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October 3: Clergy Appreciation Day

2 October, 2020 in October 2020 by Wayne Sparkman | No comments

Remembering Those Who Proclaim the Word of God
by Rev. David T. Myers

On this day in Presbyterian History, we emphasize a general encouragement to honor the Bible-believing, gospel-preaching, faithful pastors who feed you the Word of God weekly in Presbyterian and Reformed congregations all over our United States. This month of October has been designated “Pastor Appreciation Month” with the second Sunday, October 11th, having a “Clergy Appreciation Day” attached to it.

There is biblical exhortation to appreciate our pastor-teachers. Hebrews 13:7 states “Remember those who led you, who spoke the Word of God to you, and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” (NASB)

This challenge is seen in an incident which happened to a long ago Presbyterian pastor  as he happened to run into a friend who was a neighbor of his. The pastor was the Rev. Robert Smith, ministering to the Scot-Irish members of Pequea Presbyterian Church in Pequea, Pennsylvania in the eighteenth century. On returning home after an exhausting trip to visit far-flung members of the church, he  happened to meet his neighbor whom he regarded as an excellent Christian.

So this Presbyterian pastor said to  his neighbor, “Friend, we have long been good neighbors and friends, but you have never come into our church.”

Brother Haines replied, “Robert, while I greatly esteem thee to be a friend and neighbor, I cannot conscientiously hear thee preach. Thou knows our society  condemns a hireling ministry, We believe only in those who preach by the Spirit.”

“Well,” said Dr. Smith, “I think I can say that we, too, follow the teachings of the Spirit.”

“Oh, no, friend Robert, thee knows that thee prepares thy discourses before thee enters the pulpit.”

“That is true,” said Dr. Smith, “but I can preach without any preparation.”

“Well then,” said Friend Haines, “I will try thee. Next first day, I will go to thy meeting house and will send up to thee thy text after thee has thee long prayer which I hear is thy custom.”

“I accept the condition,” answered Dr Smith, “and will expect to see you next Lord’s Day morning in church.”

Dr. Smith entered the pulpit the next Sunday, noted that his neighbor was present, and commenced the service as usual. Just before the sermon, a sexton handed a slip of paper to Dr. Smith in the pulpit with the words of Ezra 1:9 and the phrase “nine and twenty knives” written on it.  From the context, this was part of the treasures which Cyrus, king of Persia, returned to Jerusalem after the seventy years of captivity.

Dr. Smith announced the title of the sermon as “nine and twenty knives.” Then with great solemnity, he began by giving a brief sketch of the Babylonian captivity. God had chosen the Jews, he said, as his peculiar people, given them his laws by which to rule their lives, but when they became rich and powerful, they rebelled against God and did evil in the sight of the Lord. In judgment, Jerusalem was taken to Babylon as captives. But the righteous in captivity longed for Jerusalem and their beloved temple. God accepted their repentance besides the rivers of Babylon and put it into the heart of Cyrus to return them to the land. Among the sacred utensils returned with them were “nine and twenty knives,”  no doubt sacrificial knives for use in the temple worship.

From this, Dr. Smith drew the doctrine of special providence under trial—sin will surely bring punishment and misery but God is always ready to accept genuine repentance. He then made a personal application to his congregation: God knows those who are in his service; they surely will be raised to adore the temple above when time shall give place to eternity. The  friend was edified by the Word preached.

Every teaching elder has been challenged in similar ways. This author remembers a time when he was a pastor. Entering the pulpit one Sunday, a note revealed a plea by a member of the church which said, “I have invited my next door neighbor to hear you preach.  This had better be good!”  Whether it was or not, I never heard, but there are many challenges and trials in being a faithful pastor.

Words to Live By:
Readers and members of our Presbyterian congregations, pray much for  your pastor-teachers. They would appreciate it. But do more than that. Let them this month know that you are praying for them all throughout the year, that you love them in the Lord, and that you support them in their work. Do all this by speaking to them at the door or church office, or a card in the mail, or an email over the web, or a special gift card at a favorite restaurant in the area. Let them know that you are their friend and fellow worker in the Lord’s congregation, using your spiritual gifts for the glory of God and the edification of the church.

October 2: Rev. John Hess McComb

1 October, 2020 in October 2020 by Wayne Sparkman | No comments

Contending Earnestly 
by Rev. David T. Myers

The  number “seven” has always been associated with perfection.  But while that is the belief, there would be no one who would suggest that the seventh opening exercises of Westminster Theological Seminary on October 2, 1935,  have this word “perfection” stamped upon it.  Yet there was a sure reminder of both their existence in the church world at that moment in history as well as an old challenge to the professors and student body that they were to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.”  That very familiar text from Jude 3 was the title of the sermon and article in the Presbyterian Guardian of October 21 and November 4 in 1935.

Proclaiming the Word that evening was Rev. John Hess McComb, pastor of the Broadway Presbyterian Church in New York City.  What you will read in this devotional history today will be a portion of that address which is still as up-to-date now as it was then applicable to the people of God.  He said,

“Then too, if we would contend for the faith, we must seize every opportunity to let people know were we stand. When the Word of God is under fire, every silent Christian  is counted with the enemy.  Psalm 107:2 says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”  God honors such testimony is surprising ways.  It bears more fruit than we have any idea it will.  Too often the people in the pew take the attitude that the minister is paid to do the testifying and there is no need for them to exert themselves in that direction.  It is a great privilege to speak a word for Christ, and we must avail ourselves of the privilege in the home, in the circle of friends, in the office, in the church — wherever God gives an opportunity.  If the Redeemed of the Lord would testify a little more frequently, perhaps it would be found that the true Church of Christ is far larger than it seems, and that Modernism has not gained the ground it supposes it has gained.  When a child is born into this world and utters no sounds, we fear that it is dead.  When a professing Christian never speaks a word regarding his redemption through Christ, we  have reason to suspect that he never has been born again. Of course the Christian must see to it that his personal life in no wise belies his testimony.  He that seizes every opportunity to testify for his Lord must so live that there is no question in the minds of those about him who his Lord is.”

There were some sobering statements in this quotation.  There is no doubt that the New York City pastor wanted to impress on the minds and hearts of the seminary students that their studies must produce some effects in the lives of those to whom they would be sent as servants of Christ.

Words to live by:  Standing out in the above quotation is the illustration and application of the child.  Dr. McComb said, “when a child is born into this world and  utters no sound, we fear that it is dead.  When a professing Christian never speaks a word regarding his Redemption through Christ, we have reason to suspect that he never has been born again.”  These are strong words, and may solicit objections by our readers.  Yet there are placed here to think upon them and more importantly to act upon them.  Pray for a divine opportunity this day or week.  Pray that the Spirit will remind you to recognize the divine opportunity.  Then simply relate your Christian testimony to the individual, and see what the Lord will bring forth.

October 1: Richard Stockton

30 September, 2020 in October 2020 by Wayne Sparkman | No comments

He was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ
by Rev. David T. Myers

The pronoun in our title refers to Richard Stockton, who was born October 1, 1730 near Princeton, New Jersey.  His father was a judge, and so there was no doubt that Richard would receive an education fitting of a man of his father’s stature.

His first training was in the Academy of the Rev. Samuel Finley, who was a Presbyterian minister.  Samuel Finley was later on a president of the College of New Jersey.  For two years, young Richard Stockton learned everything there was to know from this biblical classical education.  Transferring in his teen years to the College of New Jersey, he would graduate from there with honors at age 16 in 1748.

Marrying the sister of Elias Boudnot, the latter being the President of the Trustees for the General Assembly in the U.S.A., they couple had 6 children.  Richard Stockton was admitted to the bar in 1754 and immediately began to practice the law profession with success.

He didn’t let his saving faith to be lost however of his chosen profession.  Believing there was the need for a new church in Princeton, New Jersey, he personally gave one acre of land which was added to other acres, and Princeton Presbyterian Church was raised up as a church.  Besides being a member there and a trustee, he became a ruling elder of the church governing board.

When the Revolution came, he was not a hard-and-fast patriot calling for immediate separation.  Even as a member of the Second Continental Congress,  he first proposed  freedom for the colonies which continued their subjection to the Crown.  When that was turned down, he became the first one from New Jersey to sign the Declaration of Independence.

With that signing of this declaration for freedom, he was arrested by loyalist and sent for five months to a prison ship.  Cruelly treated, he was released five months later.  He never fully recovered from this inhuman treatment at the hands of the British.  Indeed, his land and house was subject to great damage from the British Army.   He was one of those signers whose person and property suffered greatly from his attachment to the patriotic cause.  He died in 1781 and is buried at Stone Brook Meeting House and cemetery.

Words to live by:  In all this, it was said that Richard Stockton was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.  His conviction of, and commitment to, biblical Presbyterianism stayed by  him all his life and work.  He was ready to sacrifice life, limb, and sacred honor for the cause of independence from tyranny, and did actually suffer those losses.   As such, he stands as a testimony to us, to be ready to suffer for Christ, if need be, for the sake of the gospel.  May God give us grace at that time to remain faithful to His cause and kingdom.

September 30: Abraham Keteltas [1732-1798]

29 September, 2020 in September 2020 by Wayne Sparkman | No comments

A Heart Firmly Attached in the Interest of His Country.

Abraham Keteltas was born in New York City on December 26, 1732. His father, Abraham Keteltas, Sr., was a merchant who had immigrated to the American colonies in 1720. The family had settled in New Rochelle, New York, which was at the time heavily populated with Huguenots. Young Abraham’s friendships among the Huguenots allowed him to become fluent in French. He later studied theology at Yale, graduating there in 1752, and was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New York in 1756.

Installed as pastor in Elizabethtown, New Jersey in 1757, he remained there but a year. Rev. Keteltas married about this time and resided at Jamaica, Long Island, yet without pastoral charge. Still, as he was fluent in the three languages dominant in the region and was a masterful preacher, he frequently was called to the pulpits of the Dutch and French churches, as well as the Presbyterian, and during this time his reputation grew among that population.

His reputation and stature apparently extended well beyond the Long Island community, for it is recorded that his advice was held in high esteem by many, George Washington being among that number and known to have frequently consulted him on various matters. Rev. Keteltas readily became a strong advocate in the struggle for independence, so public in his declarations that his personal safety required him to flee Long Island for the relative safety of New England. He was elected in 1777 to serve as a delegate to the New York State constitutional convention, though he did not attend.

Four of Rev. Keteltas’s sermons are extant, preserved in a small number of libraries. These are:

The Religious Soldier: or, The Military Character of King David, display’d and enforced in a sermon, preached March 8, 1759, to the regular officers and soldiers in Elizabeth-Town.

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, in becoming poor for men displayed and enforced in a charity sermon preached in the French Protestant Church, in New-York, December 27, 1773.

Reflections on Extortion shewing the Nature, Malignity, and Fatal Tendency of that Sin to Individuals and Communities, displayed and enforced in a sermon preached at Newbury-port, on Lord’s Day February 15th, 1778.

and

God Arising and Pleading His People’s Cause: or, The American War in Favor of Liberty, Against the Measures and Arms of Great Britain, Shewn to Be the Cause of God.

The last mentioned of these, delivered in 1777, is perhaps the best known of his sermons. It is a bold and patriotic record of his support for the American cause. Reiner Smolinki, of George State University, has skillfully made this sermon available in digital edition (see the above link). Of this sermon, Mr. Smolinski states:

In the former sermon . . . Keteltas enlists Jehovah of Armies in defense of America’s rights. Drawing on typological parallels from both Testaments, Keteltas demonstrates that God always supports the cause of righteousness, liberty, and self-government, especially where His people are concerned. If God is on the side of His American Israel, Kelteltas prophecies, the British enemy cannot succeed for long. Religion and politics are joined in a bed of patriotism.

During the war years, Rev. Keteltas supplied the pulpits of many churches in Connecticut and Massachusetts, continuing in that capacity until declining health forced his retirement in 1782. He died while residing in Jamaica, Queens County, New York, on this day, September 30, in 1798, at the age of 65 years, 9 months and 4 days. The New York Historical Society has preserved a portrait of Rev. Keteltas, which can be viewed here. His gravestone, which can be viewed here, reads as follows:

“He possessed unusual talents which were improved by profound erudition & a heart firmly attached in the interest of his Country. His mind was early impressed with a sense of religion, which fully manifested itself by his choice of the sacred office, in which he shone as the able & faithful Divine. It may not perhaps be unworthy of record in this inscription, that he had frequently officiated in three different languages, having preached in the Dutch & French Churches in his native City of New York.”

Something to Consider:
The question is still with us to this day, whether Christians, as Christians, should be involved in politics. Without voting here on the matter, we only make an historical observation of the strong involvement of the clergy in favor of the American Revolution, so much so that the War was sometimes called the Presbyterian Rebellion. To discover how these pastors came to their convictions, it is necessary to take into account the wider context of, first, the English Civil War (1642-51), and second, the Glorious Revolution of William and Mary (1688). The American Revolutionary War was very clearly at the time seen as a continuation of these earlier conflicts. For a Presbyterian defense of the struggle for liberty, see particularly Samuel Rutherford’s Lex, Rex: The Law and the Prince, A Dispute for the Just Prerogative of King and People (1644).

September 29: First Presbyterian Church, Schenectady, NY

28 September, 2020 in September 2020 by Wayne Sparkman | No comments


Ruling Elder Jim Stewart has long served as both Stated Clerk and as historian for the historic First Presbyterian Church of Schenectady, New York. Recently he was kind to provide us with a short account of the history of the church. There is much here that we may follow up on in months to come!

            A Brief History of First Presbyterian Church Schenectady

According to a local history, Presbyterians began meeting in Schenectady as early as 1735.  In 1759, the Episcopalians and Presbyterians bought land and began constructing a building for their joint use.  This did not work out, and in 1769, a lot was purchased and a new church building was built.  The early congregation was a mixture of Ulster/Scots immigrants and English Puritans who came via New England.  These two groups did not mix very well, and tensions between them were not resolved until the 1820s. 

Multiple revivals strengthened the church, especially the 1819-1820 revival under the ministry of the Rev. Asahel Nettleton.   FPC was involved in the formation of Union College (Schenectady), and its first president, the widely respected the Rev. John Blair Smith, served as FPC pastor.  Jonathan Edwards the younger was Union’s second president and is buried in the FPC churchyard.  Other early ministers achieved wide renown in their subsequent pastorates.  FPC elders, Alexander Kelly and Nehemiah Bassett, participated in General Assemblies and served in committee.  New churches were planted and benevolence ministries started.  The wooden building was replaced by a brick one in 1809 that was subsequently enlarged and is still in use today.  Three godly ministers, whose pastorates together spanned from 1832 to 1921, brought blessing and advance to the church. But theological liberalism swept Presbyterian churches in upstate New York in the early 1900s, and two liberal ministers served FPC in the 1920s and 30s.  God answered the prayers of faithful church members and brought Dr. Herbert Mekeel to minister in 1937.  With considerable difficulty, God used him to turn the church back to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The following years brought advancement to the church at home and wide outreach to the world.  Many men entered the ministry; missionaries were sent out; churches were planted; a Christian camp and a Christian school were started; and the evangelical cause was advanced during Mekeel’s 42 years’ pastorate.  In May 1975, FPC petitioned Presbytery to be transferred to another denomination.  That request having failed, the congregation voted in January 1977 to dissolve all relationships with the Presbytery of Albany.  God provided the means of securing the property through an 1828 provision in the New York State Religious Corporation Law.  It was not until December 1984 when the Supreme Court settled the matter.  FPC joined the PCA on Sept. 29th, 1989.

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