samuel Miller (1769-1850)'s 1799 Thanksgiving sermon was delivered after a terrible epidemic struck New York City.
William B. Sprague (1795-1876) preached an annual (December) Thanksgiving sermon in 1824. He would later preach another during the War Between the States in November 1861 entitled Glorifying God in the Fires.
Benjamin M. Palmer (1818-1902) preached a notable 1860 Thanksgiving sermon on the eve of war, which was to provoke a strong reaction by Charles Hodge.
George Dodd Armstrong (1813-1899) preached a July 1861 Thanksgiving sermon giving thanks for the Confederate victory at Manassas, Virginia.
Gardiner Spring (1785-1873)'s November 1861 Thanksgiving sermon called attention to national sins which had provoked the "Great Rebellion," as well as blessings received.
Ezra H. Gillett (1823-1875)'s November 1862 Thanksgiving sermon was meant to inspire his Northern listeners in the midst of a great civil conflict.
Thanksgiving as an American holiday has often involved controversy, but in the midst of controversy, it is especially good to take note of mercies and blessings received, and to give thanks to our God. Happy Thanksgiving to all, from Log College Press!
Just in Time for Thanksgiving - Read W. Carlos Martyn's History of the Pilgrim Fathers
Between the years of 1866 and 1868, William Carlos Martyn (1841-1917) was an extremely prolific writer. He published histories of Martin Luther, John Milton, the French Huguenots, the English Puritans and the Dutch Reformation. He also wrote The Pilgrim Fathers of New England: A History (1867). If you are looking for a book to read about the story of the Pilgrims this Thanksgiving, be sure to check out this fascinating volume!
The Southern Presbyterian Pulpit - a Collection of Sermons from Known and Unknown 19th Century Leaders
In 1896, the Presbyterian Church in the United States (the Southern Presbyterian Church) published a compilation of sermons of some of its leading ministers, entitled Southern Presbyterian Pulpit. The sermon by John Lafayette Girardeau is of particular note.
- The Transforming Power of the Gospel, Benjamin Morgan Palmer
- The Changing World and the Unchanging God, Moses Hoge
- "One Jesus," J. Henry Smith
- The Gospel Call, George D. Armstrong
- "What Is the Chaff to the Wheat?" J. W. Lupton
- Christ's Pastoral Presence with his Dying People, John L. Girardeau,
- The Pitilessness of Sin, J. R. Stratton
- The Happy Service, Robert L. Dabney
- Seeking The Lord, J. W. Rosebro
- Our Redeemer's Prayer for Christian Unity, Neander M. Woods,
- The Divineness of the Family Bond, W. U. Murkland
- Why Believers Should Not Fear, A. W. Pitzer
- The Ruler's Question, J. H. Bryson
- Children of the Covenant, S. W. Davies
- Man Inspired of God, G. R. Brackett
- "How Long Halt Ye Between Two Opinions,"J. R. Burgett
- Consecration, Givens B. Strickler
- Personal Work for the Master, W. N. Scott
- Joseph of Arimathea, John A. Preston
- The Striving Spirit, Robert P. Kerr
- Applied Christianity, R. K. Smoot
- The Three Causes Of Salvation, W. W. Moore
- The Necessity of Christ's Resurrection, J. F. Cannon
- Natural Law and Divine Providence, Peyton H. Hoge
- Take Hold of God, James I. Vance
- "To Me To Live Is Christ," J. R. Howerton
We're collecting an online bookstore of secondary sources on American Presbyterianism
Log College Press aims to collect and reprint the writings of and about American Presbyterians from the 18th and 19th centuries - and to that end, we've not only published our first two works, but we're also beginning to build an online repository of secondary sources. If you haven't visited our bookstore lately, do so - and come back again soon.
Have You Read Archibald Alexander's Preface to Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary?
Have you read Archibald Alexander's (1772-1851) preface to the first American edition of Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary? First published in 1828, it is both a wonderful introduction to a most excellent commentary on the Word of God ("as long as the English language shall remain unchanged, Henry's Exposition will be highly appreciated by the lovers of true religion"), and also is in itself a guide to what characteristics are most desirable to find in a good Bible Commentary: "perspicuity and conciseness...vivacity...felicity and frequency with which the text, at any time under consideration, is elucidated by parallel passages." As Alexander takes us through the genius and piety of Matthew Henry's great commentary, we are guided in the method by which the reader can make most use of this valuable expository and practical tool, and thus become more deeply enriched by the treasury of God's Word. As we consider the work of Henry and as we approach the Word of God, we must in humility concur with Alexander who says, "Let God have the glory of every invention, of every gift, and of every work, by which the progress and diffusion of truth are promoted or facilitated; and let all that is said in praise of men, be so spoken, as to redound to the honour and glory of the Triune God!—Amen."
Hope for the Jews: One 19th Century American Presbyterian Perspective on the Future State of the Jews
In 1853, the distinguished American Presbyterian Jacob Jones Janeway (1774-1858) wrote Hope for the Jews: or, The Jews Will Be Converted to the Christian Faith; and Settled and Reorganized as a Nation in the Land of Palestine. In this treatise, he argues that the prophecies of the New and Old Testament foretell a general conversion of the Jews to Christianity in the latter days, as well as a restoration of the Jewish people to the land of Palestine.
This topic has been a source of much intramural debate among Reformed theologians over the centuries. Yet in holding his view, not derived from Dispensationalism, Janeway followed a long tradition of American congregationalists such as John Cotton, Increase Mather, Jonathan Edwards, and Ezra Stiles; American Presbyterians such as Asa McFarland, Charles Hodge (who preached Janeway's funeral sermon), A.A. Hodge, B.B. Warfield; and Presbyterians and Baptists from across the pond, such as R.M. M'Cheyne, Horatius and Andrew Bonar, David Brown, Charles Spurgeon and others; all of whom held to a future mass conversion of the Jews, and most of whom held to a future national restoration of the Jewish people.
Janeway's treatise encourages prayer for the Jewish people and, particularly, for the conversion and restoration. He says: "Christians, true believers, are now, by adoption, Israelites; and doubtless, it is binding on them, as well as on Abraham's natural descendants, to offer continual and earnest, and importunate prayer to God, to hasten the accomplishment of His gracious purposes in favor of Israel, and to turn their hearts to Himself, that they may all become the spiritual seed of Abraham, and Israelites indeed." To study further how Janeway understood the apostolic expression "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved" (Rom. 10:1), read more here.
19th Century RP Minister Alexander McLeod - See His Portrait and Read More About and By Him Here
Alexander McLeod (1774-1833) was one of the most notable Reformed Presbyterian ministers of the early 19th century in America. He addressed the question of slavery, the prophecies of Revelation, the mediatorial kingship of Christ over all things, ecclesiastical government, godly living and many more theological and practical issues in his sermons and writings. Samuel B. Wylie, another notable RP minister, wrote his biography here.
Currently, his portrait is on loan to the PCA Historical Center in St. Louis, MIssouri. That site, along with the University of Delaware, is a repository of his works and papers. There is a growing amount of these materials and resources available online, and we are continuing to make them available here at Log College Press. It is well worth your time to read more about and by this early pillar of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America.
Addresses at the PCUS' Celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Westminster Assembly
In May 1897, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (the Southern Presbyterian Church) heard eleven addresses in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Westminster Assembly and its published standards. This volume, entitled Memorial Volume of the Westminster Assembly (1897), is mostly forgotten today - yet it is chock full of rich essays on the confessional standards of our tradition. Here is the table of contents:
1. The Political History of the Time, by Henry Alexander White
2. The Religious Situation of the time, by Robert Price
3. The Westminster Assembly Itself, by T. Dwight Witherspoon
4. The Doctrinal Contents of the Confession, by Robert L. Dabney
5. The Catechisms, by Givens B. Strickler
6. The Polity and Worship of the Standards, by Eugene Daniel
7. The Relation of the Standards to Other Creeds, by James D. Tadlock
8. The Standards and Missionary Activity, by Moses Drury Hoge
9. The Standards in Relation to Current Theology, by Samuel M. Smith
10. The Standards in Relation to Family and Social Life, by John F. Cannon
11. The Standards and Civil Government, by William M. Cox
If you appreciate the Westminster Standards, you will enjoy this book.
Alexander Proudfit - Thirteen Discourses on Godliness
Log College Press features not only work from mainline Presbyterians but also from American Dissenting Presbyterians, which include the ARP, RPCNA and Associate Church, among these is Alexander Proudfit one of the most prolific writers the Associate Reformed produced. He was a wonder devotional writer, as well as an expert and a notable anti-Slavery Advocate. In the day of Alexander Proudfit the question of how to live a life of devotion would be just as key as today, Proudfit desiring to see people live holier lives. Proudfit would preach and publish thirteen discourses on the subject of practical Godliness. Proudfit clearly informs believers about their duties in the church, in the home as well as in private devotion. A simple reading of these discourses would help any believer, live a more profitable life in an incredibly difficult world.
Proudfit in his discourses approaches religious duties with a warm pastoral heart, and offers simple practical advice to Christians that is truly timeless. Perhaps the church more than ever the American Church struggles with simple devotion to God, and following after Christ, Proudfit provides the simple answers in his book of discourses. He is also from the ARP which provides an important glimpse into the piety, and historical devotion of the ARP Church. Whether to grow in a knowledge of Christ or to become better aquainted with the ARP and one of her most prolific writers Proudfit’s Practical Godliness will not disappoint.
The Discussions of Robert Lewis Dabney
Robert Lewis Dabney (1820-1898)'s essays and papers on various topics were collected and edited in four volumes during his lifetime by Rev. C.R. Vaughan. In 1999, a fifth volume of his papers, which includes a 115-page previously unpublished poem by Dabney entitled "Christology of the Angels," was edited by J.H. Varner and published by Sprinkle Publications. All five volumes, which are a treasury of insights theological and otherwise, are now available to read online at Log College Press.
1) Theological and Evangelical (1890)
2) Evangelical (1891)
3) Philosophical (1892)
4) Secular (1897)
5) Miscellaneous (1999)
James McLeod Willson on the Nature, Duties, and Exercise of the Office of Deacon
James McLeod Willson was a Reformed Presbyterian pastor in Philadelphia, PA, when in 1841 he wrote The Deacon: An Inquiry into the Nature, Duties, and Exercises of the Office of the Deacon in the Christian Church. In Willson's day, many Presbyterian churches did not have deacons, much to his lament. In this 75 page book Willson establishes that the office of deacon is a biblical office, explains the nature of the office from the Scriptures and church history, challenges various substitutes that had been erected in his day for the diaconate, and finally explained how the deacons related to elders in the Session and other church courts. There aren't as many resources on the office of the deacon as there could be, so we are glad to be able to bring to light this forgotten book.
Samuel Miller's Thoughts on Public Prayer
Samuel Miller's Thoughts on Public Prayer (1849) is an important volume for teaching and ruling elders leading in corporate worship, as well as anyone who has to pray publicly, whether in family worship, social settings, or at other occasions. Miller lays out a history of public prayer, discusses liturgies, opens up frequent faults in public prayer, and shows forth the characteristics of a good public prayer, as well as the best means of attaining excellence in this gift and grace. Tolle lege!
Charles Hodge on the way of life.
"It is one of the clearest principles of divine revelation, that holiness is the fruit of truth; and it is one of the plainest inferences from that principle, that the exhibition of the truth is the best means of promoting holiness. Christians regard the word of God as the only infallible teacher of those truths which relate to the salvation of men. But are the Scriptures really a revelation from God? If they are, what doctrines do they teach? And what influence should those doctrines exert on our heart and life?"
Thus begins The Way of Life (1841), by Charles Hodge. This book first establishes that the Scriptures are the very word of God, then that all men are sinners. After reflecting on the causes of the indifference of men to the charge of sin, and the way the Spirit convicts men of sin, Hodge covers justification, faith, repentance, the sacraments, and holiness.
May the Lord continue to use Hodge's words to teach truth and promote holiness!
Robert James George's Lectures on Pastoral Theology
American Presbyterians have reflected deeply on the nature and calling of the minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. On the Log College Press website you will find William Swan Plumer's Hints and Helps in Pastoral Theology (1874) and Thomas Murphy's Pastoral Theology (1877). A lesser known work is the three-volume Lectures on Pastoral Theology, by Robert James George. This Reformed Presbyterian minister was the Professor of Theology and Church History in the Covenanter Seminary in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, from 1892-1910. His Lectures covered the character and services of a pastor (Volume 1), the pastor and the congregation, the pastor and the church courts (Volume 2), the pastor and the kingdom, and the pastor and the world (Volume 3), as well as additional material in Volume 3 concerning the distinctives of ministry in the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Any pastor will benefit from George's meditations upon the work of the minister.
A Forty-Three Year Pastorate in a Country Church for Sale Now!
If you've never heard of Cornelius Washington Grafton, do yourself a favor and buy his autobiographical address found in this booklet. He pastored the same church in rural Mississippi for 61 years, and at the 43-year mark he was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. This booklet was his Moderator's Address. The country is not the flashiest place to minister, nor is it in vogue to pastor the same congregation for a prolonged period of time. Yet Grafton shows us the fruitfulness that can come from a lengthy ministry in the country.
Samuel Miller on the Warrant, Nature and Duties of Ruling Elders (1831)
Samuel Miller's classic work on the ruling elder has been reprinted often, but in case you don't have a copy, you can find it for free here. It deserves a wider readership, as do all of Samuel Miller's works.
The Ecclesiastical Catechisms of Alexander McLeod and Thomas Smyth
Most Presbyterians are familiar with the Westminster Shorter/Larger Catechisms, or the Heidelberg Catechism. But have you heard of Ecclesiastical Catechisms? At least two were written by Presbyterians in America in the 19th century: one by Alexander McLeod (1806) and one by Thomas Smyth (1843). These books present the doctrine of the church in question and answer format, so that God's people might more easily understand what the Scriptures teach about the institution that Jesus is building. McLeod and Smyth won't agree on everything (for instance, the number of offices Jesus has appointed in His church), so comparing and contrasting these two documents, written 40 years apart, will undoubtedly be an edifying and rewarding use of your time.
Samuel Miller on how the Christian should think about suicide
Suicide is a deep misery, impacting family and friends of the loved one who takes his/her life. But it is also a sin, a breaking of the 6th commandment. We may think of suicide as a modern/post-modern problem. But in 1805, Samuel Miller was confronted with a rash of suicides (nine in 3 months). He approached the crisis head-on, preaching and then publishing addresses inscribed to the young people of his congregation: The Guilt, Folly and Sources of Suicide (1805). To the one who thinks he would never be tempted to commit suicide, Miller speaks these words:
Brethren, be not deceived! Every individual who hears me has an interest in this subject. Who can foresee the situations in which he may hereafter be placed, or the temptations by which he may hereafter be assailed? Or who can tell how soon the conduct of a near relative, or of a valued friend, may bring the subject home, with the deepest interest, to his bosom? It is probable, that the most of those who have fallen into this deplorable sin, were once as ready as any of my present hearers can now be, to think and to say, What, is thy servant a dog that he should do this thing? In truth, it becomes depraved creatures with regard to every sin, to be humble and watchful; for there is no sin into which they may not fall, if forsaken by restraining grace. That we may, therefore, be armed against the hour of temptation ourselves, and that we may be able to convince and warn others, let me request you seriously to attend, while I endeavour, First, To lay before you the Guilt and Folly of the sin in question; and, Secondly, By tracing the evil to its Sources, to put you on your guard against such principles and habits as may lead to danger.
Have you been touched by suicide? Are you being tempted to take your own life? Read Miller.
Buy The Five Points of Presbyterianism and A Forty-Three Year Pastorate in a Country Church now!
The first two publications of Log College Press are now available! The Five Points of Presbyterianism: The Distinctives of Presbyterian Church Government, by Thomas Dwight Witherspoon, and A Forty-Three Year Pastorate in a Country Church, by Cornelius Washington Grafton, are now available here. These booklets are $3.99 each, and shipping is 99 cents no matter how many copies you order. Witherspoon's work is a succinct explanation of Presbyterianism, perfect for officer training and anyone who wants to understand one of the main things that distinguishes Presbyterian churches from other gospel churches. Grafton's booklet is an autobiographical narrative of his incredibly long pastorate in Union Church, Mississippi. Both are great reads. Buy them today!
Have you seen all the works by B. B. Warfield on the Log College Press website?
Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield was born on this day in 1851. He was a prolific author, and we've posted a lot of his works on the Log College Press website here. One of his most famous books is The Plan of Salvation (1915), which nicely lays out the competing claims of autosoterism (self-salvation), sacerdotalism, universalism, and Calvinism. It is a must read by any serious student of theology. If you don't have a copy of it, download it from Warfield's author page.