The Faithful Pastor Commended by Gilbert Tennent

There is a sermon by James Davenport entitled, “The Faithful Minister Encouraged,” on-line at Internet Archive. It is based on II Corinthians 4:1 – “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;…” It was preached at the opening of the Synod of New York when it met in Philadelphia on October 1, 1755. The thing that caught my attention and thus this post, is that the published version has a glowing commendation in a Preface by Gilbert Tennent (and a Richard Treat). Tennent was one of the great fathers of American Presbyterianism. Anything he recommended is worth reading. Davenport was pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Southwold, Long Island, but at the time that the sermon was printed was pastor of Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Hopewell, NJ. (Before moving to SC, my wife and I drove through Hopewell almost every day for four years.)

The sermon is 35pp. long. It is the last of four sermons by different authors that are bound together. You will find it beginning on leaf 151. A search of “James Davenport” will not turn up the piece. The volume’s title and author are the title and author of the first piece in the collection. That work is entitled, “A Vindication of Gospel-Truth” and was written by Jedidiah Mills.

You can find this volume here.

The collection also contains a sermon preached at the funeral of another of America’s greatest Presbyterian ministers, Jonathan Dickinson, by John Pierson, pastor of the Woodbridge, NJ Presbyterian church. It is similarly titled, “The Faithful Minister.” There is a large blot on the cover and the first few pages which makes reading bits of it difficult. The other piece in the collection is a sermon by Aaron Burr, President of the College of NJ (Princeton).

 
 

22 Responses to “The Faithful Pastor Commended by Gilbert Tennent”

  1. JamesL says:

    Jim,
    Just to clarify does the link that goes to the book have the foreword by Tennent? Thank you for the info!

    James

  2. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  3. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  4. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  5. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  6. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  7. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  8. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  9. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  10. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  11. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  12. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  13. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  14. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  15. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  16. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  17. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  18. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  19. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  20. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  21. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

  22. Jim O'Brien says:

    Yes, it does. Sorry I didn’t see you comment earlier. The commendation is short, but a little from Tennent is worth a lot.

    Jim

Leave a reply

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve. (Romans 16:17-18)

*

Comments RSS Feed