Archibald Alexander Hodge on the Westminster Shorter Catechism

If you are teaching through the Westminster Shorter Catechism, make sure to check out this commentary by A. A. Hodge and J. Aspinwall Hodge - The System of Theology Contained in the Westminster Shorter Catechism: Opened and Explained (1888). A. A. Hodge had written the first part of the book, and upon his death J. Aspinwall Hodge (his cousin) finished it. This relatively unknown volume is a great companion to Hodge's Commentary on the Westminster Confession.

B. B. Warfield on Luther's 95 Theses

If you're looking for some insight into the theology of Luther's 95 Theses, don't miss B.B. Warfield (1851-1921), The Ninety-Five Theses in Their Theological Significance (1917). Originally published in The Princeton Theological Review in honor of the 400th anniversary of the Reformation, this is a fascinating study of the document by Martin Luther that launched the Reformation on October 31, 1517.

The Protestant Reformation in the Writings of the 19th Century American Presbyterians

To commemorate what is arguably the great event in church history since Pentecost, Log College Press wishes to highlight select works by early American Presbyterians which relate to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation:

William Swan Plumer on Solus Christus

“In proportion as men are truly pious, they make Jesus Christ the foundation and top-stone, the sum and substance and center of all their hopes and rejoicings. He is believed on in the world, not merely because there is no other way of salvation, but because this way is so admirably adapted to all the necessities of sinners, and because it brings glory to God in the highest. The true believer not only trusts in Christ; he glories in him. He not only makes mention of him; he admits none into comparison with him. To all the ends, parts and purposes of salvation Christ stands alone. There is none like him, there is none with him, there is none before him, there is none after him, there is none beside him.” (From "Christ All in All" - Plumer's Inaugural Discourse at Western Theological Seminary)

Benjamin Morgan Palmer's sermon on Philippians 4:6

On July 29, 1855, Benjamin Morgan Palmer preached a sermon to his congregation at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC, on Philippians 4:6 entitled "The Antidote of Care." It had such an impact on the people of God that they asked him to publish it. The antidote of care is prayer. Palmer tells us why:

1. In prayer we are brought to a habitual and practical sense of the supreme will of a personal God.

2. Prayer leads to the contemplation of God in his Covenant relations to us, which will soften the lot otherwise rugged and difficult.

3. Prayer compels us to take an inventory of our mercies, and to balance, these against our trials. 

4. Prayer imparts a tone to the spirit, girding it for the hour of trial.

5. Prayer brings us to a distinct issue with ourselves in relation to our cares.

6. In prayer we apprehend the nearness of Heaven, which is a motive to submission and patience.

Calling all BCO nerds - do you have Ramsay in your library?

Francis Ramsay's Exposition of the Form of Government and the Rules of Discipline (1898) is just that - an exposition, or explanation, or what the Southern Presbyterian Church's Book of Church Order stated at the current time. Yet Ramsay's book remains relevant in 2017 to the ecclesiastical descendants of the PCUS, because many portions of current Books of Church Order are found in the book Ramsey expounded. 

Why understand the BCO better? Ramsay explains:

"But the writer has concluded his exposition with a deep conviction that the more our standards are studied the less disposition there will be to criticize them. For it may be conceded that our system of government is one that works with much friction and confusion, and, it must be admitted, with considerable inefficiency, if those who work it do not understand it and intelligently approve it; for there are other systems that work more easily and satisfactorily in the hands of adherents not generally intelligent and capable. All we can claim is that the members and officers of any church need to know its system of government well enough, and to love it well enough, to work it efficiently, and that for those thus qualified ours is the best system, even among the different systems that are scriptural in their main principles. To promote the study of our standards of order, and thereby a devotion to them and a working knowledge of them, is the end of this effort."

The next time you have a question about your BCO, open up Ramsay.

Even presuppositionalists need to be familiar with Alexander's "Evidences"

Sticking with the Princeton theme of this week, we've recently posted Archibald Alexander's Evidences of the Christian Religion (1832). Not every modern Presbyterian will agree with his approach (although check out Paul Helseth's "Right Reason" and the Princeton Mind for an "unorthodox proposal" regarding the Princetonian apologetic), but every stripe of apologist needs to be familiar with the external and internal evidences for Christianity. Alexander's book, though written for a different era, still has much to teach Christians (and non-Christians!) today.

Have you seen Samuel Miller's introductory essay on the Articles of the Synod of Dort?

Samuel Miller was a J. I. Packer of the 19th century, supplying introductory essays for several works. We've already posted his essay on the Sabbath (1833), but here's another one: his 1841 introductory essay to the Articles of the Synod of Dort. In this 74-page essay, Miller discusses the circumstances leading up to the Synod, as well as the writing of the Articles and the theology found in them. Anyone interested in the history of Calvinism will appreciate Miller's assessment of this document and its history. 

Why does formal training for gospel ministry matter? Samuel Miller answers.

Samuel Miller, the Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government at Princeton Theological Seminary in the first half of the 19th century, gave six answers to this question in his book, The Importance of a Thorough and Adequate Course of Preparatory Study for the Holy Ministry (1832):

1. The great importance of careful and mature preparatory study in candidates for the Ministry, appears from the nature and importance of that public service which the sacred office demands. 

2. A further and very important argument in favour of mature preparatory study is, that very few who do not lay a good foundation in the beginning, ever supply the deficiency afterwards.

3. The great importance of regular and mature training for the holy Ministry is manifest from the peculiar state and wants of our country.

4. The great importance of mature study, and thorough training for the holy Ministry, is manifest from the predominant influence which, the Press exerts, and seems destined in a still higher degree, to exert, in every part of our country.

5. Ample and mature preparatory study is of exceeding great importance to a candidate for the holy ministry, as a substitute for that experience which cannot be possessed in the outset of an ecclesiastical course; and for the general formation of the character.

6. The importance of mature study and thorough training for the sacred office, is powerfully and uniformly attested by the history of the Church.

What did an aged Archibald Alexander want to say to the young people in his life?

Log College Press exists to bring back to the church's memory books like this: Archibald Alexander's Counsels of the Aged to the Young (1852). Far too often, younger generations could care less what older generations have to say. But the wise man or woman takes the experience and advice of the aged to heart. Alexander's book was highly regarded in his own day, and it should be remembered in our day.

Here is Alexander's introduction:

It is a matter of serious regret, that young persons are commonly so little disposed to listen to the advice of the aged. This prejudice seems to have its origin in an apprehension, that austerity and rigour naturally belong to advanced years; and that the loss of all susceptibility of pleasure from those scenes and objects which afford delight to the young produces something of an ill-natured or envious feeling towards them. Now, it cannot be denied, that some of the aged are chargeable with the fault of being too rigid in exacting from youth the same steady gravity, which is becoming in those who have lived long, and have had much experience in the world; not remembering that the constitutional temperament of these two periods of human life is very different. In youth, the spirits are buoyant, the susceptibilities lively, the affections ardent, and the hopes sanguine. To the young, every thing in the world wears the garb of freshness; and the novelty and variety of the scenes presented keep up a constant excitement. These traits of youthful character, as long as irregularity and excess are avoided, are not only allowable, but amiable; and would in that age be badly exchanged for the more sedate and grave emotions which are the natural effects of increasing years, and of long and painful experience. But it is greatly to be desired, that the lessons of wisdom taught by the experience of one set of men should be made available to the instruction of those who come after them. We have, therefore, determined to address a few short hints of advice to the rising generation, on subjects of deep and acknowledged importance to all ; but previously to commencing, we would assure them, that it is no part of our object to interfere with their innocent enjoyments, or to deprive them of one pleasure which cannot be shown to be injurious to their best interests. We wish to approach you, dear youth, in the character of affectionate friends, rather than in that of dogmatical teachers or stern reprovers. We would therefore, solicit your patient, candid and impartial attention to the following counsels...

Tolle lege - take and read! 

What is the nature and limits of church power? Few questions are more important.

John Bailey Adger (1810-1899) gives a wonderfully full answer to this question in his article from the October 1874 number of the Southern Presbyterian Review, entitled, aptly, "Church Power." 

Christians need to take heed to Adger's counsels, so that we might learn to obey lawful authority, and resist tyranny. Read this article, and you will better understand what Presbyterian church government is all about. 

Before there was Packer's Concise Theology, there was Plumer's Truths for the People

William Swan Plumer loved to write theology for the common man. Many of his books were aimed at the church at large, not merely pastors or scholars. Toward the end of his life, Plumer published Truths for the People: Or, Several Points in Theology Plainly Stated, for Beginners (1875). If you or someone you know is looking for a book that hits the highlights of systematic theology, but in an accessible style, in short chunks and even shorter sentences, then this is the book to read. 

What did Robert J. Breckinridge, a border state Presbyterian pastor, think of the state of the country in 1862?

Robert Jefferson Breckinridge's 24-page pamphlet entitled Two Speeches on the State of Our Country (1862) opens a window into the way that Northern Presbyterians viewed the Civil War, the South, and Southern Presbyterians. Breckinridge had been close to many Southerners throughout the early days of Old School Presbyterianism (1837ff.), but he could not tolerate the views they held on slavery and secession. Read these speeches and you will discover the reasons why. 

What did 19th century Presbyterians think about revivals of religion?

William Buell Sprague's 1832 work, Lectures on Revivals of Religion, gives us the answer to this question. His lectures cover an array of topics (the nature of revival, obstacles to revival, divine agency in revival, etc.), and he also includes letters from twenty different Presbyterian clergymen concerning revival. 

Here is a portion of Archibald Alexander's letter, on the nature of true revival:

But I come now to speak of genuine revivals, where the gospel is preached in its purity, and where the people have been well instructed in the doctrines of Christianity. In a revival, it makes the greatest difference in the world whether the people have been carefully taught by catechising, and where they are ignorant of the truths of the Bible. In some cases revivals are so remarkably pure, that nothing occurs with which any pious man can find fault. There is not only no wildness and extravagance, but very little strong commotion of the animal feelings. The word of God distils upon the mind like the gentle rain, and the Holy Spirit comes down like the dew, diffusing a blessed influence on all around. Such a revival affords the most beautiful sight ever seen upon earth. Its aspect gives us a lively idea of what will be the general state of things in the latter-day glory, and some faint image of the heavenly state.
 

The impressions on the minds of the people in such a work are the exact counterpart of the truth; just as the impression on the wax corresponds to the seal. In such revivals there is great solemnity and silence. The convictions of sin are deep and humbling: the justice of God in the condemnation of the sinner is felt and acknowledged; every other refuge but Christ is abandoned; the heart at first is made to feel its own impenetrable hardness; but when least expected, it dissolves under a grateful sense of God's goodness, and Christ's love; light breaks in upon the soul either by a gradual da^vning, or by a sudden flash; Christ is revealed through the gospel, and a firm and often a joyful confidence of salvation through Him is produced: a benevolent, forgiving, meek, humble and contrite spirit predominates — the love of God is shed abroad—and with some, joy unspeakable and full of glory, fills the soul. A spirit of devotion is enkindled. The word of God becomes exceedingly precious. Prayer is the exercise in which the soul seems to be in its proper element, because by it, God is approached, and his presence felt, and beauty seen: and the new-born soul lives by breathing after the knowledge of God, after communion with God, and after conformity to his will. Now also springs up in the soul an inextinguishable desire to promote the glory of God, and to bring all men to the knowledge of the truth, and by that means to the possession of eternal life. The sincere language of the heart is, "Lord what wouldst thou have me to do?" That God may send upon his church many such revivals, is my daily prayer; and many such have been experienced in our country, and I trust are still going forward in our churches. 

Are you eating and drinking the Lord's Supper this Sunday? Read this book.

The Lord's Supper is a means of grace, yet it is so often misunderstood by the church of our Lord. In 1854, James Waddel Alexander wrote Plain Words to a Young Communicant (reprinted by Banner of Truth as Remember Him). These short devotional thoughts on so many aspect of our Lord's person, work, and sacrament are a wonderful way to prepare your heart to come to the table - or to prepare your children to make a profession of faith and take communion for the first time. 

Here's what an Associate Reformed Presbyterian thought of the New and Old Schools in 1860...

If you've ever seen a map of American Presbyterianism from the 1700s till today, you understand why it's often called "Split P soup," and you also perhaps scratch your head in confusion as to what kept all these different groups from uniting as one large Presbyterian body en masse. Alexander Blaikie (1804-1885) was an Associate Reformed Presbyterian minister who was familiar with the differences between the various denominations of Presbyterians, and his 60-page pamphlet entitled "The Schools" (written in 1860) is helpful in sorting out who believed what in those days. Check it out - and if anyone knows where we can find a picture of Blaikie, let us know!

Francis James Grimke is an African-American Presbyterian pastor you need to know.

One purpose of Log College Press is to bring back to the corporate memory of Presbyterians the forefathers we have forgotten, and their writings. None are more forgotten than the African-American Presbyterian pastors of the 19th century.

Francis Grimke (1850-1937) was a 1878 graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary. He pastored the 15th Street Presbyterian Church from 1878-1928, with a few years of ministry in the middle of that time at a Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, FL. In 1909 he helped to found the NAACP. He was a prolific writer, and in due time we will post all of his writings that we can locate. For now, we have posted Volume 1 of his Works, which contains biographical addresses on distinguished Americans, racial addresses, a three part series on the causes and remedies of lynching in the South (written in 1899), and twenty-two miscellaneous sermons. 

Get to know this servant of the Lord and what he had to say to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ! 

Three 19th century Presbyterian poets/hymn writers: J. W. Alexander, B. B. Warfield, and John L. Girardeau

I knew that James Waddel Alexander was a poet. He translated "O Sacred Head Now Wounded" from the German. But I had no idea that B. B. Warfield and John Lafeyette Girardeau were also poets and hymn writers. Yet listen to these rich gospel lines from the pen of Girardeau:

'Nothing to pay?' No, nothing, to win
Salvation by merit from law and from sin;
But all things, to buy, without money and price.
The wine and the milk of a free Paradise.

'Nothing to do?' No, not to procure
A heaven, by infinite blood made secure;
But all things, with labour and sweat of the face,
To honor my Saviour and magnify grace.

'What of the law?' Its thunders were stilled
Against my poor soul, by the blood that was spilled:
But the hands which were nailed to the wood of the Tree
Now wield its commands to be honored by me.

'Nothing of guilt?' No, not to my God,
As Judge and Condemner, uplifting His rod;
But, ah, I am guilty of breaking His Word
In the house of my Father—the Church of my Lord.

'What am I waiting for?' Spare me a while
To tell of Thy love to a sinner so vile!
Then take me to Heaven, which is not my due.
And give me the Crown of Fidelity, too!

You can find Alexander's translations of German hymns (entitled The Breaking Crucible) here; B. B. Warfield's Four Hymns and Some Religious Verses, a published volume of hymns (with some musical settings!) and poems, here; and Girardeau's poems on pages 345-364 of The Life Work of John L. Girardeau by George A Blackburn. Use these volumes in your private worship. And let me know if you think it would be a worthy project to reprint these hymns/poems in a single book.