January 2012

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January 21: Francis Makemie

21 January, 2012 in January 2012 by archivist | Permalink

This Day in Presbyterian History:

A landmark case in favor of religious freedom

[To  our valued readers from the author of Thisday.pcahistory:   As I read the January 21 historical devotional tonight with my wife, I realized that I had mistakenly placed down 1706 as the year that Francis McKemie and John Hampton had been arrested by the New York Anglican governor.  The correct date is 1707—January 21, 1707.  Please correct that error if you are keeping a print copy of the devotional for your own use.  And forgive me, please.—David Myers]

One year after the organization of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, two of the seven ministers of that Presbytery, Francis McKemie and John Hampton took a trip to New England. On their way, they stopped in New York to minister to the Reformed saints there. Requesting permission from the Deputy Governor Lord Cornbury (aka Edward Hyde) to proclaim the Word, they were shocked by his refusal to give them permission. That didn’t stop them however. A private house was secured for them, and McKemie preached “in as public a manner as possible, with open doors.” His traveling companion, Rev. John Hampton, preached in a church on Long Island. Both were arrested by Lord Cornbury on January 21, 1707, and thrown into jail. The charge was that they preached without a license. Hampton was released, but McKemie was imprisoned for six weeks. He was released by the payment of bail. Six months later, he returned for the trial. The exchanges between him and his accusers are historically important.

Lord Cornbury charged McKemie that he was “a strolling preacher.” Further, he declared that he was “not to spread his pernicious doctrines in New York.”

Francis McKemie answered back, “As to our doctrines, we have our (Westminster) Confession of Faith, which is known to the Christian world. I challenge all the clergy of (New) York to show us any false or pernicious doctrines therein. We can prove that its doctrinal articles agree with those of the Church of England.” The reader needs to remember that the authors of Westminster were mostly Church of England ministers!

“But you haven’t signed these articles” of the Anglican faith, Lord Cornbury countered.

McKemie answered, “I have a copy in my pocket, and am ready at all times to sign, with those exceptions in the law.”

The defense of McKemie was based on the English Toleration Law Act of 1689. Even Lord Cornbury’s attorney’s acknowledged that McKemie had such a command of English laws that they couldn’t prove him guilty. For that reason, he was acquitted, but Lord Cornbury forced him to pay the cost of the prosecution, which was several hundred dollars. This injustice was denounced by the New York legislature, who passed a law to prevent any such persecution again. Lord Cornbury was recalled the very next year back to England.

Words to Live By: Whether you preach the gospel in the pulpit as a minister, or hear the gospel proclaimed faithfully by a minister, gives thanks for the courage of Francis McKemie who stood his ground when an attempt was made to muzzle the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Through the Scriptures: Job 18 – 20

Through the Standards: God’s Eternal Decrees, in the Confession

WCF 3:1, 2
“God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all supposed conditions, yet hath He not decreed any thing because He foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.”

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January 20: Charles Cummings

20 January, 2012 in January 2012 by archivist | No comments

This Day in Presbyterian History:

Presbyterians in Southwest Virginia Declare Independence from England

In September of 1774, the first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to protest some British laws which were deemed to be injurious to the people of the American colonies. One of them had been to deem all territory north of the Ohio River to Quebec, a Roman Catholic province. With that protestation, these early risings of independence sent petitions to their British rulers, urging at the same time that the people of the colonies take action by boycotting certain British goods. All over the colonies, committees came together to discuss their collective responses to this call.

On January 20, 1775, a group of people representing southwest Virginia, met in the town of Abington, Virginia. A committee was formed, made up primarily of Presbyterians in two churches pastored by Charles Cummings. Their names deserve to be mentioned, as they were the key Presbyterian laymen of that area. They were, along with their rank, Colonel William Christian, Colonel William Preston, Captain Stephen Trigg, Major Arthur Campbell, John Montgomery, James McGavock. William Campbell, Thomas Madison, Daniel Smith, William Russell, Evan Shelby, and William Edmundson.

After discussion together, they as a body sent an address to the Second Continental Congress, soon to meet, which included the following words:

“We by no means desire to shake off our duty or allegiance to our lawful sovereign, but on the contrary, shall ever glory in being the loyal subjects of a Protestant prince descended from such illustrious progenitors, so long as we can enjoy the free exercise of our religion as Protestants and our liberties and properties as British subjects. But if no pacific measures shall be proposed or adopted by Great Britain, and our enemies will attempt to dragoon us out of those inestimable privileges which we are entitled to as subjects, and to reduce us to slavery, we declare that we are deliberately and resolutely determined never to surrender them to any power upon earth, but at the expense of our lives.”

Here was no wild-eyed statement of revolution, but rather a carefully formulated statement of subjection to lawful authority, as long as the latter did not seek to take away the rights and privileges of its citizens, and thereby make them little more than slaves. It was thought that the wording of this declaration was essentially that of Presbyterian pastor Charles Cummings.

They were sent to the Second Continental Congress as the spirit of southwest Virginia with regards to the important issues of liberty and justice for all.

Words to Live By: “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22 (ESV);

“For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” Proverbs 24:6 (ESV)

Through the Scriptures:Job 14 – 17

Through the Standards: Proof Texts of God and the Holy Trinity

Deuteronomy 6:4
“Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.” (NASV)

1 Corinthians 8:4 – 6
“Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” (NASV)

Acts 5:3, 4
“But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land? . . . You have not lied to men, but to God.'” (NASV)

 2 Corinthians 13:14
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” (NASV)

For further reading, see Virginia Presbyterianism and Religious Liberty in Colonial and Revolutionary Times, by Thomas Cary Johnson. Richmond: Presbyterian Committee of Publication, 1907.

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January 19: Gov. David Hall [1752-1817]

19 January, 2012 in January 2012 by archivist | No comments

This Day in Presbyterian History:

A Governor by Eighteen Votes

The margin in the election couldn’t get any closer than it was. But on January 19, 1802, David Hall won the race for governor of Delaware by a mere eighteen vote difference. That he would win at all, even by that narrow margin, was providential, given his circumstances.

David Hall, Jr. was born in Lewes, Delaware in 1752. His parents had emigrated from Connecticut in the early 1700’s. David Hall, Sr. was a well known farmer in the area, having served as a Justice of Peace as well as in the Colonial Assembly for twenty plus years. Young David Hall, Jr. married the daughter of a prominent Anglican rector, and fathered six children from the union. But this new family of Hall’s were solidly Presbyterian, worshiping at Lewes Presbyterian Church, one of the earliest Reformed churches in the colony. He studied Law and began his practice of law in the town.

When issues of independence from England entered the colony, David Hall left his attorney’s practice and joined the First Delaware Infantry regiment. They fought in four pivotal battles at Long Island, White Plains, Brandywine, and Germantown. In the latter two battles, Hall was commanding the regiment as its colonel. Also in the last battle at Germantown, David Hall was critically wounded. Eventually, he had to leave soldiering and resign his commission to go back to the practice of law.

In 1802, he ran for the office of governor. Everything was against him in that race. He was the first non-Federalist to run for office in the state, and win. His opponent was an Anglican but also a deist. Hall was clearly a theist in conviction and openly advocated his Presbyterian and Reformed convictions.  In God’s providence, even in Anglican Lewes county, he won the governorship. He would serve for three years, and afterwards serve for several years as a judge.

Governor Hall’s gravestone is pictured here. His home is also on the National Registry of Historic Homes, here.

Words to Live By: It has been said that one with God makes a majority. Yet the God of the Bible does not need the one to be a majority. God is sovereign after all.  What He needs are for Christians to stand in the gap, so to speak, and be made willing to be used for God’s glory and our good.  If circumstances prevent you from doing that, ask God to change your circumstances.  Support others who have answered the call, with your prayers of encouragement and words of comfort.

Through the Scriptures: Job 11 – 13

Through the Standards: The properties and deity of the Triune God

WLC 10 — “What are the personal properties of the three persons in the Godhead?
A. It is proper to the Father to beget the Son, and to the Son to be begotten of the Father, and to the Holy Ghost to proceed from the Father and the Son from all eternity.”

WLC 11 — “How doth it appear that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father?
A. The scriptures manifest that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father, ascribing unto them such names, attributes, works, and worship, as are proper to God only.”

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January 18: Dr. Charles Nisbet [1736-1804]

18 January, 2012 in January 2012 by archivist | 1 comment

This Day in Presbyterian History:

A Walking Library with Wit

Charles Nisbet was born in Scotland in 1736. Graduating from the University of Edinburgh, he studied divinity for another six years after which he was licensed to preach in 1760. A friend of Witherspoon, he stood for the historic Christian faith. As a friend of the American colonies, he accepted an invitation to become the first president of Dickinson College, a Presbyterian school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Here he was to remain until January 18, 1804, going home to be with his Lord in the sixth-eighth year of his life. He was known during his life time as having an ability to remember large portions of Greek, Latin, and British classics. In addition, he was acquainted with nine languages. As such, he was a remarkable collegiate leader.

For a time, he served as the pastor of the First Presbyterian church on the square of Carlisle, in addition to his educational responsibilities. Once during that ministry, a woman of the congregation announced to him that she thought she could preach as well as he did. So Dr. Nisbet told her that before she would be allowed into the pulpit, she would have to know how to preach. She readily agreed, and was instructed that the average sermon had an introduction, a three point outline, and an application. When she asked him for a text, he responded with Proverbs 21:9, which states, “It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, then with a brawling woman in a wide house.” The woman was indignant, asking whether the pastor thought she was such a woman. Dr. Nisbet replied, “Oh my dear, you are already at the application. You must go back first and deal with the introduction.”

In front of Dickinson College today, there is a sign which reads, “The Charles Nisbet Campus of Dickinson College. Named for Dr. Charles Nisbet (1736 – 1804) of Montrose, Scotland, one of the great scholars of his time. First President of the College.”

Words to Live By: Discover and  develop the spiritual gifts  or Spirit-given abilities of service, which God’s Spirit has given you, and then dedicate and deploy them in His kingdom and church.

Through the Scriptures: Job 8 – 10

Through the Standards: God is single in unity and plural in personality

WLC 8 “Are there more Gods than one?
A. There is but one only, the living the true God”

WLC 9 “How many persons are there in the Godhead?
A.  “There be three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substances, equal in power and glory; although distinguished by their personal properties.”

WSC 5  “Are there more Gods than one?
A.  There is but One only, the living and true God.”

WSC 6  “How many persons are there in the Godhead?
A.  There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.”

Image sources: The above two images were taken from The Centennial Memorial of the Presbytery of Carlisle. Harrisburg, PA: Meyers Printing, 1889. Portrait: vol. 1, facing the title page. Monument: vol. 2, p. 65.

For further reading on the life and ministry of Dr. Charles Nisbet, see pp. 60-65 of The Centennial Memorial of the Presbytery of Carlisle, available on the web here.

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January 17: The Battle of Cowpens

17 January, 2012 in January 2012 by davidtmyers | 1 comment

This Day in Presbyterian History:

Almost Entirely a Presbyterian Army

When Lord Cornwallis brought his British army into the southern colonies, it was the Presbyterian colonists of that part of the infant nation which met him and his forces in every county and town with their Bibles, their Psalm books, and their rifles. Sending a fierce cavalry officer in Colonel Banastre Tarleton, who rarely gave quarter, into western South Carolina, with a picked force of 1100 men, they came up against the smaller American forces at a grazing ground on the Broad River called the Cowpens.

Commanding the American militia and Continentals was Brig. General Daniel Morgan, a Presbyterian elder. In charge of the second of three lines of American soldiers was Presbyterian elder Andrew Pickens. The majority of the militia were from the Presbyterian congregations of South Carolina and Virginia.    It was almost entirely a Presbyterian army.  All through the night, the elders prayed with the men to ask God to give them the victory.

At sunrise on January 17, 1781, the charge of the British forces began. Moving with fifty yards, the American forces, as they were commanded to do by Morgan, fired two volleys, and retired to the second line. The second line of American riflemen fired three volleys, taking down all the British officers, and retired to the third line of American troops. This was composed of battle hardened Continental troops of the American army. As they, along with the retiring militia, charged the British troops, American cavalry attacked both flanks of the British forces. The latter retreated with a tremendous loss of men killed, wounded, and captured. A full one third of Cornwallis’s soldiers were out of action, and the battle of Cowpens was over. An American victory was given in answer to the prayers and courage of Presbyterian riflemen from the southern states.

Words to Live By: “The Lord is a Man of War; the Lord is His name.” Exodus 15:3 (Amplified)  It has been a much discussed topic down through the years since our American Revolution as to where Christian Presbyterians should have been as involved as they were in it.  But the issue really which should be discussed is whether it was a just war. If it was, then Christians must support it.  If it was not, then Christians have no place in it.  That is the question then.  Was the American Revolution a just war?  Our American Presbyterian ancestors thought it was, and so supported it and indeed fought in its battles.   We need to do the same examination with conflicts today.

Through the Scriptures: Job 5 – 7

Through the Standards: God is single in unity and plural in persons

WCF 2:3
“In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: the Father is of none, neither begotten, not proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.”

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