The Forgotten Founding Father – Even to Presbyterians
by Rev. David T Myers

Who hasn’t heard about our country founding fathers, like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Charles Thompson . . . wait a minute, who? Charles Thompson, who was he?

Answer? He was the forgotten founding father of America, even to Presbyterians. And yet he shouldn’t be, for after all, he was a Christian Presbyterian, a ruling elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia.

Born in County Londonderry to John Thompson and his wife, Charles lost his mother in 1739 at age ten, as did all his four brothers and one sister. The father decided to take his family to the American colonies, despite the perilous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. And indeed, in sight of land, the father died after sickness. Before his breadth expired, his last words were “God take them up,” referring to his children. The captain of the ship coldly slid his body overboard, and took possession of all his money. The children were split up, with Charles being sent to a blacksmith in Delaware.

There are several silences at this point, but the one this author read and found convincing was that he left the blacksmith and was picked up by a woman who took him to her house and home. She in time reared him up and placed him in a school held at New London Presbyterian Church, Pennsylvania, pastored by the Rev. Francis Allison.

This church school was designed chiefly to prepare ministers for Presbyterian churches in the colonies. Its courses were Greek, Latin, English literature, Science, and Math. They hoped that many needed Presbyterian Pastors would graduate from the school, but few did. It did produce five future doctors of medicine, four members of the Continental Congress, four Signers of the Declaration of Independence, five members of the House of Representatives, four governors, and oh yes, one Secretary of the Continental Congress, Charles Thompson.

Charles Thompson, upon graduating, stayed on to teach at the New London School, which eventually became in later years the University of Delaware. After his teaching experience, he went into business, but national affairs brought him to his position as the Corresponding Secretary of the Continental Congress, where he was to stay from 1774 – 1789, During those pivotal years, 342 delegates dealt with national business, while their words were faithfully transcribed by one secretary, Charles Thompson.

On July 4^th, 1776, the first copy of the Declaration of Independence was signed by John Hancock and recorded by Charles Thompson, Secretary. The rest of the signatures were affixed a week later. In addition, he was the designer of the Great Seal of America. And like all the signers, he was to suffer persecution by the British for being connected with that historic document of our nation. His house was burned.

After his political service in the thrilling days of independence, he retired to his house outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to translate the Septuagint into English, a loving labor which took him years to complete. Another biblical work was an arrangement of the four gospels into one continuing biblical story. Both books are still in print today.

Charles Thompson went to be with his Lord and Savior on August 16, 1824. At least to subscribers and readers of This Day in Presbyterian History, forgotten no more.

Words to Live By:
Charles Thompson deserves to be remembered by all Americans, especially American Presbyterians. Parents, share his life story with your family. Home school parents, make him part of your home training. Christian and public school instructors, include him in the history lessons of your pupils. Pastors and Sunday School teachers, let him be illustrations of the providence of God in serving the Lord in government. Let not the title of this post be the norm any longer!

The Presbyterian Patriot
by Rev. David T. Myers

Born in North Ireland, John Haslet was the eldest son of Joseph and Ann Haslet. His father was a Presbyterian well-to-do merchant and tenant farmer. After John finished up his early education in Ulster, he went to Scotland and the University of Glasgow for ministerial training. The Derry Presbytery in 1750 licensed him and later in 1752, ordained him as a teaching elder. Try as I could, I could not find any record of him serving as a pastor or teacher there. He married a Presbyterian minister’s daughter in 1750, but who tragically died in childbirth after birthing their daughter Mary.

North Ireland was desperate for its living conditions, so John moved with his young daughter to the three southern counties of Pennsylvania around 1757, near Milford, Pennsylvania. There he married Jemina Molleston, and with her fathered four children.

It is strangely silent in that there is no record that he served a Presbyterian church or ministry here either. Instead, there must have been some training in the medical field, as he was known as a “doctor” in Pennsylvania.

With the French and Indian War starting, he volunteered to serve as a captain in that war with the Pennsylvania militia. We know that he participated in the Forbes expedition which captured Fort Duquesne in November 1758. Returning to his home in Pennsylvania, two changes occurred which brought him fame.

First, the southern counties of Pennsylvania in 1776 separated from that “state,” and became the new state of Delaware. And second, with the outbreak of the American revolution, now Colonel John Haslet became the commander of a nine hundred Delaware regiment known as the “Fighting Blue Hens.” It would take a courageous and sacrificial role in the Revolutionary battles of Brooklyn, Trenton, and Princeton, for all purposes ceasing to exist in the cause of liberty. It was at the latter battle of Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777 that Colonel Haslet was killed.

It is interesting that he was buried in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. The custom then was that no one could be buried in a Presbyterian cemetery except Presbyterians! So his Reformed faith must have stayed with him all during his time in America, even though there is no record of him serving as pastor/teacher of a Presbyterian church.

Delaware as a state recognized his true home in that on this day, July3^rd, 1841, they moved his remains under a military honor guard to the Presbyterian cemetery in Dover, Delaware. There his remains are in an honored position today, as a hero of the state of Delaware.

Words to Live By:
Why our Presbyterian figure honored on this day did not serve his and our Lord Jesus as a Presbyterian pastor or teacher is not known to us. In Scotland, he went to theological seminary, was licensed, and ordained by a Scottish presbytery. What the Presbyterian historical record says here is that he did not serve such a calling, there or here. Yet what he did serve was important so that others could worship and serve the Lord Jesus in Presbyterian churches and agencies in the newly formed country known as America. Let us rejoice in that truth and leave the rest of our questions to our Sovereign God.

A Voice from the Past Still Speaks
by Rev. David T. Myers

Frontispiece portrait of Rev. Miller, in Our New Edens[Volume 8 of The Presbyterian Pulpit, Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, 1903.

Our subscribers may not have known about this Presbyterian pastor. That was certainly this author’s case. His was a testimony from the past.

Born in 1840 near Frankfort Springs, Pennsylvania to Scot Irish parents, James Russell Miller was the second child of James and Eleanor Miller. Their church background was the United Presbyterian Church, and into this tradition James Miller had his home and church training. At age 14, he, now the eldest child of the family, moved to Calcutta, Ohio. After school training, he progressed to Westminster College in Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1862. Believing in his call into the ministry, he entered the theological seminary of the United Presbyterians Church in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. But national affairs – namely the Civil War – interrupted that theological training.

In March 1683, Russell Miller became a Field Agent of the newly formed United States Christian Commission to minister to Union soldiers in that great conflict. He served faithfully his church and country until the end of that national war in 1865.

Returning to seminary, he graduated from Allegheny Seminary in 1867. But there was a change in his religious convictions about exclusive psalm singing, in which he was reared. Able to hold firmly to all other spiritual truths of the United Presbyterian Church, he could not hold to exclusive psalm singing. So he left the church of his childhood and joined the Presbyterian Church USA.

James Miller would serve in five churches as pastor. In every one of them, his proclamation of the Word of God resulted in membership growth. Which teaching and ruling elders today would not be blessed in the membership rolls going up from 75 members to 1200 members, or 66 members going to 1, 397 members? Yet that was the record time and time again in the congregations under his spiritual teaching.

In the midst of all this pastoral relationships, James R Miller was a prolific author of devotional books, many under the oversight of the Presbyterian Board of Publications in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He wrote literally hundreds of books, countless of which can be found online or are still in print.

He would go to the Lord on this Day in Presbyterian History, July 2, 1912.

Words to Live By: Church Sessions in our Presbyterian churches would do well to give their pastors sabbatical time so as to give them the opportunity to edify the wider Christian public with the result of their study in God’s Word. In that way, their ministries can be shared with greater outreach, believers would be edified in greater ways, and God would be glorified all the more. Pray about this, my fellow elders and members!

And to give credit where due to that supporting Session, here below is a photograph of Rev. Miller standing with members of the Session of the St. Paul Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA, in 1905:

Lastly, for your reading pleasure, click here to view a list of the many books by Rev. J.R. Miller which can be found on the Internet.

STUDIES IN THE WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM
by Rev. Leonard T. Van Horn

Q. 81. What is forbidden in the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.

Scripture References: I Cor. 10:10. Gal. 5:26. Col. 3:5.

Questions:

1. How do we show lack of contentment with our own estate?

We show lack of contentment. with our own estate by not being pleased with the place and possessions the Lord has given us; by complaining against the Lord because of our state; by thinking we are due far more than the Lord has given us.

2. What is envy?

It is the desire to have the better circumstances of our neighbor or any of his superior privileges. It is the desire to have what God does not want us to have, whether it be in the physical, mental or material realm.

3. Why should we refrain from envy?

We should refrain from envy because it is a sin before God. It is a sin that has a great affect on us and is the foundation of many evil deeds. (James 3:16)

4. What is meant in this commandment by the term “inordinate motions and affections?”

These are the unlawful purposes, intentions and desires that arise in the heart. It is especially concerned here with these unlawful acts as they pertain to our neighbor.

5. Where are these “inordinate motions and affections” found in man?

These arise from the soul, these are the first stirrings of corruption which lead us on to the consent of the will.

6. What should this teach us as believers in Jesus Christ?

This should teach us that it is only by His grace we are saved and only by His grace that we are able to stand against the evil that rises from within us. We should ever be careful to keep ourselves in that relationship with Him that will lead us in the ways of righteousness.

BE DILIGENT IN MORTIFICATION

The believer is forbidden in this commandment to envy, to passionate desires of anything belonging to his neighbor. This is a high standard to keep and one that is difficult to keep. It is especially difficult when living in a world where the exact opposite is the standard of living. The believer must work at being different in this area.

The matter of wrong desires is made very clear by Paul in Colossians 3:5. He begins the verse by saying, “Mortify!” He is telling the believer that he must put to death – or make dead – these wrong desires that arise in regard to his neighbor or in regard to anything else. And here is where the believer falls short, he simply goes the way of slackness, he shows a lack of diligence. Possibly a clearer way of putting it is to say he is lazy, spiritually lazy.

There is no easy way to keep the commandments of God. Simply to say, “I am saved” and counting on that to enable you to work at pleasing Him will not be enough. It is so very strange that we do not see this. We know full well that in the life of the world we dare not be lazy if we want to have success, Whether it be in business, or in an athletic contest, or in being known as a good homemaker we know it takes hard work. Why then should we think that being a success in the eyes of the Lord will come without diligence? The hymn writer had learned the lesson when he wrote:

“Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize
And sailed through bloody seas?”

The commandments are not kept through a lack of diligence. The believer must be certain that he disciplines his life moment by moment or else he will find himself discontent with his own estate and will be turned to the way of envy and wrong desire concerning the things of his neighbor. The way is hard but it is possible as He is given the pre-eminence in our lives. We are so prone to sin in these areas unless we stay very close to the Word of God.

The SHIELD and SWORD, INC.
Dedicated to instruction in the Westminster Standards for use as a bulletin insert or other methods of distribution in Presbyterian churches.
Vol. 5 No. 10
Rev. Leonard T. Van Horn, Editor.