Peter Bringe

An old gentleman aged 60 or 70 who is serving in the New Jersey militia at Newark has 15 children, 9 of whom are also fighting in the Continental Army.

- Westminster Confession of Faith, 21.1

“The light of nature showeth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and doth good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might.”

𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 died on this day in history, 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟑𝟏, 𝟏𝟖𝟓𝟗, in Red Sweet Springs, Virginia. Born on March 13, 1804, at the Hopewell estate, near Gordonsville, Virginia, he was the eldest son of Archibald and Janetta Alexander. He graduated from the College of New Jersey at Princeton in 1820, and then studied for four years at Princeton Theological Seminary, where his father was the first professor. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New Brunswick (New Jersey) in 1824. He served as a pastor in Charlotte County, Virginia (where his father had once served) from 1826 to 1828. From 1829 to 1832, he served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Trenton, New Jersey. From 1833 to 1844, he served as Professor of Rhetoric and Belles-Letters at the College of New Jersey. That year, he became pastor of the Presbyterian Church in New York City, then located on Duane Street, where he ministered until 1849, when he was appointed as Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government at Princeton Theological Seminary. He served in that capacity for two years, and then returned to New York City (his congregation relocated and was then known as the Fifth Street Presbyterian Church). Struggling with poor health, he visited the mountains of Virginia to seek relief from springs which were renowned for their healing qualities. However, he died of dysentery, and his body was transported back to New Jersey, where he was laid to rest at Princeton Cemetery. Alexander was the author of many articles and books, which reflect his wide range of interests, his compassion on the poor, and his love for the Lord and the Lord's people. Among his most notable books were 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝐹𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 (1847); 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑑 𝐴𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟, 𝐷.𝐷. (1854); 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼𝑡𝑠 𝐿𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 (1859); 𝑆𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑠 (1860); and 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 (1861). His longtime friend and correspondent, John Hall, published 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠' 𝐹𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑟 𝐿𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐽𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑊. 𝐴𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟, 𝐷.𝐷. in 1860. His death was mourned by many, and his life remains an inspiration. A.A. Hodge later said, “I never go to Princeton without visiting the graves of the Alexanders – father and sons – and I never think of them without having my poor staggering faith in God and in regenerated humanity strengthened. Let us uncover our heads and thank God for them.”

I recently addressed the meaning and use of the “imprecatory” psalms in my sermon on Psalm 5, below.

Incidentally, I don’t think any of them are of the boomer generation. I think Dr. Watkins and Dr. Graves are the oldest in the group, in their early 50s. (Our last study committee report on race was produced around the time they were born.)

Daniel Cooke is an elder and the others are all pastors, except that Eric Watkins is an evangelist (planting a church in FL) and also teaches at Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He and David Graves have doctorates.

The members of the OPC study committee “to study all forms of racial prejudice and related matters” are: Daniel Cooke, David Graves, Zachary Keele, Filipe Schulz dos Santos, and Eric Watkins. Alternates: Michael Myers and Z. Bulut Yasar.

You can find David Clark’s obituary in the New York Times here: nytimes.com/1939/02/28/arc… David Clark’s father had been a minister, and his son Gordon Clark became one as well, although Gordon Clark held to Historic Premillennialism rather than Postmillennialism.

Today I learned that the David S. Clark (1859-1939) who wrote a Postmillennial and partial preterist commentary on Revelation was the father of Gordon Clark. David Clark was a graduate of Princeton and Edinburgh seminaries and a Presbyterian pastor in Philadelphia.

Key point from @james_d_baird's essay, "Religious Liberty and American Presbyterianism," in the latest issue of @AdFontesJournal. adfontesjournal.com/church-society…

@brlprfcalvinist Sorry for the typo - the end should be “departs too far in their judgment.”

@brlprfcalvinist I think that is more complicated, especially as something can be taught in different ways and different contexts. But I don’t think stating a difference gives a person a right to teach it, and a presbytery can censure him if he departs too far he in their judgment.

So, for example, if a man is not convinced that all images of Christ are forbidden, a presbytery may still ordain him, but his church should still operate according to its constitution and refrain from displaying images of Christ in its building and ministries.

This Sunday I will begin two new sermons series - Revelation in the morning and 2 Chronicles in the evening - and a new Sunday school series on worship.

those elements which are performed on behalf of God (through a representative voice) and those elements which are performed by the congregation (through their own or a representative voice).” - OPC Directory for Public Worship

“Because a service of public worship is in its essence a meeting of the triune God with his chosen people, a worship service consists of two principal parts:

@SamR102794 @JayCCalhoun Here is the publisher that has the editions I read when I was growing up: robinsonbooks.com/collections/g-…

@JayCCalhoun Where is the best place to purchase nice editions of Henty’s work?

GA Henty historical novels are the next level. From phonics to the Siege of Jerusalem or the Fall of Acre... It's only a few years. Line them up for your kids, and let them run wild.

Now you can find links to bios of Daniel Boone’s parents and children at this page: trackingtheboones.com/p/the-boone-fa… Next week, I will begin posting bios of Daniel Boone’s 70 grandchildren.