Introducing a Five-Part Series on J. Gresham Machen

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Editorial note: Our guest writer today is Rich Brown, a pastor in the Blue Ridge Presbytery (PCA) in Lynchburg, VA and doctoral student at Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia).

 

            As we approach the 100th anniversary of the classic work, Christianity and Liberalism (1923), I am honored to partner with Log College Press in publishing a five-part series on the life and ministry of J. Gresham Machen (1881–1937). Each month, subscribers to the Dead Presbyterians Society will receive access to a new chapter on Machen, covering all sorts of nuances, ranging from his apologetic method and evangelistic zeal to his preaching ministry and humble personality.

            In large part, these chapters are written in commemoration of the monumental work, Christianity and Liberalism, which yet still testifies to the truth of Scripture, unchangeable. Furthermore, the research with which you are invited to engage is expressly committed to the preservation of interest in Machen’s unilateral defense of the historic Christian faith—with the hope of instilling a renewed and vigorous reliance upon the authority of the word of God. For as the modern Evangelical Church has borne the weight of watching prominent Christian leaders fall prey to the seductive lies of self-governing Deconstructionism, along with the rise of “Progressive Christianity” from within her own ranks, Machen’s brave resilience in the face of adversity and resistance to the whims of cultural conveniences in the Protestant Church of his own day provide us in the 21st century with a worthy example of a life well lived.

            While we certainly do not want to exalt any mere man, we as the church of the present day are yet compelled to learn diligently from those faithful leaders who have gone before us. Hebrews 13:7 commends us with the following words: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” This imperative to not only respect, but to emulate those who have abided in the faith is rooted deeply in the timeless, foundational promise of the subsequent verse. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

            But how can the church learn from those who have gone before and seek to mirror their faithfulness, unless their story is told anew? Such then is not only the didactic aim, but earnest, pastoral desire of this writer and minister of the gospel for you, the reader. My prayer is that the spiritual health and vitality of your own communion with Christ would be enlivened all the more as we consider together the Lord’s work in the life of one of his under-shepherds.

            On a deeply personal level, the writings of Machen have stirred my own affections for Christ over the past decade. For those who are already familiar with Machen’s life and legacy, there is a nuanced warmth to his writings that transcends the polemic for which he is perhaps most widely known. In his correspondences ranging from his personal letters and publicized writings, to his sermons and radio addresses for the sake of Christ’s cherished bride, a truly pastoral demeanor and intonation within Machen’s voice would become all the more manifest as his ministry matured and his influence expanded. And as one becomes more greatly acquainted with Machen’s writings, the text of Galatians 2:20 is evidenced as the binding message of his ministry.

            As a young man, Machen found himself providentially placed in a sphere of influence within both the mainline Presbyterian Church (USA) and one of the nation’s leading institutions: Princeton Theological Seminary. Yet over the course of more than two decades, his lot became one who was made to share in the sufferings of Christ, similar to the Apostle Paul. Fittingly so, Galatians 2:20 increasingly became his most oft-repeated Scripture. Though he came from a family of notable prestige and lived in a dignified manner, he learned to embrace these timeless words: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me.” But Machen also took great comfort in the fruit of such a heavenward disposition. From his first few sermons, until the closing days of his time this side of glory, he both owned and unreservedly declared the refrain of this verse. “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

            So I invite you, the reader, to learn with me from Machen’s life—flawed, as we all are, yet rooted in the life of Christ. Over the course of five chapters, you will witness both the polemical and pastoral undertones of Machen’s work and influence. In the preface, a brief overview of his ministry will be provided, to help acquaint those who are yet unfamiliar with his writings. Following this, his apologetic method will be explained in chapter one as being in accord with those Princeton theologians before him, yet harmonized with the work of his primary protégé, Cornelius Van Til. The second chapter will then begin to explore the largely untouched aspect of Machen’s genuine humility toward the work of those outside of his own tradition and how he bestowed the benefit of the doubt in areas that were better addressed by those in tune with differing philosophies—namely, Barthianism. Subsequently, chapter three will largely focus upon how the doctrine of the Imputation of the Active Obedience of Christ, derived from the Scottish Reformers, influenced his ministry, especially as his platform in speaking to other like-minded Evangelicals grew in the 1920s and early 1930s. Chapter four will take more of a pragmatic stance in exploring Machen’s concern for Christian and civil liberties alike and how the intersection of such God-derived freedoms are of utmost value to hearers in our modern day and age, which is wrestling with the application of such nobilities. Finally, chapter five will express an important aspect of Machen’s preaching ministry: his zeal for evangelism in keeping with his commitment to delivering the whole council of God. Pastoral thoughts and reflections will then be provided, respective of the work as a whole.

We hope you will join us on this excursus and be encouraged to “stay the course!”

A 19th Century Example of Paying it Forward

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Writing for the October 1870 issue of Our Monthly magazine, Edwin B. Raffensperger wrote a brief Reminiscence of Rev. Archibald Alexander, D.D. Having read over James W. Alexander’s biography of Archibald Alexander, he took special note of a remark on p. 605:

During his illness he dictated a paper to be taken around for subscription toward the relief of a young man whose studies had been interrupted by disease.

Raffensperberger, who himself graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1852, informed his readers that the paper referred to had been in his possession for the last 19 years. It was considered “a valuable memento of Princeton,” where he was a student at the time certain events transpired.

A fellow student from Ohio one day fell dangerously ill. Despite the advice and counsel of “eminent medical men in Philadelphia and New York,” this young student, a man of great promise we are told, lay near death’s door. At the house where he was staying, he was cared for by a brother and sister, the latter of whom would go on to marry one of the doctors who came to visit. The sick student’s illness included symptoms of spasms and feats of incredible strength (though unable to rise or walk, he could crush an apple in his bare hand).

Concern for this young man and whether he would live spread throughout the Princeton community. At the same time Archibald Alexander lay on his deathbed. One day a messenger came to Raffensperger with a request to approach the bedside of Alexander. Raffensperger tells of their conversation:

I found him very feeble. In a few touching words he expressed his deep sympathy for the poor student and regretted his inability to call and see him during the two years of his sickness. “I have asked my daughter,” said he, “to prepare a subscription paper, and the members of my family have contributed $19.00, which you will find inclosed with the paper. Will you take it and call upon the citizens and students to increase it to $50.00, and then pay half to the brother and sister who have taken such good care of him, and the other half to the student?”

I expressed my willingness to carry out his wish, but inquired whether he would restrict the sum to $50.00, as I hoped, with such a start, to raise much more. He took my hand and said, “Take the paper. Raise all you can and God bless you.”

It was a few days later that Alexander entered into his eternal rest. After Alexander was interred at Princeton Cemetery, a grand total of $300.00 was raised on behalf of the sick student and the brother and sister. Raffensperger continues:

Hear now the conclusion of the whole matter.

Contrary to all our plans for the funeral, that patient recovered, entered the ministry and has for years been laboring successfully in the West He is now one of the jolliest Doctors of Divinity in the reunited Church.

One wonders the name of this jolly minister from Ohio. Perhaps one of our readers will have an idea? In any case, this concern on Alexander’s deathbed for a poor student was an inspiration and a blessing to others, and the little-known story is worth of remembrance.

Princeton vs. The New Divinity

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Man, Charles Hodge

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

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

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

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

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

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

An Honorable Princeton Roll Call

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Among the addresses delivered at the 1912 Centennial celebration for Princeton Theological Seminary was one given by William Lenoard McEwan titled “Princeton in the Work of the Pastorate.” In this message highlighting the contributions of Princeton-educated men to the work of the ministry, he includes a roll call of names that are also highlighted here at Log College Press. Today’s post is an extract from that address with links to pages for these men so that the 21st century reader may better acquaint themselves with their lives and labors. It is just a partial snapshot — Princeton has contributed much, much more — but it is a way to recognize some important but often-neglected names from American Presbyterian history.

Indeed if there were time to revive the memories of those who are familiar with the great movements that are written in our history, the reading of the names of the men whose influence has been great in the time of crisis or through long years of service would be sufficient— James W. Alexander, John C. Backus, for forty-eight years in Baltimore; J. Trumbull Backus, for forty-one years in Schenectady, N.Y.; George D. Baker, for a score of years in Philadelphia; Albert Barnes, forty years in Philadelphia; Charles C. Beatty, for sixty years in Steubenville, Ohio; William Blackburn; Henry A. Boardman, for forty-seven years in Philadelphia; Rob't J. Breckinridge of Kentucky; James H. Brookes of St. Louis; T. W. Chambers, nearly half a century in New York City; William C. Cattell, Joseph Christmas, founder of the American Church in Montreal; Bishop T. M. Clark; Richard F. Cleveland (father of a president of the United States); Theodore L. Cuyler, for thirty years in Brooklyn; Doak of Tennessee; J. T. Duryea, Philemon H. Fowler, Sam'l W. Fisher, P. D. Gurley of Washington, D.C; Leroy J. Halsey, A. A. Hodge, C. W. Hodge, E. B. Hodge, F. B. Hodge, William H. Hornblower, William Henry Green, Charles K. Imbrie, pastor, secretary and editor; Sheldon Jackson, Bishop John Johns, M. W. Jacobus, S. H. Kellogg, John M. Krebs, of New York; John C. Lowrie, Willis Lord, Bishop A. N. Littlejohn, J.M. Ludlow, Erskine Mason, Bishop C. B. Mcllvaine, David Magie, George W. Musgrave, Thomas Murphy, N.G. Parke, R. M. Patterson, W. S. Plumer, S. I. Prime, William M. Paxton, George T. Purves, Nathan L. Rice, Rendall of Lincoln, David H. Riddle, Stuart Robinson, Charles S. Robinson, W. D. Snodgrass, William A. Scott, W. B. Sprague, J. G. Symmes, E. P. Swift, H. J. Van Dyke, C. Van Rensselaer, Charles Wadsworth.

In this one packed paragraph, the names are easily passed over but each one represents a part of the story of the Lord’s kingdom work in this country and in the world by means of “an able and faithful ministry” (to use Samuel Miller’s words) as taught at Princeton. We are thankful for these men and take note of them here at Log College Press, also intending to add more as we are able. To God be the glory for these faithful witnesses.

J.I. Packer remembered at Log College Press

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At the age of 93, famed Christian scholar and author J.I. Packer entered into glory on July 17, 2020. Many Christians have benefited from his writings on Reformed piety — such as Knowing God and A Quest For Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life — and other topics, including “Fundamentalism” and the Word of God. He was an Anglican divine, not Presbyterian, but he had some connections to authors found on Log College Press.

  • Don J. Payne, in The Theology of the Christian Life in J.I. Packer’s Thought: Theological Anthropology, Theological Method, and the Doctrine of Salvation, p. 63, writes: “The formulation of Packer’s theology and piety was a process involving multiple influences: the Puritans, J.C. Ryle, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and the theologians of the old Princeton Theological Seminary. He states that by 1947 he was aware of Benjamin B. Warfield (1851-1921) and had been encouraged to read him. In unpublished correspondence Packer writes, ‘There were some volumes of Warfield … including the two on perfectionism, in the OICCU library, and … the late Douglas Johnson was exhorting all who had any aptitude for theology to read Warfield, and that his name was bandied around in the circle of IVF’s Theological Students Fellowship and Tyndale Fellowship.”

  • Dr. Packer wrote this endorsement of James M. Garretson, Princeton and Preaching: Archibald Alexander and the Christian Ministry: “From Dr. Garretson comes a first-class account of a first-class delineation of the preaching ministry by a first-class theologian, mentor, and minister of the gospel – the versatile Archibald Alexander, who for its first generation virtually was Princeton Seminary in both its academic and its practical aspects, and who laid the foundation for all its future greatness. Alexander is a neglected figure, and it is high time for someone to begin to do him justice, as Dr. Garretson does. Enrichment and enjoyment in equal parts await the student of this excellent book.”

  • Packer wrote this endorsement of Gary Steward, Princeton Seminary (1812-1929): Its Leaders’ Lives and Works: “The quality and achievement of Princeton Seminary’s leaders for its first hundred years was outstanding, and Steward tells their story well. Reading this book does the heart good.”

  • Packer wrote the introduction to the Crossway Classic Commentaries edition of Charles Hodge on Romans, in which he said: “Charles Hodge (1797-1878), the greatest of Princeton Seminary’s nineteenth-century theologians, began his teaching career as Professor of Oriental and Biblical Literature in 1822, becoming Professor of Exegetical and Didactic Theology in 1840. The titles of his chairs show that for more than fifty years, up to his death in harness, he carried responsibility for interpreting the Bible, and classroom exegesis was a major part of his role. Four printed expositions resulted: on 1 and 2 Corinthians, on Ephesians, and a true masterpiece on Romans. B.B. Warfield, Hodge’s most distinguished pupil and ardent admirer, described Hodge as a teacher who, with limited philological and linguistic resources, was peerless and spellbinding in his power to pick out and display the flow of an argument, and it is this quality that sets Hodge’s Romans apart from most other expositions before and since. First published in 1835, its classic quality led to its being reprinted once already in this century (Eerdmans, 1951), and the present edited reissue should give it another lease of useful life. Hodge’s intellectual rigor, as a masterful Reformed theologian committed to state and defend his sixteenth- and seventeenth-century heritage, was a quality that all his peers respected, but his terse, springy, thrustful style of expression enabled him to write popular theology for his own era and makes his 150-year-old applicatory analysis of Romans very accessible and acceptable today.”

  • In Knowing God, p. 134, Packer refers to the famous hymn by Samuel Davies: “The reaction of the Christian heart contemplating this, comparing how things were with how they are in consequence of the appearing of grace in the world, was given supreme expression by the one-time president of Princeton, Samuel Davies:

Great God of wonders! all thy ways
Display the attributes divine;
But countless acts of pardoning grace
Beyond thine other wonders shine:
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?”

In these snapshots, we glean the appreciation that Packer had for some Log College Press authors that we too are fond of, and in particular, the piety of old Princeton. We remember these things about him as facets of a life lived for the glory of God. He labored long as a teacher and author, the legacy he left behind is rich; but now we rejoice that he has entered into his rest in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Princeton Book

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When Charles Hodge entered into glory in 1878, it seemed that one chapter in the history of Princeton had closed, and a new one was beginning. The following year, a memorial in honor of Hodge, Samuel Miller and the Alexanders was dedicated at Miller Chapel, and a book was published to commemorate the occasion, The Alexander Memorial (1879), of which we have written before. Today’s post concerns another volume published in 1879, The Princeton Book, “by officers and graduates of the college,” which is a remarkable and comprehensive look at the history and scope of Princeton’s legacy.

The Princeton Book Title Page smaller.jpg

The Princeton Book has recently been added to our Compilations page. It is a volume filled with information about the founding of Princeton, both the college and the seminary, its relationship to church and state, the courses of study and activities conducted at Princeton, including science and athletics, the layout of the campus, the cemetery, the surrounding town, and much more. Each section is written by those with experience and knowledge of the topic, and a love of the institutions represented. It is a valuable snapshot in time (complete with many photographs and maps), as well as a look backward in time to inform readers of a rich heritage that belongs to Princeton and its people. The table of contents below will help today’s reader to better understand what this remarkable volume is all about.

I. Historical
History of the College of New Jersey by William Henry Hornblower
College Presidents by William A. Packard
Princeton and the Church by Henry J. Van Dyke
Princeton and the State by Henry J. Van Dyke
Princeton and Science by S.B. Dod
Princeton and Literature by William M. Baker

II. Organization
Course of Study in the Academical Department by James McCosh
The Faculty by Addison Atwater
The Treasurer by William Harris
The Librarian by Frederic Vinton
Commencement Day by Henry Alfred Todd
The American Whig Society by H.C. Cameron
Cliosophic Society by Melancthon W. Jacobus
The Philadelphian Society by John Thomas Duffield
The Nassau Hall Bible Society by George Sheldon
The St. Paul’s Society by Arthur B. Turnure
Class Meetings and Alumni Associations by George W. Sheldon

III. Buildings
Nassau Hall by John P. Campbell
Dickinson Hall by Edward D. Lindsey
The College Chapel by Lyman Hotchkiss Atwater
The College Library by Frederic Vinton
The Halsted Observatory by Stephen Alexander
The Working Observatory by C.A. Young
The Museum of Geology and Archaeology by Arnold Henry Guyot
The Gymnasium by Allan Marquand
Witherspoon Hall by William Harris
Reunion Hall by William Harris
East and West Colleges by William Harris

IV. The School of Science
The John C. Green School of Science by Henry B. Cornwall

V. The Theological Seminary
The Theological Seminary by George T. Purves
Library of the Theological Seminary by Wm. H. Roberts

VI. The Town
The Battle of Princeton by James C. Moffat
The First Church by Lyman Hotchkiss Atwater
The Princeton Graveyard by William Brenton Greene, Jr.
Tusculum by William Brenton Greene, Jr.
Morven by Bayard Stockton
Prospect by Bayard Stockton
Trinity Church by Bayard Stockton
Ivy Hall by Bayard Stockton
The University Hotel by William Harris

VII. Miscellaneous
On the Campus by Henry J. Van Dyke, Jr.
College Oratory by Simon J. McPherson
The Princeton Journals by Henry F. Osborn
Glee and Instrumental Clubs by Alfred L. Dennis, Jr.
History of Base Ball by Wilton Merle Smith
Foot-Ball by David Stewart
Athletic Notes by Allan Marquand

VIII. Statistics by William B. Scott
I. Statistics of Professions of Graduates
II. List of Presidents and Professors

Those interested in the history of “the legitimate successor of the celebrated ‘Log College’ at Neshaminy, Pennsylvania, and of several other schools of the prophets” (Henry Van Dyke), will find much in this volume to reward their study. The Princeton Book is a valuable resource indeed and can be read here.

A Virtual Tour of Princeton Cemetery

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William H. Foote once wrote of Moses Hoge (Sketches of Virginia, Second Series, p. 373):

He also visited Princeton College, which, in 1810, had conferred on him, in company with his friend, Mr. [Archibald] Alexander, the degree of S.T.D.; and passed a few days with Dr. Alexander. A cold easterly rain was falling the whole time of his visit. He examined thoroughly the condition of the two institutions, the College and the Seminary, with reference to the two in Prince Edward. He rejoiced in the extended influence of his friend Alexander, and [Samuel] Miller the co-laborer. He could not refrain from a visit to the grave-yard to meditate by the tombs of [Aaron] Burr, [Sr. and Jr.]; [Jonathan] Edwards, [Samuel] Davies, [John] Witherspoon, and [Samuel Stanhope] Smith. As he tarried in that hallowed spot, the bleak wind pierced his diseased frame, and hastened his descent into the valley of death. His heart was elevated as he went from grave to grave, and read the epitaphs of these Presidents of College and teachers of Theology; and his body under the cold rain was chilled in preparation for his own resting in the silent tomb. The conversations of Hoge and Alexander those few days, had there been a hand to record them, laying open the hearts, as by a daguerrotype, of men of such exalted pure principle, so unselfish and so unlike the mass of men - what simplicity of thought, benevolence in feeling, and elevation of piety! -- but there was no man to pen what all men would have been glad to read. Mr. Hoge took his seat in the Assembly - but his fever returned upon him, of a typhus case, and by means of the cold caught in Princeton, became too deeply seated for medicine to remove. He bowed his head meekly to the will of the Head of the Church, and fell asleep in Jesus, on the [5th] of July."

Of the Alexander family, A.A. Hodge once said (Henry Carrington Alexander, The Life of Joseph Addison Alexander, Vol. 2, p. 583):

Of this one great family, A. A. Hodge once said, “I never go to Princeton without visiting the graves of the Alexanders – father and sons – and I never think of them without having my poor staggering faith in God and in regenerated humanity strengthened. Let us uncover our heads and thank God for them.”

Princeton Cemetery is comparable to Westminster Abbey or Bunhill Fields, where so many godly saints are buried - John F. Hageman described it as "the Westminster Abbey of the United States." The number of Log College Press authors who have been laid to rest here is numerous; included are Archibald Alexander, James W. Alexander, Joseph A. Alexander, Aaron Burr, Sr., Samuel Davies, A.A. Hodge, Charles Hodge, Samuel Miller, B.B. Warfield, John Witherspoon, and so many more.

For those who are unable to visit Princeton Cemetery in person, or who wish to revisit the cemetery virtually, take a tour of this special place online here. See where the past Presidents of Princeton (including Jonathan Edwards, Sr.) are buried, along with a President and Vice-President of the United States, and many other luminaries with Princeton connections. This writer has spent many hours touring the grounds, including a visit to the grave of Charles Hodge on the 140th anniversary of his entering into glory. We can all be thankful for the technology to be able to revisit Princeton Cemetery, especially in a time of isolation.

The Making of a Minister by Russell Cecil

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Among the many notable addresses given at the Centennial Celebration of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1912 is one titled “The Making of a Minister” by Russell Cecil (1853-1925), who at the time was serving as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS).

He begins by establishing some of the necessary prerequisites for any minister, and goes on to describe what else is important and most valuable in the building blocks of the ministry.

Among those things that are essential and necessary, he says, are the following:

  • a minister must be male;

  • a minister must be godly;

  • a minister must be learned in the Scriptures; and

  • a minister must be called to his office by God.

Other non-essential, but nevertheless important and helpful factors in what makes up a good ministerial candidate, highlighted by Cecil, include the following:

  • a godly, religious, stable upbringing, emphasizing the influence of family and education;

  • a wholesome spiritual atmosphere at seminary, which is conducive to the spiritual and academic learning by the student of the ministry;

  • a course of theological study that is broad and encompasses a full range of useful matter for pastoral ministry; and

  • a studied effort to improve one’s method of expression, including both composition and delivery of the message.

It was also Cecil’s view that every pastor should be imbued with “the missionary spirit,” no matter whether they were going to be established at a country church or sent to foreign shores. An evangelistic zeal for sharing the gospel should be part of the spirit of one’s theological training that one should carry with them throughout their pastoral career.

He closes with this thought:

I close with the remark that Christian people every where feel that humanizing influences should be thrown around the young men in our seminaries; that they should not be cloistered scholastics, withdrawn from the stirring life of the day; but that they should be men of loving hearts, who, when they come forth to their work, are able to sympathize with the poor and needy, and know how to dispense the gospel of the grace of God to our perishing race.

Read the full address by Cecil here and see how he fleshes out his message. It is a worthy read about “The Making of a Minister,” a most excellent and noble calling.

The man who founded the Stone Lectures at Princeton

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The Stone Lectures constitute a famous tradition that encompasses Abraham Kuyper’s Lectures on Calvinism (1898) and Herman Bavinck’s The Philosophy of Revelation (1908), among other notable examples. But for whom are these lectures given bi-annually at Princeton Theological Seminary named?

Levi Payson Stone was born on May 1, 1802 in Wendell, Massachusetts. Raised in a religious household, he became a successful businessman. His father’s counsel, which he followed, was: “See to it my child, that the world does not get too strong a hold of your affections. It is a deadly enemy to the soul. Be diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”

One key moment in his life was the reading of Charles Hodge’s The Way of Life.

…the thing that brought him to the light, and gave him settled convictions, was the reading of Dr. Charles Hodge's Way of Life, in which the words in II Cor. 5: 14, were explained in a way that was new to him. When he saw what the Apostle meant in saying, "If one died for all, then were all dead," — that is, not that all were dead in sin before Christ died for them, but that all died in Him to sin when He died; — " If one died for all, then all died;" — when he caught sight of this clear statement of a vicarious atonement in which the Lord Jesus became the sinner's substitute, bearing the penalty in his stead, his mind was filled with light and peace. And ever afterward he seemed grateful to the man who had been the means of opening his eyes. To some extent, this doubtless explains the deep interest he took in Princeton Seminary, in which Dr. Hodge was a professor.

He made a personal covenant which reads as follows:

Lord's day, July 4, 1830. It is this month two years since I began to indulge a hope in the mercy of God in Jesus Christ; and one year this day since I took upon me the vows of God in pubhc, and was admitted into the communion and fellowship of the church. Relying on the promises to repenting sinners of acceptance through the Redeemer, I do this day renewedly devote myself to the service of God; all my faculties of body and mind, all my time, property and influence, resolving to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, and to live no longer unto myself, but unto Him that died for me, choosing Him for my whole portion for time and eternity. Through divine assistance. — L. P. S.

In his memoir, one can read snatches of his poetry from the journal that he kept during this time. It was in 1841 that he was ordained to serve as a deacon at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. Gardiner Spring was the pastor of that congregation at the time.

After retiring in 1866, Stone endowed the L.P. Stone Lectureship at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1871. Shortly before his death in 1884, he bequeathed to the same seminary a collection of old Puritan books. Both a director and a trustee of Princeton Theological Seminary, he also served as director of the German Theological Seminary at Newark, New Jersey (now known as Bloomfield College).

After an illness, he entered into glory on December 31, 1884. The prayer at his memorial service was offered by A.A. Hodge. His name lives on not only through the lectureship which he sponsored, but also in the Book of Life in which all saints are held in precious remembrance. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Ps. 116:15). Read more about his life and legacy here.

The ED scholarship at Princeton Theological Seminary

The story is told by David B. Calhoun, “Old Princeton Seminary and the Westminster Standards,” in Ligon Duncan, ed., The Westminster Confession into the 21st Century, Vol. 2, pp. 41-42 and by Cortlandt Van Rensselear in The Presbyterian Magazine, Vol. 7 (August 1857), pp. 369-370, of a brother and sister, Robert and Marian Hall, originally of Scotland and raised under the minister of the esteemed John Brown of Haddington, who came to America in 1785.

In 1831, they gave $2500 to endow a scholarship at (what is now known as) Princeton Theological Seminary. In doing so, they said:

Whereas, after a life of nearly fourscore years, much of which has been spent in examining the Word of God, we are fully satisfied of the correctness of the doctrines of religion as laid down in the Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, drawn up by the Westminster Assembly of Divines, and as held by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States, we desire that the scholarship which is endowed by this our bequest of two thousand five hundred dollars, be called the ED Scholarship, as a witness between us and the Theological Seminary, that the Lord he is God, agreeable to the said Confession of Faith and Catechisms.

Farther, it is our will, that the Professors in said Seminary be careful, that no person holding sentiments inconsistent with the Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, be ever admitted to the benefit of said Scholarship.

It was their wish, furthermore, that this scholarship be given to “such as are poor and needy.” When Marian was asked why it should not be called the “Hall Scholarship,” a memorable exchange followed:

“As your brother and self have now founded a Scholarship, it can be called the Hall Scholarship.”

”I dinna wish my worthless name to be remembered after I am dead and gone, but I do wish to do something for the cause of true religion, which shall maintain the truth, as long as the Kirk shall lead, and, therefore, I wish the Scholarship to be named ED.”

Being asked the meaning of the name, she replied, “And dinna ye ken, young mon? E’en go and read your Bible.”

“Well, I have read it, and still I do not recollect the meaning of use of ED.”

“Do you not recollect that when the two tribes and a half, who had their inheritance on the east side of Jordan, had assisted the other tribes to subdue their enemies, and were about to return to their possessions, before they crossed the river, they built an altar? And do you not know that the other tribes were about to make war upon them for the erection of this altar, supposing it to have been intended for an altar of worship distinct from that appointed by Jehovah? The two and a half tribes gave the others to understand that they were entirely mistaken in their conjectures. The altar was not an altar of worship, but an altar of witness, that Jehovah alone was the true God, and that it had been created in token of their views and desires. (‘And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar ED; for it shall be a witness between us that the Lord is God.’ Joshua 22:34)

She continued, “I dinna like your Hopkinsian. I believe in the doctrines of the Bible, as expressed in the Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms of the Presbyterian Church, and I wish that the Scholarship be called ED, as a witness between us and the Theological Seminary, that the Lord is God, agreeably to said Confession and Catechisms: and I dinna wish that any person holding sentiments inconsistent therewith, be ever admitted to the benefit of said scholarship.”

And that is the story of how the ED scholarship began at Princeton Theological Seminary.