May 2012

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May 11 : Appeal to English Presbyterians for Aid

11 May, 2012 in May 2012 by davidtmyers | No comments

This Day in Presbyterian History: 

A Plea for Ministers and Money

Most of us can remember Paul’s vision which he experienced on his second missionary journey of a man who called out to the apostle, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” (NIV – Acts 16:9)   Well, we don’t have any record of any visionary request for help, but early Presbyterians in this blessed land did correspond with Presbyterians in the mother country just two years after the organization of the Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1707.  There is a letter written on May 11, 1709 to Presbyterians in London, England from the Presbyterian ministers in the Philadelphia Presbytery appealing for more men and money to help the infant Presbyterian Church get off the ground.  Listen to the pathos in their words:

“Unto whom can we apply ourselves more fitly than unto our fathers, who have been extolled in the reformed churches for their large bounty and benevolence in their necessities!  We doubt not, but if the sum of about two hundred pounds per annum, were raised for the encouragement of ministers in these parts, it would enable ministers and people to erect eight congregations, and ourselves put in better circumstances than hitherto we have been.  We are at present seven ministers, most of whose outward affairs are so straightened as to crave relief, unto which, if two or three more were added, it would greatly strengthen our interest, which does miserably suffer, as things are at present are among us.

“Sir, if we shall be supplied with ministers from you, which we earnestly desire; with your benevolence to the value above, you may be assured of our fidelity and Christian care in distributing it to the best ends and purposes we can, so as we hope we shall be able to give a just and fair account for every part of it to yourself and others, by our letters to you.

“That our evangelical affairs may be the better managed, we have formed ourselves into a Presbytery, annually convened.  It is a sore distress and trouble unto us, that we are not able to comply with the desires of sundry places, crying unto us for ministers.  Therefore we earnestly beseech you to intercede with the ministers of London, to extend their charity to us, otherwise many people will remain in a perishing condition as to spiritual things.”

It is obvious that the seven ministers of the Presbytery of Philadelphia certainly saw that the fields of America were ripe unto harvest.  They also sadly realized that the laborers were few so as to reap that spiritual harvest.  And so they, in a spirit of prayer, asked for both ministers and money to take advantage of the opportunities for a wide and effective service in the American colonies.

It would be at a later date in the history of the American church, indeed several decades from this date,  that the question of where you were trained educationally became an issue in the visible church.  But at this early date in American Presbyterian history, they were at a critical crossroads, as the letter above proves.  They needed more pastors and more money to support those who were present in ministering to the masses.

Words to Live By: Such a prayer and plea as this is never outdated, even in current America.  We might add the adjective “faithful” before the men who are needed in our conservative Presbyterian and Reformed church bodies, but the need is the same.  Will you be a prayer warrior before our Sovereign God and heavenly Father for Him to thrust out faithful  laborers into the harvest fields?

Through the Scriptures: Psalms 91 – 93

Through the Standards: The principal acts of saving faith

WCF 14:2
“By this faith, a Christian believes to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority of God Himself speaking therein; and acts differently upon that which each particular passage thereof contains; yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life, and that which is to come.  But the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace.”

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May 10 : Death of Thomas Jonathan Jackson

10 May, 2012 in May 2012 by davidtmyers | No comments

This Day in Presbyterian History:  

Being Content in God’s Will

In what was General Robert E. Lee’s greatest campaign victory, that of Chancellorsville, Virginia, in the spring of 1863, was also his greatest loss, for it was in that battle that he lost the services of General Thomas Jonathan Jackson, better known as Stonewall Jackson.

Wounded several times in the early hours of May 2, Jackson was shot by his own men who thought that the small group on horseback were Federal cavalry. His arm was amputated back at the field hospital. Taken by wagon to Guinea Station, he was to eventually contract pneumonia and die.  But before he died, he had this conversation with his Presbyterian chaplain, Rev. Lacy:

“You see me severely wounded, but not depressed, not unhappy.  I believe it has been done according to God’s holy will, and I acquiesce entirely in it.  You may think it strange, but you never saw me more perfectly contented than I am today; for I am sure that my Heavenly Father designs this affliction for my good.  I am perfectly satisfied that, either in this life, or in that which is to come, I shall discover that what is now regarded as a calamity is a blessing. And if it appears a great calamity, as it sure will be a great inconvenience, to be deprived of my arm, it will result in a greater blessing.  I can wait until God, in his own time, shall make known to me the object He has in thus afflicting me.  But why should I not rather rejoice in it as a blessing, and not look on it as a calamity at all?  If it were in my power to replace my arm, I would not dare to do it, unless I know it was the will of my Heavenly Father.”

Stonewall Jackson was a Christian Presbyterian, a deacon in the Presbyterian church back in Lexington, Virginia.  He had learned the Shorter Catechism in his married life, repeating it word for word to his beloved wife, one Sabbath afternoon.  And, he lived an outstanding  Christian life in peace and in war.

It was said that just before his death on Sunday,  May 10, 1863, he uttered the last  sentence on this side of glory, “Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.”   His wife, Mary Anna, said, knowing him intimately, “Was he reaching forward across the river of death, to the golden streets of the Celestial City, and the trees whose leaves are for the healing of the nations?  It was to these that God was bringing him, through his last battle and victory; and under their shade he walks, with the blessed company of the redeemed.”

[Editor : Our readers might want to know of a well-received study guide on the spiritual life of Thomas Jonathan Jackson, written by Dr. David T. Myers and titled Stonewall Jackson: The Spiritual Side. The cover of this 93 page book is shown above. Published by Sprinkle Publications in 2003, copies may be obtained from either Sprinkle or from the Cumberland Valley Book Service.]

Words to Live By:  To live entirely in the sense of the Lord’s will, brings a contentment which is beyond words. You are at peace with your life. You sense that God is in control of your life. You have complete trust in  whatever your Heavenly Father appoints or allows for your life. Think where you are now. God knows all about it, for He is praying for you right now at the Father’s right hand. In that light, pray for a complete and full submission to live in God’s will in your situation.

Through the Scriptures: Psalms 88 – 90

Through the Standards:  Justifying faith in the catechisms

WLC 72 — “What is justifying faith?
A.  Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and word of God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition, not only assents to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but received and rested upon Christ and his righteousness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation.”

WSC 86 — “What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel.”

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May 9 : Death of Dr. Charles R. Erdman [1866-1960]

9 May, 2012 in May 2012 by archivist | No comments

This Day in Presbyterian History: (Death of Charles Erdman)

It was at the momentous Syracuse, N.Y. meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. where Dr. J. Gresham Machen was officially defrocked from the ministry of that denomination. That action in turn then prompted the founding of what was to become the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Also in attendance at that General Assembly in Syracuse was one of Machen’s many adversaries, Dr. Charles R. Erdman, a man who was by all accounts staunchly evangelical. Yet he found himself in opposition to the course taken by Dr. Machen— he found himself siding with those very men who took a decidedly modernist and unbelieving approach to the Scriptures.

The Syracuse Herald gave some coverage of Dr. Erdman’s visit to his birthplace in Fayetteville, NY that year, noting:

“Dr. Erdman was born in Fayetteville, where his father was a Presbyterian minister, but when he was three weeks old, his parents moved to another charge.

“In spite of the short time Dr. Erdman was a resident of the Onandaga County village, however, he has frequently visited his birthplace and this week, before the adjournment of the General Assembly which he is attending, he will again visit his birthplace, he said Saturday.

“Dr. Erdman’s father, the Rev. William Jacob Erdman, preached in the same church, and lived in the same manse as did the father of Grover Cleveland, former President of the United States. His youngest daughter is the wife of Francis Grover Cleveland, son of the late former President.

“The greater part of Dr. Erdman’s boyhood was passed in Jamestown. He also lived in Chicago where his father was pastor of Dwight L. Moody’s church. He was graduated from Princeton University in 1886 and from Princeton Seminary in 1891. He holds [honorary] doctor’s degrees from Wooster College, Princeton University and Davidson College.

“For six years following his ordination in 1891 he was pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Overbook, Pa. Then he became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Germantown, Pa., where he remained until 1906 when he became a Princeton professor.

“He became a member of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions in 1906 and in 1926 was elected as president, an office he still holds. He was elected moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly in 1925. In the same year he was moderator of the New Brunswick Presbytery. In 1910 he was a delegate tot he World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh and in 1922 to the National Christian Council in Shanghai.

“He is the author of many books, including The Ruling Elder, Sunday Afternoon with a Railroad Man, Coming to the Communion, Within the Gates of the Far East, The Return of Christ, The Lord We Love, The Spirit of Christ, The Life of D.L. Moody, and expositions of most of the books of the New Testament.

“Dr. Erdman’s wife was Miss Estelle Pardee of Germantown, daugher of a widely-known coal operator. His son, the Rev. Calvin Pardee Erdman, also a Presbyterian minister, has preached in Hawaii and California….

“The Erdmans have a summer home at Saranac Lake.”

Embedded in that newspaper account are a few clues for the observant reader as to why Dr. Erdman found himself an opponent of Machen. Erdman had become attached to the denominational board of foreign missions, and Machen had been critical of that Board for fielding missionaries who held low views of Scripture. Moreover, Erdman’s personal and family connection to D.L. Moody might indicate a faith and a theology that was more generally evangelical and less confessional or Reformed in nature. Politics may also have had a part. Like Grover Cleveland, Dr. Erdman may have been a Democrat, whereas J. Gresham Machen was decidedly libertarian in his views and more of a political free-thinker.

Words to Live By: Why some men make the decisions they do is often a puzzle beyond our understanding. In pondering this point, we realize how much we must seek to live humbly in the fear of the Lord, for there are times when it takes a clear head and a resolute faith if we are to stand fast on the sure counsel of God’s Word. Too many of us are shaped by our associations, much more so than we realize. Seek instead to be shaped by the Word of God. Live each day as honestly as possible, confessing your sin, repenting and seeking the Lord’s mercy and grace.   

Through the Scriptures: Psalms 85 – 87

Through the Standards:  Justifying faith, in the Confession

WCF 14:1
“The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of  the Word, by which also, and by the administration of the sacraments, and prayer, it is increased and strengthened.”

Image source : News clipping from among the scrapbooks in the Rev. Henry G. Welbon manuscript collection.

May 8 : Death of Professor John Murray

8 May, 2012 in May 2012 by archivist | No comments

This Day in Presbyterian History: 

We Thank God  on Every Remembrance of You

When Professor John Murray retired from Westminster to return to his beloved land of Scotland, he attended for the last time the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1966.  The delegates there gave a memorial to him which captured the man and his ministry perfectly when it simply quoted the Pauline expression, “We thank God on every remembrance of you.”  That said it all to their fellow minister.

Fast forward in your mind nine years to the Free Church of Creich in Scotland and its small cemetery where the remains of John Murray were being buried in 1975.  Five hundred people from all over the world had gathered to hear the memorial messages.  A prince of Israel  had indeed fallen on May 8, 1975.

Between these two events, John Murray had served his country in World War I,  where he had fought with the famous Black Watch regiment.  The loss of his eye came from that time of military service.

Education included the M.A. degree from Glasglow University in 1923.  Then his ministerial degree (the older ThB) and Th.M. came from Princeton Theological Seminary in the United States.  Returning to Scotland at New College at Edinburgh University, he returned to Princeton Seminary at a pivotal year, namely, 1929.   That year, Princeton’s Board of Trustees was reorganized and Westminster Theological Seminary was begun.  John Murray joined the faculty of Westminster Seminary.

From that time until his retirement in 1966, hundreds of students sat under this “saintly scholar.”  He really equipped the student saints to go forth and minister the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ on a sound foundation of Biblical truth.  John Murray also capsulized that same Biblical truth in several books he wrote.  It might be interesting to sum up those books, which this contributor used all during his pastoral ministry.

Church officers in our Reformed churches  would do well to have a firm understanding of both Christian Baptism, and Divorce.   Both of course would be profitable to the Christian in the pew as well.   All those with the gift of evangelism, as well as Evangelism teams going out weekly, must have an understanding of the book Redemption Accomplish and Applied.  In fact, all Christians should read this book.  Then Principles of Conduct are a reminder of the Christian life.  If any book of the Bible is a “must” book to consider the themes of sin, salvation, sanctification, sovereign election, and service, the book of Romans fills those themes perfectly.  And Murray’s commentary on The Epistle to the Romans is just what is needed to comprehend the great apostle’s words and thoughts.

After John Murray retired in 1966, after having lived 68 years as a bachelor, he took a younger Scottish wife, Miss Valerie Knowlton on December 7, 1967.  Two children would be born to the union.

Words to Live By: John Murray had many “children of the faith” in his years in teaching in this Reformed school of the prophets.  Let them remember him in their current ministries as they pass on what they have heard to others also who will be able to teach still others in the history of the church.

Through the Scriptures: Psalms 82 – 84

Through the Standards:  Relation of saving faith and repentance to God’s will regarding our salvation

WLC 153 — “What does God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse due to us by reason of the transgression of the law?
A.  That we may escape the wrath and curse of God due to us by reason of the transgression of the law, he requires of us repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and the diligent use of the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of his mediation.”

WSC 85 — “What does God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse due to us for sin?
A.  To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requires of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption.”

May 7 : Presbyterian Hymn Writer Elisha Hoffman

7 May, 2012 in May 2012 by davidtmyers | 1 comment

This Day in Presbyterian History:  

Who Wrote This Hymn?

We often sing favorite gospel hymns without the slightest idea or even care as to who was the author of it.  Also, have you ever wondered just what circumstances produced the words of such hymns?

Consider the following hymns:  “Are you Washed in the Blood?,”  “I must tell Jesus,”  “Is your All on the Altar?,”  “What a Wonderful Savior,”  “Down at the Cross where my Savior died,”  “Leaning on the Everlasting arms,”  “Speed the Light,”  “Christ has for sin Atonement made,”  “Glory to his name,”  “Have Thine own way, Lord,”  and “Give Him the glory.”

Indeed, if we listed all the hymns which the Presbyterian minister Elisha A. Hoffman wrote, we would list another 1,988 hymns.  And this from a man who had no formal music education!

Elisha Hoffman was born on May 7, 1839 in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania. His parents were Pennsylvania Germans, with his father a minister.   Elisha was educated in the Philadelphia school system.  During this time, he was converted.  He went to Union Seminary in New Berlin, Pennsylvania, completing a classical  education at that school.  As this was the middle of the Civil War, he enlisted after the battle of Gettysburg, but for some unexplained reason, only served for one month.  He married in 1866 Susan Orwig who died ten years later, leaving him with three young boys.  Ordained in the Presbyterian ministry in 1873, he went on to serve as pastor in three Presbyterian churches, with the longest being the First Presbyterian Church in Benton Harbour, Michigan.  He married a second time, which union produced a baby boy, in addition to his family.  She would be wedded to him until  he died at age 90 on November 25, 1929.

Often various pastoral situations prompted him to write hymns.  To two widowers who had lost their respective wives, and who were absolutely dismayed over it, he joined another Presbyterian elder, A. J. Showalter, of Dalton, Georgia,  in writing the words and music of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.”

When a woman was burdened down with troubles, and no words of comfort accomplished any relief for her, Rev. Hoffman said “You must tell Jesus . . . You must tell Jesus.”  She replied, “I must tell Jesus.  Yes, that is the answer.”  Elisha Hoffman went home and penned the words of the well-known hymn, “I Must Tell Jesus all my troubles and cares.”

The visible church is enriched by the spiritual gifts of music of this man, Elisha Hoffman, and thankful for the theology and experience which he gave to us over the years.

Words to Live By:  Whether in the congregation of the church you attend, or around the piano in some home or Bible study, why not have a hymn sing of the songs listed above in the historical devotional?  It will bless your heart and mind, and help you rejoice in the Lord who called this man to add to the worship of the church down through the ages.

Through the Scriptures: Psalms 79 – 81

Through the Standards: Proof texts of sanctification

John 17:17

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (ESV)

Romans 6:12, 13

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” (ESV)

Galatians 5:16 – 17, 24, 25

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will  not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh ae against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you wont to do.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (ESV)

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