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 ^^?<>t06!CAL SE^^'S^ 
 
 BX9225.M213 S7 1864 
 Sprague, William Buell, 1795-1876. 
 Memoirs of the Rev. John McDowell, D.E 
 and Ihe Rev. William A. McDowell, D.D. 
 
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 ^'^^^ ^.^^^ky^^l^^-^c^^ti^^ele^ 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 REV. JOHN McDowell, d. d., 
 
 AND THE 
 
 KEV. WILLIAM A. McDOWELL, D. D. 
 
 V^ 
 
 BY WILLIAM B. SPRAGUE, D. D., 
 
 OF ALBANY. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS. 
 
 1864. 
 
Entered according to an Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight 
 hundred and sixty -four, by 
 
 ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 
 
 In the Clerk's OflBce of the District Court of the Southern 
 District of New York. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 -♦♦- 
 
 MEMOIR OP THE REV. JOHN McDOWELL, D. D. 
 
 Preface, iv 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 From his Birth to his Settlement at Elizabethtown, . ... 1 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 His Ministry at Elizabethtown, 13 
 
 CHAPTER ni. 
 His Ministry in Connection with the Central Church, 
 Philadelphia, 109 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 From his Leaving the Central Church till his Death, , . 128 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Summary of the Extraordinary Results of his Ministry, 
 
 AND how they have BEEN ATTAINED, 165 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Commemorative Letters, 189 
 
IV CONTENTS. ^ 
 
 MEMOIR OF THE REV. WILLIAM A. McDOWELL, 
 
 D. D. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 His Life, 263 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 His Character, 286 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Commemorative Letters, 294 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The basis of this Memoir of Dr. John McDowell 
 is an account of the leading events of his life, 
 which I committed to paper, as he communicated 
 it to me, in June, 1852, and which he reproduced 
 substantially, in the form of a Semi-Centennary 
 Discourse, at the close of 1854. The filling up 
 of the outline is partly from my own recollec- 
 tions ; partly from information furnished by his 
 friends, especially his daughter, Mrs. Rice ; partly 
 from a diary covering the period of his theologi- 
 cal education, and his first two years in the 
 ministry ; but chiefly from a vast number of his 
 letters, ranging from youth to old age, which, of 
 themselves, supply the material for nearly a 
 continuous history of his life. Of these letters I 
 have made liberal use, as forming at once the 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 most authentic account of his Labours, and the 
 most striking portraiture of his character. 
 
 The letters of personal recollections from his 
 friends are introduced without any reference to 
 the fact that they necessarily include consider- 
 able repetition. But as each friend has described 
 him in his own way, and as each has written out 
 of the fulness of an affectionate remembrance, it 
 is presumed that any uniformity necessarily in- 
 cident to a description of the same subject, will 
 be more than compensated by the fine genial 
 tone and excellent taste, by which the letters 
 are pervaded. 
 
 It was not originally intended to include in 
 this volume more than the Memoir of Dr. John 
 McDowell ; but, as I proceeded with that part of 
 my work, I found that himself and his brother, 
 Dr. William A. McDowell, had so much in com- 
 mon, and were so intertwined in affection, pur- 
 pose, and life, that it seemed due to the memory 
 of both, that each should be represented in the 
 same volume. I ventured to make the sugges- 
 tion to those more immediately concerned, and, 
 as it met from both families a favourable re- 
 
PREFACE. VU 
 
 sponse, I have carried out my idea as well as I 
 could. As the time for writing the Memoir of 
 the younger brother was necessarily limited, and 
 the material within my reach was by no means 
 ample, I have been able to go less into the details 
 of his history than I could have wished ; but I 
 trust I have succeeded in embodying the more 
 important facts of his life, and the more distinc- 
 tive lineaments of his beautiful character. If this 
 volume shall be instrumental, even in a humble 
 degree, of perpetuating the memory, and deepen- 
 ing the posthumous influence, of these two 
 brothers by blood, brothers in Christ, and 
 brothers in the ministry, whom the whole Church 
 delights tcJ honour, I can ask no more.. 
 
M E M O I R 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Rev. JOHN McDOWELL, D. D. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Rev. JOH^ McDOWELL, D. D. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 From his Birth to his Settlement at Elizabethtown. 
 
 What I propose, in undertaking this Memoir, is to 
 present the subject of it, as far as I can, just as he was, 
 in respect to the leading acts and events of his life, and 
 the more distinctive features of his character. If any, 
 in reading what I am to write, expect to be amused or 
 dazzled by eccentric or brilliant characteristics, I give 
 them notice, here at the beginning, that they have 
 taken up the wrong book ; whereas, on the other hand, 
 if I do not trace the career of one of the most judi- 
 cious, conscientious, laborious and successful ministers 
 of the age, I shall have failed in the work to which I 
 am about to address myself. 
 1 
 
John McDowell was born in the town of Bedmin- 
 ster, Somerset County, N. J., on the 10th of Septem- 
 ber, 1*180. He was a son of Matthew and Elizabeth 
 (Anderson) McDowell, both of whom were born in 
 America, though the parents of each had emigrated 
 hither from the North of Ireland. Their ancestors 
 were originally from Scotland, and are believed to have 
 been among the numerous Presbyterians who passed 
 over to Ireland, sometime between the years 1660 and 
 1670, in order to escape the operation of the oppressive 
 Act of Uniformity, in the reign of Charles the Second. 
 His ancestry, as far back as he could trace them, were 
 exemplary professors of the Christian faith. 
 
 His parents dedicated him to God in the ordinance 
 of Baptism, in the Presbyterian church of Lamington, 
 of which they were exemplary members : and they were 
 careful to redeem the baptismal pledge by training 
 him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 
 He was especially taught to regard the Sabbath with 
 the utmost reverence ; and, after the public services of 
 the day, the parents were accustomed regularly to 
 catechise their children, hear them repeat texts of 
 Scripture and give an account of the sermons which 
 they had heard, and by their own faithful and seasona- 
 ble instructions, to endeavour to impress Divine truth. 
 
upon their minds and hearts. Under this careful Chris- 
 tian nurture, and especially through the unremitting 
 efforts of his excellent mother, he had the whole of the 
 Assembly's Catechism lodged in his memory, at the age 
 of five years, and before he had learned to read. 
 
 When he had reached the age of eleven, he became 
 deeply concerned in respect to his immortal interests, 
 and the great question, — "What he should do to be 
 saved, pressed upon him with overwhelming urgency. 
 At length, after a somewhat protracted season of anxi- 
 ety and distress, he was enabled, as he believed, to 
 accept of an offered salvation, and thus to find rest to 
 his soul ; though his mind seems, for years afterwards, 
 to have been often subject to doubt and perplexity, on 
 account of the languor of his religious affsctions, and 
 the frequent failure of his good resolutions. 
 
 From the time that he first indulged the hope that 
 he had become the subject of renewing grace, he felt a 
 strong desire 'to devote himself to the ministry of the 
 Gospel. But the practicability of this seemed at least 
 doubtful ; for there was no classical school in the 
 neighbourhood, and his father was unwilling to incur the 
 expense of sending him away from home. Accord- 
 ingly, he continued to work upon his father's farm for 
 the four following years ; but, at the age of fifteen, a 
 
classical school having been established by the Rev. 
 William Boyd, within two miles of his father's resi- 
 dence, he was allowed to become a member of it. 
 Here he continued diligently engaged in his studies for 
 about three years, (though his studies were consid- 
 erably interrupted by labours on the farm), when he 
 was fitted to enter College at an advanced standing. 
 The school closed shortly after he left it ; and he was 
 always accustomed to recognize in the period of its 
 establishment and its continuance, a signal token of 
 the Divine favour, having an important bearing upon 
 his whole future life. 
 
 In the fall of 1^99, he entered the Junior class in 
 Princeton College, then under the Presidency of the Rev. 
 Dr. Samuel Stanhope Smith, who was regarded as one 
 of the brightest lights of the Presbyterian Church. At 
 this period, most of our colleges were, in a greater or 
 less degree, in sympathy with the Infidelity of Revo- 
 lutionary France ; and so deeply did the College of 
 New Jersey share in this calamity that the majority of 
 the students were avowed infidels, and open scoffers at 
 all religion, while the number of those who made any 
 pretensions to piety was exceedingly small. But, not- 
 withstanding he had not yet made a public profession of 
 his faith, he seems to have encountered successfully the 
 
manifold temptations to which he was subjected, and 
 held fast his integrity as a Christian throughout his 
 whole college course. He graduated with honour in 
 September, 1801. 
 
 After his graduation, he engaged as a teacher, in 
 Sussex county, for six months ; though, as he had the 
 children of two families only under his care, he was 
 able, at the same time, to prosecute his own studies. 
 He commenced the study of Theology under the direc- 
 tion of the Rev. H. W. Hunt, of Newton, N. J. ; but, 
 in the spring of 1802, he went to study under Dr. 
 Woodhull at Freehold, who was, at that time, well 
 known as a teacher of Theology. He had his home in 
 Dr. Woodhull's family, and came into the most inti- 
 mate relations with him, which continued as long as 
 they both lived. 
 
 It was not till he had been at Freehold several 
 months, and had been engaged in the study of The- 
 ology, more or less, for nearly a year, that he first made 
 a public profession of religion — of the reason of this long 
 delay, — a period of about eleven years from the time of 
 his hopeful conversion, I find no intimation in any 
 memoranda that he has left, beyond an incidental ref- 
 erence to the fact that the world had had an undue 
 control over him. He was received to the communioa 
 
of Dr. Woodhull's cliurcli in September, 1802 ; and his 
 recorded reflections on the occasion, though brief, sho"^'" 
 that he received the ordinance with great humility, and 
 was deeply impressed with a selise of the obligations 
 which he then, for the first time, publicly recognized. 
 Mr. McDowell continued his studies under the direc- 
 tion of Dr. Wood hull for about two years. He placed 
 himself under the care of the Presbytery of New Bruns- 
 wick within a few weeks after he became a communi- 
 cant in the church ; and his examinations and trials 
 were, from time to time, sustained, until the 25th of 
 April, 1804, when, at a meeting of the Presbytery at 
 Basking Ridge, he was licensed to preach the Gospel. 
 The time of his sojourn with Dr. Woodhull seems to 
 have passed very pleasantly as well as very profitably. 
 He lived with him as a son with a father, not only 
 receiving from him daily theological instruction, but 
 gathering from his large experience and mature wis- 
 dom many maxims and principles of conduct, which 
 had much influence on his subsequent life. While he 
 was a most diligent student, he was very careful in the 
 keeping of his own heart, and the culture of all the 
 Christian graces, and especially of a habit of devotion. 
 He availed himself of the opportunity of attending, and 
 taking part in, the weekly religious meetings, known 
 
as " Societies," "within the limits of Dr. Woodhull's 
 coDgregation ; and whenever the pulpit was rendered 
 vacant, either by the Doctor's ill health or absence 
 from home, he uniformly took his place, by reading a 
 sermon to the people and offering at least one of the 
 prayers. He does not seem to have allowed himself 
 much time for relaxation, and yet he sometimes went a 
 hunting, and on one occasion went with a party, in pur- 
 suit of a panther, as they supposed ; but if the crea- 
 ture had any other existence than in the imaginations 
 of his hunters, he was shrewd enough to keep out of 
 their way. In one or two instances, he joined in the 
 innocent sports of the young people into whose com- 
 pany he was thrown ; but he seems, upon reflection to 
 have regarded it as a matter of at least questionable 
 propriety, especially in consideration of its being known 
 that he was preparing for the ministry. Both in a 
 religious and a social point of view, he commended 
 himself strongly to the people among whom he lived, 
 while he, in turn, contracted among them many strong 
 and enduring friendships. 
 
 Mr. McDowell preached his first sermon at Kings- 
 ton, in the neighbourhood of Princeton, in the pulpit 
 of the Rev. David Comfort ; and was not a little 
 encouraged by the favour with which his services 
 
8 
 
 were received. The Sabbath following he preached 
 at Lamington, to the congregation among whom he had 
 spent all his early years ; but, instead of being embar- 
 rassed from his near relation to them, he accounted it 
 a high privilege that he was permitted to proclaim to 
 them the unsearchable riches of Christ. Having 
 preached, for several Sabbaths, in neighbouring congre- 
 gations, by request of their Pastors, he spent a month, 
 by appointment of Presbytery, preaching to vacant 
 congregations and in destitute places, in the Northern 
 part of New Jersey, and the adjoining parts of North- 
 ampton county. Pa. 
 
 The Presbyterian church of Elizabethtown, N. J., 
 was now vacant, — their late Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Henry 
 Kollock, one of the most eloquent preachers of his day, 
 and afterwards brother-in-law to Mr. McDowell, having 
 been called to occupy the place both of Pastor and of 
 Professor at Princeton. After his removal in 1803, the 
 congregation fell into a distracted state, in consequence 
 of a visit from the Rev. David Austin, who had j^rece- 
 ded Dr. Kollock as their Pastor, and had closed his 
 ministry there under very peculiar and adverse circum- 
 stances. From the time of his accession to the Pastor- 
 ship of that church, in September, 1788, till about the 
 close of 1795,' he was one of the most honoured and 
 
useful ministers in the whole region. About that time, 
 he not only adopted the doctrine of Christ's personal 
 appearance and reign on earth, which is accepted by- 
 many at the present day, but went so far as to fix the 
 very day, (the fourth Sabbath of May, 1796,) in which 
 the glorious descent should be made. When the day 
 came and passed without any unusual occurrence, his 
 friends hoped that the disappointment would dissipate 
 the delusion ; but, instead of that, he readily found 
 reasons for his Lord's delaying his coming, and became 
 more enthusiastic in his adherence to his favourite the- 
 ory than ever. Not a small number, both in his own 
 congregation and the surrounding country, adopted his 
 views, and were waiting in full expectation of seeing 
 the heavens open and the Son of Man descend. In this 
 state of things, the Presbytery, by request of a major- 
 ity of the congregation, interposed and dissolved the 
 pastoral relation ; whereupon Mr. Austin returned to 
 his native State,— Connecticut. 
 
 After the congregation became vacant by the removal 
 of Dr. Kollock to Princeton, Mr. Austin returned to 
 visit his former charge, and be(;ame engaged, in compli- 
 ance with the expressed wish of a majority of the peo- 
 ple, to preach for them three months. At the end 
 of that time, a vigorous effort was made to continue 
 
10 
 
 his services; but it was decided, at a large congrega- 
 tional meeting, by a majority of one vote, not to renew 
 the engagement. Those who wished to retain him, then 
 withdrew in a body, and hired the Methodist church 
 for Sabbath afternoons and evenings, and engaged Mr. 
 Austin to preach for them six months. 
 
 Such was the state of things when Mr. McDowell first 
 went to Elizabethtown. He had received an invitation 
 to visit the North Dutch church in Albany, then vacant 
 by the removal of the Rev. Mr. Johnson ; and he wa8 
 actually travelling on horseback, on his way thither. 
 The Sabbath before he set out on his journey, he 
 preached at Bedminster, where some one told him, 
 during the interval of public service, that he had 
 learned, from one of the elders of the church at Eliza- 
 bethtown, that he was expected to preach there on the 
 succeeding Sabbath. Notwithstanding this information 
 was positively false, it gave a complexion to the whole 
 of his future life. He immediately resolved to take 
 Elizabethtown on his way to Albany, and, if he were 
 invited to preach, to remain there over the next Sab- 
 bath, and, if not invited, to proceed on his journey. 
 When he reached Connecticut Farms, the Rev. Mr. 
 Thompson gave him a letter of introduction to an elder 
 in the Elizabethtown church ; but, on his arrival there, 
 
11 
 
 (it was on the Fourth of July,) he found the elder to 
 whom his letter was addressed, was not at home. The 
 keeper of the inn at which he stopped directed him to 
 another elder, (Mr. Chandler,) to whom he showed Mr. 
 Thompson's note, and from whom he accepted an invi- 
 tation to pass the night in his family. The next morn- 
 ing he attended a prayer meeting, after which he was 
 invited to stay and preach on the Sabbath. He 
 accepted the invitation, and preached, but nearly half 
 the pews in the house were empty, their regular occu- 
 pants having been drawn off to hear Mr. Austin, who 
 was then preaching in the Methodist church. At the 
 close of the afternoon service, the Session communica- 
 ted to him their wish that he would relinquish his pur- 
 pose of going immediately to Albany, and would remain 
 and preach for them four more Sabbaths. With this 
 invitation also he complied ; and, at the close of his 
 engagement, a congregational meeting was held, and a 
 unanimous call presented to him to become their Pastor. 
 This was on the 29th of July, 1804. None of those 
 who had withdrawn with Mr. Austin were present at 
 the meeting. 
 
 After preaching another Sabbath, he left Elizabeth- 
 town, and, by appointment of Presbytery, spent several 
 weeks, preaching in the Pines of Monmouth County. 
 
12 
 
 In the beginning of October, he procured a dismission 
 as a licentiate from the Presbytery of New Brunswick, 
 and placed himself under the care of the Presbytery 
 of New York. This Presbytery then embraced the city 
 of New York and vicinity, and East Jersey, as far 
 West as the Raritan River, and as far North as the 
 Northern line of the State. The call having been 
 accepted, the Presbytery fixed, as the time of his ordi- 
 nation and installation, the 26th of December following. 
 Accordingly, on that day, the solemn service was per- 
 formed. The Rev. Dr. Amzi Armstrong, Pastor of the 
 church in Mendham, N. J., preached the sermon ; Dr. 
 McWhorter, Senior Pastor of the church in Newark, 
 presided, and gave the Charge ; and Dr. Griffin, Junior 
 Pastor of the same church, delivered the Address to 
 the People. On the evening of the same day that Mr. 
 McDowell was ordained, Mr. Austin preached his Fare- 
 well Sermon to the portion of the congregation by 
 whom he had been employed. 
 
13 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 His Ministry at Elizabethtown. 
 
 The circumstances in which Mr. McDowell com- 
 menced his ministry, though, in some respects, highly- 
 auspicious, were, in others, fitted to awaken apprehen- 
 sion and anxiety. The congregation had a deservedly 
 high reputation, not only from the many worthy and 
 distinguished families which had helped to constitute 
 it in successive generations, but also from its having 
 had among its ministers several of the acknowledged 
 Lights of the Church ; — men of even transatlantic 
 fame ; but, at this period, the spirit of bitter strife 
 was dominant among them, and nearly half the legiti- 
 mate members had put themselves into an attitude of 
 ecclesiastical revolt. Then again, notwithstanding Mr. 
 McDowell had had the advantage of a thorough edu- 
 cation, both classical and theological, he had not had 
 the advantage of any experience in his "profession, nor 
 had he, at the time of his ordination, a single sermon 
 which the congregation had not already heard ; while 
 yet the large amount of pastoral labour that devolved 
 upon him, seemed to leave him with too little time to 
 
14 
 
 prepare two sermons for the Sabbath, and the dis- 
 tracted state of the people called for all the wisdom 
 which conld have come in the train of the most mature 
 experience. And to crown all, he was the immediate 
 successor of a man who, for attractive manners, fine 
 social and pastoral qualities, and powers of pulpit elo- 
 quence, had probably no superior in the Presbyterian 
 Church. When he came, in after life, to review the sev- 
 eral circumstances, which seemed to render his duty so 
 arduous and his prospects so doubtful, he was almost 
 ready tO' charge himself with presumption for having 
 ventured upon so important and difficult a field. In the 
 result, however, he found all the evidence he could 
 desire that, in accepting this charge, he was led by a 
 kind and gracious hand. 
 
 Scarcely had Mr. McDow^ell assumed his pastoral 
 charge before it became unmistakably manifest that he 
 subscribed ex animo to the doctrine, — as popular as it 
 is scriptural, — that " it is not good for man to be 
 alone." From the very brief record he has left of the 
 manner of spending his time at this period, it is evi- 
 dent that, sometime before his ordination, he was sen- 
 sible of something like a magnetic power emanating 
 from the dwelling of Mr. Shephard Kollock, a worthy 
 and highly respectable citizen of the place ; and, upon 
 
15 
 
 closer examination, it appears no less evident that this 
 power was concentrated in the attractions of his daugh- 
 ter Henrietta. After a while, we find a modest intima- 
 tion that the parents have been consulted on the delicate 
 subject, and are left to infer the i-esult of the interview 
 from the fact that, almost immediately after, the day 
 for the wedding was fixed upon. That the proposed 
 connection was every way agreeable to the family of 
 the young lady, may be inferred from the following let- 
 ter, addressed to Mr. McDowell, by her brother, the 
 Rev. Dr. Henry Kollock, shortly after the engagement 
 took place. 
 
 Princeton, January 12, 1805. 
 My Dear Sir : 
 
 Anxious as I am for the happiness of my sister, it gives 
 me no small pleasure to find that she will have an amiable 
 and pious man for her friend and protector. My consent to 
 her union is most cheerfully given, and my best wishes will 
 ever attend you. The quarterly examination will be con- 
 cluded before the day you have appointed, and I shall. Provi- 
 dence permitting, be with you. If it would be equally 
 agreeable to my sister, I would rather be a spectator than 
 perform the ceremony. I suffered so much in marrying Mary 
 that I resolved never more to perform the ceremony for one 
 of my sisters. If, however, Henrietta persists in her wishes, 
 I shall gratify them, though, perhaps, to spare the feelings of 
 both of us, it would be better to get one of our neighbouring 
 brethren. 
 
 I shall not forget that your communication was made in 
 confidence. No one but Mrs. K. has been made acquainted 
 
16 
 
 with the contents of your letter. Believe me to be, with 
 affection and esteem, 
 
 H. KOLLOCK. 
 
 The time aj)pointed for the wedding was the 5th of 
 February, 1805 ; and, accordingly, on that day, the 
 marriage was duly solemnized by the bride's brother, 
 Dr. Kollock. Their wedding tour was limited to a 
 short trip to his native place ; whence, after spending 
 two or three days in visiting his parents and other 
 friends, he returned to Elizabethtown, to resume his 
 work with the more alacrity from having thus gained 
 the object of his affections, in whom he was destined to 
 find an eiBcient helper to the end of his journey. On 
 the 6th of April following, they took possession of the 
 parsonage, with devout thanksgivings to God for the 
 manifold blessings with which their lives were crowned. 
 
 On the 10th of June of this year, he left home, 
 accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Thompson, of Connecti- 
 cut Farms, to perform a short missionary tour in some 
 of the more destitute parts of New Jersey. During 
 the ten days that he was absent, he visited nearly as 
 many towns, preaching, exhorting, and catechising, as 
 he could find opportunity. In several places, the meet- 
 ings which he conducted were marked by great solem- 
 nity, and attended by a manifest blessing. It is wor- 
 thy of notice that, while his mind seems to have been 
 
IT 
 
 intensely set upon the great object of liis mission, the 
 awakening and conversion of sinners, and the spiritual 
 growth and comfort of Christians, he still practised such 
 rigid economy in respect to time that he devoted more 
 or less of every day to study. Indeed, as his ministry 
 was in its progress and at the end, so it was at its 
 beginning, — a scene of earnest and vigorous labour, 
 bearing directly upon the best interests not only of 
 his own people, but of the church and the world at 
 large. 
 
 At the very commencement of his ministry Mr. Mc- 
 Dowell inaugurated a plan of systematic labour, includ- 
 ing his various pastoral duties, and whatever pertained 
 to his preparation for his public services, and, so far 
 as was possible, the duties which grew out of his more 
 general relations to the Church. In the progress of his 
 ministry, this plan was of course m^odified by various 
 changes of circumstances, and particularly by the widen- 
 ing and deepening of his own ecclesiastical influence ; 
 but, so far as its general features were concerned, it 
 always remained the same. His congregation covered a 
 territory of at least five square miles; and though, at the 
 time of his ordination, nearly half of them, if not actu- 
 ally seceders, sustained but a dubious relation to him 
 as a Pastor, yet, as their leader became sick of his 
 
 *9 
 
18 
 
 enterprise and finally abandoned it, they were all will- 
 ing to come back, and range themselves under the old 
 banner. The united congregation was, even at that 
 time, one of the largest within the bounds of the Pres- 
 byterian Church ; and the duties which devolved upon 
 its Pastor were neither few nor small ; but happily 
 they had got a Pastor who shrank from no labour, no 
 sacrifice, no self-denial, necessary to the performance 
 of them. Besides preaching regularly in the church 
 twice on the Sabbath, he attended a meeting in the 
 lecture-room, or some other place, in the evening. On 
 Wednesday evening, he statedly attended a large Bible 
 class somewhere in the town. Thursday afternoon he 
 spent in visiting the families, and catechising the child- 
 ren, in one of the country neighbourhoods belonging to 
 the congregation ; and in the evening he preached in 
 the same neighbourhood. On Friday evening, he uni- 
 formly preached in the lecture-room. In addition to 
 these duties, besides visiting the sick, and afflicted, and 
 inquiring, he, at stated periods, made a strictly reli- 
 gious visit, accompanied by an elder, to every family in 
 his congregation. This, in connection with his diver- 
 sified engagements of a more public nature, constituted 
 his ordinary routine of duty during the whole period 
 of his ministry at Elizabethtown.- 
 
19 
 
 Within a few months after his settlement, he was 
 applied to, to baptize a child whose parents were not 
 in the communion of the church. After a careful exami- 
 nation of the subject, he had arrived at the conclusion 
 that a public profession of religion on the part of the 
 parents was the only scriptural condition on which their 
 children could be admitted to Baptism. In accord- 
 ance with this conviction he felt constrained to decline 
 the request ; though his doing so involved an infringe- 
 ment of the long established order of the church. The 
 opposition to his theory he met with great firmness, 
 and yet with great prudence ; and, though the church 
 ultimately adopted his views, and heartily concurred 
 in his practice, the following extract of a letter from 
 Dr. Kollock, dated "Savannah, February 26, 1807," 
 shows that this revolution in public sentiment was not 
 easily or hastily effected. 
 
 " I am very sorry to learn, hj a letter from Dr. Rodgers, 
 that there was likely to be great difficulty in your congregation 
 on the .question concerning Baptism. Write to me particu- 
 lars on this subject I wish we could think alike on this 
 point ; and I cannot but think that if we and our Sessions 
 were more faithful in performing our duty towards baptized 
 persons, there would be much less dispute who have a right 
 to the ordinance. Old Dr. Mather has a remark that deserves 
 the attention of all clergymen : ' It is,' says he, ' a zealous 
 and diligent attendance to discipline, according to the rules 
 
20 
 
 of Christ, and not contracting tlic covenant, that will keep 
 churches pure. There are two ways practised by man in 
 order to keep churches pure — the one human, the other Divine. 
 The human way is to straiten the grace of the Lord's cove- 
 nant — the Divine way is faithfully to attend to discipline. 
 Now it will be found, in the issue, that the Divine way only 
 is that which will attain the end.' By adopting this ' Divine 
 way ' baptism, the happiest effects would be produced, and 
 the Church would act in consistence with her real character 
 of mother of the children whom she receives into her bosom. 
 This idea, — that the Church becomes the mother of baptized 
 children, is, I think, indubitable ; and, if so, from the faith 
 and engagements of the Church, children have a right to this 
 ordinance. I wish you would weigh this consideration — it 
 appears to me of no small consequence in this controversy. 
 Without taking this ground, it will be difficult to defend the 
 validity of the baptisms of the greater part of Christians. 
 If having faith in the parents is a necessary prerequisite to 
 the baptism of children, then those children are not baptized 
 whose parents were not endowed with saving faith at the time 
 of the administration of this rite — and thus, at one stroke, 
 you unbaptize the majority of Christendom. Our Catechism 
 also certainly was intended to speak a language very differ- 
 ent from your practice. We are there told that the children 
 of all who are members of the visible Church are to be bap- 
 tized — now who are the members of the visible Church ? Are 
 they only those who are in communion ? We are taught dif- 
 ferently by the Scotch Directory, which is certainly the best 
 Commentary on the Catechism as far as it will apply : ' Chil- 
 dren, by baptism,' it asserts, ' are received into the bosom of 
 the visible Church.' It necessarily follows, from this remark, 
 that the composers of the Scotch Directory, a number of 
 whom were members of the Westminster Assembly, did not, 
 by the visible Church, mean the communicants alone. Besides, 
 
21 
 
 you suppose baptism to be a coufirmatory seal to infants — of 
 ■what? Not that they shall actually enjoy the blessings of 
 the covenant, — for it is aiBxed to many who never do enjoy 
 them, and God's seal is never delusive. It must then be a 
 confirmation of the willingness of God to bestow these bless- 
 ings upon these infants. Are we authorized to deny this con- 
 firmatory token to those on whom the Scriptures declare God 
 is willing to confer these blessings ? 
 
 " These are a few of my ideas on this subject, which I have 
 hastily thrown together. Mr. Thompson, of Connecticut 
 Farms, has a Defence of the Presbyterian Discipline, written 
 by Rutherford, in which you will see what has been the prac- 
 tice of our Church. I do not recollect the precise title of the 
 work — you wall find in it, however, a chapter on this subject." 
 
 In the winter and spring of 1806, Mr. McDowell's 
 health, owing to the overtasking of his energies by 
 physical and mental labour, had so perceptibly declined 
 that it was thought expedient that he should suspend 
 his labours for a while, and give himself to rest and 
 relaxation. Accordingly, he left home about the close 
 of April, in company with his neighbour, the Rev. (after- 
 wards Dr.) AsaHillyer, of Orange, with a view to make 
 a journey into New England. The details of this jour- 
 ney are all preserved in letters of the most familiar 
 kind, which he wrote almost daily to Mrs. McDowell. 
 It may not be amiss to insert two or three of them, 
 which may serve as a specimen of the whole. 
 
22 
 
 Stamford, Conn., Tliursday Evening, 
 May 1, 1806. 
 
 My DEAR Henrietta : 
 
 I resume the agreeable employment of epistolary conversa- 
 tion with the object of my supreme earthly affection. We 
 set out this morning', after breakfast, from Hai-lera.. I rode on 
 leisurely to New Rochelle, ten miles, and there stopped for 
 two hours. The infamous Tom Paine resides in this village, 
 and lodges at present at the tavern where we stopped. As 
 he was not in, we walked to another tavern to which we were 
 told he had gone, on purpose to see him ; but he was engaged 
 with a gentleman in a private room, so that we were not 
 gratified by a sight of this revolting curiosity. 
 
 From New Rochelle we proceeded on to Rye, eight miles, 
 where we dined. Leaving Rye, we crossed the line into Con- 
 necticut, and rode on to Greenwich, and called for a few min- 
 utes on Dr. Lewis, the minister of the parish. This stage is 
 six miles from our last. From Greenwich we passed on six 
 miles furthei', to Stamford, a pleasant village where we 
 lodge to-night. We are in agreeable quarters, at the house 
 of Mr. Smith, the clergyman of the parish. The country 
 through which we have come to-day is naturally very 
 rough and hilly. However, we have had a turnpike road to 
 travel on ; and the country is in a state of improvement 
 which I could scarcely have thought attainable, considering 
 its natural roughness. What added much to the pleasantness 
 of the ride was the prospect of the Sound, and of Long Island 
 beyond it, the greater part of the way. I have endured the 
 journey to-day much better than I did yesterday ; and am 
 already sensibly stronger than when I set out from home. I 
 am considerably fatigued this evening, but hope to be able 
 to tell you to-morrow morning that I feel better after the rest 
 of the night. 
 
23 
 
 Friday morning. 
 It is as I expected — tlie repose of the night has refreshed 
 and invig'orated me to proceed on the journey. But I will 
 not close my letter until we reach our next stage. 
 
 NoRWALK, 2 o'clock. 
 
 We have ridden this forenoon ten miles. The first two 
 days, Mr. Hillyer took me on farther than my strength would 
 warrant ; but to-day he has allowed me to have the control- 
 We are now at the house of Dr. Burnett, son-in-law to Dr. 
 Eoe, where we arrived at twelve. We have just risen from 
 the dinner table, and shall presently' pursue our journey. 
 This forenoon we called at Middlesex, at the house of Dr. 
 Mather, half way between Stamford and this place. Dr. 
 Mather is in his eighty-eighth year, and preaches yet twice 
 on the Sabbath. He told us he had been the minister of Mid- 
 dlesex sixty-four years. The country through which we have 
 travelled to-day is not unlike that which we had previously 
 found, almost from our leaving New York — the fences are 
 nearly all of them stone walls. We are still in sight of the 
 Sound, and shall be till we reach New Haven, where we hope 
 to spend the next Sabbath. I shall not close this till we 
 arrive at the next post-town. 
 
 Fairfield, 5 o'clock. 
 
 We have had a pleasant ride from Norwalk to this place, 
 which is the most delightful village I have seen since I left 
 New York, We passed through Saugatuck, a pleasant little 
 village, about six miles back. The country, as we have 
 advanced in this direction, has become much more level, and 
 more free of stones-. You will be glad to know that I feel 
 very comfortable. Do not fail to write me on Monday, and 
 direct your letter to Hartford, Conn. 
 
 With the warmest affection. 
 
 Your husband, 
 
 J. McDowell. 
 
24 
 
 The following is the next letter, written three days 
 later, and dated 
 
 New Haven, Monday morning, May, 5th. 
 My deak Henrietta : 
 
 I will begin where I left off Friday evening. We rode 
 from Fairfield four miles to Bi-idgeport, — a pleasant, flourish- 
 ing, commercial town on the Sound. Here we lodged at the 
 house of Mr. Waterman, the clergyman, who you remember 
 called upon us last spring on his return from the General 
 Assembly. 
 
 In the morning I did not feel quite so well as I had done 
 for a day or two preceding. At ten we resumed our journey, 
 passed through the pleasant village of Stratford, and came 
 to Milford, nine miles from Bridgeport. Here we stopped and 
 dined with Mr. Pinneo, the clergyman of the place. His 
 church is three stories high, and has two galleries, one above 
 the other. From Milford we rode on to New Haven, nine 
 miles, where we arrived before five. I felt greatly fatigued, 
 and much in need of a day of rest. 
 
 The country through which we passed from Norwalk to 
 this place is very pleasant. New Haven is, without excep- 
 tion, in my opinion, the handsomest town I ever saw. The 
 City Green in front of the College is surpassingly beautiful. 
 The buildings in general throughout the city, so far as I have 
 seen, are in a superior style of excellence. Coming into the 
 city on Saturday evening, I was much charmed with what 
 was to me a very great curiosity, — a balloon ascending 
 through the air. It contiDued to ascend for about a quarter 
 of an hour, and then as gradually descended until it came in 
 contact with the ground. Whether there was any one in it or 
 not I cannot say. We were at the distance of nearly two 
 miles. 
 
25 
 
 The Sabbath began here at sunset on Saturday evening. 
 We have lodged vs^ith Mr. Stuart, whom you saw with Mr. 
 Griffin at Elizabethtown. On Sabbath forenoon, we heard 
 Dr. Dwight preach in the College chapel. He is a most 
 delightful, instructive preacher. We had an opportunity of 
 communing with them in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 
 On Saturday afternoon I went to hear Mr. Merwin preach, 
 and Mr. Hilly er went to hear Mr. Stuart, both young men 
 lately settled here. I felt yesterday, and still feel this morn- 
 ing, incomparably more comfortable, and have certainly 
 gained considerable strength since I came to New Haven. 
 Until yesterday, I have scarcely been able to walk a hundred 
 yards, or to ascend a . flight of stairs, without being much 
 fatigued; but now lean walk much faster and farther, almost 
 without being sensible of any fatigue at all. My cough has 
 almost entirely left me. 
 
 Mr. Hillyer and myself have as yet withstood all solicita- 
 tions to preach. We are to set out this morning to visit Mr. 
 Hillyer' s friends, and hope to arrive there to-morrow. As 
 our journey will take us off from the main post-road, I can- 
 not say when I shall be able to write again — perhaps not 
 before Thursday, at Hartford, where we intend to be at Elec- 
 tion. There I expect to have the happiness of receiving a 
 letter from my dear wife. I cannot tell you where to direct 
 another letter to me, as we have not yet determined upon our 
 course from Hartford. Remember me affectionately to all 
 friends. May the Lord take care of you is the dail}^ prayer of 
 your affectionate husband, JOHN McDOWELL. 
 
 The next day after this letter was written, our trav- 
 ellers proceeded Northward, and their first stopping 
 place was at Cheshire, where they dined with the Rev. 
 Mr. Foote, whom Mr. McDowell represents as so unce- 
 remonious in Lis hospitality that he led their horses 
 3 
 
26 
 
 into the stable, fed and curried them, and bestowed every 
 possible attention upon both the horses and their riders 
 till they were ready to proceed on their journey. 
 Their next stopping place was at Granby, (Turkey 
 Hills,) where they had an opportunity of visiting New- 
 gate, which was then the State Prison of Connecticut. 
 Mr, McDowell explored every part of this dismal abode 
 of the guilty, descending seventy-five feet, to the bot- 
 tom of the prison, where his sympathies were awak- 
 ened in no small degree, by finding one of the misera- 
 ble inmates, alone, and in chains, amidst that deep 
 darkness. From Granby he proceeded to Hartford, 
 and reached there on the morning of the day of the 
 General Election. Here he had his curiosity gratified 
 by witnessing the splendid procession, the military 
 parade, and all the ceremonies attendant on the Inau- 
 guration of the newly chosen Governor and Lieutenant 
 Governor. He heard the Sermon also, known as 
 the " Election Sermon," by the Rev. Dr. William Lyman, 
 which he seems to have thought very creditable to the 
 Congregational pulpit of Connecticut. He dined 
 with the clergy, (at least a hundred), and, to his great 
 surprise, found himself, at the dinner-table, sitting by 
 the side of his old friend and predecessor, David Aus- 
 tin. He encountered Dr. Strong, the well known Pas- 
 
27 
 
 tor of the First churcli in Hartford, it would seem in 
 one of his more jocose moods ; for the Doctor, instead 
 of inviting him to stay over the Sabbath and preach 
 for him, invited him to stay and go to the theatre with 
 him ; the meaning of which was that his congregation, 
 being temporarily without a church edifice, had 
 engaged the theatre for their Sunday services. After 
 lingering a little in the neighbourhood of Hartford, and 
 making some very pleasant acquaintances, he pro- 
 ceeded North to Springfield, and thence to Northamp- 
 ton, stopping in each place long enough to see what- 
 ever was of special interest to him. From Northamp- 
 ton he passed on to New Lebanon Springs, and thence 
 to Sheffield, where he ventured to preach once on the 
 Sabbath, experiencing no ill effects, and, a few days 
 later, was safely landed at his own home, with his 
 health so much invigorated by his journey that he was 
 able gradually to resume his accustomed labours.- 
 
 In August, 1807, he was greatly encouraged in his 
 work by being permitted to witness the commencement 
 of an extensive and powerful revival of religion. The 
 first decisive evidence of any unusual manifestation of 
 Divine influence was in connection with a very impres- 
 sive sermon on Prayer, preached by the Rev. Dr. Gideon 
 Blackburn. The special seriousness, Originating at that 
 
28 
 
 time, increased in every part of the congregation, until 
 there were comparatively few who remained indifferent. 
 This state of things continued for about eighteen 
 months ; and the number added to the communion of 
 the Church, as the fruit of this revival, was about a 
 hundred and twenty. Most of them were very deeply 
 and powerfully exercised before they were brought to 
 indulge a hope in God's forgiving mercy. It was the first 
 scene of the kind in which Mr. McDowell ever mingled ; 
 and, while he conducted it with great wisdom and care- 
 fulness, it gave a fresh impulse to his zeal and fidelity, 
 and had no doubt an important bearing upon the success 
 of his subsequent labours. This revival extended not 
 only through his own congregation but into other con- 
 gregations in the neighbourhood, until almost every con- 
 gregation in what was then the Presbytery of Jersey 
 had received a gracious visitation. 
 
 In the winter immediately succeeding his ordination, 
 he received overtures from the North Dutch Church in 
 Albany in reference to a settlement among them ; but 
 be declined them without even taking any time to con- 
 sider their claims. The first call which he received 
 was from the Collegiate Dutch Church in New York, in 
 the spring of 1809. Dr. Abeel, one of the*Associate 
 Pastors, went to Elizabethtown on Saturday, intending, 
 
29 
 
 without being recognized, to hear Mr. McDowell preach 
 on the Sabbath. The attempt, however, proved abor- 
 tive. At the inn at which he stopped, he found himself 
 exceedingly annoyed by the gathering of the young 
 people for a dance on Saturday evening; and so incon- 
 genial did the place become to him that he left it in 
 disgust, and, as it turned out, sacrificed the object of 
 his visit, by seeking a refuge at the parsonage. Mr. 
 McDowell received him gladly, but instead of co-opera- 
 ting with him for the accomplishment of the object of 
 his visit, he actually succeeded in inducing him to preach 
 for him in the morning ; and in the afternoon Dr. Abeel 
 went to Newark to hear Dr. Griffin's Farewell Sermon ; 
 so that he returned to New York with no other report 
 concerning Mr. McDowell than that he was a very hos- 
 pitable, and apparently an excellent, minister. It seems, 
 however, that Dr. AbeePs failure to accomplish his 
 object did not prevent the Consistory from moving in 
 respect to the call ; and the following correspondence 
 reveals the spirit of both parties in relation to it. 
 
 From the Rev. Dr. Livingston. 
 
 New York, August 5, 1809. 
 My dear Sir : 
 
 The same precious promises which confirm our hopes 
 respecting our own salvation, extend to the Church of Christ, 
 and ensure our confidence in the continued blessings of the 
 
30 
 
 Lord upon Zion. All is in the hand of our Sovereign Re- 
 deemer, who bears the g'lory, and builds his temple, and while 
 He executes his vast designs, renders every part, and the 
 interests of every individual, subservient to the whole. This 
 view of the administration of his Providence not only seems 
 to inspire us with adoration and joy, but, when applied to 
 his dealings with us, is calculated to quiet our minds, to 
 silence our objections, and produce a cheerful acquiescence in 
 his holy will. The Lord reigneth : and it is well for the 
 Church, for the world, for ourselves, that He is upon the 
 throne. He appoints our lot without our advice ; determines 
 our work antecedent to our requests ; and assigns us our 
 place contrary to our expectations, and often beyond our most 
 sanguine wishes. Let the wicked rage and strive to break 
 their bonds, they know not what they do. But all who have 
 tasted that the Lord is gracious and submitted to his blessed 
 yoke, will cheerfully acknowledge his right to dispose of 
 them, and resign their own choice and plans to his counsel 
 and direction, as far as that can be ascertained. It must be 
 so — grace always produces this. Every sincere disciple of 
 Jesus, and especially every faithful minister, when rightly 
 exercised, will desire to exclaim with the Prophet, "Here am 
 I, send me ; " and when the Master shall please to remove 
 all doubts and difficulties in the path of duty, and shall say 
 " Go," will confidently commit the work, and the whole train 
 of consequences, into his hand, and cheerfully follow the Lamb 
 whithersoever He shall lead them. Excuse, my dear Sir, 
 these sentiments which flow spontaneously as a pleasing pre- 
 lude to what I wish to communicate. I love to think and 
 speak honourably of our Divine Lord. I love to trace his foot- 
 steps in the sanctuary, and to recommend Him to the confi- 
 dence and affection of all his servants. You do the same ; 
 and these views ©f his wisdom, faithfulness and power will 
 
31 
 
 prepare you to attend to bis dealings with respect to yourself, 
 and I hope convince you of present duty, and enable you to 
 know the voice of the Divine Shepherd, and animate you with 
 courage and zeal to fulfil his command. 
 
 Our friend, Mr. Nixen, who has taken up the cross many 
 years ago, and is by us numbered among those who love the 
 Lord, will tell you that the hearts of all our Consistory were 
 suddenly, and, even while deliberating upon other men, unex- 
 pectedly turned towards you. The discouragements you had 
 before given seemed to have stifled the hope of obtaining you, 
 and rendered it necessary to think upon others. When, over- 
 ruled, as it were, of the Lord, notwithstanding all these dis- 
 couragements, the whole Board were unanimously impressed 
 with a resolution to call you, knowing that your heart and 
 all events were at his disposal, the Consistory, I trust in faith, 
 in hope, and in love, have looked up to the Head of the 
 Church, over all the mountains in the way, and committed the 
 issue into his hand, who has often helped us with choice 
 instruments, and who, we believe, will also add you as a 
 blessing to us. 
 
 This, according to our constitution, has been laid before 
 our Great. Consistory, and they all most cordially appr.ove 
 of our choice. There is not a dissenting voice : The old and 
 the young unite in the invitation. All cry out, — " Come over 
 and help us." You know you will be sweetly welcome to 
 your colleagues. Dr. Abeel will rejoice to have you with him 
 in the work ; and be assured I will embrace you with an 
 affectionate heart and love you fervently. 
 
 A more attentive, loving and quiet people than ours are not 
 to be found in all the churches. I have served them thirty- 
 nine years — from my youth to advanced age I have been with 
 them. I know them ; I love them ; and have cause to speak 
 well of them ; and when we part, I will leave my blessing 
 upon them, and expect to meet many of them in glory. 
 
32 
 
 We lament the loss your present people will sustain — but 
 what shall we say ? What can be done ? The state of soci- 
 ety, and the wants and perilous situation of the churches, 
 render such steps unavoidable. They are practised every 
 where in Europe ; they are frequent in America ; and must 
 not excite any unpleasant feelings among dear brethren and 
 fellow Christians. " It is the Lord ! let Him do what seemeth 
 Him good." 
 
 Now, my dear Brother, the Lord will assuredly show you 
 what you are to do. I should be happy to see you, but do 
 not know when I can call upon you. I will meet you every 
 day at the throne of grace. I bless you, and am, with sin- 
 cere regard, 
 
 Your most affectionate, 
 
 J. H. LIVINGSTON. 
 
 Two days after the date of the preceding letter, Dr. 
 Livingston addressed another communication to Mr. 
 McDowell, urging still further his acceptance of the 
 call, and mentioning incidentally that the salary which 
 had been voted him was twenty-five hundred dollars, 
 which, with the many valuable perquisites he would 
 receive, was thought to be a very generous compensa- 
 tion. To these letters Mr. McDowell returned the 
 following answer. 
 
 Elizabethtown, August 8, 1809, 
 Rev. and Dear Sir : 
 
 I had fondly hoped to escape the trial to which I learn 
 from your letters that I am called. Happily and comfortably 
 settled among the people of my present charge ; made, in 
 
33 
 
 some measure, useful among them; and cherishing towards 
 them an ardent affection, I had hoped, and expected, and 
 resolved to spend my days with them, and mingle my dust 
 with theirs; and, therefore, I have heretofore, uniformly and 
 immediately, on a proposal for a removal being made to me, 
 declined it. This I did when the proposal was first made by 
 individuals of your church. When Mr. D — a, a few Sab- 
 baths since, intimated to me that your church would still 
 probably make out for me a call, notwithstanding all the dis- 
 couragements, I was not a little surprised, and felt it my 
 duty to be silent, and watch more carefully the leadings of 
 Providence on this subject — I viewed it in a more momentous 
 aspect than I had done before, and came to the determination 
 to put myself unreservedly at the Divine disposal, and to 
 endeavour to ascertain his will, and to obey it, however it 
 might contravene my most cherished plans and hopes. 
 
 Your letter, my dear Sir, places this subject before me in a 
 still more solemn and impressive manner. I can say nothing 
 at present as to the result of your call ; but if it should not 
 be in accordance with the wishes of your people, I pray that 
 I may not, in any way, needlessly wound the feelings of 
 those who have manifested such undue partiality towards me. 
 
 You inquire as to the regular course to be pursued as it 
 respects the judicatory of the church to which I belong. 
 The call must come through Presbytery before it can regu- 
 larly come into my hands for decision. I believe it would be 
 indelicate for me to ask a meeting of Presbytery for the pur- 
 pose. Your Consistory would be the proper body to do that; 
 and the regular mode is as follows : — You must draw up a 
 letter addressed to the Moderator. This letter must be signed 
 by two Ministers of the Presbytery, and two Elders, — the 
 Elders belonging to different congregations. On such a 
 request coming to the Moderator, he is obliged, according to 
 the constitution of our Church, to convene the Presbytery 
 accordingly. Dr. Roe, of Woodbridge, is our Moderator. 
 
34 
 
 But, Dear Sir, I doubt whether the calling of an extra 
 meeting will much expedite the issue of this business. I 
 must have time to watch the movements of Providence, and 
 make up my own mind. Our regular meeting will be on the 
 first Tuesday of October, at Springfield. And should the 
 call be presented then, nothing more can be done, unless the 
 people of my charge concur, than to put the call into my 
 hands and cite the congregation to appear by their Commis- 
 sioners, at the next meeting of Presbytery, to show cause, if 
 any they have, why I should not be removed. This meeting 
 may be in ten days after such citation. 
 
 But if your Consistory would rather there should be a 
 special meeting called, I have no objections ; and perhaps 
 there would be these advantages in it ; that the members of 
 Presbytery, having the subject before them, might be matur- 
 ing their judgment in the case, or preparing to make a deci- 
 sion, if they should be asked so to do. It would place the 
 business in a still more solemn manner before me; and Com- 
 missioners from my congregation might be present at the 
 stated meeting, and thus the matter be then decided. I 
 leave the whole business to your own judgment. I hope and 
 pray that the Lord may direct me. Again, my dear Sir, I ask 
 your prayers. From your affectionate young friend, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 The following letter from Mr. McDowell, bearing date 
 a few days later than the preceding, and addressed to 
 two prominent members of the Consistory, (Messrs. 
 Nixen and Duryea), shows how deeply the people of 
 Elizabethtown were exercised in view of the possi- 
 bility of losing their Pastor, and how intensely his 
 mind also was exercised on the same subject. 
 
35 
 
 Elizabethtown, August 22, 1809. 
 My Dear Friends : 
 
 Since I was in New York last week, I have passed through 
 a scene of trial which I can scarcely describe to you. The 
 subject of your call has occupied my mind, whether sleeping 
 or waking. On Tuesday of last week, I communicated it to 
 my Session ; and it seemed greatly to distress them. 
 Directly after it became public in the congregation, and has 
 occasioned a great deal of anxiety and distress. And there 
 has scarcely been an hour of the day since, but I have had 
 persons calling upon me, and expressing the warmest affec- 
 tion, deprecating the consequences of my removal, and 
 imploring me to make up my mind to remain with my pres- 
 ent charge. Although I knew my people wel'c attached to 
 me, I had no idea of the strength of their affection : and 
 though I had before felt that a separation would be to me a 
 great trial, I did not anticipate that it would be such a rend- 
 ing of my very heart-strings as I now perceive it must be. 
 I have endeavoured carefully to look at the subject in all its 
 bearings — it has seldom been out of my mind for a moment 
 — and I cannot, as yet, see any indication of Providence 
 that it is my duty to relinquish my present charge. But, on 
 the contrary, every day it appears more and more plainly my 
 duty to continue where I am. The strong attachment of my 
 people to me as well as mine to them ; the probable evils 
 which a separation might bring upon them ; the willing- 
 ness which they have always manifested, and which they 
 now increasingly manifest, to minister to my temporal com- 
 fort ; the advice of my brethren around me, so far as I have 
 been able to obtain it ; the extensiveness of the field which 
 I now occupy, and the evidence 1 have that my labours here 
 have not been in vain — these and other considerations 
 incline me strongly to the belief that it is my duty to remain 
 here. My people, in order that their minds may be relieved 
 from painful suspense, are urging me to a speedy decision 
 
36 
 
 — I have, therefore, on mature consideration, thought it 
 advisable to suggest to you whether it would not be best to 
 stop the call before it proceeds any farther. But still, as I 
 have pledged myself to you to take this matter into serious 
 consideration, and have formerly even expressed a wish that 
 I might have till October to deliberate, I am still willing, if 
 you wish it, that the call should come before Presbytery next 
 week, and I will at any time give an answer, or keep it till 
 the stated meeting in October, and will continue to endeavour 
 carefully to watch the indications of Providence, and, if, 
 within that time, I should become convinced that it is my 
 duty to go to you, I will certainly go. But from every thing 
 that I can see at present, I believe I shall still stay where 
 I am. Hence I should prefer that the call should be arrested, 
 and prosecuted no further. At the time the call was made 
 out, I felt that it was a business of such a solemn nature 
 that I was bound to make it a subject of solemn considera- 
 tion, I was not without painful apprehension that, in oppo- 
 sing the private overtures which had been made to me, I 
 might have resisted the will of God; hence I was brought to 
 a stand, and did not forbid you to proceed. But if I had felt 
 then as I do now, I should certainly have endeavoured to save 
 you all the trouble to which you have since been subjected. 
 
 Let me have your answer to this as soon as possible, that 
 I may know what course to pursue with my people, — 
 whether still to keep them in suspense, or announce to them 
 that the business is ended. May the Lord bless your church, 
 and speedily send you a Pastor after his own heart. Yours, 
 most affectionately, J. McDOWELL. 
 
 The following from Dr. Livingston to Mr. McDowell, 
 while it shows a greatly diminished confidence in the 
 result of the application, shows an interest in it not at 
 all abated, and is alike creditable to both of them 
 
37 
 
 New York, September 9, 1809. 
 Rev. and Dear Sir : 
 
 The candour and confidence evinced in your last communi- 
 cation recommend you to my esteem and enhance my respect 
 and affection for you. I know how to sympathize under 
 the conflict of contending motives, and am no stranger to the 
 painful apprehensions which perplex the mind, when interest- 
 ing events are immediately depending upon our own deter- 
 mination. But you must excuse me for declining the painful 
 and improper task of making any observations upon what 
 you have suggested. I am confident of your sincerity, and 
 know you wish unreservedly to discovcE and fulfil the pleas- 
 ure of your Lord. Be encouraged to acknowledge Him alone, 
 and cast your burthen upon Him. He will direct, and enable 
 you with clearness and firmness to decide upon this interest- 
 ing subject. And I most sincerely hope that nothing may be 
 ever experienced hereafter that will prompt the wish that 
 another conclusion had been formed. 
 
 Agreeably to your request, I have communicated your let- 
 ter to the Consistory. We can only repeat what we have 
 already often mentioned — that, as we sought direction of the 
 Lord, and were unanimous in our determination to call you, 
 so we have, in his fear, faithfully accomplished whatever we 
 can do : and now, in a humble dependence upon his sovereign 
 and merciful dispensation, we leave the event with Him, and 
 patiently await the result. We cannot, therefore, consent to 
 withdraw the call, or, by any act of ours, relinquish our claim 
 upon you. It is with you to determine what shall be the issue. 
 
 Perhaps some change in your views may succeed. Per- 
 haps some unforeseen circumstances, in the course of Divine 
 Providence, may occur. But if, after a sufficient pause, when 
 you again calmly review the whole case, and impartially 
 explore the inevitable consequences in all their various bear- 
 ings, you are still of the same mind, and if you still judge 
 4 
 
38 
 
 that your removal would have an unhappy influence upon the 
 interests of religion, — if it would indeed be " violating your 
 conscience, and acting in direct opposition to the will of God 
 clearly manifested by his Providence ;" and if these conclu- 
 sions will certainly be the result of your most serious and 
 protracted deliberations, then the matter is decided. You 
 have it, therefore, unquestionably in your power to determine 
 and close the whole business whenever and in what manner 
 you please, and we shall and must of course acquiesce in the 
 event. 
 
 Accept of the assurance of my kindest regard. That the 
 blessing of the Lord may rest abundantly upon you and yours, 
 is the fervent prayer of, 
 
 My dear Sir, 
 Your affectionate friend and brother in Christ, 
 Our precious Redeemer, 
 
 J. H. LIVINGSTON. 
 
 Six days after the date of this letter, Mr. McDowell 
 put an end to the negotiation by returning a negative 
 answer to the call. Whereupon, the congregation, by 
 a most respectable committee, testified their grateful 
 approval of his decision, by addressing to him the fol- 
 lowing note. 
 
 Dear Sir : In behalf of the First Presbyterian congrega- 
 tion in Elizabethtown, and agreeably to their instructions, we 
 take great pleasure in expressing, in their name, their entire 
 and unanimous approbation to you of the manner in which 
 you have treated, and finally answered, the application which 
 has been made to you for a removal from us, agreeably to the 
 written communications which have been laid before them. 
 
39 
 
 And we are further authorized and instructed to declare to 
 you, in the name of the cong'reg'ation, that this additional and 
 renewed instance of your attachment to them, and of your 
 affection for this people, among whom you have so worthily 
 oflSciated for some years past, as our Pastor and spiritual 
 guide, is fully reciprocated on our part. 
 
 JONATHAN DAYTON, 
 MOSES C. CHANDLER, 
 WILLIAM SHUTE, 
 AARON OGDEN. 
 To the Rev. John McDowell. 
 
 The very next week after he declined the call from 
 the Dutch Church, he received one from the Brick 
 (Presbyterian) Church in the same city; and, as his 
 reasons for declining the one call were known, a very 
 elaborate communication was addressed to him, 
 designed to convince him that those reasons were not 
 applicable to the other. The reasoning, however, did 
 not produce the desired eJTect — he was disposed to 
 decline the call without even allowing it to come before 
 Presbytery ; but, by the urgent request of the church, 
 he finally yielded his objections, and the Presbytery 
 decided against his removal. 
 
 About this time, (September, 1809,) Mr. McDowell 
 was greatly tried by the getting up of a Horse Race by 
 some persons from the city of New York, in the imme- 
 diate neighbourhood of the town. When he became 
 
40 
 
 apprized of what was on foot, he was greatly distressed 
 at the prospect of the evil consequent upon such a 
 scene to the morals of the community, and set himself 
 to do his utmost to prevent it. He went to Mr. Kollock, 
 his father-in-law, who was a magistrate in the town, 
 and asked him if the civil authorities would not inter- 
 fere to stop the races ; and his answer was that they 
 could do nothing. Mr. McDowell, disappointed, but not 
 disheartened, replied, — "Well, if human help fails, I 
 will seek help from a Higher Power." He immediately 
 convened the Session of his church; and they appointed 
 the Tuesday following to be observed as a day of fast- 
 ing and prayer to God that he would avert the threat- 
 ened evil. On the intervening Sabbath, he delivered a 
 most solemn discourse on the text, — "Cry aloud and spare 
 not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my peo- 
 ple their transgressions, and the House of Jacob their 
 sins ; " and most fully did he enter into the spirit of 
 his text. After having exhibited with great boldness 
 and plainness the sins connected with and consequent 
 upon this criminal practice, he concludes the discourse 
 by the following appeal to persons of different charac- 
 ters and classes. 
 
 " 1. Permit me to address those present who move in the 
 higher walks of life. You have influence — your opinions and 
 
41 
 
 your example have great weight. Let me earnestly exhort 
 you seriously to consider this subject. Take a view of the 
 crimes openly practising among us — consider their dangerous 
 influence on the interests of religion, morality and civil order ; 
 and especially their demoralizing influence on the young. 
 And let me earnestly entreat you to frown upon these things — 
 do not sanction them by your presence — keep at a distance 
 from them — bear your testimony against them — and use your 
 influence and exertions to suppress them. Acting thus, you 
 will have the sweet felicity of the approbation of your own 
 consciences — you will deserve well of your eountry — the 
 blessing of the virtuous and pious will rest upon you — their 
 prayers will be offered up for the blessing of Heaven upon you 
 and yours ; and future generations will rise up and call you 
 blessed. 
 
 " 2 Permit me, in view of this subject, to say a word to 
 Magistrates. I will not undertake to point out to you your 
 duty on this occasion, as civil oSicers — you know this better 
 than I can tell you. I would only remind you that you are 
 ordained of God, (Rom. XIII, 1,) and ordained for the pimish- 
 ment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well, (1 
 Pet. II, 14.) You are accountable to God for the faithful dis- 
 charge of your duty in your office ; and see to it that you 
 keep consciences void of offence. 
 
 " 3. I would call upon the whole of this congregation to 
 set their faces against this wickedness. It is disgraceful to 
 the town you live in. It is introducing a flood of vice among 
 you. In its tendency, it is destructive of your souls, and the 
 souls of your children. It is a large link in the chain of those 
 causes which, without deep repentance, will sooner or later, 
 bring down the judgments of God upon us — and perhaps 
 those exterminating judgments, which He is now so awfully 
 pouring out upon the nations of Europe for their crimes. Go 
 
42 
 
 not near this scene — bear your testimony ag-ainst this wick- 
 edness — use every lawful exertion to bring the authors, con- 
 trivers, and promoters of it to justice — let the public mind 
 be against it, and be expressed — let the authors be held in 
 abhorrence, and it will stop. 
 
 "4. Permit me to address the Young. My beloved youth 
 for you especially I fear and tremble on this occasion. You 
 are to form the future members of the Church and of civil 
 society ; and the interests of both are intimately connected 
 with the manner in which you are trained up, and the habits 
 which you now form ; yea, your own everlasting salvation is 
 intimately connected therewith. And you are in great dan- 
 ger, from the scene of vice among us, of becoming corrupted 
 and forming vicious habits. Let me most tenderly, and affec- 
 tionatel}', and earnestly, exhort you not to go near these races. 
 Yes, I charge you, as your minister, to keep at a distance. 
 Avoid that place, as you would one infested with some deadly 
 contagion. That place is the ivay to hell, going down to the 
 chambers of death. 
 
 5. " Parents, Guardians, Masters, I call upon you, and 
 charge you to be faithful at this time. If you regard the 
 favour of God, and the interests of his cause, if you regard 
 the good of society, and especially if you regard the ever- 
 lasting happiness of the souls of those under your care, be 
 careful to restrain them from going near this scene of vice — 
 keep them from it as you would from a place infected with 
 the plague. 
 
 6. " People of God, I would next address you. I hope 
 you all feel on this occasion — many of you, I know, do feel 
 most deeply ; and all of you who liave grace in exercise 
 must be sighing for these abominations. Let me exhort you, 
 by every just mode of expression, to bear your decided tes- 
 timony against these things, and show your abhorrence of 
 
43 
 
 them. Be deeply humbled before God. Why has He per- 
 mitted these abominations, replete with spiritual judgments, 
 to come in upon us ? Is it not for the sins of this place — for 
 the abuse of such distinguished mercies as it has enjoyed ? 
 And have not the people of God been partakers in these 
 abuses ? Therefore let us be deeply humbled — let us mourn 
 for our own sins, and the sins of others. Let us be much 
 engaged in humble and earnest prayer to God. If He does 
 not interpose, we are undone — his cause must sink in this 
 place. He may hear us — yea, we have abundant reason to 
 believe that, if we be in earnest. He will hear us ; for He is 
 a God who heareth prayer ; and his word declares that the 
 effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth niuch, 
 (James, V, 16.) The Lord reigneth — He is stronger than man 
 — the wrath of man shall praise Him — and He has given us 
 encouragement to believe that when the enemy shall come in 
 like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard 
 against him ; (Isa. LIX, 19). This is our hope and joy. Let 
 us be engaged, and we may hope that He wilKhelp, and open 
 a door of deliverance from the dreadful effects of these abomi- 
 nations. And, ye people of God — all who bear his name, 
 Come out from among them, and he ye separate, saith the Lord, 
 and touch not the unclean thing; (2 Cor. VI, It). Have no fel- 
 loivship icith the unfruitful works of darkness ; (Eph. V, 11). 
 my soul, come not thou into their secret ; unto their assembly, 
 mine honour, he not thou united ; (Gen. XLIX, 6.) 
 
 t. " Are there any here this day, who are the authors or 
 promoters of this scene of wickedness, and who are deter- 
 mined still to persevere ? Let me call upon you, and charge 
 you to pause and consider. It may be the last call while 
 there is hope for you. Tliis may be the last day of God's 
 patience ; and if you proceed, you may hereby forever close 
 the door of mercy against you. Oh, pause, before it may be 
 forever too late. Reflect on the dreadful weight of guilt 
 which will press upon you if you persevere. You are filling 
 
44 
 
 God's people with distress — they are dear to Him — in all 
 their afflictions He is represented as being afflicted ; (Is a. 
 LXIII, 9). Therefore every sigh, and groan, and pain wliich 
 you occasion them, will one day rise up against you — the guilt 
 of those who may be corrupted during this scene will be 
 laid to your charge — you will have been partakers in their 
 sins. The sins of generations to come will be laid to your 
 charge — and should lives be lost on this occasion, as will 
 probably be the case, yea, one already has been lost! — and 
 this blood crieth from the earth to Heaven against you for 
 vengeance. You have been the occasion of shedding this 
 blood ; and however it may be viewed in the sight of men, 
 in the sight of God this blood will be laid to your charge. 
 This town is defiled with blood, and you must answer for it. 
 what a load of guilt will press upon you — and what an 
 awful punishment awaits you ! Once more, I beseech you, 
 pause, consider, desist and repent. The Lord have mercy 
 upon you. Amen." 
 
 The sermon was preached to an immense congrega- 
 tion. Some of those who were most prominent in the 
 races, were among his hearers, and, with an air of 
 defiance, took their places directly in front of him ; but 
 before the sermon was ended, they were seen to quail 
 under his withering rebukes. The Providence of God. 
 seemed to frown upon the whole enterprise. A vast 
 crowd assembled to witness the spectacle, and the very- 
 first course that was run, one of the riders was hurled 
 from his horse, and precipitated into eternity. This 
 awful calamity, however, only interrupted the races 
 long enough for another rider to be substituted. While 
 
45 
 
 the races continued they were attended in large meas- 
 ure, by gambling, drunkenness, and other kindred vices ; 
 but, after the lapse of a day, the leaders became 
 alarmed, and before half the period of their intended 
 stay had expired, they fled, leaving Elizabethtown for- 
 ever. This was, undoubtedly, in some of its bearings, 
 one of the most important incidents in Dr. McDowell's 
 whole history — it did more to reveal his indomitable 
 strength of purpose, his unyielding fidelity to his own 
 convictions, than could have been efiected by years 
 spent in the ordinary routine of quiet ministerial labour. 
 In 1810, Mr. McDowell was appointed, with his neigh- 
 bour, the Rev. James Richards, of Newark, to repre- 
 sent the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church 
 in the General Association of New Hampshire. They 
 left home together on the 3d of September, and wer3 
 fellow travellers nearly the whole time till they 
 returned at the close of the month. Of this tour a 
 minute and very agreeable account is preserved in the 
 letters addressed by Mr. McDowell to his wife, at brief 
 intervals, during the period of his absence. As he 
 had travelled through the greater part of this region 
 once before, he had at least a slight acquaintance with 
 most of the Congregational ministers ; for he adhered 
 to that good old primitive rule, so generally observed 
 
46 
 
 in those days, of availing himself of the hospitality of 
 his brethren, which no man was more ready than he to 
 reciprocate. As New Canaan, the home of Mr. Richards' 
 parents, was not far out of their way, they turned 
 aside to make a short visit there ; and, though every 
 thing pertaining to the place and the family was sim- 
 ple and unpretending, the cordial welcome and the 
 genial and kindly manifestations rendered Mr. McDow- 
 ell's brief stay there exceedingly agreeable to him. To 
 those of us whose memory takes in the Congregational 
 ministers of that generation, who lived on his route, it 
 is a matter of no small interest to find their names 
 recorded, in connection with incidental remarks illus- 
 trative of what we know to have been their character- 
 istics. At New Haven he had the pleasure of spend- 
 ing an hour or two with Dr. Dwight, by whose fine 
 powers of conversation and other attractive qualities 
 he seems to have been charmed. At one of the minis- 
 ter's houses in Connecticut, where he stopped, he 
 writes, in view of the state of things around him, — 
 "You find scarcely any servants in this country — every 
 one seems to be his own servant — there is great sim- 
 plicity and equality, and at the same time great hos- 
 pitality and great information." The travellers pro- 
 ceeded on their way together, calling upon Dr. Strong, 
 
4t 
 
 Dr. Yates, Dr. McClure, and divers other Congrega- 
 tional worthies, till they had reached Long Meadow, 
 where Mr. Richards remained to pass the Sabbath with 
 Mr. Storrs, (grandfather of the Rev. Dr. Storrs of 
 Brooklyn,) and Mr. McDowell proceeded to Springfield, 
 and stopped with Mr. Osgood, whose ministry there 
 had commenced the year before. From Springfield 
 they moved on to Worcester, where they had a pleas- 
 ant interview with Dr. Austin, and thence proceeded to 
 Boston, (having travelled thus far on horseback,) and, 
 on their arrival, Mr. McDowell became the guest of 
 Deacon Thurston, of the Park Street Church, whom he 
 represents as living in great splendour, and occupying 
 a house on Beacon Hill, which, for beauty of situation, 
 was unrivalled by any thing he had ever seen or 
 expected to see. He preached at Park Street ; visited 
 the Athenaeum and various other places of public inter- 
 est ; and attended the Thursday Lecture, and heard a 
 sermon from a venerable minister in Boston, long since 
 dead, which seems to have been little suited to his 
 taste. During his stay at Boston, he rode over to Cam- 
 bridge, and took a view of the College and its sur- 
 roundings, and was especially interested in seeing the 
 ancient portraits, and the philosophical apparatus, 
 and in passing through the library. From Boston he 
 
48 
 
 went to Salem, where he stopped with the Rev. Mr. 
 Spalding, in whose congregation there had just been a 
 powerful revival of religion ; and, while there, his 
 friends took him over to Marblehead, which he repre- 
 sents, as many others have done, as a sort of episode 
 in creation. At Ipswich he stopped long enough to 
 visit the old burying ground, where he had great inter- 
 est in examining the monuments of the early Puritans, 
 the inscriptions upon some of which time had rendered 
 utterly illegible. At Newburyport he preached for Dr. 
 Spring, and was very hospitably entertained by Mr. 
 Bartlett, the well-known benefactor of the Andover 
 Seminary, whom he seems to have considered a very 
 rare specimen of humanity — among other things, he 
 states that Mr. B., about that time, had had two ships 
 taken by the French, which were worth not less than 
 two hundred thousand dollars ; and that he did not 
 seem to feel it more than an ordinary man would have 
 felt the loss of twenty dollars. At Exeter, N. H., his 
 next stopping place, was the meeting of the General 
 Association, which it was his main object to attend. 
 Here, on the 21st of September, he addressed the fol- 
 lowing letter to his wife. 
 
 My dear "WIFE : 
 
 It is now noon, and the General Association have not yet 
 risen. It is expected that they will rise this afternoon ; so 
 
49 
 
 that, if we had made our arrang-ements to reach home on 
 Sabbath week, it would be impracticable, even if we should 
 have good weather all the time. I long to be at home — a 
 long distance separates us ; but I hope I shall reach you in 
 good time, and find you all in health, and that we shall rejoice 
 together again in the Divine goodness. We left Newbury- 
 port early Wednesday morning for this place, fifteen miles 
 distant, and, after passing through a pleasant country, and 
 one considerable village, (Amesbury,) we reached here at 
 half past nine o'clock. Mr. Richards preached at eleven. 
 The present Association is small, consisting of only fourteen 
 members ; and only seven of these belong to New Hamp- 
 shire. Two are from the General Assembly ; two from Con- 
 necticut ; two from Massachusetts ; and one from Vermont. 
 The first day we had two sermons ; and yesterday we had 
 three. I preached last evening. It began to rain just as we 
 arrived here, and the rain has continued iminterruptedly ever 
 since. If the Association rise thi& afternoon in time, and the 
 weather permits, we intend to go to Portsmouth this eve- 
 ning, — fourteen miles. Both Mr. Richards and myself are 
 very well. Exeter is a pleasant village, about half the size 
 of Morristown. We expect to spend the Sabbath at New- 
 buryport, twenty-four miles from Portsmouth, on the way to 
 Andover and Boston. On Monday, we shall have twenty-two 
 miles to ride to Andover. We expect to remain there over 
 Tuesday, and on Wednesday to set our faces in good earnest 
 towards home. The state of religion and of the churches in 
 New Hampshire is, at this time, gloomy enough. There is, 
 however, a revival now in progress in this town, from which 
 happy results are anticipated. I am stopping here with Mr. 
 Rowland, the minister of the place. Mr. Church* has just 
 
 *The Rev. Dr. Church of Pelham, who had that year been a member of 
 the General Assembly at Philadelphia. 
 
 5 
 
50 
 
 put into my hands the sermon he promised you. I shall close 
 this letter at Portsmouth, if we go there to-day. 
 
 Saturday morning, at Portsmouth. 
 The Association broke up yesterday about three o'clock, 
 and we immediately set out for Poi'tsmouth. It is remarka- 
 ble that there has been no time when we could travel, since 
 we left home, that there has been any rain. It rained during 
 nearly the whole time we were in Exeter, and stopped not 
 more than ten minutes before we wished to resume our jour- 
 ney. We arrived here about dark. The town is about three 
 times as large as Elizabethtown, and has a general appear- 
 ance of neatness and thrift. The towns generally, through- 
 out this region, exhibit incomparably more of wealth and ele- 
 gance than our towns do. After breakfast, we shall go out 
 and see what is to be seen, and shall cross the Piscataqua 
 Eiver into the District of Maine, and then direct our course 
 towards New Jersey. We are now at the farthest point of 
 distance which we expect to be from you. My future letters 
 will be dated nearer and nearer home. I long to hear from 
 you again ; but have no hope of receiving a letter until I 
 reach Boston, which cannot be before next Wednesday. May 
 the Lord bless you, and keep you. 
 
 Your affectionate husband, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 p. S. Tell your father that, after all the triumph of the 
 Federalists respecting the late election in this State, for 
 members of Congress, it has just been officially announced, 
 by the Governor and Council, who are sitting in this town, 
 that there are two Eepublicans elected, and no election for 
 the other three members. 
 
 Agreeably to the intimation in the preceding letter, 
 they went, under the conduct of Dr. Buckminster, at 
 
51 
 
 whose house they lodged, to see the lions of Portsmouth, 
 and then crossed the Piscataqua into Maine ; and, hav- 
 ing stood there about two minutes, — long enough to be 
 able to say that they had been in that part of the Yan- 
 kee dominion, they returned, and forthwith set their 
 faces towards the region of the setting sun. At Hamp- 
 ton they passed a pleasant hour or two with the Rev. 
 Mr. Webster, the Congregational minister of the place ; 
 and while there, being within two miles of the celebra- 
 ted Hampton Beach, they walked out thither, and were 
 struck with awe by the roaring of the breakers, and 
 the grandeur of the scene that opened upon them. 
 After making another visit of a day or two at New- 
 buryport, where they still received the most hospitable 
 attentions, they proceeded on their way to Andover, 
 and there attended the annual examination of the stu- 
 dents of the Seminary, and were greatly pleased with 
 every thing they saw and heard. They stopped with 
 Dr. GriflSn, who had been their neighbour in New Jer- 
 sey, and were not a little gratified by the opportunity 
 of renewing their intercourse with him. They found 
 nearly sixty young men here, pursuing their theological 
 studies under circumstances that seemed to them most 
 auspicious. Among them were several of their own 
 friends from New Jersey, whom they were glad to meet, 
 
52 
 
 and they visited the grave of one, — Lewis Le Conte 
 Congar, of Newark, who had died a short time before. 
 Dr. Griffin's new house, built by Mr. Bartlett, at an 
 expense of twenty thousand dollars, and then nearly 
 finished, seems to have been quite an object of attraction 
 to them. From Andover they came to Boston, and 
 thence to Providence, where they remained only long 
 enough to take a view of the town, when they passed 
 on homeward through Rhode Island into Connecticut. 
 The country between Providence and Piainfield Mr. 
 McDowell thought was, in all respects, the most unat- 
 tractive and dreary that he had ever travelled. A few 
 days after this, an uninterrupted and successful journey 
 brought him again to his family and his congregation, 
 whom he met with many thanksgivings to God for his 
 goodness, both to him and to them, during the period 
 of their separation. 
 
 Mr. McDowell had now, for some time, had a class in 
 his congregation, devoted to the study of the Bible and 
 of Church History, consisting of a large portion of the 
 youth of both sexes. The following letter addressed 
 to them during his absence on the journey above 
 recorded, shows the deep interest which he felt in their 
 spiritual welfare. 
 
53 
 
 Farmington, Conn. Se-iotember 1, 1810. 
 My dear friends : 
 
 I am now separated from you about a hundred and twenty 
 miles. My health has been uncommonh'- good since I left 
 home, and I have borne the fatigues of my journey thus far 
 much better than I had expected. I hope, through the bless- 
 ing of Providence, my journey will be beneficial both to my. 
 self and my people. 
 
 I often think of you in my absence, and have no doubt you 
 think of me, and I trust we are not unmindful of each other 
 in our addresses at the throne of grace. I love all my peo- 
 ple, but I hardly need tell you that to you I am particularly 
 attached. I hope I feel sincerely grateful to God, who led 
 me to establish the institution to which you belong ; for I am 
 confident that it has already been highly beneficial to some 
 of you. Knowledge is of very great importance in religion ; 
 and I doubt whether persons grow in grace any faster than 
 they grow in knowledge of the truths of God's word. Igno- 
 rance, so far from being the mother of devotion, has been, 
 and still is, the parent of error and delusion ; and it is for 
 want of knowledge, most frequently, that so many in the 
 Christian Church, and some of them the real people of God, 
 are so unstable, being constantly driven about by every wind 
 of doctrine. But, my dear friends, there is danger on the 
 other hand, against which you will need to be constantly on 
 your guard — knowledge puffeth up — and, the more of knowl- 
 edge you obtain, the more humility will you need to keep you 
 right. Besides, you are in danger of running too deeply into 
 speculations on Divine truth, and of seeking after explana- 
 tions of those things which are above our comprehension. 
 The Scriptures were not intended to make us philosophers, 
 but to amend our hearts and our conduct. Let us then ever 
 seek after Divine truth, resolved to receive it implicitly, without 
 *5 
 
54 
 
 being too curious to pry into those mysteries which, with our 
 present partially developed faculties, God never intended we 
 should imderstand. You have, for some time past, been 
 studying the History of the Church. This body has been 
 essentially the same in all ages ; and it is still the same as 
 in the ages through whose history you have passed. It is 
 built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus 
 Christ Himself being the chief corner stone. Though it is 
 now in a militant state, it will, by and by, be in a triumphant 
 state in the Heavenly world. There it will be perfectly pure, 
 and none will belong to it but those who have been washed 
 from their sins in the Redeemer's blood. Let it be your care, 
 my dear friends, that you are washed in this gracious and puri- 
 fying fountain, that you may enter in through the gates into 
 the city of the New Jerusalem, and join the General Assem- 
 bly and Church of the first born. This is a precious hope ; 
 and this hope I have reason to believe that most of you cher- 
 ish. But alas ! I have to fear for some of you ; to fear that 
 you are yet strangers to the regenerating power of the Holy 
 Ghost. The strongest wish of my heart concerning you, my 
 dear frends, is that you may all become united to Christ by a 
 living faith ; and being thus united to Him, I long to see you 
 all joined to his Church in a public covenant. It is a painful 
 thought to me that any one of your society, in which so much 
 love and harmony has prevailed, and whose members have so 
 often come together to talk about the things of the Kingdom 
 of God, should be separated from the rest, when they go to 
 join the happy society of the redeemed. I confess that my 
 eyes fill with tears while I write on this subject, and think of 
 some of you who are most amiable in your natural disposi- 
 tion, and yet, as I have reason to fear, strangers to the living 
 faith in Christ. To such I would say : Give yourselves no 
 rest until you find it in the Lord Jesus. Go to Him, and you 
 
55 
 
 will find Him at once able and willing to save. Eemember 
 me, my dear friends, at the throne of grace. May the Lord 
 be with you, and bless you with all needed temporal blessings, 
 but, above all, may He make you the heirs of eternal life. 
 Your affectionate Friend and Pastor. 
 
 In 1812, the General Assembly, having determined 
 to establish a Theological Seminary at Princeton, Mr. 
 McDowell was chosen one of the first Directors. In 
 1825, he was appointed a Trustee of the same institu- 
 tion. Both of these offices he held till the close of life. 
 
 The next noticeable event in the history of Mr. Mc- 
 DowelPs ministry was a revival of great power, which 
 commenced in December, 1812. It was on a Communion 
 Sabbath, when there had been nothing specially exci- 
 ting in the preaching, and, so far as was known, no 
 peculiar interest awakened on the part of the Church. 
 It was not till the close of the day, when several called 
 upon the Pastor, in great distress, to inquire what they 
 should do to be saved, that he knew that there were any 
 special tokens of God's gracious presence among them ; 
 though it subsequently appeared that not less than 
 thirty who joined the church were awakened on that 
 day. And it was a somewhat remarkable circumstance 
 that the same powerful influence was experienced on 
 the same day in both of the Presbyterian churches in 
 the neighbouring town of Newark — it being Communion 
 
56 
 
 season also in both those churches. This revival in 
 Elizabethtown continued about a year, and resulted in 
 an addition to the church of a hundred and ten mem- 
 bers. The following is Mr. McDowell's own account of 
 it. 
 
 "The subjects of this revival generally were deeply and 
 long distressed, and, in many instances, their distress aflfected 
 their bodily frames. Frequently sobbing aloud was heard in 
 our meetings, and, in some instances, there was a universal 
 trembling, and, in others, a privation of bodily strength, so 
 that the subjects were not able to go home without help. In 
 this respect, this revival was different from any other which 
 I have witnessed. I never dared to speak against this bodily 
 agitation, lest I should be found speaking against the Holy 
 Ghost ; but I never did any thing to encourage it. It may 
 be proper here to relate one case of a young man, who was 
 then a graduate of one of our colleges, and is now a very 
 respectable and useful minister of Christ. Near the com- 
 mencement of the revival, he was led, for the first time, 
 reluctantly, and out of complaisance to his sister, to a meet- 
 ing in a private house. I was present, and spoke, two or 
 three times, between prayers in which some of my people led. 
 The audience was solemn, but perfectly still. I commenced 
 leading in the concluding prayer. A suppressed sob reached 
 my ears — it continued and increased. I brought the prayer 
 speedily to a close, and cast my eyes over the audience, when, 
 behold it was this careless, proud young man, who was 
 standing near me, leaning on his chair, sobbing and trembling 
 in every part, like the Philippian jailor. He raised his eyes 
 towards me, and then tottered forward, threw his arms on my 
 shoulders, and cried out * What shall I do to be saved ? ' A 
 
57 
 
 scene ensued, the like of which I never witnessed. The 
 house was full, and there was immediately, by the power of 
 sympathy, I suppose, a univei-sal sobbing throughout the 
 assembly. He repeatedly begged me to pray for him. I felt 
 so overcome with the solemnity of the scene, and fearful of 
 the disorder which might ensue in the excited state of feeling, 
 that I held this trembling young man for half an hour, with- 
 out speaking a word. I then persuaded him to go home with 
 me, and the audience to retire. His strength was so weak- 
 ened that he had to be supported. From that hour he 
 appeared to give his whole soul to the subject of religion. He 
 continued in a state of deep anxiety and distress for nearly 
 two months, when he settled down in a peaceful state of mind, 
 hoping in the Saviour. 
 
 In October, 1814, Mr. McDowell set out on his first 
 begging tour in behalf of the Princeton Theological 
 Seminary. The field in which he operated was partly 
 in New Jersey and partly in Pennsylvania; and, 
 though he was, on the whole, very successful, he was 
 not a little embarrassed in his movements by the 
 threatened invasion by the British of some of the 
 towns he had intended to visit. The following to Mrs. 
 McDowell, dated Bridgetown, November 12, 1814, 
 reveals at once the intense interest he felt in his object, 
 and the unpropitious state of things under which he 
 prosecuted it. 
 
 My Dear Wife : 
 
 You will probably be surprised, possibly rejoiced, to find 
 that I am still in this place. When I put your letter in the 
 
58 
 
 office on Thursday evening, I expected to set out for the 
 Cape next morning in company with Mrs. Giles ; but the 
 Cape May stage arrived shortly after, and brought me such 
 intelligence as caused me to postpone, if not altogether 
 relinquish, my visit there. The inhabitants were in a con- 
 stant state of alarm, and frequently all were under arms. 
 Those in the lower part were moving off their valuable 
 effects, and some of them their families ; and the British had 
 burnt a schooner on the beach, and had had a skirmish of an 
 hour with our people. In this state of things, after consult- 
 ing with my friends in this place, I concluded not to go. 
 Indeed it would have been in vain as it respects my object ; 
 for the people could not attend to it. I shall avail myself of 
 some opportunity to come back to this place when the times 
 become settled. My health is very good. General Giles has 
 treated me with very great hospitality. Providence secures 
 to me kind friends wherever I go, and I hope I may ever 
 have a disposition to treat strangers with^the same kindness 
 that is shown to myself. I have succeeded, in respect to the 
 object of my mission, far beyond my expectations. I have 
 got subscribed in Woodbury 124 dollars ; in Greenwich 69 ; 
 and Bridgeton 219 ; making a total of 412 dollars. More 
 than 400 of this I have actually received. If every part of 
 the Church responds as liberally as this has done, the Semi- 
 nary will not want for means of support. I expect that 
 something more will be subscribed in each of the places I 
 have visited, by persons whom I was not able to see. Your 
 affectionate husband, JOHN McDOWELL. 
 
 In a letter to Mrs. McDowell, written one week later, 
 be refers again to the disturbed state of the country, 
 and withal gives us a clue to his own political predi- 
 lections. 
 
59 
 
 " It was well that I did not go to Cape May, Last Saturday 
 a number of cattle were taken off, and on Tuesday there was a 
 severe engagement. A privateer was chased to the shore, 
 and was run on the beach. The British barges attempted to 
 destroy her, and the crew and the people of the Cape defended 
 her. Our people finally succeeded in driving off the barges, 
 and will probably get out the guns and the stores of the pri- 
 vateer, but the vessel will be lost. I need not suggest to 
 you the vital importance of economy in expenditure in these 
 embarassing and troublous times. And I fear we have not 
 yet, by any means, seen the end of our national troubles. 
 Our country, it appears to me, is on the brink of ruin ; and 
 I see not how either individual or national bankruptcy is to 
 be averted, if the present ruinous measures are persevered 
 in. And yet the people will not believe it, and apply the 
 only remedy, which, under Providence, appears to be left for 
 us, — giving those leaders leave to retire, who have brought 
 us into these difiBculties, and are either too weak or too 
 wicked to change their ruinous course. The eyes of the pub- 
 lic must eventually be opened; but I greatly fear that it will 
 be too late to preserve the nation from ruin." 
 
 To His Mother. 
 
 Elizabethtown, March 16, 1815. 
 My Dear Mother : 
 
 I did not hear of your illness until I heard you were get- 
 ting better, else I should have gone up to see you while the 
 travelling was yet good ; and my intention now is to make 
 you a visit as soon as the roads have become tolerable. We 
 live, my dear mother, in a world of trial, but we are making 
 a rapid passage through it, and shall soon bid it adieu for- 
 ever. May your trials here be the means of ripening you for 
 the future world of glory. It is a great consolation, amidst 
 the sufferings to which we are subjected, to realize that the 
 
60 
 
 Lord reignetli, and that diseases are his servants, and sent 
 by his appointment ; and still greater to have a humble hope 
 that this God is our Father, who knoweth what is best, and 
 will do what is best, for us. Precious is the thought that we 
 have an interest in the blessed promises of God's word, and 
 that we are privileged to plead them and appropriate them 
 to ourselves. All this, I trust, you know from happy experi- 
 ence. And may your knowledge of it become still more deep 
 and experimental, until you are discharged from this state of 
 warfare, and received where the inhabitants shall no more 
 say, I am sick ; where God shall wipe away all tears from 
 their eyes ; and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, 
 nor crying, nor pain ; and where especially there shall be no 
 more sin, which is now the Christian's greatest burden and 
 greatest enemy. And it is a yet further precious considera- 
 tion that, if we are of the people of God, our afflictions here, 
 comparatively light and for a moment, are working out for 
 us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 
 
 It has pleased the Lord, since I saw you, in very great 
 mercy, to restore the blessing of peace to our land. There 
 has been great rejoicing over the event in this part of the 
 country, and indeed I may say in every part of it. The news 
 first reached me on the Sabbath, between the morning and 
 afternoon services. I announced it from the pulpit before 
 prayer in the afternoon, and then returned thanks to God for 
 this wonderful interposition on our behalf It was pecu- 
 liarly gratifying to me that we were in a situation in which 
 our first feelings of joy were expressed in an offering of gra- 
 titude and praise to God in his house. And then again on 
 the day that we received the news of the ratification from 
 Washington, we assembled in the church at two o'clock, and 
 renewed our thanksgivings to our Gracious Benefactor. As 
 soon as we came out of church, the cannon was fired eigh- 
 teen times ; after which the bells rung for one hour. In the 
 evening the whole town was splendidly illuminated. 
 
61 
 
 We are at present in considerable clifficnlty in our attempts 
 to enforce the observance of the Sabbath. The wicked among 
 ourselves have risen in violent opposition. What the result 
 may be I know not ; but I trust the Lord will show us the 
 path of duty-, and give us grace to persevere in it. 
 
 Your son, JOHN McDOWELL. 
 
 The following extract of a letter from Mrs. Alfred 
 Chester, dated June 5, 1863, presents an outline of the 
 early history of the Sabbath School in Elizabethtown, 
 — an institution in which, from the beginning. Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell took the deepest interest. 
 
 " The first Sabbath School in Elizabethtown was formed in 
 1814. With great caution was the enterprise undertaken 
 lest it might not be popular. A few ladies called on the pa- 
 rents of prominent and influential families to ascertain their 
 opinion and secure their co-operation. Finding it met with 
 the approbation of all classes and denominations, a Sabbath 
 School was opened in the room now used as the Sabbath 
 School room of the First Presbyterian Church, then occupied 
 as a school room by Miss Gorham, the whole building being 
 a Public Academy. At that time there were but three 
 \;hurches in the town ; the Presbyterian, under the pastorate 
 of the Rev. John McDowell ; an Episcopal (St. Johns), of 
 which the Rev. John C. Rudd was Rector ; and a Methodist, 
 sustained chiefly by the Pastor himself, — the Rev. Thomas 
 Morrell. The three denominations, with great harmony, com- 
 menced Sabbath School instruction under the care of the Free 
 School Association of Elizabethtown, electing as their first 
 Superintendent Miss Maria Smith. At the same time was 
 commenced a Sabbath School among the coloured people, by 
 Mr. Witherspoon, of North Carolina, then a student of 
 Divinity under Mr. McDowell. All ages flocked to it, and 
 6 
 
62 
 
 gladly improved the opportunity of gaining instruction, and 
 several, at an advanced age, learned to read the Word of life. 
 At the end of a year, the school at the Academy had increased 
 80 rapidly that the room was too small to accommodate all, 
 and it was decided that each church should have its school ; 
 and with great kindness of feeling they separated, teachers 
 and scholars going to the church and school of their own 
 choice." 
 
 "When the Spruce Street Church in Philadelphia was 
 established, in 1815, Mr. McDowell was called to be its 
 Pastor. He declined the call, however, as he had done 
 those which had preceded, hoping and expecting to 
 spend his entire ministerial life among the people who 
 then constituted his pastoral charge. 
 
 The following letter was addressed to his brother- 
 in-law, Mr. Shepard Kollock, then a student of The- 
 ology under the direction of his brother. Dr. Henry 
 Kollock, at Savannah : — 
 
 Elizabethtown, February 5, 1815. 
 My Dear Brother: 
 
 I ought to have written to you before this time, but the 
 multiplicity of my engagements must be my apology. The 
 state of religion here is much as it was when you left 
 us ; though, if there has been any change, I hope it has been 
 for the better. Some few are under serious impressions. 
 The revival in Morristown is still in progress ; and in 
 Springfield also thei^e is now very considerable attention. 
 You have probably heard that, since the first of January, 
 appearances have again been very encouraging in Princeton 
 College. The College appeared, for some weeks, to be 
 
63 
 
 deeply solemn, and the serious students were calculating 
 with much confidence on a revival ; but lately I understand 
 the prospects have become less encouraging. The Theologi- 
 cal Seminary is in a very flourishing state — the number of 
 students is forty-three. 
 
 You have heard of the death of Dr. Roe, of Woodbridge, 
 and also probably of the death of Mr. Armstrong, of Tren- 
 ton. The people of Woodbridge are, I understand, to meet 
 to-day with a view of trying the question whether they are 
 prepared to make a call. Mr. Mills, of Morristown, I expect, 
 will be their man. Mr. Witherspoon has been applied to 
 with an intimation that, if he would give them encourage- 
 ment, they would wait for him ; but he has put an absolute 
 negative on their application, having his face fixed for the 
 South, I dare not advise him to stay, though it would well 
 agree with my feelings to have him do so. The wants of the 
 South are much greater than those of this region. 
 
 The Sunday School establishment, in the formation of which, 
 to your lasting honour, you had so much agency, continues to 
 flourish. In November last, as you have probably seen in the 
 papers, an Association was formed for the support of Sunday 
 Schools. Among the coloured people, committing the Scrip- 
 tures to memory has lately been made an exercise ; and it is 
 truly astonishing how much some of them will recite at a 
 single lesson. Yesterday week Mr. Palmer's Mary recited a 
 hundred and eighty-seven verses in the Gospel by John. The 
 Directors of the Association have established a Sunday School 
 also for white female children. This school has five teachers, 
 and each teacher an assistant, and it numbers a hundred and 
 thirty scholars. Those who cannot read are taught to read ; 
 and those who can read occupy their time in reading the Bible, 
 and reciting the Catechism and portions of Scripture. 
 
 Your father talks seriously of removing to Carolina. When 
 I see him set out, then I will believe he is going. I hope you 
 
64 
 
 will endeavour to get back by the time of the meeting- of the 
 Presbytery, (fourth Monday in April,) that you may then be 
 licensed. 
 
 I remain your affectionate brother, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 In 1815, the General Assembly appointed agents to 
 solicit funds in aid of the Theological Seminary. Mr. 
 McDowell was associated in this service with the Rev. 
 William Latta, within the bounds of the Presbytery of 
 Philadelphia. They went to Philadelphia about the 
 close of October, and remained some two weeks, con- 
 fining their applications chiefly, if not entirely, to two 
 churches in tlie city. From these churches they 
 obtained 6,200 dollars, 4,200 of which were in response 
 to the applications of Mr. McDowell. It was consid- 
 ered a noble contribution. 
 
 To Mr. Shepard Kollock. 
 
 Elizabethtown, March 11, 1816. 
 My dear brother, 
 
 I have received your letter and hasten to answer it. Your 
 mother has been very ill, — at the very borders of the grave, 
 but I am happy to inform you she is now almost entirely recov- 
 ered. You have probably heard from some of the family that 
 she fell on the kitchen piazza, and ruptured a blood vessel in 
 her stomach. She did not apprehend any thing serious until, 
 after some days, she was taken with raising blood in large 
 quantities. She became, in consequence, exceedingly weak, 
 and one night we were about her bed for several hours, under 
 
65 
 
 the impression that death had actually begun its work. It 
 has, however, pleased a kind Providence to raise her up, and 
 we trust she may be spared a little longer to us. It is 
 expected that she will go on with Mr. Witherspoon and his 
 family to North Carolina, in May, and pass the summer there. 
 
 The Sunday Schools, both the black and the female, con- 
 tinue and flourish. You have probably seen that they have 
 become quite engaged in this business in New York. There 
 has been for some time a considerable revival in Mr. Spring's 
 church. New York; and I am happy to be able to add that a 
 similar state of things has also commenced in Philadelphia. It 
 began six weeks since, in Mr. Patterson's congregation, North- 
 ern Liberties. When I heard from there last week, it was sup- 
 posed that the number of the awakened and inquiring in that 
 congregation was a hundred and fifty. About three weeks 
 since, the revival made its appearance also in Arch Street 
 Church, and they are now enjoying a very solemn and iiiterest- 
 ing season. Mr. Skinner is much engaged, and is evidently 
 growing in public favour. We have nothing special in our 
 region, except at Morristown and Spi'ingfield. Mr. Henry 
 Mills has accepted a call from Woodbridge. 
 
 Miss Gorham has rented the house in which Mr. Wither- 
 spoon lives, and intends taking a number of young ladies to 
 board with her. Her two sisters will be associated with 
 her, — one of them to assist her in the school, the other to 
 take charge of the family. I would take it as a favour if you 
 would interest yourself among your acquaintances to procure 
 boarders for her. You know her great worth and excellence 
 as a teacher, and will doubtless agree with me in the opinion 
 that her school is not inferior to any other in the State. She 
 is an admirable disciplinarian as well as a most competent 
 teacher. 
 
 Believe me your affectionate brother, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 *6 
 
66 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1816, a steamboat 
 company determined to run their boat from Elizabeth- 
 town to New York on the Sabbath. At this Mr. 
 McDowell was sorely grieved, and the rather as he 
 found that the enterprise was encouraged and sustained 
 by a leading member of his congregation, who had 
 always been considered decidedly friendly to morality 
 and religion, who occupied a high place in civil society, 
 and who withal was one of his most generous and devo- 
 ted friends. As soon as the youthful Pastor became 
 apprized of what was doing, he addressed a letter (a 
 copy of which is still in existance) to the gentleman re- 
 ferred to, which, for judiciousness, earnestness, ten- 
 derness, and unshrinking fidelity, I have rarely seen 
 equalled. The effort was not unavailing ; and the evil 
 complained of was arrested. 
 
 The year 181*7 was another year signalized, in Mr. 
 McDowell's ministry, as a year of the right hand of the 
 Most High. It was my privilege, being then a student 
 in the Princeton Seminary, to pass a few days with 
 him during this period, including a Communion 
 Sabbath, when, if my memory serves me, about eighty 
 were admitted to the Church. The sermon which he 
 preached on the occasion was from the text, " Who are 
 these that fly as a cloud and as doves to their win- 
 
67 
 
 dows?" It was at once liiglily appropriate and impres- 
 sive ; but it seemed as if we had not more than half 
 comprehended the meaning of the text until we saw 
 the throng of candidates for admission coming forth to 
 fill up the aisles of the venerable old church. Dr. 
 Romeyn and Dr. McLelland, then of New York, partici- 
 pated in the service ; and, as the whole scene comes 
 up to my memory now, it seems to me to have dimin- 
 ished the distance between earth and Heaven quite as 
 much as any thing I ever witnessed. This revival con- 
 tinued about a year, and, as the fruit of it, one hund- 
 red and eighty were admitted to the church. 
 
 The following letter, addressed to the Rev. Jonathan 
 Freeman, of Bridgeton, N. J., while the revival was yet 
 in progress, presents a very satisfactory view of its 
 origin and general character. 
 
 Elizabethtown, July 8, 1817. 
 Rev. and Dear Sir: 
 
 I promised you an account of the glorious work of God in 
 this place, and, but for my manifold engagements in connec- 
 tion with it, my promise would have been fulfilled at an 
 earlier date. Several times during the fall, there appeai-ed 
 to be an increased attention to religion amongst us, and our 
 hopes were proportionally raised, only, however, to be blast- 
 ed. About the middle of December, a revival commenced in 
 Dr. Richards' church at Newark, but, for several weeks after 
 this, my people continued in a state of apparent indifference. 
 In the latter part of January, some few Christians appeared 
 
68 
 
 to be quickened to an earnest desire that God's work might 
 be revived. On the last Friday evening in January, I lec- 
 tured, as usual, in our session house; but, though the evening 
 was pleasant, my audience was very small. At the close of 
 the lecture, I made a few remarks on the state of things 
 amongst us as compared with that in Newark, and appointed 
 a meeting for professors the next evening, with a view to 
 united and fervent prayer for the outpouring of the Spirit in 
 the midst of us. At that meeting there were present about one 
 hundred professors of religion. It was an evening of solemn 
 self-searching, of confession, humiliation, and earnest suppli- 
 cation. The next day, which was the Sabbath, it was evi- 
 dent that an unusual solemnity rested upon the congrega- 
 tion. I announced, at the close of the second service, that 
 the Session would spend the next afternoon together in prayer 
 for a revival of religion, which, indeed, was only the repeti- 
 tion of an appointment made about a week before. At the 
 same time, I requested all who desired to see God's work re- 
 vived to retire at four o'clock into their closets, and unite with 
 the Session for half an hour in prayer. The Session met — 
 and a very solemn meeting it was — and I believe there 
 were many, at the same time, in their closets. That evening 
 was the Monthly Concert of Prayer; but, though it was un- 
 commonly full and solemn, I did not know that there was a 
 single person specially impressed. The next evening I at- 
 tended a meeting in a private house. Here the power of the 
 Lord was visibly manifested, and many were in tears; and 
 these, when I dismissed the people, continued standing and 
 weeping. After conversing with a few of them, I left the 
 place, and had scarcely reached my house, when I was sent 
 for to go to the house of a lady who keeps a Female Board- 
 ing School. I found her whole family, about twenty in num- 
 ber, so deeply wrought upon that they were sobbing aloud. 
 I said a few words to them, offered a prayer, and came away. 
 
69 
 
 This burst of feeling, which continued during the next day, 
 commenced while a chapter was being read, preparatory to 
 family prayers; none of the family had been at meeting that 
 evening, except two sisters of the Principal of the school, 
 and they had not yet gone into the room. The next evening 
 was the meeting of my Bible Class. A large number of 
 yomig people were present, and before the exercises closed, 
 they were almost all weeping aloud. From this time the 
 work spread rapidly, until it had reached every neighbour- 
 hood in the congregation. At every meeting, (and there was 
 one every night,) the arrows of conviction flew thick, and 
 new cases of awakening daily occurred. The next week 
 after it began, I appointed a meeting solely for the awakened, 
 to converse and pray with, and exhort them. The first week 
 fifty attended; the second, a hundred; the third, two hundred; 
 and the fourth, four hundred. This was about the highest 
 number that attended this meeting at any one time. As the 
 bounds of my congregation are very extensive, few of the 
 subjects from the country could attend this meeting; so that 
 I have supposed that if all equally impressed with those who 
 attended had been there, the number would not have 
 fallen short of six hundred. Many of these, however, were 
 very young, say from ten to fourteen; and many of them, I 
 have no doubt, were affected merely from sympathy. The 
 work has proceeded with great silence. Except in one or 
 two evenings at the commencement, scarcely an instance of 
 audible weeping has occurred. The coloured people have 
 largely shared in the blessing; and they have evidently been 
 prepared for it, chiefly through the influence of the Sunday 
 School. 
 
 The season of distress has, in many instances, been 
 uuusally short, and the terrors of remorse have yielded 
 almost immediately to the peace that passeth understanding. 
 The greater number of subjects have been persons in the 
 
70 
 
 morning of life, though there have been some of all ages. 
 Almost all the youth who have attended my catechetical and 
 biblical instructions give evidence of having experienced the 
 saving change. Not a small number of children also, are, 
 we trust, the subjects of a genuine conversion. And, I must 
 add, the riches of Divine grace have been signally manifested 
 in bringing into the dust some persons of the most profligate 
 and abandoned character. The work still continues, and 
 since my return from Philadelphia, a number of new instances 
 of awakening have occurred. On the fourth Sabbath in 
 June, we had our communion — seventy-seven were received 
 as the first fruits — we still expect a glorious harvest. 
 I hope the good work prospers among your own people. 
 Your affectionate brother, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 The next important incident, in connection with Mr. 
 McDowell's ministry, is indicated by the following cer- 
 tificate from the Rev. Dr. Green. 
 
 This is to certify to all whom it may concern, that the 
 bearer, the Kev. John McDowell, Pastor of the Presbyterian 
 church in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, has been appointed by 
 the Board of Directors^ of the Theological Seminary estab- 
 lished by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church 
 in the United States, to solicit donations and subscriptions 
 to said Seminary, in the Southern States of the American 
 Union ; and that he is duly and fully authorized to receive 
 any benefactions intended for said Seminary, in whatever 
 form they may be made. 
 
 Given under my hand at Princeton, this 2d day of Jan- 
 uary, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and eighteen. 
 ASHBEL GREEN, President of the 
 Board of Directors of the Tlieological Seminary. 
 
71 
 
 In pursuance of this commission, Mr. McDowell sailed 
 from New York on the 11th of January, 1818, for 
 Savannah, where he arrived after a stormy and disa- 
 greeable passage of ten days. Here he met a cordial 
 welcome from his brother-in-law. Dr. Henry Kollock, 
 whose guest he was so long as he remained in the city. 
 As Presbyterianism was then somewhat at a discount 
 in Savannah, Dr. Kollock gave him no encouragement 
 of success in his application ; while yet he allowed him 
 to present the object in his pulpit, and afterwards to 
 make private solicitations among his people. The result 
 of the effort, however, disappointed both the Doctor 
 and himself, the sum which he collected being not less 
 than eighteen hundred dollars. After remaining at 
 Savannah and in the neighbourhood about a fortnight, 
 he proceeded to Augusta, where also he prosecuted his 
 mission very successfully, being seconded in his appli- 
 cations by some of the most prominent individuals of 
 the place. During his stay here, occurred the Funeral 
 of the Hon. John Milledge, who had been Governor of 
 Georgia, and whose residence was about three miles 
 from Augusta. Mr. McDowell attended the Funeral as 
 a clergyman, and took part in the services ; and he 
 seems to have been deeply impressed by the splendid 
 pageantry he witnessed. From Augusta he went 
 
72 
 
 to Waynesboro', where he was most hospitably received, 
 but, by the advice of his friend, Mr. Whitehead, at 
 whose house he staid, did not attempt — owing to some 
 peculiar circumstances — to bring his object before the 
 people, though Mr. W. himself made to it a liberal con- 
 tribution. After a short visit at Waynesboro', he 
 returned to Savannah, and thence travelled by water 
 to Charleston, where he arrived on the 5th of March, 
 having had a most tempestuous and perilous passage. 
 Here, in acceptance of an invitation which had been 
 sent to him while he was in Georgia, he made his home 
 at the house of the Rev. Dr. Palmer, where every thing 
 was done that could be for his accommodation and 
 comfort. The object of his mission met with a hearty 
 approval from the several Presbyterian ministers, and 
 one of them (Dr. Flinn) testified practically his sense 
 of its importance by the generous contribution of five 
 hundred dollars. Here he spent some three weeks, 
 preaching to dilBferent congregations on the Sabbath, 
 and making personal applications to the more wealthy 
 and benevolent during the week ; and his success fully 
 equalled his highest expectations. The sum of the 
 contributions was not far from five thousand dollars, 
 twenty-five hundred of which was given by the ladies to 
 establish a scholarship. He was greatly impressed by 
 
73 
 
 the urbane and kindly bearing of the people of Charles- 
 ton, by their intellectual and social culture, and by the 
 high tone of religious feeling evinced by many of them; 
 while yet he seems to have thought that a spirit of 
 refined gaiety was quite in the ascendant. Having 
 done his work at Charleston, he passed on to Raleigh, 
 N. C, whence, after staying only long enough to fulfil 
 an appointment in preaching, which the Rev. Dr. Mc- 
 Pheeters, in anticipation of his visit, had made for him, 
 he proceeded to Hillsboro', the residence of his two 
 brothers-in-law, the Rev. John Witherspoon and Judge. 
 Nash. Here and hereabouts he passed a very pleasant 
 week, chiefly in visiting his friends, and then set his 
 face in good earnest in a Northerly direction. On the 
 21st of April, he was restored to his family and his 
 flock, in better health than when he left them, and was 
 permitted to unite with them in devout thanksgiving 
 to God that both he and they had been so mercifully 
 preserved and cared for during the period of their sep- 
 aration. For several days after his return, his house 
 was literally thronged by his grateful and rejoicing 
 parishioners. During his absence, his pulpit had been 
 very acceptably supplied by the Rev. Backus Wilbur, 
 who was shortly after settled as Pastor of the Presby- 
 terian Church in Dayton, Ohio. 
 7 
 
•74 
 
 In 1818, the degree of Doctor of Divinity was con- 
 ferred upon Mr. McDowell, by both the University of 
 North Carolina and Union College. 
 
 The following congratulatory letter from his 
 brother-in-law. Dr. Henry Kollock, was written shortly 
 after the honour was conferred. 
 
 Savannah, July 18, 1818. 
 My Dear Brother : 
 
 Though I wrote to Elizabethtown a few days since, I can- 
 not let Mr. Camp return without telling you that I am well ; 
 that the town was never more healthy ; and that we have all 
 the prospect of a pleasant summer. Yet this prospect may 
 soon be changed. May we then be always prepared for the 
 dispensations of Providence, ready to live or die at the call 
 of God. 
 
 I congratulate you on the degree conferred upon you by 
 the University of North Carolina. It indeed has ceased to 
 become very honourable ; but you have deserved it ; and 
 though others, with no pretensions to it, wear it, yet still 
 "qui palmam meruit ferat." I hope you are not as angry as 
 was my predecessor, Dr. Zubly, because they have not given 
 you an opportunity of writing your Latin dissertation. While 
 speaking on this subject, I may as well remind you that my 
 degree was first conferred on me by Harvard University. In 
 the Catalogue you have mentioned only the conferment of it 
 from Union College. If there is any honour in it, I more 
 regard the former, as it proceeds from an institution that has 
 been less profuse in its degrees than the younger colleges ; 
 which, like some young Presbyteries have been anxious to 
 seize every opportunity of displaying and exercising their 
 power. You may therefore make an alteration in the College 
 Catalogue. 
 
75 
 
 Our city is now very much deserted. You have doubtless 
 met many of our people at the North, who have informed 
 you of every thing connected with Savannah. Be assured I 
 shall ever remain your friend and brother, 
 
 HENRY KOLLOCK. 
 
 The following letter from the Rev. (afterwards Dr.) 
 John Witherspoon, who was married to a sister of Mrs. 
 McDowell, written a few months after Dr. M.'s return 
 from the South, is not without historical interest. 
 
 HiLLSBORo', N. C, December 23, 1818. 
 My Dear Brother : 
 
 Since you left the rank of plain 1/r., I have received from 
 you but one letter — before that, you were a very good, punc- 
 tual correspondent. This is a great falling off ; and we all 
 feel it here, as we depend on you alone for the news from 
 Jersev. I beg you will, without any delay, return to your 
 good old habits, and let your friends again have the benefit 
 of your correspondence. Our Brother William and myself 
 commenced begging last week in Raleigh ; and, though our 
 success was not very great, we received something to 
 encourage us. No doubt he has informed you of the shame- 
 ful interruption he experienced in his begging sermon on Sab- 
 bath morning, by the drum and fife of a number of Free- 
 masons, passing by the church. Nearly one half of the con- 
 gregation rose and went out. Not only the pious, but all 
 lovers of order present, were deeply grieved, considering it 
 as an expression of hostility against Presbyterianism in that 
 place. But we live in a land of liberty — here follows a 
 specimen of it. A bill was lately introduced into the Legis- 
 lature of North Carolina, forbidding any person to teach a 
 slave to read or write, under the penalty of a heavy fine and 
 imprisonment. It was rejected in the Commons by two votes 
 
76 
 
 — fifty-eight against fifty-six. Seldom, if ever, my brother, 
 have my feelings been so much han-owed as they were on 
 that occasion. I was in the gallery of the house with Wil- 
 liam and Brother McPheeters, when this shameful bill was 
 read, discussed and disposed of. I blushed and was ashamed 
 for the miserable, degraded country where I dwell. Poor, 
 unhappy Africans ! They would not only shut the door of 
 the Kingdom of God against themselves, but would even 
 throw away the key, lest it might be opened for you ! Shall 
 I remain in a land where such monstrous abuse of liberty of 
 conscience can be permitted ? Had such a measure passed, 
 I would not have remained a month within the reach of such 
 an abominable statute. The curse of Grod would have fol- 
 lowed it; and even now we have reason to fear his awful 
 judgments. I pity, from my soul, the young man who intro- 
 duced it, and ti-emble for his situation. You see, my brother, 
 the materials among which your brethren in this country have 
 to labour. Will not our Northern brethren pray for us ? My 
 heart revolts at these things, and I would gladly remove 
 from them, if I could only see it to be the course of duty. 
 As yet I cannot; and whatever be the trial, I must labour 
 on, and do what little I can. Another bill was introduced to 
 prevent drawing the seine to catch fish on the Lord's day; — 
 a common practice in the lower part of this State. The bill 
 was lost; and thus the Legislatui-e of North Carolina tacitly 
 encourages Sabbath-breaking. My brother has been elected 
 a Judge, but I doubt whether he will accept of it. A strong 
 influence was brought to bear against him, because he is a 
 religious man, and therefore unfit to be a Judge among 
 wicked people ! Oh, Sir, my very soul sickens at the state 
 of things I behold around me. A man debased in principle, 
 and steeped in sensuality, is chosen to fill ofiices for which 
 the man of integrity and piety as well as talents, is deemed 
 unfit. Pray write to me very soon, and believe me afiection- 
 ately yours, J. WITHERSPOON. 
 
77 
 
 To His Brother, Benjamin McDowell, of Bedmins- 
 TER, N. J. 
 
 Elizabethtown, June 1, 1819. 
 My Dear Brother: 
 
 I received your letter yesterday. I truly sympathize with 
 my dear sister in the afflictive dispensation of Providence 
 with which she has lately been visited. I hope and pray that 
 it may be sanctified to her spiritual benefit, and that of her 
 husband. These painful events which wring our hearts in 
 agony, are often made blessings in the end. That the Lord 
 afflicts is no evidence that he does not love — on the contrary 
 we are told, — " Whom he loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth 
 every son whom He receiveth." Present my affectionate 
 remembrance to her and her husband. There is no perma- 
 nent happiness here. I hope I increasingly feel more of this. 
 Blessed be God that, amid the trials of life, we have the 
 assurance that there remaineth a rest for the people of God. 
 Oh that we may think more of that rest; long more for it; and 
 give more diligence to secure an interest in it. This is a 
 world not only of sorrow but of sin; and it is sin that makes 
 it sorrowful. If sin is embittered to us by the trials of life, 
 they will be profitable trials. Let this, my brother, be our 
 aim and most earnest desire, under the afflictions we are 
 called to experience, that they may be sanctified to us, in 
 causing us to hate sin more, and long more intensely after 
 the Heavenly rest ; where the wicked shall no more stand in 
 the congregation of the righteous, and where all tears shall 
 be wiped away. 
 
 I am surprised to hear the sad intelligence respecting your 
 congregation. These distractions, to one who loves the cause 
 of God, are exceedingly painful. But, my brother, " The 
 Lord reigneth ; let the earth rejoice." This is a text, which 
 has often comforted me in seasons of darkness; and I pray 
 God that you may feel the power and comfort ■ of it in your 
 *7 
 
78 
 
 own soul, in this day of darkness and rebuke. God is in the 
 midst of Zion, and He will help her; and no weapon formed 
 against her shall prosper. God will take care of his own 
 cause — we need not fear for the ark, though it shake. It 
 is true that we have no promise that an individual congrega- 
 tion shall be preserved, but we have that the Church at large 
 shall stand — and this is our comfort. I think you have done 
 your duty in star ding by the congregation of youi' fathers 
 so long, in the midst of all the trials you have had to endure, 
 and I hope you will still maintain your grouud — the worse the 
 state of things becomes, the more need there is that the 
 friends of Zion should stand in the breach. I think the state 
 of things will soon be better; but I feel assured that you 
 will maintain a right spirit while the conflict lasts. The best 
 advice 1 can give you is to seek counsel at a throne of grace, 
 pray for the sanctification of your trials and connnit your 
 case unto the Lord. Your affectionate brother, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 About the close of 1819, Dr. McDowell was privi- 
 leged to witness the commencement of another revival 
 of religion in his congregation. This did not pervade 
 the congregation so entirely as the revival immediately 
 preceding had done, but was confined to particular 
 neighbourhoods. Nor was the church so earnestly- 
 engaged in the work as the devoted Pastor could have 
 desired. The subjects were generally from irreligious, 
 and, in some cases, from notoriously profligate, fami- 
 lies ; while the more decent and moral and promising 
 were passed by. This season of special attention con- 
 
Y9 
 
 tinued about a year ; and there were added to the com- 
 munion of the church, as its fruits, about sixty. 
 
 In 1820, Dr. McDowell served as Moderator of the 
 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church ; and his 
 great familiarity with Presbyterial rules, his aptitude 
 for public business, his untiring industry, and exact 
 punctuality, and singular devotion to the best interests 
 of the Church, qualified him pre-eminently for the 
 duties of that difficult place. 
 
 During this year, (1820,) the church of which Dr. 
 McDowell was Pastor, numbered no less than six hund- 
 red and sixty members ; and it was thought best that 
 a colony from it should be organized into a Second 
 church. This was accordingly done ; and the act of 
 organization was performed by Dr. McDowell. Of the 
 new church the Rev. (now Dr.) David Magie, a native 
 of Elizabethtown, who had been brought into the 
 church under Dr. McDowell's ministry, became the 
 Pastor. He has had a long, honoured and highly suc- 
 cessful ministry, and still survives to pay a grateful 
 tribute to his early spiritual guide. 
 
 In the spring of 1821, Dr. McDowell became deeply 
 interested in a missionary enterprise, which awakened 
 a very general sympathy throughout the Church. It 
 forms the subject of the following letter addressed to 
 his brother Benjamin. 
 
80 
 
 Elizabethtown, March 11, 1821. 
 My dear brother: 
 
 I passed through a very interesting scene last week. A 
 mission family collected from nine different States, consist- 
 ing of twenty-five grown persons, male and female, and six- 
 teen children, were set apart in New York by the United 
 Foreign Mission Society, to spend their days among the 
 Great Osage Indians, about five hundred miles beyond the 
 Mississippi. The setting apart of this family took place in 
 Dr. Mason's Church on Monday evening, and the farewell 
 meeting was in the Middle Dutch Church on Tuesday evening. 
 On Wednesday afternoon, they set out from New York on 
 board our steamboat. The houses were excessively crowded 
 each evening, and several thousand people were on the wharf 
 to witness their departure. Quite a number accompanied 
 them to Elizabethtown. We held a meeting in my church 
 on Wednesday evening, and the house was crowded. On 
 Thursday morning they all assembled at my house, and a 
 great crowd of other people with them. We had singing 
 and prayer; after which they set out in carriages, provided 
 by our people, for New Brunswick. We formed a procession 
 of thirteen carriages, our excellent Governor and myself 
 being placed at the head of it. The people of my congrega- 
 tion made up two hundred and thirty garments, forty articles 
 of bedding, and other articles, amounting in all to five hundred. 
 We collected about one hundred and seventy dollars in 
 money, and conveyed the family, with their travelling bag- 
 gage, free of expense, to New Brunswick. 
 
 Dear brother, it is a day of wonders. It becomes us to be 
 up and doing. The Saviour is on his way to take possession 
 of his kingdom, and to fill the earth with his glory. 
 
 Your brother, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
81 
 
 Early in the year 1822, Dr. McDowell received a call 
 from the Rutgers Street Presbyterian Congregation in 
 New York to become their Pastor; but he had no 
 doubt that it was his duty to decline it, and he did so 
 promptly. 
 
 During the sessions of the General Assembly of 
 1822, Dr. ■ McDowell was deeply interested in laying 
 the corner-stone of a new church, to be occupied by his 
 friend, the Rev. Thomas H. Skinner, — Dr. Romeyn and 
 one or two other prominent clergymen taking part in 
 the service. At the same meeting of the Assembly he 
 was appointed, with Dr. John H. Rice, of Virginia, a 
 delegate to the General Associations of Connecticut 
 and Massachusetts. 
 
 Having joined Dr. and Mrs. Rice in New York, on 
 the 12th of June, he proceeded towards New England, 
 and, on the first day, reached Stratford, Conn., where 
 he had much pleasure in meeting the Rev. Mr. Dutton, 
 the Congregational minister of the place, and some 
 other friends. The next day (Friday) he, with his fel- 
 low travellers, went to New Haven, and remained there 
 till Monday. Dr. McDowell was the guest of Mr. 
 (afterwards Dr.) Taylor, and preached for him Sab- 
 bath morning, and in the afternoon in the College Cha- 
 pel. He spent Saturday in visiting the College 
 
82 
 
 Library, the Cabinet of Minerals and other curiosities, 
 in calling upon Dr. Morse and other friends, and in the 
 evening he met and addressed the College students. 
 From New Haven he went on his way to Hartford, and 
 thence to Tolland, where the General Association of 
 Connecticut met, and where I had myself the pleasure 
 of meeting both Dr. McDowell and Dr. Rice, and hear- 
 ing both of them preach. Here Dr. McDowell, not only 
 by his preaching, which was very direct and earnest, 
 but by his dignified bearing and evident familiarity 
 with ecclesiastical rule, attracted no small degree of 
 attention. After the Association had adjourned, he 
 took a seat in my chaise to Hartford, and thence to 
 West Springfield, which was at that time my home, and 
 remained with me for several days, — most of the time 
 until the General Association of Massachusetts, which 
 assembled a day or two afterwards in Springfield, had 
 closed its session. He had engaged to divide the 
 labours of the Sabbath between me and Mr. (after- 
 wards Dr.) Osgood ; but a sudden attack of illness pre- 
 vented his preaching at all on the Sabbath, though I 
 heard him preach the Sermon preparatory to the Com- 
 munion at Springfield, from the text, "Awake, North 
 wind," &c. It was an excellent discourse, delivered 
 with his characteristic unction, and produced a stro^ 
 
83 
 
 impression upon the audience. He was received and 
 
 treated by the New England ministers, both here and 
 
 at Tolland, with great consideration and deference, and 
 
 was regarded by them as a most favourable specimen 
 
 of an earnest and faithful preacher. 
 
 The following letter was addressed to his brother 
 
 William, in reply to one in which he had asked his 
 
 advice in respect to the propriety of his accepting a 
 
 call from Charleston, S. C. 
 
 Elizabethtown, August 1, 1823. 
 My Dear Brother : 
 
 I have just received your letter, and hasten to give you my 
 views of the important subject to which it relates, — a subject 
 which has been in my mind a considerable time, as I have 
 anticipated the event which your letter informs me has taken 
 place. My opinion has uniformly been that, in case you re- 
 ceived a unanimous call from that church, with the promise 
 of an adequate support, you ought to accept it. I shall cer- 
 tainly very much regret your removal from this part of the 
 Church, and I know it must be exceedingly trying to you to 
 leave your present charge among whom you are so respecta- 
 bly, comfortably and usefully settled — trying also to leave 
 your native State, the country of your own and your wife's 
 kindred, and also to have your present ecclesiastical and 
 literary connections dissolved. But it appears to me that if 
 health and life be worth preserving, you are called to make 
 this sacrifice. It is this consideration that operates upon my 
 mind with irresistible force. Your life is too valuable to j^our 
 family' and to the Church to be unnecessarily sacrificed; and 
 it appears to me to be reduced almost to a certainty that you 
 cannot live long at Morristown, or in a Northern climate. 
 
84 
 
 Besides, I cannot resist the impression that God, in his 
 providence, is directing j'^ou to the place where He designs to 
 make you eminently useful. He owned your labors in that 
 city the last winter; and He has, after his guidance had been 
 sought by a few eminently pious people, desirous of creating 
 a standard of primitive piety and discipline in that populous 
 city, directed their minds unanimously to you. I view this, 
 under the circumstances of the case as a marked indication 
 of Providence. I believe the enterprise of those men is in- 
 calculably important to the interests of religion in that city; 
 and not in that city only, but in all that region of the Church. 
 And I do believe that, if health was not concerned in this 
 movement, your prospects of ministerial usefulness are far 
 greater in Charleston than in your present charge ; notwith- 
 standing the latter at present greatly exceeds the former in 
 point of numbers. Besides, it appears to me that if you had 
 wished to remove to a milder climate, and could have chosen 
 a place for yourself in the whole wide range of the Southern 
 country, you could not have found a situation in all respects 
 more desirable. In respect to both comfort and usefulness, 
 I cannot but think that it is greatly to be preferred before 
 any of the old established churches of the South. Besides, 
 Charleston is one uf the healthiest places in all the Southern 
 country. I shall hope to see you at Princeton, and to have 
 an opportunity of conversing with you at length on this sub- 
 ject. Meanwhile, commending you to God's gracious direc- 
 tion, I am your affectionate brother, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 In the early part of January, 1824, another revival 
 of religion commenced, which continued with a mode- 
 rate degree of power, till the close of the next year, 
 bringing into the communion of the church during 
 
85 
 
 that period, about sixty persons. But, at that time, 
 (December, 1825,) it received a fresh impulse, in con- 
 nection with the observance of a Day of Fasting and 
 Prayer, appointed by the Synod of New Jersey on 
 account of the general absence of Divine influence 
 from their churches. It continued till the close of the 
 year 1826, and during this year about one hundred and 
 thirty were added to the church. It was remarkable 
 for the very short time that intervened between the 
 first awakening and the hopeful conversion of most of 
 its subjects. 
 
 In the autumn of 1824, Dr. McDowell received a 
 unanimous call to become the Pastor of the Wall 
 Street Congregation in the city of New York. The 
 result of the negotiation on this subject appears from 
 the following document from Dr. McDowell, bearing 
 date December 11, 1824. 
 
 To the Session and Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Elizahethtown : 
 Dear Brethren : 
 
 I beg leave to communicate to you, and through you to the 
 congregation, the result of my deliberations in regard to the 
 call from the First Presbyterian Church in the city of New 
 York. The following is a copy of a letter which I have just 
 put into the Post-office, directed to the Commissioners appoint- 
 ed by that congregation to prosecute the call. This letter 
 contains my answer to them. 
 
86 
 
 Elizabethtown, Noveviber, 11, 1824. 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 The call from your congregation has received my most 
 serious and deliberate consideration. I have endeavoured to 
 collect every argument bearing on the subject, and have care- 
 fully and anxiously weighed the reasons for and against my 
 removal. I have diligently sought the advice of others. I 
 have spread the whole matter before the Lord, and have again 
 and again asked fur light, and begged of Him to direct my 
 judgment aright, and incline my heart to the path of duty. 
 Ever since I received notice that the call was made out, T 
 have experienced a painful conflict in respect to it. This day 
 I have secluded myself from my family and from the world, 
 and have spent its hours alone in my study, in fasting and 
 prayer, and meditation upon this important subject. At 
 length I have come to a definite decision, and it is that I can- 
 not sunder the ties that bind me to this people. I cannot feel 
 satisfied that it is the will of Providence that I should remove 
 from this place, where God has so signally owned and blessed 
 my labours. My feelings revolt at the prospect of inflicting 
 so deep a wound as I clearly see would be caused in the hearts 
 of those I love, and who have uniformly manifested a warm 
 attachment to me, and many of whom are God's dear people, 
 and my children in the Gospel. And I dare not hazard the 
 division, and perhaps prostration, of one of the most impor- 
 tant congregations in the Presbyterian connection, and one 
 whose interests I have, for twenty years, been endeavouring to 
 advance. I must, therefore, Gentlemen, most respectfully re- 
 quest that the call may not be farther prosecuted. If I could 
 have come to this decision before, I would gladly have saved 
 you the trouble to which you have been subjected. I feel most 
 deeply for your congregation in their present bereaved state; 
 and I do most earnestly pray that the Great Head of the 
 Church may keep you of one mind, and may speedily direct 
 
si 
 
 you to a Pastor after his own heart, who shall he a rich hless- 
 ing' to you and your children. 
 
 I am, Gentlemen, with sincere and high respect for you indi- 
 vidually, and with earnest desires for the welfare of the con- 
 gregation you represent, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 Robert Lenox, Esq., and Dr. John R. B. Rogers. 
 
 In the above letter. Dear Brethren, you have my decision in 
 regard to the call. I have desired to do right, and I hope I have 
 not erred. The subject has caused me much anxiety and dis- 
 tress, but my mind is now at ease. For all the pain which any 
 of my people have suffered on this account, I am deeply grieved. 
 If I could, consistently with a sense of duty, have relieved their 
 minds sooner, it should certainly have been done. I have only 
 to add a prayer that this decision may redound to the glory of 
 God, and the best interests of that 4ear flock over which the 
 Holy Ghost hath made me overseer ; and to subscribe myself 
 Your and the congregation's devoted servant, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 The following Resolution, which was adopted unani- 
 mously by the congregation, on the Sabbath morning 
 after his decision was made known to them, was alike 
 creditable to Pastor and people. 
 
 Resolved, That this new proof of affection shown to us by 
 'the Rev. Dr. John McDowell, in rejecting the call lately pre- 
 sented to him by the First Presbyterian Church in the city of 
 New York, demands an expression of our profound gratitude — 
 that we view it as an assurance that he is the chosen shepherd 
 of this flock, and are encouraged to regard it as a pledge that 
 the ties which, on this occasion, he has held indissoluble, will 
 
not be sundered till lie shall be called to the rich reward that 
 awaits him in his Master's Kingdom. 
 
 CALEB HALSTED. 
 
 But, notwithstanding Dr. McDowell thus signified his 
 determination to remain with his people, and the 
 anxiety and agitation which had been felt on the sub- 
 ject were now succeeded by a calm feeling of security, 
 this state of things was not destined to continue long 
 without interruption. In September of the next year, 
 (1825), the Wall Street Congregation were moved to 
 another effort in the same direction with the preceding 
 — they presented Dr. McDowell another unanimous and 
 very urgent call. Though his attachment to his con- 
 gregation and his interest in their welfare had under- 
 gone no abatement, he seems now to have been brought 
 to the conviction that it was his duty to accept the 
 call ; and this he very plainly intimated to his congre- 
 gation, as well as to the Commissioners from the Wall 
 Street Church, appointed to prosecute the call be- 
 fore the Presbytery. His congregation determined 
 to place every obstacle they could in the way of 
 his removal, appointed Commissioners to represent 
 their convictions and wishes to the Presbytery, Dr. 
 McDowell meanwhile expressing his entire willingness 
 to submit to the Presbyterial decision, whatever it 
 
89 
 
 might be, as indicating the will of Providence. When 
 the Presbytery met, about the beginning of November, 
 the question of his removal was argued, on both sides, 
 with great earnestness and ability, and the result was 
 a unanimous decision that it was his duty to remain at 
 Elizabethtown. This result was most thankfully ac- 
 knowledged by another formal Resolution on the part 
 of his congregation, while some at least of the good 
 people of Wall Street were disposed to write bitter 
 things against the Presbytery, for having thwarted not 
 only their earnest wishes but confident expectations. 
 
 The General Assembly, in 1825, chose Dr. McDowell 
 its Permanent Clerk ; which office he held, discharging 
 its duties with great ability and fidelity, for eleven 
 years. 
 
 In June, 1826, the attempt which had been made 
 just twenty years before to run a steambjoat between 
 New York and Elizabethtown Point on the Sabbath, 
 was renewed, but happily without success. The fol- 
 lowing letter, addressed by Dr. McDowell to the Cap- 
 tain of the boat, shows that his sense of the impro- 
 priety and immorality of the act was as deep as ever. 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 I have uniformly felt a deep interest in the Point establish- 
 ment, and have endeavoured to promote it — what I am about 
 to say, therefore, must not be set down to the account of 
 
90 
 
 prejudice. Yesterday I took up an Elizabetbtown paper, and 
 was greatly pained to find in it an advertisement that your 
 steamboat runs to the Point on the Sabbath day. I have 
 been absent from home, or I suppose I should have known it 
 before. I view this as fitted to have such a demoralizing 
 effect upon the town, that, let me suffer what I may, I can- 
 not, in conscience, keep silence. My situation, not only as 
 a citizen, and a respecter of the law of God in regard to the 
 Sabbath, but especially as a minister of Christ, bound, under 
 pain of the heavy displeasure of the Great God, to give the 
 people warning, will not suffer me to be silent. I might 
 urge a great many reasons against the running of your boat 
 on the Sabbath.; but I will not undertake this now. 
 
 My object, in addressing you this note, is most respectfully 
 and affectionately to request of you and your associates to 
 take this matter into most serious consideration, and speedily 
 put an end to the evil complained of In this request I have 
 no doubt that I speak the language of a majority of the in- 
 habitants of this town. I have conversed with a number of 
 our most influential people, and they all unite in a common 
 expression of disapproval.' It is not only the religious part 
 of the community wno deeply regret the step you have 
 taken, but many other of our most respectable citizens. Will 
 you, my dear Sir, continue to contravene the wishes, and 
 disregard the feelings, of a multitude who have been, and 
 -still wish to be, your patrons ? If you will persevere in this, 
 I can only say that I have altogether mistaken your charac- 
 ter. If you think it best to stop at once, many others beside 
 myself will rejoice in it. But if not, then I have another 
 request to make — it is that you would allow me and several 
 other persons an interview with you, that we may talk the 
 matter over in a friendly manner; and we wish to have this 
 interview as soon as possible. If you agree to this sugges- 
 tion, please to let me know when and where we may meet 
 ^ou. I am, Dear Sir, respectfully yours, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
91 
 
 In 1826, Dr. McDowell published a System of The- 
 ology, consisting of one hundred and seven Discourses, 
 arranged in the order of the Shorter Catechism, in 
 two octavo volumes. These Discourses, which are 
 characterized by great perspicuity and unction, and 
 are of a highly evangelical type, had been previously 
 addressed to his people from the pulpit, and were now 
 dedicated to them, as a token of his affectionate regard. 
 
 At the meeting of the General Assembly in 1828, 
 Dr. McDowell was appointed Professor of Ecclesias- 
 tical History and Church Government in the Western 
 (Allegheny) Theological Seminary. In writing to his 
 brother-in-law, the Rev. Shepard Kollock, shortly 
 after, he says, — referring to this appointment, — " The 
 subject is seriously before my^ind, and I am endea- 
 vouring to obtain the light necessary to enable me to 
 come to the right decision. I should be glad to have 
 your views in relation to it." The result was that, 
 after due consideration, he became satisfied that it 
 was his duty to decline the appointment. 
 
 In the winter and spring of 1829, an unusual atten- 
 tion to religion prevailed in his congregation, which 
 resulted in the addition of about twenty-five to the 
 communion of the Church. During about the first 
 half of this year, his preaching averaged one sermon 
 
92 
 
 a day. Another revival occurred in the winter and 
 spring of 1831, though it was confined to certain 
 neighbourhoods, and never became general. It num- 
 bered about forty subjects. 
 
 Early in the summer of 1831, Dr. McDowell was 
 apprized of the probability of his being chosen to the 
 Professorship of Church History and Polity in the 
 Union Theological Seminary, Virginia, and was confi- 
 dentially inquired of as to the prospect of his accept- 
 ance. As the Seminary was under the care of the 
 Synods of Virginia ^d North Carolina, the mode of 
 election was for each Synod to cast its votes, and if 
 both agreed to nominate the same person, nothing re- 
 mained for the Board of Directors but to sanction 
 the united choice ; but, in case of a disagreement, it 
 devolved upon the Directors to settle the question of 
 the election. The Synod of North Carolina met to- 
 wards the close of August, and all the members but 
 five voted for Dr. McDowell ; and they acquiesced 
 cheerfully in his appointment. The meeting of the 
 Synod of Virginia took place early in September, 
 when he was nominated to the Professorship with 
 entire unanimity. In the prospect of this election, 
 Dr. Archibald Alexander wrote to Dr. Plumer, then a 
 prominent member of the Virginia Synod, as follows : 
 
93 
 
 "Dr. Rice's decease has left a chasm in Virginia which 
 none but God can fill. His influence was extensive and 
 rested on a solid basis. He understood the Virginian char- 
 acter, and, in selecting a successor, you will run a mighty 
 risk in this respect, if the man should possess all other quali- 
 fications. I do not perceive how you could obtain a better 
 man than Dr. McDowell. He has fervent piety, decision of 
 character, energy of action, and excellent habits of business. 
 If he were younger, his literary career might be brighter; 
 but he is sound in the Faith; a Confession of Faith man, 
 through and through; and a pungent, powerful, practical 
 preacher, who will soon make the people forget his notes. 
 You must have a man of energy, who fears no labeurs, and 
 who can win the affections of the pious people. Dr. McDow- 
 ell is the man. But ought you not to make him your Pro- 
 fessor of Theology ? If you get him, however, you can 
 easily manage this matter, when you fix on your third 
 Professor. On this subject I have no suggestions to make. 
 May God direct in all that concerns his Church 1" 
 
 Dr. McDowell, after looking at the subject in all its 
 bearings, arrived at the conclusion that it was his duty 
 to accept the appointment, notwithstanding the great 
 personal sacrifices which he knew it must involve. The 
 grounds upon which he reached this conclusion were 
 chiefly these — that he had nearly reached the period 
 of life at which his ability for the ordinary labours of 
 the ministry must begin to wane, while he might 
 become increasingly competent to discharge the duties 
 of the Professorship, if his life should be spared, for 
 many years ; that Theological Seminaries are emphat- 
 
94 
 
 ically the nurseries of the Church, and that they have 
 a right to put the Church in requisition for her more 
 experienced ministers ; and that the Seminary to which 
 he was called was so peculiarly situated that he could 
 not decline the appointment without placing its inter- 
 ests in the most serious jeopardy. The Presbytery, 
 at its meeting in Elizabethtown, on the 1st of Novem- 
 ber, after hearing Dr. McDowell and the Commissioners 
 of the congregation present their reasons respectively 
 for and against his being permitted to resign his charge, 
 decided in favour of the dissolution of his pastoral 
 relation, and dismissed him to join the Presbytery of 
 West Hanover in Virginia. The Doctor then immedi- 
 ately wrote to Virginia, formally signifying his accept- 
 ance of the appointment, and commenced his prepara- 
 tions for the removal of his family. He, however, very 
 soon found that he had to encounter obstacles which 
 he had not anticipated. Mrs. McDowell, when the 
 matter of leaving her native place for a residence in a 
 remote part of the country, where she would be an 
 entire stranger, came to be looked at as a stern reality, 
 found that her resolution began to falter ; and so pow- 
 erful was the effect that was produced upon her that 
 her husband became exceedingly embarrassed in respect 
 to his own duty. The congregation, meanwhile, were 
 
95 
 
 weeping bitter tears at the prospect of his departure ; 
 and, as soon as the state of Mrs. McDowell's mind 
 became known to them, it suggested to them the idea 
 of carrying the case up to the Synod ; and, as the ten 
 days, in which they had a right to appeal, were not yet 
 past, they lost no time in taking that important step. 
 
 The Doctor was now placed in an exceedingly embar- 
 rassing position ; and, for aught that appeared, he 
 must remain where he was until the appeal was either 
 issued or withdrawn. He laboured earnestly with the 
 Commissioners to induce them to withdraw it, and 
 with some prospect of success ; but when the matter 
 came to be referred to the congregation on the next 
 Sabbath, they decided unanimously that the appeal 
 should be continued. As the stated meeting of Synod 
 was almost a year distant, and a special meeting could 
 not be called without subjecting the members to great 
 inconvenience, and as it was of great importance to all 
 the parties concerned to have the matter settled as 
 soon as possible, it was finally agreed between Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell and the Commissioners acting for the congre- 
 gation, that the case should be submitted to the judg- 
 ment of ten men, — five ministers and five elders, mutu- 
 ally chosen, and that both parties would abide by their 
 decision. This council accordingly met on the 22d of 
 
96 
 
 November, and, after a patient hearing of the case, 
 decided that the indications of Providence were clearly 
 in favour of his remaining with his congregation. The 
 Presbytery met shortly after, and, without any instal- 
 lation, continued him as Pastor. The following letter 
 from the Kev. Dr. Goodrich, one of the Professors of 
 the Seminary, written in reply to one from Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell, before the matter was consummated, but 
 announcing its probable issue, will give some idea of 
 the disappointment which the result occasioned in Vir- 
 ginia. 
 
 Union Seminary, November 16, 1831. 
 Eev. and Dkak Sir : 
 
 Your letter from Princeton has so much astounded me that 
 I shall scarcely be able to write an intelligible answer. In 
 the phrase of our Randolph, we are blown " sky-high." 
 After the delays we have sustained from our complicated 
 machinery of government; after the disappointment in the 
 case of Dr. McAuley, and after the lamented death of Dr. 
 Rice, we could not have received a sevei'er blow than this 
 event. I expect that it will well-nigh annihilate our Senior 
 class; that it will so reduce the Middle class that it will be 
 scarcely worth attention; and that it will so discourage the 
 Junior as to render them discontented and greatly hinder 
 their improvement. Then the whole affair must be raised 
 again from the roots ; and this event again will so discourage 
 the planting and nursing of churches in this region that I 
 should not be surprised if many of our ministers, from this 
 fact alone, should abandon their ground and go West. I feel 
 utterly heart broken about it. I wrote last night to most of 
 the members of the Board and others ; but the Board cannot 
 
97 
 
 meet again this fall, and tbey could do nothing if they did. 
 I need not stop to say hoio, but we are so fixed that another 
 motion could not possibly be made till December, 1832. 
 
 I do not think that any will doubt that you have acted in 
 all this matter in entire good faith, nor do I think they 
 will try to compel you to fulfd the engagement at the ex- 
 pense of the comfort of your family. But may not Mrs. 
 McDowell's objections be removed? Is it to come among 
 a strange people that she objects ? They are a delightful 
 people. I never knew a stranger who was not charmed 
 with them. Is it fear of insurrection? This upper country 
 is just as safe as Jersey. Is it any thing that can be 
 named, or is it merely that natural misgiving which we 
 all feel on undertaking an unusual enterprise, and passing 
 into another sphere? This often depends merely on our 
 health at the moment, or on the agitation of parting, and 
 will all pass away. I know not what the Great God has de- 
 signed by this event — perhaps it is to rebuke our trust in 
 man — perhaps to try the strength of your devotion to his 
 cause, or to test the generosity and self-denial of your peo- 
 ple. We must wait for the providence of God to explain 
 itself. Yours in the Gospel bond, 
 
 HIEAM P. GOODRICH. 
 
 That the delicate and difficult subject of Slavery 
 was not overlooked by Dr. McDowell or his friends in 
 view of the prospect of his becoming an inhabitant of 
 the South, is clearly shown by the statement he made 
 on occasion of the reference, which still remains in 
 manuscript, as well as by various letters addressed 
 to him from the South about that time. To the re- 
 ferees, to whom he stated candidly the objections to 
 9 
 
98 
 
 his going as well as the considerations that favoured 
 it, he spoke thus. 
 
 "Another difficulty which I have been called most seriously 
 to look at, — and I confess it has been and still is an appall- 
 ing one, is Slavery. I have also long believed it to be a 
 serious evil to bring up a faniilj of children under its in- 
 fluence. I have also supposed the time would come, and 
 probably was not far distant, when the inhabitants of the 
 South would have very serious trouble from that quarter. 
 The difficulty in my mind was greatly increased by the 
 heart-rending intelligence received after my nomination by 
 the Synod of North Carolina, and while I was considering 
 the subject of removal, — I mean the tidings of the dreadful 
 massacre in Southampton, and the almost universal excite- 
 ment, anxiety and alarm created by this event throughout 
 the Southern States. I have frequently inquired whether it 
 was my duty to take a family of females from the midst of 
 tranquillity, as it regards this subject, into the midst of such 
 a state of things. Besides, I have been aware that, espe- 
 cially in the present state of great excitement on this sub- 
 ject, it will be almost impossible for Northern men to avoid 
 being suspected, and that going there at this time, to have 
 the public confidence, they will need most consummate 
 prudence. But still I made up my mind, in full view of all 
 these difficulties, that it was my duty to go to Virginia. 
 Besides, I supposed that the Union Seminar}^, if sustained, 
 might be instrumental of increasing the number of well 
 qualified ministers of the Gospel, and thus become an im- 
 portant auxiliary in gradually lessening, and eventually 
 terminating, the evils of Slavery. But still I admit it is a 
 question whether this will not be better done by Southern 
 men against whom the public will not have suspicion on 
 this subject." 
 
99 
 
 The following is an extract from a letter from bis 
 
 brother, Dr. William A. McDowell, at that time Pastor 
 
 of a church in Charleston, S. C, bearing date October 
 
 22d. 
 
 , I have been anxious to know what your decision would be in 
 regard to the Virginia Professorship, and from what I have 
 heard, as well as from your own letters, I have received the 
 impression that you will most probably accept the appointment. 
 Were I disposed to give an opinion in the case, it would now 
 be too late ; as you will probably have decided before this 
 reaches you, and it is perhaps quite as well that I have not had 
 an opportunity to express an opinion. The state of things in 
 this portion of the Southern country has been such for some 
 time past that, were my opinion asked, I could hardly advise 
 any good man from the North to remove into this region. I 
 hope the state of things in Virginia is different from what it is 
 in South Carolina. But really, such is the feeling in this State, 
 such deep rooted hostility against every thing Northern, such 
 a spirit of reckless opposition to the General Government, and 
 such is our domestic state in reference to the slaves, that 
 nothing but a hope that I am doing good here, and that I am 
 needed, would keep me in South Carolina a single week. As 
 to myself, no one could be more desirably situated than I am. 
 With a congregation exactly suited to my mind, and most ten- 
 derly attached to me, and to whom I, in turn, am sincerely de- 
 voted, and surrounded by a large circle of friends, who do all 
 they can to promote my usefulness and happiness — to leave 
 them would indeed be a severe trial. And yet such is the agi- 
 tated and uncertain state of things here, that I cannot but 
 consider it doubtful whether I shall remain in the South six 
 months longer. Indeed, how near we are to a revolution here 
 is known only to Him who sees the end from the beginning. 
 But I am touching on a delicate subject, and will say no more." 
 
100 
 
 The following is from a Presbyterian clergyman, at 
 that time Pastor of one of the most important city 
 congregations in Virginia. 
 
 " I take it for granted, if you decide to come, you will come 
 prepared to conform, so far as is lawful and expedient, with the 
 peculiarities of the society in which you reside. On the whole 
 subject of Slavery, particularly, a Northern man will find much 
 to call for a prudent forbearance. After residing here seven 
 years, I could say things on that subject, which I believe to be 
 both true and important, that would make it necessary for me 
 to decamp in a week. And in the neighbourhood of the Semi- 
 nary there is perhaps more jealousy and sensitiveness than 
 here. But I ask myself ciii bono? And how is the evil ever 
 to be removed, unless they^ who abhor it, so far keep silent as 
 to permit them to stay in the midst of it, and do what they 
 can ? On this subject it is expected that our Legislature will 
 take some decisive step towards its ultimate removal this win- 
 ter. Let the ball once be set in motion, and there are a thou- 
 sand forces ready to come in, and push it onward." 
 
 In the summer of 1832, the Asiatic cholera first 
 made its appearance in this country, and for several 
 weeks prevailed with desolating power in Elizabeth- 
 town. During this period. Dr. McDowell not only re- 
 mained at his post, but was indefatigable in his atten- 
 tions to the suffering, mingling with them as a friend 
 and comforter, night and day. His letters to some of 
 his friends, written at this time, show that he was 
 deeply affected by this awful visitation, and that his 
 most earnest desire was that it might be instrumental 
 
101 
 
 of disturbing the spiritual slumbers of the multitude 
 around him. 
 
 About the beginning of December, 1832, Dr. 
 McDowell went on a short begging tour to the South, 
 as far as Washington city, in behalf of Princeton Col- 
 lege. On the 11th, he wrote the following letter to his 
 daughter Elizabeth, from Baltimore. 
 
 My Deab Daughter: 
 
 I wrote a letter to your sister on Saturday evening, after 
 my arrival at this place from Washington. I have been 
 much better since my return to this city, and indeed feel 
 almost well. I am staying in a very charming family, — Dr. 
 Baker's, where I have refined, pious society, and every atten- 
 tion I could wish. They are Methodists. I do not expect to 
 be home this week, and probably not unfil the latter end of 
 next week, if even then. I see from the Observer that Gov- 
 ernor Southard has issued his Proclamation for a day of 
 Thanksgiving, on the 20th inst. I wish to be at home by 
 that time, if practicable, and will if I consistently can. Tell 
 the elders to have meeting appointed at the usual time, — one 
 service; and a collection for the poor of the congregation, as 
 usual on such an occasion. 
 
 You will, I suppose, like to have an exact history of my 
 movements, since the date of my last letter. I preached for 
 Mr. Nevins, morning and afternoon, and assisted him in the 
 Communion. I also attended with him in the evening in his 
 session-house, and followed him with an exhortation. Yes- 
 terday and to-day I have been diligently engaged in the 
 business of the College, and am getting on slowly. I have 
 collected, since I left home, $S11, and have got new sub- 
 scriptions to the amount of $16t0. I have endeavoured to-day 
 *9 
 
102 
 
 to be ready to set my face towards home to-morrow morning; 
 but have finally given up the idea. I do not expect to col- 
 lect much, if any thing, more here; but I find I can not leave 
 things as I wish to leave them unless I remain over to-mor- 
 row. My present plan is to leave here on Thursday morning 
 at half-past six, and stop at Newcastle, Del., which we shall 
 reach by a little after noon, and spend the remainder of the 
 day and the night there; on Friday go to Wilmington, — five 
 miles distant, and there spend the day and night, and if I 
 find it for the interests of the College, spend the Sabbath also; 
 but it is more likely that I shall go up to Philadelphia on 
 Saturday, and spend the Sabbath there, and, after labouring 
 there for a day or two, proceed homewards. 
 
 You will, before you receive this, I suppose, have heard of 
 President Jackson's Proclamation in regard to South 'Caro- 
 lina. It is a bold and decided document, and pretty much 
 what I think it ought to be. It arrived in this city this 
 morning. I spent half an hour this evening with Mr. Wirt, 
 who is an exceedingly interesting man. But I must close, or 
 I shall lose the mail, and can therefore only add that 
 I am your aifectionate father, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 The following extract of a letter which he addressed 
 to his brother-in-law, the Rev. Shepard Kollock, on the' 
 22d of January, 1833, contains a statement of two in- 
 teresting events in his history, which occurred about 
 this time — namely, bis being called to the church in 
 Princeton, and his being appointed General Agent and 
 Secretary of the Board of Missions. 
 
 " You inquire about Princeton. The report you mention 
 in your letter, that a call has been made out for me to become 
 
103 
 
 Pastor of that congregation, is, T suppose, true. Little did I 
 think, at the time I wrote to you from Washington, that they 
 had any such thoughts respecting me. Not an individual of 
 that congregation has ever spoken to me on the subject, or 
 sounded me in respect to it, in the most, distant or indirect 
 way. I spent a day in Princeton on my way Southward, but 
 no allusion was made to it. I stopped there also on my re- 
 turn, but not a word was said to me looking towards any 
 such measure. I first heard of it in my own house on my 
 return. Professor Dod had preached for me the Sabbath 
 before, and had mentioned to my family that a call would be 
 made out for me the next day. It was, as I understand, in- 
 formally voted, and has since been formally confirmed ; but I 
 have as yet received no official notice of it. I have received 
 one letter from Professor Dod, and another from Dr. Miller, 
 informing me of the fact ; but their letters were altogether 
 unofficial, and I have made no reply. The salary voted, I 
 understand, is a thousand dollars and the parsonage. I 
 understand they do not intend to make any official communi- 
 cation to me until their call has been before their Presbytery. 
 I have not yet given the subject a serious thought, and I 
 doubt whether I shall, if the plan is simply that I shall be- 
 come Pastor of that church. Last night I received a letter 
 from a committee of the Board of Missions, informing me of 
 an appointment to be (as I suppose) General Agent and Sec- 
 retary of that Board, to be stationed in New York, with a 
 salary of two thousand dollars per annum. You know Mr. 
 Eussell has resigned his office and gone to Cincinnati, and 
 has become agent for the Valley of the Mississippi. I have 
 been repeatedly applied to in personal conversation, and also 
 by letter from different parts of the Church, earnestly press- 
 ing me to consent to suffer my name to be presented ; but I 
 have uniformly put a most decided negative on the applica- 
 tions. I know not what the plans are now in proposing to 
 locate me in New York ; but I intend to go over to-morrow, 
 
104 
 
 as they have invited me to a personal interview. What 
 Providence intends by these movements at this time, I can- 
 not tell. I sometimes think it is his intention to remove me 
 from this place. I feel as though I needed a location of less 
 labour." 
 
 But, notwithstanding Dr. McDowell promptly declined 
 the call both to the Secretaryship of the Board of Mis- 
 sions, and the Pastorship at Princeton, things were now 
 being put in train for his removal from his charge at 
 Elizabethtown. A new church, an offshoot from the 
 church in Arch Street, Philadelphia, was in the process 
 of being formed; and, as early as December, 1832, Dr. 
 McDowell received a letter from Mr. Alexander Henry, 
 who was one of the leaders in the new enterprise, in- 
 quiring whether there was any hope that he would lis- 
 ten to an invitation from them to become their Pastor. 
 Notwithstanding the Doctor's attachment to his con- 
 gregation was undiminished, his health had become so 
 much impaired that he felt inadequate to the duties of 
 so extensive a charge ; and, in addition to this, some 
 circumstances occurred, about this time, in connection 
 with what was commonly called " the new measures" 
 in revivals of religion, (in which perhaps nine-tenths of 
 his congregation had as little sympathy as himself,) 
 which occasioned him no small uneasiness, and predis- 
 posed him the more readily to listen to overtures look- 
 
105 
 
 ing towards a removal. In February following, he 
 received an urgent request to come to Philadelphia, 
 and administer the Communion to the new church, on 
 the 24th of March, which request he found it conven- 
 ient to comply with, having occasion to be in Philadel- 
 phia about that time on business connected with Prince- 
 ton College. After this visit, he received an assurance 
 from Mr. Henry and Mr. Bevan that, if he would give 
 any encouragement that he would come to them, a 
 unanimous call to him would undoubtedly be made out. 
 The result was, as appears from a letter addressed to 
 him by Mr. Bevan, on the 23d of April, that such a 
 call was made out, the salary offered him being two 
 thousand dollars. This call he accepted, and, the 
 usual course having been gone through in Presbytery, 
 he was released from his pastoral charge. He preached 
 his Farewell Sermon on the 12th of May. The follow- 
 ing paragraphs form the conclusion of it. 
 
 " Thus I have endeavoured to illustrate the Apostle's 
 farewell advice. Dear Brethren, practically attend to it, 
 and the promise of the text will be yours — ' the God of love 
 and peace will be with you.' And if He is with you, all will 
 be well. He will be with you to bless you. He will soon give 
 you another Pastor after his own heart to go in and out 
 before you, and to distribute unto you the bread of life. He 
 will continue your prosperity as a congregation, and will 
 bless the means of grace, and make them a blessing to your 
 
106 
 
 souls. Then the bereavement which I know many of you 
 deplore, will be more than made up; and the heart of the 
 speaker, though at a distance, will be rejoiced. May the 
 Lord, of his infinite mercy, graciously fulfil this precious 
 promise to you. 
 
 "A few words more, and my ministry is closed, and I re- 
 sign my interesting charge into the hands of the Great Head 
 of the Church, who entrusted me with it, 'and await the 
 decisions of the final judgment, when we must mutually give 
 an account of the ministry I have exercised among you. 
 
 " I bid the Session of this church an affectionate farewell. 
 I entered on my ministry an inexperienced youth, and found 
 a Session who were counsellors indeed. By their wisdom, 
 their counsels and their prayers, they directed, assisted and 
 sustained me. I have lived to bury them all except one dear 
 father, who is still left. I desire heartily to thank God this 
 day for the blessings I have enjoyed, in being favoured with a. 
 wise and active Session, between whom and myself there 
 was, so far as I know, for twenty-seven years, mutual and 
 entire confidence. We have consulted and conversed with- 
 out reserve, and have almost thought as one. Such a bless- 
 ing is an unspeakable assistance and comfort to a minister. 
 
 " On you, dear brethren, will now devolve a great respon- 
 sibility. On your wisdom, and activity, and fidelity to your 
 trust, under God, depends the prosperity of this Church more 
 than on almost any thing else. Feel your responsibility. 
 Seek light and strength from Heaven. Be men of prayer. 
 Be exemplary in your walk and conversation. Punctually 
 attend and keep up the meetings for prayer and social wor- 
 ship. Act in all your official duties with meekness, but at 
 the same time with promptness, decision and firmness. Ee- 
 spect yourselves if you expect the people to respect you. 
 
 'And, dear brethren of the Congregation, respect your 
 elders for the office which they sustain. Pray much for 
 them, and give them your countenance and support in the 
 
107 
 
 performance of their official duties. This is your duty, and 
 the interests of the congregation imperiously require it. 
 
 "Brethren of the Congregation, accept my thanks for the 
 many instances of marked kindness I have received at your 
 hands, and have continued to receive until this hour. At 
 parting, I invoke the blessing of Heaven to rest upon you. 
 And my prayers shall still be offered up for your prosperity. 
 In your prosperity I will rejoice; and if adversity should 
 come upon you, (which God, of his infinite mercy forbid,) 
 I will mourn. I ask your prayers for me when I am gone, 
 that God would go with me and bless me, and still make me 
 a blessing to the Kingdom of our dear Saviour. 
 
 " Dear Youth — hearken to my parting advice. Give your 
 hearts to God without delay. Remember now your Creator 
 in the days of your youth. Seek first the kingdom of God 
 and his righteousness. 
 
 " Christian brethren, old and young, I repeat to you the 
 apostolic advice — ' Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of 
 one mind' — walk worthy of your high vocation — live con- 
 stantly for God and Heaven. Many of you are my spiritual 
 children. You may have hereafter many instructors, but 
 you will have but one father. Dearly beloved, ye are my 
 joy and my crown. For you I ought to feel, and trust I 
 ever will feel, a peculiar interest. Live near to God — grow 
 in grace — press forward toward the mark. We part ; but 
 we shall soon meet again in another world. May it be at 
 the right hand of the Saviour: and may I then see you all 
 presented faultless before the presence of his glory, and be 
 enabled to say with exceeding joy, " Lord, behold me and 
 the children whom thou hast given me." 
 
 " But, my dear hearers, how shall I take my leave of you 
 who are still impenitent, and out of the ark of safety. This 
 is painful work. As far as my ministry is concerned, the 
 harvest is past, the summer is ended, and ye are not saved. 
 And must I leave you in this state, and my ministry prove 
 
108 
 
 to you a savour of death unto death. And he to whom many 
 of you have manifested such marked kindness and friend- 
 ship, be a witness against you at the bar of God! May the 
 Lord avert such a doom. Once more before we part, I call 
 upon you and beseech you to repent, and accept an oflFered 
 Saviour, that we may meet and rejoice together in a better 
 world. 
 
 "Brethren, my work is done. Here I close up the book 
 of my ministry, until it is opened again by your Judge and 
 mine in the great day of account. Until that meeting, dear 
 brethren, farewell." 
 
 Thus closed a most laborious, faithful and useful 
 ministry at Elizabethtown, of twenty-eight years. 
 
109 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 His Ministry in Connection with the Central 
 Church, Philadelphia. 
 
 Dr. McDowell was installed Pastor of the Central 
 Church, Philadelphia, by the Presbytery of Philadel- 
 phia, on the 6th of June, 1833, — the services being 
 performed in what was called the Whitefield Academy 
 or Chapel, where the church had worshipped from the 
 time of its organization. Dr. Engles preached the 
 Installation Sermon, Dr. Neill presided and proposed 
 the constitutional questions ; Dr. Miller gave the Charge 
 to the Pastor; and Dr. John Breckenridge the Charge 
 to the People. His ministry here commenced under 
 very auspicious circumstances, tha perfect harmony of 
 the congregation combining with the high qualifica- 
 tions and reputation of the Pastor, to give promise of 
 great comfort and usefulness. 
 
 But, notwithstanding Dr. McDowell found himself in 
 the midst of a people with whom he had every reason 
 to be satisfied, his affections were by no means with- 
 drawn from the congregation from which he had been 
 separated ; he still felt the deepest interest in their 
 
 welfare, and was on the alert to do every thing in his 
 10 
 
110 
 
 power to promote it. The Rev. (afterwards Dr.) 
 Nicholas Murray, then Pastor of a church in Wilkes- 
 barre, Pa., had preached in his pulpit at Elizabeth- 
 town, a few months before, in behalf of one of the 
 benevolent objects of the Church, and had attracted 
 much more than ordinary attention. On the same day 
 that Dr. McDowell preached his Farewell Sermon, a 
 committee of the congregation waited on him and 
 requested that he would procure some member of the 
 General Assembly, then about to commence its sessions 
 in Philadelphia, to preach for them on the succeeding 
 Sabbath, and one whom he would consider a suitable 
 person to become his successor. On arriving in Phila- 
 delphia, he found that Mr. Murray was there as a dele- 
 gate to the Assembly, and, from his previous favourable 
 impressions concerniog him, he had no hesitation in 
 proposing to him to supply the vacant pulpit. Mr. Mur- 
 ray accepted the invitation ; the result of which was that 
 he received an unanimous call to become Dr. McDow- 
 ell's successor. Being greatly embarrassed in respect 
 to the question of duty in the new circumstances in 
 which, he was now placed, he wrote to the Doctor, ear- 
 nestly requesting his advice ; and the answer, though 
 characterized by proper caution, was nevertheless 
 clearly and decidedly in favour of his accepting the 
 
Ill 
 
 call. He did accept it, and, by the united request of 
 Mr. Murray and the congregation, Dr. McDowell was 
 present on the occasion of the Installation, and de- 
 livered the Charge to the Pastor. His relations with 
 both Mr. Murray and the people were, ever after, of the 
 most intimate and affectionate kind ; and his occasional 
 visits at Elizabethtown, which were continued almost 
 to the close of his life, were always most gratefully 
 welcomed, as well by his distinguished successor in the 
 ministry, as by the people whom he had so long and 
 so faithfully served. 
 
 On the 23d of February, 1834, the Central Church 
 edifice was opened for public worship, and was dedicat- 
 ed to the service of Almighty God. On that occasion, 
 the Pastor preached in the morning, Dr. Miller in the 
 afternoon, and Dr. Neill in the evening. The follow- 
 ing paragraphs formed the conclusion of Dr. McDow- 
 ell's Dedication Sermon, the text of which was Isaiah, 
 LX, 13. 
 
 " As a Church, we are yet in our infancy. The congrega- 
 tion was organized May 21, 1832, in the Franklin Institute 
 on Seventh Street, the Rev. Dr. Aaron W. Leland, of Charles- 
 ton, S. C, presiding. This was just a year and nine months 
 since. The church was organized a month afterwards, — 
 namely, on the 19th of June, in the Whitefield Academy in 
 Fourth Street; on which occasion the Rev. Dr. Thomas Mc- 
 Auley, now of New York, presided. The Sacrament of the 
 
112 
 
 Lord's Supper was first administered on Sabbath, the 24th of 
 June, 1832; so that the church, as such, has been in exist- 
 ence only twenty months. The congregation have, since 
 that time, worshipped in the Academy on Fourth Street, and 
 have there enjoyed much of the presence of God and of the 
 evidence of his favour, and have gradually and rapidly in- 
 creased. 
 
 " The circumstances which led to the formation of this 
 church are well known to this community, as having been 
 deeply afflictive. But God, in his providence, has overruled 
 for good the separation caused by them, and will render it, 
 we hope, eventually the means of advancing his Kingdom. 
 This people have, under their trials and the great sacrifices 
 to which they have been called, had the approbation of their 
 own consciences, the sympathy and favour of the public in 
 general, and the approbation of God signally expressed by 
 the smiles of his providence, continually prospering them 
 ever since they became a separate people till this day. 
 
 "It is well known that the congregation had its origin in 
 the afflictions and death of the Rev Joseph Sanford, late 
 Pastor of the church, of which, under his ministry, they 
 formed a part. Their attachment to him was great, and it 
 was truly merited; for he was an able, faithful, devoted, and 
 highly useful servant of God. This had been proved by his 
 ministry in a very important congregation of which he had 
 the charge before he came to this city, and where he was 
 universally respected and beloved, and eminently useful. 
 And it was further proved during his short but successful 
 ministry in this city. For his age, he had gained, in a re- 
 markable degree, the affection and confidence of his brethren 
 in the ministry; and his praise was very extensively in the 
 churches. And when he fell by death, the stroke was felt 
 and mourned over, not only by this people, but throughout 
 this city, and far and wide through our Church. But I for- 
 bear. Your loss was his gain. He was soon called to his 
 
113 
 
 rest and his gracious reward ; and not improbably his glori- 
 fied spirit may be hovering, with ministering angels, over 
 this assembly to-day, rejoicing in the prosperity of his be- 
 loved people, and praising God for it. 
 
 " On the 22d of last April, just ten months since, the 
 corner stone of this church edifice was laid, with religious 
 solemnity, by the Rev. John Breckenridge. On the same 
 day, the congregation elected the speaker to be their Pastor, 
 who was installed on the 6th of June following. This build- 
 ing is now completed, and we behold in it one of the things 
 mentioned in this discourse, as entering into the beauty and 
 glory of a particular Church. You have a house of worship 
 in which simplicity, order, beauty and richness are united: 
 and you have great reason to-day, with lively gratitude, to 
 make mention of the goodness of God, whose gracious hand 
 has been upon you, prospering the work which He has given 
 you the disposition and the means to undertake and carry 
 forward; that he has kindly preserved the lives and the 
 limbs of the workmen; and that he has enabled you to bring 
 so great a work to a favourable conclusion. And while you 
 give all the glory to the Lord, you owe thanks to the promi- 
 nent instruments in this work. Your gratitude is due to the 
 building committee, who have gratuitously devoted so much 
 time to the superintendence of it, and have managed it with 
 so much skill and fidelity; and also to the architects who 
 planned, and the workmen who have executed it, with so 
 much taste, wisdom and despatch. 
 
 "You have now. Brethren, convened in this edifice for the 
 first time, with a view to dedicate it to that God, who has so 
 signally helped and prospered you, — the God of your fathers 
 and your God. This has already been done in the prayer 
 which we have offered. And now, again, would I, in the 
 name, and on the behalf of the congregation, who have 
 erected this building, dedicate it to the service of the Triune 
 God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to be used in his wor- 
 *10 
 
114 
 
 ship, and for his glory. And may He graciously accept the 
 dedication ! May He here record his great name ! May his 
 holy and blessed presence ever be vouchsafed in this house, 
 and his glory here be manifested! May his special blessing 
 ever rest upon the assemblies that shall convene for his wor- 
 ship, and of many may it be said, they were born here, and 
 here were fed with the bread of life, and were built up in 
 faith and holiness, and prepared for a place in the temple 
 above ! 
 
 "This is now the house of God; and may its beauty and 
 glory as a house ever be an apt emblem of the spiritual 
 beauty and glory of this church, which is statedly to wor- 
 ship here. If you would enjoy, and continue to enjoy, the 
 presence and blessing of God, and secure them to your child- 
 ren, and children's children, you must possess, maintain and 
 exhibit those spiritual ornaments of a church, which have 
 been presented, — namely, soundness in the faith, gospel disci- 
 pline, peace and love, and patient holiness. These spiritual 
 ornaments, which, in the sight of God are of far higher 
 value than a splendid house of worship, I hope you, as a 
 church, possess. Continue to prize and cherish them, and 
 guard against every thing which may mar their beauty or 
 lessen their attractiveness. For if corrupt doctrines should 
 be taught from this desk, and be received by the people, if 
 discipline should be neglected and the openly scandalous 
 be retained in the bosom of the church; if you should become 
 divided into irreconcilable factions and parties; or if profes- 
 sing Christians should generally become lukewarm and for- 
 mal; though this house may still stand beautiful and glorious 
 in appearance, your real beauty as a church will be defaced, 
 and your real glory will have departed from you. Brethren, 
 sedulously guard against these things, and warn your child- 
 ren against them. Maintain soundness of doctrine. While 
 .you exercise charity towards other denominations who may 
 
115 
 
 diflfer from you in non-essential points, do you, as a church, 
 ever adhere strictly to the doctrines taught in the standards 
 which you profess to adopt — they are, we believe, the 
 truths of God's word. Guard the doctrines of this church. 
 It is an age of innovation and error. Let a departure from 
 our standards never be countenancedby those who may stand 
 in the place which I now occupy. 
 
 " Maintain the order of Christ's house. Let the Session of 
 this church ever be faithful in the due performance of gospel 
 discipline, and let the church encourage and support them in 
 it. Let no root of bitterness ever be tolerated among you. 
 Be at peace among yourselves, and ever study the things 
 which make for peace. And by holy obedience to the pre- 
 cepts of the Gospel, glorify God, and adorn the religion of 
 Christ. And teach these things to your children also. 
 
 " Dear brethren, while you to-day dedicate this house to 
 the God of your fathers, dedicate yourselves also anew 
 to His service. Let the heart of each one of you be conse- 
 crated as a temple of the Holy Ghost. Let those who are 
 now the children of God devote themselves afresh to his ser- 
 vice, and, with their entrance into this new house of worship, 
 begin their lives anew, by a degree of holy living and of zeal 
 for Christ which they never before manifested. 
 
 " And let those who have never yet given their hearts to 
 God, see to it that this interesting occasion marks their en- 
 trance upon a new life. Let them to-day form the resolution 
 that they will no longer be mere external worshippers, but 
 that they will, without delay, seek the Lord, give him their 
 hearts, and henceforth worship him in spirit and in truth. 
 May the Lord, of his infinite mercy, incline your hearts so 
 to act. 
 
 " And may He fill this house with his glory, and make it 
 his perpetual rest and dwelling place. May He abundantly 
 bless the provisions of this his house, and here satisfy his 
 poor with bread; may He here clothe his ministers with salva- 
 
116 
 
 tion, and cause his saints to shout for joy; and may many sons 
 and daughters here be born to God, and be fed and fitted for 
 immortal glory." 
 
 In the winter of 1834-35, Dr. McDowell was pros- 
 trated by severe illness, which it was feared, for a short 
 time, would have a fatal termination. The following 
 letter to his brother Benjamin, written after he had 
 partially recovered, is interesting not merely as giving 
 an account of his illness, but as indicating the remark- 
 able success of his new enterprise, as well as some of 
 his proclivities in respect to the then existing state of 
 things in the Church. 
 
 PmLADELPHiA, Ilavch 11, 1835, 
 My Dear Brother : 
 
 It is a long time since I heard from yon, as it probably is 
 since you have heard from us. I am now confined to a sick 
 room, where I have been nearly three weeks. After preach- 
 ing on Sabbath, February 22d, I was taken, in the course of 
 the following night, severely sick. My disease proved to be 
 peripneumony or inflammation of the lungs. Until the next 
 Sabbath night, I was exceedingly ill, and my physicians pro- 
 nounced my case a very critical one. Two physicians were 
 in attendance, both of whom were unwearied in their atten- 
 tions and prompt in their prescriptions. By the blessing of 
 God, my disease yielded in just one week from the time I 
 was taken. Since that time I have been gradually recover- 
 ing, though I am still quite weak. As soon as the weather 
 will permit, I hope to go out. I have been labouring dili- 
 gently among my people during the winter, and among other 
 things have been engaged in pastoral visiting from house to 
 house, conversing and praying with every family — a new 
 
117 
 
 thing, so far as I can learn, in this city. I have had much to 
 encourage me lately in my labours. There has been, and is, 
 I think, among my people, a more than ordinary degree of 
 seriousness. Our stated season for the Communion would 
 have been next Sabbath, but it has been put off on account of 
 my illness. I hope we shall receive considerable additions 
 from the world. At our last Communion eight were admitted 
 on examination, besides a number on certificate. The addi- 
 tions on certificate have averaged nearly twenty at each Com- 
 munion for a year past. My congregation has greatly in- 
 creased. For several months there has not been a single pew 
 to be got in the lower part of the house, and most of the seats 
 in the gallery are also taken. I have, I suppose, as large a 
 congregation as there is in the city, and I begin to feel iden- 
 tified with them, as I did with my people at Elizabethtown. 
 The meeting of the General Assembly at Pittsburgh, is fast 
 approaching, but I doubt whether I shall attend it; though if 
 I do not, I must resign my office of Permanent Clerk. My 
 soul abhors the ecclesiastical war that is going on; and I 
 wish to be away from it. I disapprove the policy that has 
 for years been pursued by a few of the orthodox party. I 
 love the Confession of Faith, every line of it, and I love Pres- 
 byterianism; and I challenge any man to point to any senti- 
 ment I ever wrote or uttered, that is not in strict accordance 
 with it. But I must close by subscribing myself 
 
 Your affectionate brother, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 The following extract of a. letter from Mr. Murray 
 to Dr. McDowell, dated at Elizabethtown, five days 
 after the preceding, is illustrative of the strong regard 
 which the people of his former charge still cherished 
 towards him. 
 
118 
 
 " When we heard of your illness a few days since, we all 
 felt greatly intererested in what might be the result; and we 
 feel relieved and thankful to God that, by his good provi- 
 dence, he has brought it to a favourable termination. May 
 your health be perfectly restored, and may you be spared to 
 be a lasting blessing to our wounded and distracted Church. 
 Be assured that we all feel deeply interested in you here. 
 From a hundred family altars, I have no doubt that prayer 
 was made for your recovery.' ' 
 
 Dr. Miller, in a letter of the same date, wrote to him 
 as follows. 
 
 " Your very welcome letter of Saturday reached me this 
 afternoon. I say welcome, because a letter from you is al- 
 ways welcome, but as a practical testimony that you are 
 recovering from your late severe illness, it was doubly wel- 
 come. We all unite in returning thanks to God for your res- 
 toration, and trust that you are given back to us in rich mercy 
 to yourself, your family, and the cause of Christ in our land. 
 All my family join with me in affectionate congratulations on 
 the joyful event." 
 
 There had been manifested, for several years, in the- 
 General Assembly, a difference of opinion and feeling 
 on a variety of matters pertaining to the interests of 
 the Church, which by' this time seriously threatened a 
 disruption of the body. Dr. McDowell, not from any 
 want of courage, but from a sober conviction of duty, 
 felt constrained to occupy an intermediate position be- 
 tween the two parties — while he did not question the 
 reality of many of the evils complained of by the Old 
 
119 
 
 School, he did not sympathize in the extreme measures 
 (as he regarded them) which were proposed for their 
 removal ; and, above all, he deprecated any thing that 
 looked towards an ultimate division of the Church. 
 The General- Assembly of 1836 it was expected on all 
 hands would have a very stormy session ; and so pain- 
 fully was Dr. McDowell exercised in the prospect, that 
 he had, at one time, as intimated in a preceding letter, 
 well nigh made up his mind not to be present, though 
 his absence must necessarily have involved the resig- 
 nation of his ofl&ce as Permanent Clerk ; but, upon ma- 
 ture reflection, he came to the conclusion that he could 
 not stay away in consistency with his duty. At this 
 meeting Dr. Ezra Stiles Ely resigned his ofl&ce as 
 Stated Clerk, and each party immediately placed a 
 candidate in nomination. The result, however, of a 
 united consultation was that both candidates were 
 withdrawn, in favour of Dr. McDowell, in Avhom both 
 parties had confidence ; and he was chosen unanimously. 
 The Assembly voted not to choose another Permanent 
 Clerk at that meeting, so that Dr. McDowell had the 
 double burden of both Permanent Clerk and Stated 
 Clerk devolved upon him. The following extract of 
 a letter written to his brother Benjamin, while the 
 Assembly was in session, reveals the state of his 
 
120 
 
 mind in respect to the events which were then pass- 
 ing. 
 
 " Yesterday and to-day, the Assembly have been engaged 
 on the subject of the transfer of the Western Foreign Mis- 
 sionary Society, and the Assembly engaging in Foreign 
 Missions. The debate has been dignified, able and deeply 
 interesting; and, in the course of it, plain intimations have 
 been given of a disposition to divide our Church. I fear this 
 will be the case. I tremble at the prospect; but, unless the 
 Lord interpose, this Assembly will not rise until some mea- 
 sures-are taken to efiect this object. If it would stop with 
 the ministers, I would not so deeply deplore it; but it will 
 divide, to a great extent, our individual churches throughout 
 the land. A proposition is now before the Committee of 
 Overtures to take steps for a division on the ground of doc- 
 trine. The subject of Slavery, too, must come up — nume- 
 rous petitions in reference to it are already before the Com- 
 mittee; and the extreme sensitiveness which the Southern 
 Commissioners manifest in relation to it, seems to me to look 
 towards a separation, not far distant, of the North from the 
 South. My only comfort in this momentous crisis is that 
 * the Lord reigns.' " 
 
 In a letter to the same brother, dated May 1, 1837, 
 
 two or three weeks before the General Assembly was 
 
 to convene, he writes as follows : 
 
 " The approaching Assembly is looked to by many as an 
 exceedingly important crisis in our Church matters. It 
 probably will be so; and great responsibility rests upon 
 those of whom the Assembly will be composed. Which of 
 the two great parties into which, unhappily, our Church is 
 divided, will be the majority in the Assembly, I cannot pre- 
 dict. I think it very doubtful; and the probabiHty is that . 
 
121 
 
 the majority will be very small on either side. I do not be- 
 lieve there will be a division. There may be a secession of 
 a few ultra uneasy spirits; and if a few on both sides were 
 gone, I should rejoice, and think that then we could have- 
 peace and the blessing of God." 
 
 In a letter written to the same brother, under date 
 
 of January 2, 1838, he says: 
 
 " I have scarcely spoken on the subject of the difficulties 
 in our Church, for several months. I am endeavouring this 
 winter to devote myself exclusively to my people. I am en- 
 gaged in pastoral visiting, and liave, since the 1st of Novem- 
 ber, visited a hundred families, and have conversed and 
 prayed with the members of each of them. I have a noble 
 Bible Class weekly, at which from three to four hundred 
 attend. There is, I think, an increase of seriousness among 
 us; and this is the case, I hope, in the city generally; though 
 we have in none of our churches any thiug like a revival." 
 
 At the General Assembly of 1838, Dr. McDowell 
 was deeply wounded by the adoption of a Report of 
 a Committee on an alleged discrepancy between the 
 printed and manuscript minutes of the preceding 
 Assembly. Though he did not believe that any 
 injury was intended, yet he felt himself placed in so 
 delicate and equivocal an attitude that he could not, 
 in consistency with his convicJ:ions of what was due 
 to self-respect, consent, under the circumstances, to 
 retain the office of Stated Clerk any longer ; and, ac- 
 cordingly, he addressed a letter to the Moderator, the 
 11 
 
122 
 
 Rev. Dr. Plumer, tendering his resignation. Though 
 it does not appear that his communication came before 
 the Assembly, it was the occasion of the following 
 Resolution being passed unanimously : " For the pur- 
 pose of preventing any misconception of the intention 
 of the Assembly in adopting the Report of the Com- 
 mittee on the omission of certain Minutes of the last 
 Assembly, and supplying a defect in that Report, it is 
 Resolved that neither the Committee of Revision nor 
 the Stated Clerk are blamed, nor is any imputation 
 cast upon them, directly or indirectly, as it is believed 
 that all concerned acted conscientiously, according to 
 their views of duty, and the Assembly cherish undi- 
 minished confidence in the ability and fidelity of the 
 Stated Clerk." This explanatory action relieved Dr. 
 McDowell of all embarrassment, and he continued in 
 the discharge of the duties of his office. 
 
 Notwithstanding Dr. McDowell's inability to en- 
 dorse the doings of the General Assembly of 1837 
 and 1838, by which the division of the Church was 
 brought about, — believing, as he did, that the mea- 
 sures were unconstitutional and revolutionary, — when 
 the division was once accomplished, he fell in heartily 
 with the Old School, and ever afterwards was devoted 
 to the interests of that branch of the Church. It ap- 
 
123 
 
 pears from letters that he wrote while the legal pro- 
 cess, growing out of the division, was pending, that 
 his sympathies were all in one direction ; and when 
 the final result was made known, no one seems to have 
 rejoiced in it more than himself. 
 
 In September, 1837, Dr. McDowell preached the 
 Annual Sermon before the American Board of Foreign 
 Missions, at Newark, N. J., which was published. In 
 1839, he published his System of Theology, in two 
 volumes, duodecimo, in a form adapted to Bible 
 classes. 
 
 The following letter addressed to Dr. McDowell, by 
 a daughter of Governor Aaron Ogden, a few days be- 
 fore her father's death, furnishes a striking attestation 
 to his sympathy and fidelity as a Pastor. 
 
 Jersey City, 31arch 20, 1864. 
 Rev. and Dear Sir : 
 
 Aware of the deep interest you have ever manifested to- 
 wards our family, and knowing- by experience that you are a 
 friend ever ready to sympathize in our sorrows, it is quite in 
 unison with my present feelings to write you, and give a 
 particular account of the alarming illness under which my 
 dear father has been for some time labouring. 
 
 Early in the winter he had a very severe attack of gout, 
 which confined him to his room for several weeks, but he so 
 far recovered from this as to be able to walk and ride out 
 occasionally in pleasant weather. About six weeks since 
 he was very suddenly seized with paralysis, which alarmed us 
 
124 
 
 very much; but the timely aid of a physician seemed to 
 prevent the consequences we so much apprehended, although 
 it was very evident that his constitution had received a 
 severe shock. Two weeks since he was visited with a second 
 attack, by which his brain became so much aflfected that he 
 constantly mistakes those of his family who are around him 
 for some other persons. He talks continually of events long 
 since past, but seems to have no recollection of recent oc- 
 currences, I scarcely ever enter his room that he does not 
 make some inquiries about you — he se>?ms to have an idea 
 that you are still his Pastor, and often asks if Dr. McDowell 
 will not qpme and visit him, and pray with him. A few 
 days since he called me to his bedside, and observed that he 
 must soon leave us, and felt how hard it would be to part 
 with his children, and added, — ' Give my kind regards to Dr. 
 McDowell, and tell him I remembered him to the very last.' 
 I yesterday told him I intended vpriting to you shortly, and 
 asked him if he had any message to send you. ' Yes,' he 
 replied, while the tears rolled down his cheeks, ' ask Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell to remember me in his prayers, and tell him that I 
 shall never forget him.' 
 
 The day we thought him so ill, and he seemed so anxious 
 to see you, we sent for a clergyman belonging to this place, 
 who conversed and prayed with him, and it appeared to 
 compose and comfort him very much. I often wish you 
 were nearer to us that he might once more have an opportu- 
 nity of seeing you. The physicians give us no encourage- 
 ment to hope that he will recover. They say that he may 
 possibly continue some time, or he may be taken off very 
 suddenly. We have certainly great cause of thankfulness 
 that the Lord has continued him to us so long; but still the 
 idea of parting under any circumstances is extremely pain 
 ful. My fervent prayer is that we may be prepared for 
 whatever an all-wise Providence is preparing for us. 
 Believe me your very sincere friend, 
 
 MARY C. BARBER. 
 
125 
 
 At the meeting of the General Assembly in 1840, Dr. 
 McDowell resigned his office as Stated Clerk ; where- 
 upon the following resolution was unanimously adopted. 
 
 " That, although the reason assigned by Dr. McDowell for 
 his resignation is quite sufficient, yet, as he has long and 
 faithfully performed the duties of his office, and is well 
 acquainted with all the routine of business belonging to said 
 office, he be requested to withdraw his resignation; provided 
 be can do so consistently with the paramount duties of a 
 Pastor." 
 
 The Doctor, in a letter addressed to the Moderator^ 
 (the Eev. Dr. Engles,) gratefully recognized the esti- 
 mate which the Assembly had placed upon his ser- 
 vices ; but, in consideration of the great labour and 
 responsibility pertaining to the office, and especially of 
 the necessity it imposed upon him of attending as a 
 witness before Courts, and at all seasons of the year, 
 and, more than all, in view of its manifest interference 
 with his duties as the minister of a large city congre- 
 gation, he felt himself constrained to decline a longer 
 continuance in the office. 
 
 In the summer of 1843, after the office of Secretary 
 of the American Colonization Society had been vacated 
 by the death of Dr. Proudfit, Dr. McDowell was con- 
 sulted as to the probability of his accepting an 
 appointment to that place ; but he did not favour the 
 
 appointment, and therefore it was not made. 
 *11 
 
126 
 
 In 1842, owing to some pecuniary embarrassment of 
 the congregation, he generously relinquished five hun- 
 dred dollars per annum, which had, some time before, 
 been added to his salary ; for which he received a 
 warm expression of thanks from the Board of Trus- 
 tees. In 1843, and again in 1844, similar acknowl- 
 edgments were tendered to him for important services 
 he had rendered for extinguishing the floating debt of 
 the church and increasing its annual revenue. 
 
 In the summer of 1844, Dr. McDowell, accompanied 
 by his wife and one daughter, made a journey as far 
 Westward as Lowville, Lewis County, N. Y., the native 
 place of his son-in-law, the Rev. Willard M. Rice. On 
 their way they passed a few days very pleasantly at 
 Saratoga Springs ; though they were kept in a state of 
 no small anxiety, during nearly the whole period of 
 their absence, by the reports that were constantly 
 reaching them, of the terrible riots which were taking 
 place in the city of their residence. They found all 
 quiet on their return. 
 
 Shortly after Dr. McDowell's return from this jour- 
 ney, he became deeply concerned on discovering that 
 the pecuniary indebtedness of his congregation was much 
 greater than he had supposed, and that the Trustees 
 and leading men of the church were in a state of seri- 
 
127 
 
 ous perplexity in respect to it. This state of things 
 occasioned no small disquietude and agitation for more 
 than a year; until, at length, he was brought to believe 
 that it was his duty to resign his pastoral charge. 
 Accordingly, by his own request, the Presbytery dis- 
 solved the pastoral relation on the 20th of November, 
 1845. The congregation, at their meeting for appoint- 
 ing Commissioners to meet the Presbytery, to show 
 cause, if they had any, why the resignation of Dr. 
 McDowell should not be accepted, rendered the follow- 
 ing honourable testimony to his character and services. 
 
 " Resolved, unanimously, that, in concurring with the 
 wishes of Dr. McDowell, this congregation cherish the most 
 entire and unabated confidence in his piety, zeal and pastoral 
 fidelity, and the most sincere personal regard and affection 
 for him; and that they desire to express their unfeigned 
 gratitude to him for his multiplied labours, and to God, for 
 the measure of success that has attended his ministry, for 
 more than twelve years, in their midst. And they further 
 assure him of the united and hearty wishes of the elders, 
 trustees, communicants, and congregation, for the welfare 
 and comfort of himself and family through life." 
 
128 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 From his Leaving the Central Church till his 
 Death. 
 
 The disruption of tlie tie that bound Dr. McDowell 
 to the Central Church seemed to mark a dark epoch in 
 the history of his life. He had indeed a high reputa- 
 tion throughout the whole Church ; a reputation which 
 he had earned by a long course not only of pastoral 
 fidelity but of public usefulness ; but he had now 
 reached his sixty-sixth year; and, though his vigour 
 of body and mind was still unabated, it was obvious 
 that not many years could elapse before his ability to 
 labour must begin to wane. He was himself deeply 
 sensible of all this ; and he saw no prospect of con- 
 tinued ministerial usefulness open before him ; while 
 yet his heart was just as much in his work as ever ; 
 and withal he was in a measure dependent on his pro- 
 fessional labours for the means of supporting his 
 family. He doubted not, however, that the same 
 gracious God who had ordered his lot in such signal 
 mercy hitherto, would care for him still ; and he only 
 waited to see the path of duty made clear before he 
 should resume his labours. The day after his relation 
 
129 
 
 to his cliurcli ceased, he went to Elizabethtown, where 
 he was met by his old friends with a cordial greeting 
 and the warmest sympathy. A vigorous effort was 
 made about this time to secure his settlement at Met- 
 uchin ; and proposals were also made to him to lead in 
 the establishment of an Old School Presbyterian 
 Church in Newark; but he could not feel that the 
 finger of Providence pointed in either of these direc- 
 tions. On his return to Philadelphia, he was pre- 
 sented with a petition, signed by a hundred and ten of 
 the members of the congregation from which he had 
 just been separated, that he would continue his labours 
 with the view of establishing a new church. He at once 
 entered into their views, and commenced preaching at 
 the old Fourth Street (Whitefield) Academy, where 
 he continued for a year — just as he had done twelve 
 years before, while the Central Church was being 
 built. His first sermon was preached on the 14th of 
 December, from the text, — " My presence shall go 
 with thee, and I will give thee rest." Two men, who 
 had always sat unconcerned under his ministry in the 
 Central Church, were first brought to serious reflection 
 under this sermon. When the movement was first 
 made towards a new church-organization, it met with 
 little favour outside of the circle in which it was 
 
130 
 
 started ; but the- perseverii^g zeal of those more im- 
 mediately concerned, in connection with the hearty 
 co-operation of Dr. McDowell, overcame all obstacles, 
 and very quickly secured the object. On the 31st of 
 December, those who had enlisted in the new enter- 
 prise, met and unanimously resolved to apply to the 
 Presbytery for organization as a Church ; and for this 
 purpose drew up a petition, addressed to the Presby- 
 tery, and appointed a committee to present it. This 
 petition was signed by one hundred and thirty-six 
 persons who had been under his pastoral charge in the 
 Central Church ; ninety of whom were communicants. 
 It was presented to the Presbytery the next week, 
 (January 6, 1846); and, after much deliberation, the 
 Presbytery unanimously resolved to grant the petition, 
 and appointed a committee consisting of Doctors 
 Cuyler and McDowell, and Mr. Andrew Symington, 
 Elder, to organize the church. 
 
 On the 18th of January, the church was duly or- 
 ganized, with eighty-seven communicants ; two of 
 whom were ordained Ruling Elders. The Church took 
 the name of the Spring Garden Presbyterian Church. 
 Three days after, the congregation met and voted a 
 unanimous call to Dr. McDowell to become their 
 Pastor. He accepted the call, and was installed on 
 
131 
 
 the 3d of February. The Sermon on the occa- 
 sion was preached by Dr. Thomas L. Janewayj Dr. 
 Cuyler presided, and gave the Charge to the Pastor ; 
 and the Rev. Archibald Tudehope gave the Charge to 
 the People. The Installation took place, as his previ- 
 ous Installation had done, in the Whitefield Chapel. 
 
 The next thing to be done was to provide the means 
 for securing a lot and erecting a house of worship. 
 The members of the new congregation, though gene- 
 rally far from being in affluent circumstances, were 
 ready to contribute in aid of the enterprise to the 
 utmost limit of their ability; but they were obliged 
 to look abroad mainly for the means of accomplishing 
 their object. Dr. McDowell's extensive acquaintance 
 and great popularity in Philadelphia rendered it an 
 easy matter for him to obtain liberal contributions 
 not only from his own but other denominations ; but, 
 notwithstanding these applications were generally 
 highly successful, there was a large deficiency to be 
 made up from other sources ; and this was done chiefly 
 by his friends in Elizabethtown, Newark and New 
 York. The lot having been purchased, and all the 
 previous arrangements made, the corner-stone of the 
 new edifice was laid, with appropriate services, on the 
 6th .of June. On the 16th of May, 1847, a little less 
 
132 
 
 than a year from the commencement of the work, the 
 edifice was solemnly dedicated to the worship and 
 service of God. On that day, Dr. McDowell preached 
 in the morning ; Dr. Willis Lord, then of Philadelphia, 
 in the afternoon ; and Dr. Van Arsdale, of the Re- 
 formed Dutch Church, in the evening. 
 
 From this time the congregation enjoyed an uninter- 
 rupted course of prosperity for about four years — 
 it was receiving frequent additions, and thus grow- 
 ing in influence and numerical strength, while the 
 blessing of God evidently attended, in a high de- 
 gree, the ministration of the word. But, at the end 
 of that period, it was overtaken by a fearful calamity, 
 which seemed to bring a deep shade over its prospects. 
 On the 17th of March, 1851, a snow storm commenced, 
 which continued, with great severity, through the fol- 
 lowing night. The snow, being wet and heavy, had 
 accumulated so largely upon the roof of the church 
 that the building fell under the weight. The side 
 walls fell out each way nearly to the floor ; the roof 
 came down crushing the pews ; and the whole was a 
 frightful scene of desolation. It was a great mercy, 
 however, that no one was injured, either in the house 
 or out of it. Dr. McDowell, though deeply affected by 
 this dispensation of Providence, never yielded to des- 
 
133 
 
 pondency for a moment — his unwavering faith, his 
 indomitable strength of purpose, triumphed ; and, like 
 Nehemiah of old, he said, — " Let us arise and build." 
 The disaster awakened a very general sympathy 
 throughout the city; and congregations of different 
 denominations volunteered the loan of their church 
 edifices, for the afternoon, so long as the necessity 
 might exist. The following very gratifying note was 
 addressed to Dr. McDowell, at this time, by the Rector 
 and "Wardens of the Church of the Nativity. 
 
 Rev. Sir. Our Respected Neighbour : 
 
 Learning-, with deep regret, the downfall, last night, of the 
 edifice in which you are wont to worship God, the Rector 
 and Wardens of the Nativity Church tender to you the exclu- 
 sive use of that place of worship on the afternoons of Sunday, 
 and of any week-day you may select, with the assurance of 
 a cordial welcome to any of the people of your charge who 
 may, at other times, see fit to unite with us in adoring- our 
 Father in Heaven, through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
 
 Rev. JoHX McDowell, D. D. 
 Tuesday, 9 a. m., March 18, 1851. 
 
 There were also very liberal contributions volunta- 
 rily made, from churches of different denominations in 
 Philadelphia, towards repairing the desolation occasion- 
 ed by this distressing casualty. Not a few private indi- 
 viduals in other places also volunteered their aid, among 
 whom was Dr. Archibald Alexander, whose contribution 
 
 was accompanied by the following characteristic letter. 
 12 
 
134 
 
 Princeton, March 22, 1851. 
 Kevt. and Dear Sir: 
 
 I could send you abundant expressions of sympathy, but 
 these would not aid in repairing the loss you have sustained 
 — I therefore send you ten dollars, which was the sum 1 con- 
 tributed towards the erection of the building. 
 
 Almost every one, on hearing of the disaster, exclaims, 
 " What a mercy it fell when no one was within 1" 
 
 I think I heard you say that one of the happiest periods 
 of your life was the time spent in soliciting funds for this 
 church. The same pleasure I trust you will experience again ; 
 for I doubt not but you will find many disposed to repeat 
 their former contributions. I am very truly yours, 
 
 A. ALEXANDER. 
 
 Dr. McDowell was the master-spirit in the rebuild- 
 ing, as he had been in the original building, of the 
 church ; and he found it even more easy now than be- 
 fore to procure the requisite pecuniary aid for the 
 accomplishment of his object. The rebuilding com- 
 menced almost immediately, under the most favourable 
 auspices, and at an expense of about ten thousand dol- 
 lars, was ready to be re-occupied in about six months and 
 a half. During the progress of the work, the congrega- 
 tion worshipped in the Spring Garden Commissioners^ 
 Hall. On the 5th of October, 1851, it was re-opened 
 and re-dedicated to the purposes for which it was built. 
 On that day, the Pastor preached in the morning, Dr. 
 Murray, of Elizabethtown, in the afternoon, and Dr. 
 Boardman in the evening. 
 
135 
 
 One of Dr. McDowell's most intimate and beloved 
 friends was Dr. Archibald Alexander. In September, 
 1851, this venerable man was attacked with a serious 
 illness, from which he soon became satisfied that he 
 should never recover. In anticipation of his death he, 
 with characteristic thoughtfulness, indicated his wishes 
 in respect to the arrangements for his Funeral, and 
 among other things, designated Dr. McDowell to preach 
 the Funeral Sermon. In connection with this, he left 
 a special request that there should be no eulogy pro- 
 nounced upon him, but that the sermon should be a 
 simple exhibition of Divine truth, suited to comfort 
 mourners, and edify and profit all. Dr. McDowell ad- 
 hered sacredly to the expressed wish of his friend, 
 and preached a sermon which could not have wounded 
 his delicacy if he had heard every word of it. 
 
 In April, 1852, the First Church in Elizabethtown, 
 where Dr. McDowell had, for so many years, exercised 
 his ministry, having been thoroughly renovated, was 
 re-entered with appropriate services. Dr. Murray took 
 care to secure the aid of his predecessor for one part 
 of the day, and his presence gave great additional in- 
 terest to the occasion. 
 
 The following letter was* addressed to his intimate 
 friend, William M. Halstead, Esq., of New York, at a 
 
136 
 
 time when the latter was suflfering from a severe ill- 
 ness. 
 
 Philadelphia, January 18, 1854. 
 My Dear Friend: 
 
 Through the medium of the New York Observer, I have 
 heard of your illness, and I write to expi'ess my sincere sym- 
 pathy for you in your affliction, and for your family who are 
 afflicted with you. My prayer is that your life may he spared, 
 and that you may be restored to health, and still live to bless 
 your family and be useful in the Church and to the world. 
 Your life has been one of great usefulness, for which many 
 have been thankful God forbid that I should mention this 
 by way of flattery. You would, I have no doubt, be the first 
 to disapprove of any thing that would lead to self-glorying. 
 But I mention it to the praise and glory of Divine grace, 
 which has been manifested in you. For who maketh us to 
 differ, and what have we that we have not received ? God 
 early called you into His Kingdom, and gave you a heart 
 conformed to his will. He has prospered you in your worldly 
 business, bestowing upon you abundance of this world's 
 goods, and has given you a heart to use it for His glory, for 
 the advancement of the Kingdom of the precious Redeemer, 
 and for the good of your fellow-men; and to Himl have no 
 doubt you ascribe all the glory. My prater is — and I am 
 confident it is the prayer of many — that the life which God 
 has seen fit to make thus useful, may still be prolonged to 
 his glory. We would say the Kingdom of Christ has need 
 of you, but if our Heavenly Father has a higher sphere for 
 you to glorify Him in, we ought to say " Let His will be 
 done." He can, and we believe He will, in such a case, 
 raise up others to take your place in the Church militant. 
 Though the servants of the Lord die, His Church will live. 
 
 My dear friend, it is a blessed truth, in all our circum- 
 stances, that the Lord reigneth. If there is any passage in 
 the precious Bible, which has comforted me in seasons of 
 
137 
 
 darkness and trial, it is this (Ps. XCVII, 1), "The Lord 
 reigneth, let the earth rejoice." He reigns in righteousness, 
 in wisdom, and in covenant faithfulness to his people. And 
 why should we not rejoice that we are in the hands of such 
 a God, and that He arranges every thing in respect to us ? 
 And it is a comforting truth that afflictions are no evidence 
 of his displeasure. On the contrary, we read in His word 
 (Heb. XII, 6), "Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and 
 scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." Oh how precious 
 is the word of God in the time of trouble 1 I need not say 
 again, Let the precious truths of God's word now comfort 
 you, and be your song in this your night of adversity. I 
 pray that the Lord may be with your dear wife also in this 
 time of her affliction, and support and comfort her, prepare 
 her for all his will, and sanctify to her all the dealings of 
 his hand. Since I saw an account of your illness, I have 
 beard nothing concerning you, though we have made diligent 
 and earnest inquiry. If I could, it would be a great gratifica- 
 tion to me to visit you while you are under the rod. But this 
 mournful pleasure seems to be denied to me. God has been 
 very merciful to me — I am now an old man, and have entered 
 ray fiftieth year as a Pastor in health, and am still enabled to 
 perform as much ministerial labour as perhaps I ever did. 
 But I ought to feel that the time must be near when I must 
 give an account of my stewardship. If, my dear friend, we 
 meet not in this world, may we meet in Heaven. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 The following letter addressed to Dr. McDowell, by 
 the Hon. Joseph Allison, LL. D., on occasion of asking 
 for his certificate of dismission to another church, con- 
 tains a high and cordial testimony to the excellent con- 
 dition of the Doctor's Church, and to his admirable 
 qualities as a Pastor. *12 
 
138 
 
 Philadelphia, December 20, 1854. 
 My Dear Doctor: 
 
 The Communion season of the Haniiltonville Presbyterian 
 Church is again approaching, at which time we think it will 
 be proper to hand in our certificates of church-membership. 
 It is already seven months since our removal from Spring 
 Garden, during which period we have been attending the 
 Church of which the Rev. Mr. Butler is Pastor. AVill you 
 be good enough to send me the certificate of dismissal for 
 Mrs. Allison and myself. 
 
 I would have taken our dismissal to the Hamiltonville 
 Church before, but for a reluctance to sever a church connec- 
 tion, which, for six years, has continued, without interrup- 
 tion, to be a source of rich enjoyment to us. If any future 
 church relations shall be as pleasant as these have been, I 
 shall have reason to congratulate myself, though perhaps this 
 is scarcely to be expected ; for I doubt whether there are 
 many churches pervaded by so general a feeling of kindness, 
 whose members manifest so much of the spirit of their Mas- 
 ter in their regard for each other, and who liave been pre- 
 served, to so great an extent, from strife and contention, 
 which so often retard the prosperity of the Church, and 
 destroy the pleasure of Christian intercourse. It is my 
 earnest desire that the good feeling so long prevalent in the 
 Spring Garden Church may long continue, as one of its pre- 
 eminent claims to the respect of the community in the midst 
 of which it is planted; and because I know that to you it 
 must be a great comfort that this child of your old age has, 
 in this respect, been so true to itself; and, in the preservation 
 of its integrity as a Church of Christ, casting out discord as 
 an unclean spirit, it gives the best assurance of its future 
 prosperity and success. 
 
 But this is not the only cause for hesitation in leaving for 
 a new Christian home — to you personally 1 have become 
 much attached, and if Providence had so ordered, it would 
 have been a source of no little pleasure to have remained 
 
139 
 
 pennanently under your charge as my spiritual instructor 
 and guide. But wherever I am, I shall ever cherish towards 
 you the liveliest feelings of confidence and regard; and per- 
 mit me to hope that your days of usefulness on earth may be 
 prolonged, as one honoured of God in the cause of the Mas- 
 ter you have so long and faithfully served, and that we may 
 at last meet, when the trials of life shall have ended, where 
 sin and sorrow shall have no place, and where the enjoyment 
 of God sliall constitute the happiness of those whose sins 
 have been washed away in the atoning blood of Christ our 
 Lord. I am, Dear Sir, affectionately yours, 
 
 JOSEPH ALLISON. 
 
 On the 31st of December, 1854, Dr. McDowell de- 
 livered, in the Spring Garden Church, a Sermon on oc- 
 casion of his having completed fifty years in the min- 
 istry. He occupied both the morning and the after- 
 noon in its delivery, and had a very large and deeply 
 interested congregation in attendance. At a stated 
 meeting of the Presbytery to which he belonged, 
 which occurred on the Tuesday following, they re- 
 quested him to repeat it in their hearing ; which he 
 accordingly did, though in a somewhat abridged form, 
 the next evening, in the Church on Penn Square. On 
 the 14th of January, by request of the Pastor and 
 Session of the First Church in Elizabethtown, he re- 
 peated it there also, occupying, as in his own pulpit, 
 both parts of the day in the delivery. The Sermon 
 contained an outline of the history of his life, and 
 
140 
 
 especially of his ministry, and probably none listened 
 to it with more intense interest than the elder portion 
 of his congregation at Elizabethtown. The Sermon 
 was published, and must possess an enduring value, 
 as forming an interesting part of the history of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 The following letter, addressed by Dr. McDowell to 
 Miss Bowlby, a young lady who had been a member of 
 his Church in Philadelphia, but had subsequently 
 removed to Brooklyn, is specially interesting as having 
 been written in the midst of the great revival of 
 185Y--58. 
 
 Philadelphia, March 2*7, 1858. 
 My Dear Emily: 
 
 Your kind letter has been received, and I tliank you for it. 
 I wrote to you not long since, and I hope you received the 
 letter, though you make no mention of it. I find you are 
 about removing from Brooklyn. Truly this is a changing 
 world. I hope our pilgrimage here may terminate in the 
 rest that remaineth for the people of God. When you get 
 settled, I shall be glad to hear from you, and to know where to 
 address you. I hope it may be where you will have ready 
 access to the public means of grace, which I know you highly 
 prize. I should have rejoiced if it had pleased Providence 
 that you and your family should have been located again in 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 It is a very peculiar and wonderful day in regard to reli- 
 gion. The influence is very extensive, pervading a great 
 part of our country, especially our large cities. There is in 
 this city a very general attention, at least externally, to 
 
141 
 
 religious things. Tlie order of the day is attendance on pub- 
 lic worship. A great many houses of worship and other 
 places are open daily for prayer and exhortation, and some 
 of them for regular preaching; and they are attended by 
 crowds. The most noted of these places is Jaynes' Hall, in 
 Chestnut Street, below Seventh, — one of the largest rooms 
 in our city. There has been, for some time there, a prayer- 
 meeting every day, at twelve o'clock, and preaching at four 
 o'clock by different clergymen. About three thousand people 
 attend these meetings daily. Many other places are open 
 every day, and are crowded. How many real conversions 
 there are I cannot tell ; but I have no doubt the Kingdom of 
 Christ will be extended by these movements. As far as I 
 know, silence and order prevail in a remarkable degree. In 
 regard to my own congregation, we have a good attendance 
 at our regular meetings and solemn attention; and I know 
 of a few seriously inquiring, but nothing very special. We 
 have recently had our Communion, and received four on 
 examination, — three of them young men. I informed you, 
 I think, in my last letter, that, as a congregation, we ai'C out 
 of debt. The number of our communicants is now nearly 
 three hundred. Truly the Lord has been good to us. 
 
 I should delight to see you all, but my day for going abroad 
 much is past. Your affectionate friend, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 In April, 1859, Dr. McDowell suflfered a severe 
 domestic affliction in the death of a much loved 
 daughter, (Susan,) who had suffered for many years 
 from Epilepsy. How constantly she was in her father's 
 thoughts through this long period of suffering is mani- 
 fest from the fact that, in almost all the letters that he 
 addressed to his intimate friends during this time, 
 
142 
 
 there is some distinct reference to her condition. The 
 following letter to Miss Bowlby, containing an account 
 of his daughter's death, which occurred on the 8th of 
 April, 1859, shows how deeply his heart was smitten 
 by the bereavement. 
 
 Philadelphia, June 6, 1859. 
 My Dear Emily: 
 
 Your kind letter was received on Saturday, and I hasten 
 to answer it. God, in his Providence, has made a great 
 change in my family. Our loved and long and greatly 
 afflicted daughter has finished her life of suffering, and has 
 gone, we have no doubt, to the rest which remaineth for the 
 people of God. 
 
 She was a great and constant sufferer. Her disease 
 increased as she advanced in years, and required increasing 
 care and watchfulness night and day. Eeligion was her daily 
 business and delight, and she evidently grew in grace till the 
 close of life. She has been, for several months, gradually 
 becoming weaker, until nature, exhausted, yielded to the 
 stroke of death. She died easily. When she was able she 
 read much, and her reading was of the decidedly religious 
 and devotional kind. We have found, since her death, in the 
 books she read, a great many passages suited to her situa- 
 tion, marked with a pencil. And we have found her daily 
 journal, breathing a remarkable spirit of piety. While we 
 mourn her departure, we have good reason to thank God for 
 many peculiar mercies. It was a great mercy that she did 
 not lose her reason, which we had long feared would be the 
 case. It was a great mercy that she did not die in dreadful 
 convulsions, of which there seemed to us a great probability. 
 She departed like one going to sleep. It was also a very 
 great mercy that her parents were spared to take care of her 
 while she lived. And, above all, it was an unspeakable 
 
143 
 
 mercy that she so lived and died as to give assurance that 
 our loss is her unspeakable g-ain. She slept much in the last 
 few days of her illness, and said but little. In the evening 
 commencing the night on which she died, she awoke from 
 sleep, and, without looking at any of us, raised her eyes 
 upwards, and uttered this remarkably prayer. 
 
 "Heavenly Father, let me be with Thee all the day long. 
 Dear Saviour, let me be with Thee all the day long. Take me 
 to Heaven; let me be there this night — Amen." 
 
 She then went to sleep again; and, after this, uttered no 
 more intelligible sentences. She died at three o'clock, and 
 was buried, on the following Monday afternoon, in the Wood- 
 lands Cemetery. Her corpse was one of the most beautiful I 
 ever beheld. To her emphatically applied the lines of White- 
 field— 
 
 " Ah lovely appearance of death, 
 • No sight upon earth is so fair; 
 
 Not all the gay pageants that breathe , 
 Can with a dead body compare." 
 
 Her Funeral was very numerously attended, and great re- 
 spect for her memory was manifested. Dr. Boardman deliv- 
 ered an appropriate and excellent Address on the occasion. 
 You will pardon me for going so much into detail in this 
 account of my dear daughter's death — I have been prompted 
 to it by my knowledge of the deep interest you felt in her, 
 and of your sympathy in our affliction. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 Dr. McDowell continued in the regular discharge of 
 most of his duties as a minister, with but little per- 
 ceptible waning of any of his faculties, until the 
 spring of 1858, when, at a meeting of the Session of 
 hia church, he made to them, in substance, the follow- 
 
144 
 
 ing verbal communication: — "You are my constitu- 
 tional advisers. There is a subject on which I wish to 
 confer with you confidentially. I am an old man. It 
 is natural that I should partake of the infirmities inci- 
 dent to old age. Many of the duties of a Pastor, 
 which have long been my delight, I am compelled to 
 omit. Family visitations and other duties I cannot 
 attend to as formerly. I wish to ask if you think I 
 ought to resign my charge." To this inquiry the 
 members of the Session unanimously replied that it 
 was neither their wish, nor, so far as they knew, the 
 wish of any part of the congregation that he should 
 resign ; and that their belief was that it would be an 
 unwelcome subject to propose to them. On the whole, 
 the Session advised decidedly to let things remain as 
 they were until there should be some more marked 
 necessity for a change. In the spring of 1859, the 
 Doctor again brought the subject to the notice of his 
 Session, expressing his deep conviction that the time 
 had come when decisive action upon it could not be 
 safely or properly delayed, as he felt himself utterly 
 unable to preach twice on the Sabbath, or to discharge 
 all the other duties devolving upon him. To this 
 appeal the Session could not but listen; and, accord- 
 ingly, they requested him to avail himself of such local 
 
145 
 
 aid as he might be able to command until the way- 
 should be clear for bringing the whole subject before 
 the congregation. On the 2d of November follow- 
 ing, the congregation met and unanimously adopted 
 the following Resolutions : — 
 
 "1. That this congrogation acknowledges with gratitude 
 the goodness of God manifested to us in sparing^the life and 
 continuing the usefulness of our beloved Pastor, the Rev. 
 John McDowell, D. D., through a period of nearly eighty 
 years, and in owning him as a chosen servant of the Lord by 
 giving to him many souls as seals of his ministry; and that 
 we now desire to express our continued confidence in his 
 piety, and zeal, and devotedness to the proper work of the 
 ministry, and in the performance of all the duties incident to 
 the pastoral office. 
 
 " 2. That it is our desire that the wishes of our Pastor be 
 complied with; and that we now authorize and request the 
 Session of this church to adopt such measures as shall ena- 
 ble us to make a wise and judicious choice of a man to 
 ' break unto- us the bread of life,' in conjunction with our 
 aged Pastor." 
 
 In pursuance of this second Resolution, measures 
 
 were immediately taken to secure a Colleague Pastor ; 
 
 which resulted in the settlement of the Rev. Morris 
 
 C. Sutphen, in May, 1860; an arrangement in which 
 
 the Doctor expressed his most hearty concurrence. 
 
 So long as the coUeagueship continued, the younger 
 
 Pastor always manifested the most deferential regard 
 
 to the feelings and v>rishes of his venerable associate 
 13 
 
146 
 
 in the ministry, while the elder was fully satisfied that 
 he could leave his congregation in no better hands 
 than those in which he was actually leaving them. 
 
 At the annual meeting of the Board of Directors of 
 the Princeton Theological Seminary, held in April, 
 1860, Dr. McDowell tendered his resignation of the 
 ofiSce of Secretary of the Board. Whereupon the 
 Board adopted the following resolutions : 
 
 " 1. That Dr. McDowell's resignation be accepted. 
 
 " 2. That this Board, under a deep sense of their oblig-a- 
 tions for his long continued and faithful services, as their 
 Secretary, tender to him their grateful acknowledgments, 
 and affectionate wishes for his continued health and happi- 
 ness." 
 
 The following letter was addressed, by Dr. McDow- 
 ell, to Miss Mary Miller, daughter of the late Rev. Dr. 
 Miller, of Princeton, on occasion of the death of her 
 
 mother. 
 
 Philadelphia, February 11, 1861. 
 My Dear Miss Miller: 
 
 Since I last saw you, your excellent mother has been re- 
 moved by death. This event, though not unexpected, her 
 children must deeply feel; and you especially as the one 
 who lived with her to the last. With my whole heart I sym- 
 pathize with you and the other children in this bereavement. 
 It would have afforded me a mournful pleasure to have been 
 with you at the funeral; but my advanced age and feeble 
 health render it not prudent for me to go so far from home 
 at this inclement and uncertain season of the year. You 
 are, my dear friend, in affliction, and it is right that you 
 
147 
 
 should feel it. But you have great reason to be comforted 
 and to be thankful. The Lord has spared your mother, and 
 continued her with you to a good old age. Her departure 
 must, according to the course of nature, have been looked 
 for. She has spent a long life of usefulness, and has been 
 brought into the Heavenly garner, as a shock of corn in its 
 season, fully ripe. She has been a blessing to her children 
 and to the Church of God, and she has now gone to the rest 
 that remaineth for the people of God. May the grace of God 
 be sufficient for you in this time of need. And may his rich 
 blessing rest upon you, and your dear sister, and respected 
 brothers; and may you all follow her as she followed Christ; 
 and may you all at last join her and your venerated father 
 in the Paradise of God above. 
 
 Your affectionate and sympathizing friend, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 Dr. McDowell, having been informed that a most 
 respectable lady, a resident of Ohio, whose early 
 years were passed under his ministry, had nearly 
 reached the fiftieth anniversary of her marriage, which 
 was to be celebrated by a Golden Wedding, addressed 
 to her the following letter with reference to that event. 
 
 Philadelphia, May 30, 1861. 
 My Dear Madam: 
 
 I was surprized to learn from the letter of your son that 
 fifty years had passed since I had the pleasure of uniting you 
 
 in mai'riage to your excellent husband, Mr. H , and that 
 
 you and youv children expect to celebrate your Golden Wed- 
 ding, as it is called, on the ITth of June. Truly time is fleet- 
 ing and we ought diligently to improve it as it flies. 
 
 I remember you as a young lady, and a lamb of my flock, 
 in the first years of my ministry. The recollection of the 
 
148 
 
 acquaintance I had with you at that time is still precious. 
 I knew you intimately when you first began to seek the Lord, 
 and had the happiness then frequently to converse with you, 
 and to direct your anxious and inquiring- mind to the only 
 hope, the Saviour of sinners. I rejoiced with you and in 
 you, when, as subsequent time has proved, you truly em- 
 braced Him. I received j^ou to the church, and, for some 
 time afterwards, witnessed your humble walk with God and 
 devotion to his service; and since, I have heard of you as 
 adorning, through grace, the profession you made in early 
 life. 
 
 I had the pleasure to marry you to a man whom I highly 
 respected, and with whom I anticipated you would have a 
 useful and happy life. And, as far as I have heard, I have 
 not been disappointed. 
 
 God, my dear friend, has been peculiarly gracious to you. 
 He called you in early life into his kingdom. He has kept 
 you in the narrow way; and has enabled you to grow in 
 grace. He has given you a large family, all of whom, I 
 rejoice to learn, are hopefully pious. He has long preserved 
 you to be useful, and has brought you to a period which very 
 few live to see, — the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary 
 of your marriage. Truly, you have reason to say, — " Bless 
 the Lord, my soul." May the evening of your days be 
 sei-cne and useful; and, when the time of your departure 
 comes, may your sun set without a cloud. May both you 
 and your husband be brought into the Heavenly garner, as 
 shocks of corn in their season fully ripe; and may the bless- 
 ing of your covenant God rest upon your children, and child- 
 ren's children, for many generations to come! 
 
 A word about myself and family may not be deemed in- 
 trusive on this occasion. I have now been married to the 
 wife of my youth more than fifty-six years. Through the 
 rich grace of God, my labours have been blessed, especially 
 in Elizabethtown, greatly blessed. I am still a Pastor. I 
 feel the weakness of advanced years, but am still able to 
 
149 
 
 preach, and generally do preacli, once on the Sabbath. My 
 people have kindly given me a colleague, — a promising 
 young man. 
 
 In conclusion, I would again invoke the blessing of God 
 upon you, and your husband, and children. My wife re- 
 quests to be affectionately remembered to you. 
 
 From your early and affectionate friend, 
 
 JOHN McDowell. 
 
 Dr. McDowell, for some time previous to his death, 
 suffered from a difficulty of articulation. This disco- 
 vered itself first while he was conducting the services 
 of the sanctuary. He had gone through the prepara- 
 tory service, announced his text, and was proceeding 
 with his discourse, when his voice faltered, and he 
 was obliged to desist from speaking. This affection, 
 arising from a partial paralysis of the organs of speech, 
 rendered it at times difficult for him to converse with 
 his friends, and withdreAv him in a measure from their 
 society. For months he did not attempt to preach. 
 But, during the months of July, August and Septem- 
 ber of 1861, he preached once almost every Sabbath. 
 His last sermon was delivered on the 27th of Septem- 
 ber, from Gen. XIX, 7. His vision, voice and strength 
 were now so seriously impaired that he was obliged to 
 desist from further labours. He, however, always 
 attended public worship on Sabbath morning, when the 
 
 weather would permit, and, notwithstanding his bodily 
 *13 
 
150 
 
 infirmities, he would, from principle, never allow him- 
 self to sit in prayer; regarding that posture incon- 
 sistent with the reverence due to Jehovah, in approach- 
 ing the throne of grace. He preached several ser- 
 mons, during his ministry, on the subject of posture in 
 prayer, in which he maintained that there was no in- 
 stance on record in the word of God, of sitting during 
 that exercise, but that, wherever posture is mentioned, 
 it is either standing, kneeling, or prostration. 
 
 It was a custom in the Spring Garden Church, on 
 the Friday afternoon before the Communion, to hold 
 what was termed a church meeting, or a gathering of 
 church members and their children, for exhortation and 
 prayer. The last time he was in the house of God 
 was on an occasion of this kind, in December, 1861. 
 It was with great difficulty, on account of his extreme 
 feebleness, that he was able to walk to the lecture 
 room ; but, leaning upon the arm of his wife, he suc- 
 ceeded in getting there, and delivered an address of a 
 most pathetic and impressive character, worthy to be, 
 as it proved to be, his last. He had made his ar- 
 rangements to be present at the Communion on the 
 following Sabbath ; but the exertion of going to the 
 lecture room on Friday so overcame him that he was 
 -obliged to remain at home on Sabbath morning, and 
 
151 
 
 consequently joined no more in the commemoration of 
 his Redeemer's love, until he was permitted to mingle 
 in the nobler celebration of the ransomed around the 
 throne. 
 
 The following graphic description Of the closing 
 period of Dr. McDowell's life is from the pen of his 
 daughter, Mrs. Rice, who, in writing it, only made the 
 record of her own observation : 
 
 " My father descended to the tomb very gradually. 
 Until a few weeks before his death, he attended to his 
 accustomed duties, providing the marketing and gro- 
 ceries for family use. He relinquished, one by one, 
 these life employments, without any murmur or com- 
 plaint, simply remarking, in his peculiarly humble 
 manner, that he was " good for nothing." My brother 
 and myself, with our families, were acustomed to spend 
 every Wednesday at his house, and a truly delightful 
 season it was to both the diildren and the grandchil- 
 dren. He made every thing pleasant on these occa- 
 sions and diffused sunshine all around. His grand- 
 children he dearly loved, and particularly the youngest 
 of the flock, and was always disappointed when un- 
 pleasant weather prevented the little ones from paying 
 their weekly visit. On the occasion of these 'weekly 
 family gatherings, he persisted in carving at the din- 
 
152 
 
 ner table, even after he was unequal to the effort ; but 
 the ruling passion, a desire to minister to the gratifica- 
 tion of others, and to be useful, continued to the last. 
 A few weeks previous to his death, however, he yielded 
 to the solicitations of his friends, and permitted others 
 to take his place in the performance of this duty. As 
 he began to decline, gradually but surely, the children 
 and grandchildren would, when they met at the cher- 
 ished fireside, recount the pleasures of these inter- 
 views, and, with painful forebodings, speak of the void 
 that would be made in their circle and their hearts by 
 the removal of the dear one to whom they had looked 
 for counsel for so many years. 
 
 " The dreaded period at length arrived. The happy 
 circle assembled for the last time. On the fifty-ninth 
 anniversary of his marriage, we all met, according to 
 our weekly custom, at the house of our beloved and 
 venerated father and grandfather. He appeared in his 
 usual health, and indeed conversed more freely than he 
 had done for some time ; for, of late, the difficulty of 
 utterance had increased, so that it required an effort 
 for him to hold a continuous conversation. On parting 
 with him, we received the last farewell uttered in 
 health and consciousness. He retired to his room 
 about eight o'clock in the evening. After a while, my 
 
153 
 
 mother, thinking he might need her services, went up 
 to their chamber, and found him suffering intensely 
 from what seemed to be an attack of bilious colic. 
 She used the ordinary remedies without effect, and the 
 agony increased to such a degree that my father said 
 that if he was not relieved soon he could not live. A 
 physician was immediately sent for, and he came and 
 used measures which he supposed would be efficacious. 
 They relieved temporarily, and the physician left with 
 a request that, if he should be needed again, he might be 
 promptly sent for at any hour of the night. About 
 midnight the pain returned with increased violence, 
 and the physician was again summoned. Upon my 
 mother's inquiring of him if he apprehended danger, 
 as, if this was the case, she wished to send for her 
 children, he advised her to send for them. By two 
 o'clock they were all around his bed, and faithfully and 
 untiringly was he ministered unto by wife and children, 
 until he was gathered, like a shock of corn fully ripe, 
 to the Heavenly garner. He lingered until the 13th of 
 February, ten days after the commencement of his ill- 
 ness. He was only partially conscious, and what was 
 a source of great regret to his family, could not con- 
 verse with them, his power of speech being almost en- 
 tirely gone. He would occasionally call some member of 
 
154 
 
 the family, and very often my mother, — a name familiar 
 and endeared for nearly sixty years, — but nothing more. 
 On one occasion his colleague, when visiting him, said 
 to him — "Doctor, the Saviour whom you have so long 
 recommended to others is with you now." He assented 
 by bowing his head two or three times. As day after 
 day, and night after night passed, the anxious group 
 about the bedside saw that their loved and venerated 
 one was nearing the grave. Death was slowly, but 
 steadily, advancing, and heart and flesh were failing ; 
 but, although they realized this, they felt that God 
 would be the strength of his heart and his portion for- 
 ever. He could not tell them, in dying words, that his 
 hope in God was strong, and his confidence in the Rock 
 of Ages unshaken — this would indeed have been grati- 
 fying — but what was lacking in his death-bed, was 
 abundantly supplied by his life. His attentive physi- 
 cians did all in their power to relieve his sufferings 
 and minister to his comfort ; but they could not restore 
 decayed nature, or avert the impending stroke of death. 
 They watched him by night and by day, and one of 
 them requested that he might be permitted to remain 
 with him to the last, and close his eyes in death. The 
 anxious group sat in solemn stillness around his death- 
 bed, feeling that if death was there dissolving the 
 
155 
 
 earthly tabernacle, Jesus was there also to convey the 
 immortal spirit to its eternal resting place. The 
 breathing became more and more laboured, then longer 
 intervals elapsed after each breath, until sweetly and 
 peacefully he fell asleep in Jesus, at a quarter past 
 eleven o'clock, on the night of the 13th of February, 
 1863." 
 
 The Funeral service took place in the Spring Garden 
 Church, the scene of his last labours, on Wednesday 
 morning, February 18th. The procession formed at 
 ten o'clock, at the then late residence of the deceased, 
 consisting of a very large number of Clergymen, of 
 various denominations; the Faculty and Trustees of 
 the College of New Jersey ; the Boards of the Presby- 
 terian Church; the Trustees of the Spring Garden 
 Church ; the Pastor and Session of the Church of Eliz- 
 abeth, N. J. ; the Congregation of the Spring Garden 
 Church ; Bible and Sabbath School Classes of the same 
 church ; and a large circle of friends. As the j^roces- 
 sion entered the church, the choir sung the hymn com- 
 mencing, 
 
 ''Hear what the voice from Heaven proclaims/' 
 
 and the coffin was placed in front of the pulpit. The 
 Rev. Albert Barnes commenced the service by reading 
 a number of appropriate passages of Scripture, con- 
 
156 
 
 eluding with the passage from which Dr. McDowell 
 preached thirty-eight years before, at Mr. Barnes' Ordi- 
 nation, — namely : " Obey them that have the rule over 
 you," &c. The 624th Hymn, " How blest the righteous 
 when he dies!" was then read by the Rev. Dr. Joseph 
 H. Jones, and sung by the choir. Prayer was then 
 offered by the Rev. Dr. Shields, after which the surviv- 
 ing Pastor of the church delivered an Address, con- 
 taining an affectionate, faithful and beautiful delinea- 
 tion of Dr. McDowell's character. Then followed an 
 Address by Professor Green, of the Princeton Seminary, 
 who succeeded Dr. McDowell as Pastor of the Central 
 Church, and also Addresses from the Rev. Drs. Hodge 
 and McLean, of Princeton, and the Rev. Dr. Boardman, 
 of Philadelphia, each of whom bore an honourable tes- 
 timony to the excellent character and eminently useful 
 life of the deceased. These several Addresses were 
 afterwards published in a pamphlet. Dr. Shields then 
 read the concluding Hymn, "Unveil thy bosom, faith- 
 ful tomb," and the Benediction was pronounced by the 
 Rev. John Chambers. Before leaving the church, the 
 lid of the coffin was removed, and the congregation 
 passed round to take a last look of their venerated 
 Pastor and friend. At the grave the services were 
 conducted by the Rev. Mr. Kempshall, Pastor of the 
 
157 
 
 Church at Elizabeth, of which Dr. McDowell had the 
 charge for so many years. The benediction was pro- 
 nounced by the Rev. Thomas G. Allen, of the Episco- 
 pal Church, who, fifty years before, had been a pupil 
 of Dr. McDowell. 
 
 He was the father of three children, two of whom, 
 with their mother, still survive. 
 
 Resolutions passed on occasion of Dr. McDowell's 
 Death. 
 
 The Spring Garden Church unanimously adopted 
 
 the following : 
 
 Resolved, 1. That, in the decease of our venerable Senior 
 Pastor, Rev. John McDowell, D. D., we recognize the sove- 
 reign right of the Great Head of the Church to dispose of 
 his servants according to his own will. 
 
 Resolved, 2. That, in the long and active life of our be- 
 loved Pastor, we have great reason to rejoice and to thank 
 God for all that He accomplished throug-h him in the pro- 
 motion of his glory. 
 
 Resolved, 3. That, in uniform regularity, in precise punctu- 
 ality, and in an unwearied perseverance, even up to tlie last 
 hour of physical ability, our departed Pastor set a noble ex- 
 ample, and was thereby enabled to perform a vast amount of 
 effective labour. 
 
 Resolved, 4. That, in being permitted to exercise the func- 
 tions of the Gospel ministry for fifty-seven years, with less 
 than a single month's interruption in all that period, our be- 
 loved Pastor was greatly honoured by his Divine Master 
 14 
 
158 
 
 and discharged an amount of ministerial labour, such as 
 seldom falls to the share of any one man. 
 
 Resolved, 5. That the Session of Spring Garden Presbyte- 
 rian Church cherish the memory of its first, and for fourteen 
 years its only, Pastor, with a lively sense of his large instru- 
 mentality in its foundation and prosperity. 
 
 Resolved, 6. That, as a Session, we tender to the family of 
 our late Pastor oiu' warmest sympathies in this hour of their 
 bereavement. 
 
 Resolved, 1. That, in token of our regard for our deceased 
 Pastor, and of our bereavement in his removal, the Church 
 be clothed in mourning. 
 
 MORRIS C. SUTPHEN, Moderator. 
 H. D. GREGORY, Clerk of Session. 
 
 The Central Presbytery of Philadelphia, at their 
 
 meeting immediately succeeding Dr. McDowelPs death, 
 
 adopted the following minute : 
 
 The Great Head of the Church having recently removed 
 by death our honoured and beloved co-presbyter, the Rev. 
 John McDowell, D. D., we record our sense of loss in his 
 removal, and our confidence that what is loss to us is gain 
 to him. A volume only could adequately .set forth his many 
 virtues as a Man, Friend, Christian, and Minister of Christ, 
 or the variety and amount of labour prosecuted by him so 
 successfully during a ministry protracted far beyond the or- 
 dinary limit. His example, especially as a Presbyter, we 
 can never forget. His conscientious, constant and punctual 
 attendance upon the various judicatories of the Church, his 
 readiness to assume burdens, and his fidelity in performance 
 of the various duties imposed upon him; his patience of 
 details; the wisdom of his counsels; his uniform urbanity, 
 whether as Presiding Officer or any other position he occu- 
 
159 
 
 pied, will always be remembered by us, and with devout 
 gratitude to God that it was our privilege to be among his 
 contemporaries. In fine. Dr. McDowell will ever be in our 
 minds as a model Presbyter. 
 
 We bow submissively to the dispensation of Providence 
 which has removed him from us, hoping and praying that 
 our " last end may be like his." 
 
 J. EDWARDS, Stated Clerk. 
 
 At a meeting of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, held 
 on the 7th of April, 1863, the following paper, pre- 
 sented by the Rev. Dr. Boardman, was unanimously 
 adopted : 
 
 " 1. The Rev. Jno. McDowell, D. D., Pastor of the Spring 
 Garden Church, in this city, having been removed by death, 
 since our last stated meeting, this Pi'esbytery, of which he 
 was, for many years, an honoured and useful member, rever- 
 ently acknowledge the hand of God in this dispensation. 
 
 " 2. The Presbytery recall, with great interest, the many 
 virtues with which the character of this venerable servant of 
 God was adorned ; his eminent piety, his extraordinary 
 labours in the service of his Master, his consistent life, the 
 faithful devotion of his entire being to the work confided to 
 him, and the signal blessing with which God was pleased to 
 attend his ministry. 
 
 " 3. We desire to express our gratitude to God for pro- 
 longing the life and labours of our revered father, for upwards 
 of four score years, and for the holy peace and joy which 
 marked his transition from the toils and conflicts of earth, to 
 the joy of his Lord. 
 
 " 4. We tender our cordial sympathy to the bereaved 
 widow and children of our deceased father, and commend 
 
160 
 
 them to the care of a Covenaut God, and the ministration of 
 the Divine Comforter." W. M. RICE, 
 
 Stated Clerk. 
 
 The Presbyterian Board of Education at its meet- 
 ing on the 3d of April, 1863, adopted the following : 
 
 Resolved, That the Board of Education, having been de- 
 prived by death of their late Vice-President, the Rev. John 
 McDowell, D. D., do here record their deep sense of this be- 
 reavement, and their devout gratitude for the many valuable 
 services of that godly and faithful minister of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 From the origin of this institution through all its varied 
 tibials and successes, until its present widely extended 
 growth and usefulness, he has continued its warm friend and 
 firm supporter; and has uniformly brought to it, both as an 
 officer and a member, that zeal, fidelity and prudence which 
 marked him in every place of trust and duty. 
 
 Our Minutes bear record to his punctuality and faithful- 
 ness; and, in addition to his counsels and labours, we have 
 had, in all his personal intercourse, the example of a good 
 man, who daily walked with God, and lived in perfect 
 charity with his brethren. 
 
 In common with our whole Church, so widely extended 
 and trained during his ministry of more than half a century; 
 with the many public institutions in which he was an active 
 worker; w^ith the different congregations which he served as 
 a faithful Pastor; and with the thousands of Christian peo- 
 ple who speak his name with reverence and love; we make 
 our special tribute to his memory. 
 
 And, in tendering a copy of this record to his bereaved 
 widow and family, we invoke for them those rich consola- 
 tions which have crowned such a useful life with such a 
 blessed death. 
 
161 
 
 The Executive Committee of the Board of Domes- 
 tic Missions in session February 23, 1863, at Phila- 
 delphia, passed the following minute : 
 
 The Committee record the decease, on the 13th instant, of 
 the Rev. Dr. John McDowell, their Chairman since June, 
 1833, — a few months lacking thirty years. During that 
 long period he was indefatigable in his attendance on the 
 weekly meetings of the Committee, until the infirmities of 
 great age warned him to desist. Wise in counsel, kind and 
 genial in his intercourse with his fellow members, earnest in 
 the great work of Domestic Missions, few men could have 
 held the Chairmanship of the Committee so long with such 
 acceptableness to his associates, who rejoiced, year by year, 
 to elect him, and, contrary to his remonstrance at last, 
 because of his feebleness, to resolve to continue him in the 
 chair until his Master should call him. We thank God, who 
 spared him to his Church and cause so long — we bless God 
 that he was permitted to see the Board he loved so dearly, 
 advance from its humble beginning thirty years ago, to the 
 high position it obtained previous to the civil commotions 
 that now darken our sky. In advanced age, amid the re- 
 grets of the people of God, he has come to his grave, and 
 his works do follow him. We place this simple memorial on 
 record, as our testimony to the gr^at worth and excellencies 
 of our venerable Chairman, 
 
 At a meeting of the Board of Domestic Missions of 
 THE Presbyterian Church, held at Philadelphia, March 
 9th, 1863, the following was entered upon their Min- 
 utes : — 
 
 #14 
 
162 
 
 On. motion, Resolved, That the Rev. Drs. H. S, Clarke and 
 T. L. Janeway be appointed a Committee to prepare a minute 
 relative to the decease of our late President, Rev. John Mc- 
 Dowell, D. D. The Committee reported the following- 
 minute, viz: 
 
 It having pleased God recently to remove from us, by 
 death, the Rev. John McDowell, D. D., a member from its 
 organization, and for several years past, the President of the 
 Board, we desire to record our sense of loss in his removal, 
 and our unwavering trust that he has departed to be forever 
 with the Lord. 
 
 Admonished by his departure to be also ready, it becomes 
 us to keep in mind the lesson Divine Providence thus teaches 
 us. Nor would we forget the lessons taught us by the life of 
 this venerable servant of God any more than that taught by 
 his death. Like Joseph of Arimathea, he was "a good man 
 and a just." His urbanity and kindness, his punctuality 
 and fidelity te trusts confided to him; his interest in what- 
 soever would promote the public weal; his devotion to the 
 special work to which his Master appointed him; his 
 interest in all that concerned the welfare of the Church of 
 God ; his ardent desire and constant and faithful efforts for 
 the salvation of souls, during a ministry protracted far 
 beyond the ordinary limit, affoid a striking example for our 
 imitation. We rejoice at the success which attended his 
 labours; and though, with no ordinary sorrow, we remember 
 that we shall see his face no more on earth, we bow to the 
 Divine will, desiring to say, with Christian submission, "The 
 Lord o-ave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the 
 name of the Lord." 
 
 The Board of Publication of the Presbvterian 
 Church, at a meeting held in Philadelphia, on the l7th 
 of February, 1863, unanimously adopted the following 
 minute : 
 
163 
 
 The Board, having learned with regret that their old friend 
 and co-labourer, the Kev. John McDowell, D. D., had departed 
 this life, here record the event in testimony of their sincere 
 appreciation of his character as a Man and Christian. Dr. 
 McDowell, after a long life of usefulness, died at his resi- 
 dence in Philadelphia, on the 13th of February, 1863, in the 
 eighty-third year of his age. It has fallen to the lot of few 
 men to have lived so blameless, active, useful and holy a life 
 as our departed friend. His earthly career was unusually 
 protracted, and yet, nearly to its close, it was characterized 
 by untiring activity in the service of his Divine Master. He 
 literally abounded in labours of love, and has received the 
 reward of a good man full of the Holy Ghost. As a Pastor, 
 in several large and important charges, he fulfilled his min- 
 istry with signal ability and zeal, and, it is believed, was the 
 honoured instrument of turning souls to Christ. His life was 
 pure and exemplar}^, and through it he preached as well as 
 by his pulpit ministrations. As an active participator in all 
 the religious and benevolent institutions of the Church, he 
 was ever found at the post of duty, and prompt to render his 
 services. His name is indelibly inscribed on these institu- 
 tions from their early formation to their fruitful maturity. In 
 the Ecclesiastical Courts he was conscientiously punctual, 
 and uniformly" manifested his anxiety that all things should 
 be done decently and in order, to the honour of his Lord. In 
 all the relations of life he was an example, and few have bet- 
 ter illustrated their relations as a Husband, a Father, a Friend, 
 and Christian Minister. Through the good providence of God 
 he was long spared to the Church; and when the great objects 
 of life were accomplished, he piously and happily terminated 
 his cai'eer, that he might be forever with the Lord. Surely 
 blessed ai-e the dead that die in the Lord, for they rest from 
 their labours, and their works do follow them. 
 
 Besolved, That this Board, while making this record of one 
 they loved and revered, express their sincere sympathy with 
 
164 
 
 his surviving widow, with whom he has happily lived for 
 near three-score years, and all surviving relatives. 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of the foregoing be sent to the fam- 
 ily of the deceased, properly attested, and that the Board 
 attend the Funeral on Wednesday morning next. 
 
 W. E. SOHENCK, Cor. Sec'y. 
 
165 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Summary of the Extraordinary Results of his Min- 
 istry, AND HOW they HAVE BEEN ATTAINED. 
 
 It is not easy to form a definite idea of the influence 
 consequent upon the life of any individual, especially 
 of one who occupied so wide a sphere, and was active 
 at so many points in sustaining and advancing the in- 
 terests of the Church, and moulding the destinies of 
 society, as Dr. McDowell. I will endeavour to present 
 the results of his labours under two or three different 
 aspects. But it is not to be forgotten that, as all in- 
 fluence is progressive, so these results, as already 
 developed, only mark a fresh starting point for still 
 nobler and grander results, which, though lost from all 
 human observation, will be revealed in the day of final 
 recompense. 
 
 As the grand design of the Christian ministry is to 
 bring the Gospel in contact with the hearts of men as 
 a regenerating and savins- power, so there is no better 
 test of a minister's fidelity and usefulness than the 
 number who are received to the Church under his min- 
 
166 
 
 istry, provided due caution be exercised in respect to 
 their admission. It is indeed quite possible to gather 
 into the Church scores and even hundreds of persons 
 as the fruit of what passes for a revival of religion, ' 
 when a large number, perhaps a majority of them, are 
 utter strangers to true Christian experience ; and the 
 consequence is that they either become open apostates, 
 or live and die self-deceivers and formalists. From 
 every thing of this kind Dr. McDowell was far removed 
 in both principle and practice — the hopeful subjects of 
 a revival he never received to the Communion until a 
 sufficient time had passed for testing the genuineness 
 of their experience ; and hence it was a rare thing that 
 he admitted any one who subsequently proved recreant 
 to Christian obligations. The revivals which took 
 place under his ministry were generally characterized 
 not only by great power, but by a deep thoughtfulness, 
 and an orderly and solemn stillness, that impressed 
 upon them the unmistakable insignia of the Spirit of 
 God. It is reasonable, therefore, to consider the great 
 number of revivals which occurred under his ministry, 
 and the immense number of persons whom they were in- 
 strumental of bringing into the Church, as a Divine 
 attestation to the real success of his labours. 
 
 During his pastorate at Elizabethtown, comprising a 
 
U1 
 
 period of twenty-eight years and a half, he was privi- 
 leged to witness, in connection with his labours, no 
 less than seven revivals ; the first of which brought 
 into the church 120; the second 110; the third 180. 
 At the time of his settlement, the whole number of 
 communicants in the church was 207. In 1820, they 
 numbered 660. In that year, on account of the large- 
 ness of the church, a colony from it was formed into a 
 Second Church, of which the Rev. (now Dr.) David 
 Magie became Pastor. During the whole period of his 
 connection with this church there were added to the 
 communion on examination, 921 ; and, on certificate 
 from other churches, 223 ; making a total of 1,144. 
 His ministry at Philadelphia fell into a period in which 
 revivals of religion were much less frequent in the 
 country at large than they had been during the quar- 
 ter of a century immediately preceding. He was not 
 permitted here to witness, in a high degree, a repeti- 
 tion of those scenes which had so signalized his minis- 
 try at Elizabethtown ; and yet a constant Divine bless- 
 ing seemed to attend his labours, and, at several dijBfer- 
 ent periods, the general state of religious feeling was 
 greatly quickened among his people, and considerable 
 additions made to the church. During the twelve 
 years and a half that he ministered to the Central 
 
168 
 
 Church, the whole number added on examination was 
 218 ; on certificate, 312 ; making a total of 530. During 
 his ministry of about sixteen years in the Spring Gar- 
 den Church, he received, on examination, exclusive of 
 the 8*7 members of whom the church was originally con- 
 stituted, 194; and on certificate, 397; making a total 
 of 591. The whole number of members added to the 
 communion of the three churches during his ministry 
 among them, was, on examination, 1333; on certifi- 
 cate, 932; total, 2265. 
 
 Among those who were brought into the Church 
 under Dr. McDowell's ministry were not a few young 
 men, who afterwards received a liberal education, some 
 of whom became distinguished in civil life, while oth- 
 ers became useful and honoured ministers of the Gos- 
 pel. Of these, some still survive ; and one at least, 
 who has inherited much of the spirit of his venerable 
 Pastor, and has spent his whole ministerial life in 
 charge of a portion of the flock in whose bosom he was 
 born, is yet, not only in word but in deed, a vigorous 
 and earnest witness to the admirable pastoral training 
 which he enjoyed in his early years. 
 
 But it was not merely in enlarging the membership 
 of the several churches of which he had the pastoral 
 charge, but in ministering to their strength and pros- 
 
169 
 
 perity in other ways, that Dr. McDowell impressed 
 upon them an enduring mark of his ability and fidelity. 
 The Church at Elizahethtown, when he becam.e its Pas- 
 tor, was in a divided and agitated state, owing to diffi- 
 culties which had arisen in connection with the min- 
 istry of his predecessor; and, considering his utter 
 lack of professional experience, it seemed hazardous for 
 him to undertake, such a charge; but he very soon 
 showed himself adequate to its responsibilities. The 
 lines of division gradually became more faint, until, 
 after a short time, they disappeared altogether ; and the 
 congregation, during his whole ministry, was not only 
 one of the largest, but one of the most harmonious, in 
 the Presbyterian Church. As first Pastor of the Cen- 
 tral Presb3'terian Church in Philadelphia, he had a pri- 
 mary agency in moulding its cliaracter, and elevating 
 it to the high position which it has ever since held 
 among the sister churches of the city. During his 
 pastorate there, he also took the lead in planting a 
 missionary in Cohocksink, then a very destitute neigh- 
 bourhood, in the Northern suburbs of Philadelphia, — 
 an enterprise which resulted in the establishment of a 
 new Presbyterian church. But perhaps the greatest 
 achievement of his life was in connection with the 
 
 Spring Garden Church, which has justly been styled 
 15 
 
170 
 
 " the child of his old age." Not only was he a princi- 
 pal projector of this enterprise, but a large part of the 
 labour connected with it devolved upon him ; espec- 
 ially the raising of the requisite pecuniary means, 
 which he did chiefly by personal application to indi- 
 viduals of his acquaintance. And when, a little less 
 than four years after, the beautiful building, which had 
 been so happily finished and so pleasantly occupied, 
 became an unsightly mass of ruins, he lost no time in 
 moving to repair the desolation, but went forth, with 
 full confidence of success, to resume the labour of col- 
 lecting funds — and, within an almost incredibly brief 
 period, the house was rebuilt, and was every way a finer 
 edifice than that which had preceded it — and it was 
 not long before he was privileged to know that the last 
 debt against the church was cancelled. Into the sev- 
 eral churches of which he has had the pastoral charge, 
 be has instrumentally breathed a spirit of earnest 
 Christian activity and intense devotion to the interests 
 of Christ's Kingdom, that has given them a goodly 
 prominence in our denomination. So, too, he has made 
 them thoroughly acquainted with the doctrines of the 
 Gospel, as they are set forth in the standards of the 
 Presbyterian Church ; while yet they have been taught 
 to practise an enlarged liberality, by witnessing his 
 
171 
 
 pleasant relations, and cordial co-operation for good 
 objects, with ministers of other communions. The 
 children and youth have been specially cared for under 
 his ministry — the Sunday School and the Bible Class 
 each constituted an important part of the machinery 
 by which he carried forward his work ; and each was, 
 either directly or indirectly, under his guidance and 
 control. While he aimed at the promotion of 
 morality chiefly by bringing men to embrace Chris- 
 tianity as a living and sanctifying power, he was accus- 
 tomed to make direct and powerful appeals in favour 
 of the laws of both God and man, and, in some instan- 
 ces, was instrumental in arresting fearful evils which 
 were coming in upon the community like a flood. 
 
 But no small part of the influence which Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell exerted was through wider and more public 
 channels ; and, though it became less palpable as it 
 grew more diffusive, it was nevertheless a real and 
 mighty element in the progress of the Church. He 
 was a member of the General Assembly that founded 
 the Princeton Theological Seminary, and was identi- 
 fied with it as a Director, and Secvetary of the Board 
 of Directors, from its beginning in 1812, and as a 
 member of the Board of Trustees, from 1825 — all 
 which offices he held till his death, with the escep- 
 
172 
 
 tion of the Secretaryship, which he resigned in 1860. 
 At several different periods, he served as an Agent 
 to collect funds for this institution, aud in his me- 
 morable tour through the Southern States, in 1818, 
 he received for this object from fifteen to twenty thou- 
 sand dollars. The interests of the Seminary were 
 always upon his heart, and he never lost an opportu- 
 nity of promoting them by any means within his reach. 
 He manifested his friendship especially towards the 
 students, as he became acquainted with them, welcom- 
 ing them to his house, giving them the benefit of his 
 long experience in practical hints and suggestions, and 
 sometimes in procuring the pecuniary means for prose- 
 cuting their education. Indeed, any young man who 
 hailed from the Seminary he seemed to look upon with 
 an almost paternal regard ; and how much he accom- 
 plished by this kind of intercourse it must be left to 
 the great day of revelation to disclose. 
 
 Not only was Dr. McDowell very often a member of 
 the General Assembly, and a delegate from that body 
 to other ecclesiastical bodies of different denomina- 
 tions, but he also held, at different periods, the offices 
 of Permanent Clerk, Stated Clerk, and Trustee of 
 the General Assembly, in each of which he rendered 
 valuable service, and exerted an important influence. 
 
173 
 
 He was a member of the Convention that formed the 
 American Bible Society, in 1816, and always continued 
 the warm friend and active supporter of that noble 
 institution. With the cause of Missions, both Foreign 
 and Domestic, with Education, Tract and other Socie- 
 ties, he identified himself in various ways, and never 
 seemed at rest if he was not doing something, through 
 some channel, to extend the knowledge and influence 
 of the Gospel. 
 
 Dr. McDowell accomplished much also for the cause 
 of Education. From the year 1814 he was a Trustee 
 of the College of New Jersey, and was always on the 
 alert to serve its interests, both at home and abroad. 
 In one instance at least, he took an agency in behalf 
 of this institution, making collections in Pennsylvania 
 and Maryland, and as far South as Washington City. 
 To the various schools in his own town he was always 
 ready to lend a helping hand. The formerly well known 
 and still well remembered school of Miss Gorham was 
 much indebted to his influence for the rank which it 
 took among the best female schools of that day. 
 And he was especially devoted to the religious inte- 
 rests of the pupils — he visited them, and counselled 
 them, with the solicitude and tenderness of a 
 
 father; and it is confidently believed that not a few 
 *15 
 
114 
 
 of them will be among the gems in his immortal 
 crown. 
 
 Dr. McDowell contributed somewhat liberally to the 
 religious literature of his day. His writings are 
 characterized bj' great simplicity, perspicuity and di- 
 rectness, and show the workings of a mind and heart 
 earnestly bent on doing good. The most important 
 work from his pen is his System of Theology, in two 
 volumes, octavo, published in 1825. In 1839, he pub- 
 lished the Bible Class Manual, in two volumes, duode- 
 cimo. In 1816, appeared his System of Bible Ques- 
 tions, on the Historical parts of Scripture — the first 
 book of the kind published in this country. About 
 two hundred and fifty thousand copies had been pub- 
 lished and circulated, when it was superseded by the 
 Union Questions of the American Sunday School 
 Union. 
 
 In addition to the above, he published the following 
 Sermons, chiefly in pamphlet form : 
 
 A Sermon on Horse Racing, 1809 
 
 A New Year's Sermon, 1811 
 
 The Good Man: A. Sermon, 
 
 Two Sermons in the New Jersey Preacher, 1813 
 
 Human Depravity and its Remedy: A Sermon in the 
 
 National Preacher, 183T 
 
 Joshua's Resolution : Two Sermons in the National 
 
 Preacher, 1830 
 
175 
 
 A Sermon before the American Board of Foreig-n Mis- 
 sions, 1837 
 
 A Sermon on the Death of the Rev. William Latta, 
 
 D. D., 184T 
 
 A Sermon on the Death of Alexander Henry, 1847 
 
 A Sermon on the Death of the Rev. James W. Stewart, 1849 
 
 Fifty Years a Pastor: A Semi-centennary Discourse, . . 1855 
 
 Such is a mere outline of the -results of the labours 
 of this venerable man. If we could trace the diver- 
 sified influence of his life, in all his different spheres 
 of. action, and through the many invisible channels by 
 which it has been communicated ; if we could see 
 how much better the world is at this hour for his 
 having lived in it; how many agencies for good are in 
 operation which, but for him, would not have been 
 created ; how many are already before the throne in 
 white robes, and how many more are waiting to 
 ascend, who, if they had not come under his influence, 
 might have kept on in the broad road to death, — if 
 our vision could be quickened and enlarged to such an 
 estimate as this,- — his life would assume an importance 
 of which we can at present have no adequate concep- 
 tion. But, even, with our imperfect and limited views, 
 we can see that his career was one of extraordinary 
 usefulness ; that he was honoured of God, as few of 
 his servants are, in ministering to the well-being of 
 
176 
 
 the race, and sustaining and carrying forward the 
 interests of the Redeemer's kingdom. 
 
 It becomes a matter of deep interest to inquire how 
 the fact is to be accounted for that such a vast amount 
 of good should be accomplished by a single life — ^for it 
 may safely be said that there are few men in an age 
 whose influence operates at once so benignly, so power- 
 fully, so extensively, as does that of the man whose 
 history we are contemplating. If I mistake not, the 
 reason of this is to be found partly in the peculiar 
 qualities of mind and heart with which our friend was 
 originally endowed ; partly in the providence of God, 
 moulding his character, and ordering his lot ; and to 
 crown all, in the large measure of Divine spiritual in- 
 fluence by which his labours were attended. 
 
 Dr. McDowell's mind was neither peculiarly meta- 
 physical nor peculiarly imaginative ; but it was clear 
 in its perceptions, accurate and safe in its judgments, 
 and eminently practical in all its tendencies. Though 
 he had well considered and thoroughly established 
 principles in respect to every thing, he accepted those 
 principles, either as obvious conclusions from reason, 
 or as the unerring decisions of inspiration, without 
 being careful to subject them to a rigid philosophical 
 
117 
 
 analysis. He was most at home amidst palpable reali- 
 ties, and knew better than most men how to meet the 
 wants of the common mind. In this lay, to a great 
 extent, the secret of his wonderful executive power — 
 few men, either in the ministry or out of it, could 
 address themselves with so much facility and success 
 to any enterprise that might demand attention. 
 
 In noticing Dr. McDowell's moral qualities, it must 
 be borne in mind that ♦they belong to a sanctified 
 nature — while they indicate the distinctive character 
 of his original constitution, they have the advantage 
 of having passed under the purifying and elevating 
 influence of a living Christianity. 
 
 Among the more prominent of his moral character- 
 istics was a rigid conscientiousness, an unswerving in- 
 tegrity, that no considerations of present advantage, 
 or worldly prudence or expediency, could carry a hair's 
 breadth away from the straight line of duty. Having 
 formed his judgment of what was right by the best 
 light he could command, he adhered to his convictions 
 with great fidelity and steadfastness, unless his opinion 
 were reversed by his being brought into some brighter 
 light. He would never render himself needlessly ofiens- 
 ive by assailing the opinions of others or urging his 
 own on unsuitable occasions ; but if he believed that 
 
178 
 
 his duty called him to stand forth in defence of the 
 true or the right, no bribe could be tempting enough, 
 no danger could be sufficiently appalling, to lead him 
 even to raise the question whether he should be divert- 
 ed from his purpose. His course in respect to the memo- 
 rable Horse Race, and on one or two other occasions, 
 during his ministry at Elizabethtown, showed that, 
 when great questions of right were to be settled, he 
 had nerves of iron with which to encounter the fiercest 
 opposition that could be arrayed against him. At a 
 later period in his ministry, questions of grave bearing 
 on the prosperity of the Church arose, on which he 
 differed from his brethren with whom he had been in 
 life-long intimacy; but, however great the sacrifice 
 that was involved, he could not, either in public or in 
 private, abate one jot or tittle from his honest convic- 
 tions. 
 
 He was remarkable also for a habit of methodical 
 industry. He looked upon time as one of the talents 
 which he had received from the Great Master, to be 
 employed in his service ; and he was never satisfied 
 that any of his moments should go to waste. Hence, 
 whether he was at home or abroad ; whether some great 
 public interest was pressing upon his attention or he 
 was engaged merely with his ordinary home duties, he 
 
179 
 
 was always a busy man — not indeed so busy as to be 
 neglectful of Christian hospitalities and courtesies be- 
 coming the situation in which Providence had placed 
 him, but making it manifest to all that, like his Divine 
 Master, he must always be about his Father's business. 
 But then his labours were so methodically arranged, he 
 had the business for each day and each hour so clearly 
 laid out — so far at least as the ordinary routine of duty 
 was concerned — that he never seemed in a hurry, and 
 never lost any time in determining what he should 
 do next. Those who were in the most intimate rela- 
 tions with him have often been struck with the fact 
 that he would always, when it was possible, give the 
 conversation a turn which might, in some way, sub- 
 serve the interest of some good cause or object which 
 he was intent on promoting. 
 
 It was a legitimate result of his well ordered indus- 
 try that he was most exact in meeting all his appoint- 
 ments and engagements. Punctuality he regarded as 
 one of the cardinal virtues, the elements of which 
 were truth, justice and honour. Whoever else might 
 be absent from a meeting of the Board of Direc- 
 tors of the Theological Seminary, or the Board of 
 Trustees of the College, or the Board of Missions, or 
 any other Board with which he was connected, he was 
 
180 
 
 always punctually there, unless detained by some prov- 
 idential event over which he had no control ; and his 
 associates, however they might regret his absence, 
 needed no assurance that there was some just cause for 
 it. The same quality was manifested in respect to all 
 his engagements at home — indeed it pervaded his whole 
 pastoral intercourse — his people were trained to expect 
 that he would be true not only to the hour but to the 
 moment ; and the consequence was that they became 
 imbued, in no small degree, with the same spirit ; and 
 happily that spirit has been kept in vigorous exercise 
 by subsequent ministrations. 
 
 With his untiring industry was intimately connected 
 a perseverance that knew not how to yield to any ob- 
 stacle that was not absolutely insuperable. He was 
 often placed in circumstances which, to a mind less 
 earnest and heroic than his own, would have indicated 
 that another step in advance could not be taken; and 
 yet the}^ would only serve to quicken his energies into 
 higher activity, and perhaps convey to him a fresh 
 assurance of the ultimate accomplishment of his ob- 
 ject. If he became satisfied, as he sometimes did, that 
 duty required him to pause in any particular course, or 
 even withdraw from it, he had no pride of consistency 
 to embarrass him in acting in accordance with his con- 
 
181 
 
 victions. But in all other cases, lie recognized no le- 
 gitimate stopping place except at the point where he 
 could reflect that his work was done. 
 
 Dr. McDowell possessed a large share of natural 
 benevolence. Though his pecuniary means were never 
 ample, he always gave cheerfully, up to the full meas- 
 ure of his ability. After the destruction of the Spring 
 Garden Church, he immediately started the project of 
 rebuilding, by heading the subscription with the sum 
 of five hundred dollars. Though he was discriminat- 
 ing in the bestowment of his charities, his heart and 
 his hand were always open to the relief of human suffer- 
 ing. And the same spirit which moved him to give 
 liberally, prompted him also to stir up others to " go 
 and do likewise." He knew how to approach indi- 
 viduals, of all characters, in behalf of the great objects 
 of Christian benevolence, as well as any other man ; 
 and hence the aggregate of his collections in aid of dif- 
 ferent institutions and churches, during his ministry, is 
 probably greater than that of any other individual has 
 ever been within the limits of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 His manners were characterized by great simplicity 
 
 and naturalness, and the absence of every thing that 
 
 bordered upon ostentation. While there was nothing 
 
 that betokened an early training in elegant and fash- 
 16 
 
182 
 
 ionable society, there was always a kindly and digni- 
 fied manner, and a strict regard to all the proprieties 
 of social life. While he was ever ready to bear his 
 part in conversation, in a free and affable manner, he 
 was as far as possible from assuming more than belonged 
 to him. And all his intercourse was marked by singular 
 prudence — few men knew better than he how to say 
 the right thing at the right time — and no doubt this 
 was one great secret of his so rarely giving ofience, 
 even in his plainest utterances. Though the general 
 habit of his mind was grave, it was not gloomy — he 
 enjoyed cheerful intercourse in a high degree, and would 
 sometimes relate or listen to a humorous anecdote with 
 a marked relish. In his most unrestrained moments, 
 he never forgot that he was a minister of the Gospel, 
 and was set to watch for souls as one that must give 
 an account. 
 
 But the crawning attribute of Dr. McDowell's char- 
 acter was his fervent and active piety. Religion with 
 him was eminently an all pervading and all controlling 
 principle, giving a decided complexion to his convic- 
 tions, his feelings, his actions. It was evident to all 
 that his religious life was sustained by intimate com- 
 munion with God — it was in the uncommonly spiritual 
 atmosphere in which he lived that his active graces 
 
183 
 
 gathered such strength and maturity as to render him 
 a model labourer in the Lord's vineyard. While he 
 had no sympathy with any thing like fanaticism or 
 extravagance, but was calm and intelligent in all his 
 religious demonstrations, there was a simplicity, a ten- 
 derness, an irrepressible earnestness, in whatever he 
 said and did, that made it manifest to every one that he 
 was much more than an ordinary Christian. His let- 
 ters, of which a very large number have been pre- 
 served, are redolent of love to God, and love to man ; 
 and of those that have come under my eye, there are 
 comparatively few — no matter what may have been 
 the circumstances in which they were written — in 
 which there is not something to indicate the upward 
 tendencies of his spirit. 
 
 With such qualities of mind and heart, it is easy to 
 imagine the type which his character as a Preacher 
 must have assumed. His sermons were logically con- 
 structed, and brought out the great truths of the Gos- 
 pel in the most simple and luminous manner, without 
 pretension or studied ornament. And, though his 
 manner of delivery was not remarkable for what are 
 commonly called the graces of elocution, there was in 
 it a fervour, a force, that made it well nigh irresistible. 
 Though the great evangelical doctrines formed the sta- 
 
184 
 
 pie of bis preaching, he was accustomed to expound 
 the lessons of God's providence, as they came out in 
 passing events ; and the texts which he selected for 
 such occasions were almost always singularly appro- 
 priate. I heard him preach a sermon in his own church 
 (the Central) in Philadelphia, in 1837, with reference 
 to the pecuniary troubles of that period ; and, though 
 it contained not a sentence which was not level 
 almost to the capacity of childhood, it was full of 
 important and well-adapted truth, and delivered with 
 such manifest sincerity and intense earnestness, that 
 the whole audience seemed most deeply impressed. It 
 is due to Dr. McDowell to say that his printed ser- 
 mons, excellent as they are, convey but a very inade- 
 quate idea of the real power of his preaching; for that 
 indescribable unction of manner, already alluded to, 
 hardly left it at any one's option whether or not to be 
 impressed by his Aveighty utterances. 
 
 As a Pastor, he stood in the very foremost rank of 
 excellent ministers. In this branch of duty as in 
 every other, he was most exact and uniform. He 
 visited all the families in his large congregation, 
 extending several miles into the neighbouring country, 
 at regular intervals ; and these visits were strictly of 
 a religious character, designed to give greater effect 
 
185 
 
 to his public ministrations. He was careful that no 
 one belonging to his pastoral charge should be over- 
 looked, — especially that those in the humbler walks 
 of life should have their due share of attention. He 
 was watchful for the first indications of religious 
 thoughtfulness in any of his people, and lost no time 
 in getting access to them, and in endeavouring to give 
 the right direction to their thoughts, to impress them 
 with a sense of their danger, and enlighten them in 
 respect to their duty, and bring them to a compliance 
 with the terms of the Gospel. He was most faithful 
 and tender in tha discharge of his duties to the sick 
 and the sorrowful, never losing an opportunity to dis- 
 pense consolation, where the circumstances would ad- 
 mit of it, or to enforce the solemn and monitory les- 
 sons of Divine Providence. If he knew that any of 
 his people were in difficulty of any kind, he was sure 
 to find his way to them as a counsellor, provided the 
 case came within the scope of his ability, or as a com- 
 forter, if his sympathy would contribute any thing to 
 their relief. Indeed, his relation to his congregation 
 seemed to be very much like that of a father to his 
 family ; and, as he was pre-eminently a centre of at- 
 traction and of blessing in his own house, so he moved 
 
 about with a sort of paternal dignity and kindliness 
 *16 
 
186 
 
 among his whole flock, always dispensing to them the 
 tokens of his good will, and receiving from them, in 
 turn, the expressions of an almost filial regard. 
 
 In nothing was Dr. McDowell more highly distin- 
 guished than his familiarity with ecclesiastical pro- 
 cedure. He was as thoroughly acquainted with every 
 rule pertaining to Church order and discipline, as if 
 that particular subject had been the main study of 
 his life. In all ecclesiastical bodies his judgment was 
 looked upon as well nigh oracular. In addition to his 
 great knowledge, he had a remarkable tact and facility 
 at applying rules and principles, which made him 
 always recognized as a leading spirit in every Church 
 Court. 
 
 But any estimate of the reasons of Dr. McDowellJs 
 extraordinary usefulness would be very imperfect that 
 should omit a distinct recognition of the providence 
 and grace of God. The Divine providence began to 
 manifest itself graciously towards him in the circum- 
 stances of his birth and early education. God gave 
 him parents who were eminently pious ; especially a 
 mother who, by her excellent counsels and example 
 and earnest prayers, produced a spiritual atmosphere 
 around him, most favourable to the early culture of 
 the heart. Then, while he was passing through Prince- 
 
187 
 
 toD College, though he was in the midst of a hot bed 
 of infidelity and profligacy, and had not even the safe- 
 guard of a Christian profession to protect him, he was 
 mercifully preserved from falling into any of the innu- 
 merable snares by which he was surrounded, and was 
 carried safely and triumphantly through that fearful 
 ordeal. The providence of God was remarkably dis- 
 played in fixing him at Elizabethtown when his atten- 
 tion had already been directed to another field, which 
 he was on the way to explore, with reference to occu- 
 pying it. And not only at Elizabethtown, but in both 
 his charges in Philadelphia, had he among his people 
 many good men and true, who were both able and 
 faithful coadjutors with him in carrying out the great 
 purposes of his ministry ; — men in whom he found a 
 tower of strength, not only in his ordinary work, but 
 in the various extraordinary enterprises to which he 
 had occasion to address himself. He was, also, 
 throughout his whole ministry, in constant intercourse 
 with some of the best clerical society which the coun- 
 try afforded ; was always within immediate range of 
 some of the giants of his day ; and there can be no 
 doubt that in this intercourse he found an invigorat- 
 ing influence to both his faculties and affections, 
 while they all became eflScient fellow-helpers in prose- 
 
188 
 
 cuting their Lord's work. And to crown all, no min- 
 istry perhaps in this land has ever been attended with 
 richer eiGfusions of God's Holy Spirit : while he scarcely 
 ever knew what it was to be without some gracious 
 manifestations in connection with his labours, he was 
 privileged, during a large part of the time, to feel that 
 God, in very deed, was working, through his instru- 
 mentality, for the salvation of souls. He was a noble 
 specimen of a minister of the Gospel ; but, with hu- 
 mility and thanksgiving, he ascribed to God all the 
 glory. 
 
189 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Commemorative Letters.* 
 
 I. 
 
 From the Rev. R. W. Dickinson, D. D. 
 
 " Ridge Lawn," Fordham 
 March 28th, 1863 
 Rev. and Dear Sir : 
 
 HAM, } 
 
 I have recently been informed that you intend to 
 prepare a Memoir of the late Dr. John McDowell — if 
 so, permit me to state that, though my personal 
 acquaintance with him was very limited, yet I can 
 readily understand why it was that he stood so high in 
 the estimation of those who knew him best ; and how 
 it was that, through the whole period of his protracted 
 ministry, he exerted a daily influence for good in his 
 several relations to the Church. 
 
 I heard him preach but twice. The first time, (and 
 it was in the Old Wall Street Church, not long after 
 the death of the lamented Whelpley,) though I was 
 too young to judge of the merits of his discourse, I 
 was arrested by the beauty and spiritual significancy 
 of his text : " Although the fig tree shall not blossom, 
 
 * These letters are arranarcd in the order of their dates. 
 
190 
 
 neither shall fruit be in the vines, &c., yet will I rejoice 
 in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." 
 
 The last time I heard him, (and it was in the same 
 church some years after the congregation had removed 
 to their present site on the Fifth Avenue,) I listened 
 with the more attention as, by his preliminary 
 services, I found myself predisposed to anticipate 
 spiritual benefit from his lips. I have not forgotten 
 even the Psalm which he read; it was the 116th, read 
 in a manner that not merely interested but affected me. 
 It may be because it was peculiarly expressive of my 
 own emotions on again entering the House of God, 
 after having been prevented, for a brief time, by sick- 
 ness. Allowance may always be made for our own 
 frame of mind in judging of any one's services in the 
 pulpit. But, on the occasion to which I refer, it must 
 have been evident to all that the Doctor had appro- 
 priated to himself the sentiments of the Psalm which 
 he was reading with so much devout expression, and 
 when he uttered the 16th verse, there was a touching 
 tenderness in his tones that conveyed to my mind tiie 
 resistless conviction that he felt, and deeply too, his 
 inexpressible obligations to Sovereign Grace. " 
 Lord, truly I am thy servant ; I am thy servant, and 
 the son of thine handmaid : thou hast loosed my bonds." 
 
191 
 
 Nevertheless, strange as it may seem, Dr. McDowell 
 is prominently associated in my mind with a very sim- 
 ple circumstance. It was at the close of the first or 
 second session of my Seminary course at Princeton 
 that he was announced to deliver the Annual Address 
 to the students. Having never heard an Address on 
 such an occasion, I, with other members of my class, of 
 course anticipated something above the ordinary range 
 of mind — something that possibly might surpass the 
 occasional efforts of our venerated Professors : perhaps 
 his subject would be " Pulpit Eloquence," illustrated 
 by reference to some of the greatest preachers, or "The 
 Relation of the Pulpit to Literature" ; perhaps the 
 " Philosophy of Christianity," or the " Relation of 
 Cause and effect," — a point very much discussed about 
 that time; perhaps the "Importance of Creeds," in 
 anticipated refutation of the late Dr. John Duncan's 
 questionable utterances, which, at the time, had been 
 repeated with approbation by certain students. 
 
 At last the hour arrived ; the Theological Chamber 
 was thronged ; the expectation of the younger students 
 was at its height ! Judge, then, of my feelings when 
 the Doctor's subject proved to be the " Importance of 
 Habits of Punctuality to a Minister of the Gospel." 
 Punctuality ! So great was my disappointment that I 
 
192 
 
 listened with impatience, and even detected in my con- 
 sciousness a something not remotely allied to amaze- 
 ment, that a distinguished Doctor of Divinity should, 
 on such an occasion, deal only in what then seemed to 
 me the veriest commonplaces. 
 
 But how often have I since been constrained to make 
 amends for my virtual disparagement of a subject, 
 which, however trite, has, in its relations to the Minis- 
 try, many a lesson of practical wisdom ; a subject which 
 no one, perhaps, would have selected under the circum- 
 stances, who had not lost sight of self in his single de- 
 sire to incite his youthful auditors to the formation of 
 habits so essential to their appropriate and increasing 
 influence as Ministers of the Word. 
 
 What effect the Doctor's Address may after all have 
 had in leading me to appreciate the virtue of punctu- 
 ality, I may not decide ; but it is not unlikely that, if 
 a number whom I might mention had heard the Address, 
 I might, under various circumstances, have been spared 
 the loss of much precious time, and sometimes the tor- 
 ture of suspense at the church door, lest I should be 
 obliged to enter the pulpit without a sermon either in 
 my pocket or my head. 
 
 But enough : I love to contemplate the character of 
 a man, who, through a long life has borne himself well 
 
193 
 
 — made full proof of his ministry, as well as " kept the 
 faith ;" and I trust that you, my dear Sir, may be 
 spared to finish the work which you have so kindly 
 consented to undertake ; and that you will be abund- 
 antly rewarded for all your labours of love. 
 With every sentiment of fraterjial esteem, 
 
 I remain yours, 
 
 R. W. DICKINSON. 
 
 II. 
 
 From the Rev. William S. Plumeh, D. D. 
 
 Philadelphia, May 6, 1863. 
 My Dear Brother : 
 
 I fully concur in the desire of many to see a memoir 
 of the late excellent Dr. John McDowell. Well pre- 
 pared, it will be full of instruction. I am heartily 
 glad that you are to be his biographer. 
 
 I do not think you will have a very easy task. Dr. 
 
 McDowell had been eminently useful before the great 
 
 mass of those now filling our pulpits were in Christ. 
 
 For years before his death, he seldom saw one whom 
 
 he had known as a Preacher until after he himself had 
 
 become an experienced Pastor. 
 17 
 
194 
 
 To one class of persons the memoir will probably be 
 very useful — viz. : to young ministers of the Gospel. 
 When an ordinary young man contemplates the wonders 
 achieved by the amazing eloquence and genius of White- 
 field, Spencer, Hall or Chalmers, he says, — ^" Such attain- 
 ments are so high that I can never reach them. It is 
 presumption to think of it." But when he shall see Dr. 
 McDowell, remarkable chiefly for common sense, piety 
 and singleness of purpose, bringing many hundreds of 
 souls into the Church, and greatly edifying God's people, 
 he will say, — "By God's blessing, I, too, may be dis- 
 tinguished for my services in the Master's cause." 
 
 I also think your work, as a biographer, will be 
 pleasant. You will trace the wonderful course of Provi- 
 dence towards a pious youth seeking the ministry. You 
 will see how the young Pastor was led, by the good 
 and free Spirit of God, through trials and difficulties 
 to enlarged, usefulness. The field of his labours almost 
 invariably became a green spot in the garden of God. 
 When the late learned and pious Dr. RufFner was a 
 young man, he travelled from Virginia to the North. 
 Stopping at Elizabethtown, N. J., he was invited to 
 preach the weekly lecture to Dr. McDowell's people. 
 There was a good audience, and Mr. Ruffner preached 
 to the unconverted. After service he was delighted to 
 
195 
 
 hear that there were but one or two persons present 
 who were not members of the church, although he was 
 mortified at his own sad mistake. 
 
 I have been acquainted with Dr. McDowell since 
 1826. I have often served with him in bodies con- 
 vened for ecclesiastical and benevolent objects. I have 
 often spent an hour or two with him, though we never 
 were intimate. Still I have definite ideas of the secrets 
 of his success. I say secrets, because there were sev- 
 eral things of importance that made him what he was. 
 
 1. I think he set the Lord always before him. God's 
 will was his law. God's honour was his aim. He sub- 
 ordinated every thing to religion. 
 
 2. Jesus Christ was precious to him. His preaching 
 and his thinking were evangelical. Tradition says this 
 was so when he was a young man. I know it was so 
 later in life. A brother who loved and honoured Dr. 
 McDowell, suggests that an examination of his manu- 
 scripts would show that, to an unusual degree, his ser- 
 mons would be found clearly to explain the way of 
 salvation. 
 
 3. Dr. McDowell never faltered in his belief of the 
 plenary inspiration of the Scriptures. If he was sure 
 that the Bible taught any thing, he doubted no more. 
 He was fully persuaded that God's Word was a fire 
 
196 
 
 and a hammer. He never rested his own conclusions 
 on human wit, or speculation, when he could lay hold 
 of God's testimony. " What is the chaff to the 
 wheat ?" 
 
 4. Dr. McDowell was a practical man. His was no 
 dreamy existence. He lost no time in forming or in 
 attempting to execute impracticable schemes. 
 
 5. He was industrious. He was always at work. He 
 was a fisher of men ; and if he was not making a 
 draught of fishes, he w^as mending his nets. In the 
 hot weather of 1835, I spent some weeks in this city. 
 Whenever I called on him, I found him industriously en- 
 gaged in writing sermons, just as if he had but recently 
 begun to preach. 
 
 6. Dr. McDowell was benevolent. He carried no 
 grudges. He w^as kind to all. He wept with those 
 who wept. If any survivor reproaches himself for any 
 ill treatment of Dr. McDowell, it is quite certain Dr. 
 McDowell carried not to his grave the memory of his 
 wrong. I doubt not he would have said, with one of 
 my correspondents now passed away from earth, " I 
 would not give one hour of brotherly love for a whole 
 eternity of contention." He Avas a man of peace. 
 
 7. He always did his best. He never intentionally 
 slighted any part of his calling. 
 
197 
 
 8. I leave quite to others to give you the materials 
 for speaking of the afflictions of his life. But his trials 
 were great. He sometimes spoke of them to me, but 
 always with a cheerful acquiescence in the will of God. 
 
 I shall be pleased if this letter shall encourage you 
 in your work. 
 
 Very respectfully and affectionately yours, 
 
 WILLIAM S, PLUMER. 
 
 TIL 
 
 From Mrs. Mary Ann F. Chester.* 
 
 Elizabeth, May 8, 1863. 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 In compliance with your request for facts connected 
 with the ministry of the late Dr. J. McDowell, I reply 
 that nothing could be more in accordance with my 
 feelings than to bear testimony in favour of one for 
 whom I have alwaj^s entertained the warmest love and 
 veneration. My earliest recollections of religious in- 
 struction are associated with his ministry. His faith- 
 ful warnings from the pulpit, his biblical and catecheti- 
 cal instruction, have so embalmed his memory in the 
 hearts of those who were favoured with them, that 
 
 * Wife of the Rev. Alfred Chester. 
 *17 
 
198 
 
 their influence will be felt long after Pastor and people 
 have gone to their Heavenly reward. 
 
 Dr. McDowell, in a remarkable degree, secured the 
 confidence and affection of his young people, and it was 
 done by his attractive manner of communicating reli- 
 gious instruction. 
 
 His Bible Classes, in which the recitation of the 
 Larger and Shorter Catechism formed a part of the 
 exercises, were fully attended. Between one and two 
 Jiundred usually composed the class. He took a deep 
 interest in the education of the young, and was in the 
 habit of visiting weekly, and giving Bible instruction 
 in a large and flourishing Female Seminary, (under 
 the care of Miss Gorham.) His plan was to give five 
 chapters to the school, which were read and studied by 
 the pupils during the week, but more particularly in- 
 tended as a Sunday lesson before Sunday Schools were 
 •established. On Monday morning the class recited, 
 ■answering such questions as the Pastor then proposed. 
 The teacher of the Seminary suggested that Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell should write questions upon the lesson, and 
 hand them weekly to the scholars, which they copied 
 for their own use. This plan was pursued for some 
 time, when the teacher proposed that they should be 
 printed, which was done, and this is the origin of " Mc- 
 
199 
 
 Powell's Bible Questions," so far famed and extensively 
 used throughout the country — the first Bible Questions 
 printed, which were afterwards generally used in Sun- 
 day Schools and Bible Classes. He took a deep inte- 
 rest in Sunday Schools, which were established in this 
 place in 1814; visiting them and encouraging the 
 teachers by his presence and counsel. 
 
 When Dr. McDowell came to Elizabethtown, the con- 
 gregation were in a distracted and somewhat divided 
 state. Some of the aged members of the church were 
 praying in secret that a suitable Pastor might be sent 
 th^m, who would unite the people and repair the deso- 
 lations of Zion. A pious female, a mother in Israel, 
 whose heart was heavily burdened on account of the 
 state of the church, and its spiritual wants, and who, 
 in concert with others, had been praying that a suita- 
 ble Pastor might be sent them, dreamed that she saw 
 the one God had determined as their spiritual guide, 
 coming into the town on horseback. This dream she 
 related to one of the praying circle, and, a few days 
 after, when young McDowell passed her window on his 
 way to one of the elders of the church, to announce 
 himself to him as a minister ready to preach on the 
 next Sabbath, if needed, the old lady, seeing him, ex- 
 claimed, " There goes our minister ! there goes the one 
 
200 
 
 I saw in my dream ! he is not on horseback, but that 
 is the form impressed on my mind." 
 
 The young clergyman had come into the place on 
 horseback, and, stopping at a hotel, was directed by the 
 keeper to this elder. I mention this not as a believer 
 in dreams and visions, but as an interesting fact in 
 connection with the arrival of the young preacher, and 
 as " The Secret of the Lord is with them that fear 
 Him," this godly woman may have been favoured with 
 a sight of him who was to be her spiritual counsellor 
 and guide. 
 
 The good effects of Dr. McDowell's ministry are still 
 felt here ; the seed he sowed is yet yielding its fruits ; 
 and generations will have passed away ere his name 
 will be forgotten, or the sweet savour of his influence 
 lost among us. I am respectfully yours, 
 
 MARY ANN F. CHESTER. 
 
 IV. 
 
 From the Rev. Joseph Holdich, D. D. 
 
 New York May, 19, 1863. 
 My Dear Sir : 
 
 To write my personal recollections, which you have 
 
 asked of me, of the late Rev. Dr. John McDowell, is not 
 
 an unpleasing task. Having lived in intimate relations 
 
201 
 
 with him, and having had the best opportunities, I 
 knew him well, and knew him only to revere and love 
 him. 
 
 The basis of Dr. McDowell's character was integrity. 
 From this, as the central point, all his other virtues 
 radiated. He was a man pre-eminently honest of pur- 
 pose. He carried this principle throughout. He 
 was honest to himself, to his fellow beings, and to his 
 God. This seems to have arisen, partly from a happy 
 and well balanced mental and moral constitution, but 
 it owed its completeness to the grace of God, sancti- 
 fying a faithful Christian education, and the diligent 
 inculcation of Divine truth upon his mind, by a faith- 
 ful and affectionate, as well as wise and prudent, 
 Christian mother. 
 
 Dr. McDowell was eminently honest with himself. 
 He knew what he could, and what he could not do. 
 He knew the limitations of his own faculties. With- 
 out aiming to be the mere scholar, or the man of taste, 
 or the popular orator, or eloquent declaimer, he addict- 
 ed himself to that which suited his bent of mind, and 
 became the man of eminently practical usefulness in 
 the church and in society. This appeared remarkably 
 in his ministry at Elizabethtown, where I first became 
 acquainted with him. On his removal to Philadelphia, 
 
202 
 
 when I once mentioned bis frequent invitations to 
 address popular meetings, anniversaries, and the like, 
 he said, — "Yes, but it is because I am a new man. 
 After a while, they will find out that that is not my 
 sphere, and then they will let me alone." 
 
 The resolution to change his field of labour from 
 Elizabethtown to Philadelphia was probably formed 
 at my house. While the Doctor was on a visit to me, 
 while Pastor of the Union Church in Fourth Street, 
 he preached on the Sabbath for the incipient Central 
 Church, the result of which was an immediate call to 
 the Pastorate of that church. In accepting this call, 
 he was not moved by any secular or unworthy motives. 
 He gained nothing by it in a worldly point of view, 
 either as to salary, reputation or position. He believed 
 that he would be more useful by a change in his field 
 of labour. He remarked, too, that his advancing years 
 disqualified him for the laborious round of duties, 
 which his people in Elizabethtown had been used to, 
 and would still expect, and that it would be easier and 
 better for him to adjust his duties to his strength, in a 
 new place. Certainly, in his former field, the size of 
 his parish, his rural preaching, his pastoral visitations, 
 his visiting the sick and afilicted, his burials of the 
 dead, besides the constant calls upon him for public 
 
203 
 
 labour, in various ways, made up a load of duty, that 
 none but the most vigorous frame could long endure. 
 
 In Dr. McDowell piety did not lie on the surface so 
 much as it does in some men. It was inwrought and 
 deep, showing itself in settled principles and in Chris- 
 tian views, conduct and tempers, rather than in much 
 talk or outward manifestation. He was not a man 
 of many words, not given to take the lead in conversa- 
 tion so much as to sustain it by judicious thoughts and 
 appropriate remarks and suggestions. His conversa- 
 tion was always judicious and wise, never brilliant and 
 sparkling, but marked with comprehensive and preg- 
 nant sentences. He was eminently a safe counsellor. 
 None resorted to him merely for entertainment, very 
 many for instruction and counsel, especially in delicate 
 and difficult affairs. 
 
 I have said that integrity was the basis of Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell's character. This was seen in his estimate of 
 others, in his judgment and interpretation of their 
 conduct. He was singularly just, " rendering to all 
 their dues," in property, reputation, and all other 
 claims. He desired every man to enjoy what rightly 
 belonged to him, even though it came in conflict with 
 his own interests. Of this I remember a pertinent 
 illustration. A gentleman whom he regarded as a 
 
204 
 
 friend, learned that a piece of property whicli the Doc- 
 tor desired to sell would soon be in demand at an 
 enhanced price, and, concealing his knowledge, he went 
 and bought it at a price much below what it was worth 
 shortly after. When, after the facts became known, 
 some one spoke of the transaction as dishonourable 
 and unjust, the Doctor checked the speaker, saying, 
 "Not so, it was not dishonourable nor unjust — it was a 
 lair business transaction ; but I must say it was what 
 a true friend would not have done." 
 
 Dr. McDowell's integrity had its foundation in reli- 
 gion. It sprang from a sense of his obligations to 
 God — hence it was radical and consistent, not partial 
 and uneven, not fitful and uncertain, nor subject to 
 circumstances or caprice. His steady aim was to do 
 right towards both God and man. It was this constant 
 sense of moral obligation that led him so constantly to 
 acknowledge and honour his Maker before the people 
 in all public events, in great calamities, in general 
 blessings and in open, daring crimes. In all such 
 events the people expected to hear their Pastor's 
 uplifted voice, calling upon God, and directing his 
 people to the Great Ruler of the world. He always 
 honoured God, and so God honoured his servant in the 
 eyes of the people, 1 Sam., II. 30. 
 
I 
 
 205 
 
 Nothing tries integrity, even religious integrity, 
 more than the spirit of party or sect. Many a man 
 who would despise duplicity or injustice for himself, 
 is guilty of them for the supposed advancement of his 
 sect. They are not aware that they are unjust, but 
 they cannot look at things in their true light, through 
 party spectacles. In spite of themselves objects ap- 
 pear in distorted shapes or false colours. In this Dr. 
 McDowell showed his prominent characteristic. 
 
 Every one knew that the Doctor was a decided Pres- 
 byterian. He certainly thought Presbyterianism a lit- 
 tle, perhaps a good deal, better than any thing else; 
 yet he could not be called bigoted. He saw good in 
 others, and he confessed it too. He was candid as 
 well as just. A little incident I may introduce, serv- 
 ing to show the spirit of justice rising above partyism. 
 A near friend of his was sought in marriage by a gen- 
 tleman of a different denomination. Some of the friends 
 were opposed to it on this ground. The lady was ad- 
 vised, by a particular friend, a member also of Dr. 
 McDowell's church, to ask his assistance to overcome 
 the objections, — advice which seemed preposterous to 
 one who knew the Doctor only as a decided Presbyte- 
 rian. "Yes," was the reply, "but he is just and can- 
 did. He sees things in their true light, and is not 
 18 
 
206 
 
 biased by party and prejudiced views, and he is the 
 very one to obviate your difficulties." This friend saw 
 into her Pastor's real character, and the end justified 
 her estimation of him. He undertook the task and 
 succeeded. 
 
 I was myself a witness of an incident illustrating the 
 same trait of character. While stationed at Elizabeth- 
 town, during a period of considerable religious inte- 
 rest, a young person, a member of Dr. McDowelPs con- 
 gregation but not of the church, was awakened at the 
 Methodist Church, and was in an interesting state of 
 religious feeling. I told the Doctor that one of his 
 lambs seemed disposed to come into our fold. " Yery 
 well," he said, " if the pasture suits her better it is all 
 right, but she ought to consider it well. I will see 
 her." He did see her, and his influence was too strong 
 for me. She staid where she was. Others, however, 
 left his church and joined ours, but without any breach 
 of friendship or interruption of good feeling. These 
 incidents show how clergymen of different denomina- 
 tions, equally decided in their preferences, may act 
 honourably and justly towards each other, and live in 
 harmony, notwithstanding denominational differences. 
 
 Dr. McDowell was remarkable for punctuality. It 
 was a rule with him, prompted by consideration and a 
 
207 
 
 eense of justice, never to keep one waiting, and this 
 applied to all occasioraS, public, social and domestic. 
 I remember well an incident which called out his ex- 
 pression on this subject. While staying at his house 
 I was one day late at dinner. After taking our seats 
 at the table, he remarked very pleasantly, — "You were 
 rather late to day." Without thinking, for the moment, 
 of his particularity, I remarked, — "Yes, I was unexpect- 
 edly detained by some friends." But, observing a 
 look of inquiry as if expecting a better reason, I al- 
 leged something else equally unsatisfactory. But, ob- 
 serving the same expression, I added what was really 
 the fact, — "besides, I find my watch did not agree 
 with your clock. I thought I was in time." " Yes," 
 he replied, " that will do." He could not accept the 
 others as adequate apologies, but the last met the case. 
 But it was all very courteous and pleasant, not in the 
 least brusque or disagreeable. 
 
 It is not my place nor purpose to describe Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell's preaching. That will be done more appro- 
 priately by a more able hand. I simply remark that 
 its excellences were most highly appreciated by the 
 pious, especially those of most staid and solid charac- 
 ter. To such his preaching was a treat. A somewhat 
 singular testimony to this was borne on a certain occa- 
 
208 
 
 sion while on a visit to my house. On the Sabbath he 
 preached for a brother clergyman, who was in the 
 habit of delivering very able and scholarly discourses, 
 but not so highly impregnated with the life and spirit 
 of the gospel as some. In the course of the week, a 
 member of the church, speaking in high terms of the 
 services of the previous Sabbath, added with uncom- 
 mon naiveie, "Ah! we don't have such preaching 
 every day." 
 
 Elizabethtown was the residence of the Rev. Thomas 
 Morrell, a venerable and excellent minister ot the Meth- 
 odist Church, of whom the Rev. Dr. Murray furnished 
 a vivid sketch in your Annals of the American Pulpit. 
 I frequently heard Mr. Morrell speak in the warmest 
 terms of his Presbyterian brother, and of the pleasant 
 intercourse they always maintained. He gave an ac- 
 count of a most impressive interview which took place 
 at his own house, between Dr. McDowell, while yet a 
 young man, and Bishop Asbury. Mr. Morrell having 
 given some account of the useful labours and devoted 
 piety of the good Pastor, the Bishop, who was always 
 ready to appreciate zeal and piety wherever found, 
 expressed a desire to see him. Accordingly he was. 
 invited to meet the venerable man, when they spent 
 some time in solemn and profitable conversation. As 
 
209 
 
 the youthful Pastor was about to take his leave, the 
 venerable Bishop rose at the same time, and, placing 
 his hands upon his head, pronounced upon him the 
 Apostolic Benediction. It was an impressive moment 
 that Mr. Morrell said they all felt deeply. Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell, in relating the incident to me, many years 
 after, said he never felt so solemn in all his life. It 
 was like a new consecration to his sacred office. " The 
 good Bishop's blessing," he said, " seemed to rest upon 
 me a long time afterwards." 
 
 Such, my dear Sir, are my principal personal recol- 
 lections of Dr. John McDowell that I suppose adapted 
 to your purpose. I shall be happy to have contributed 
 any thing, however small, towards exhibiting the char- 
 acter of so excellent a man, and so worthy a servant 
 of our common Master. 
 
 Very respectfully your servant in the Gospel, 
 
 ' JOSEPH HOLDICH. 
 
 Y. 
 
 From Mrs. M. T. Hall.* 
 
 Cleveland, July 20, 1863. 
 Dear Sir : 
 
 Your letter, asking for some reminiscences of the late 
 
 Dr. John McDowell, was received a few days since. 
 
 •Wife of William Hall, Esq. *18 
 
210 
 
 Happy indeed should I be could I contribute anything 
 of interest to the memoir of the beloved Pastor of my 
 youth, whose memory is very precious to me. 
 
 I can only render my testimony to the warmth of his 
 zeal, his earnestness and faithfulness as a Preacher, 
 his generous sympathy with all who were in sorrow, and 
 his untiring devotion to the best interests of every 
 member of his flock ; and I may add, to the love and 
 veneration with which his whole congregation regarded 
 him. I have no doubt that the secret of his unusual 
 success in the ministry was the unwearied pains he 
 took to indoctrinate his people, — teaching them in " all 
 knowledge and understanding," striving to establish 
 them in the great truths of the Gospel. 
 
 An interesting fact, showing the blessed effects of 
 such teaching, now occurs to me. After a powerful 
 revival, in the early part of his ministry, he instituted 
 a Bible, or rather a Catechetical Class, taking the 
 Westminister Catecliism for his text-book, and lectur- 
 ing on every question. Seventy young persons attend- 
 ed, one half of whom made no pretensions to any thing 
 like piety. In a revival that took place five years 
 after, every one of these persons, we had reason to 
 believe, was the subject of a genuine conversion. This 
 shows the great importance of systematic doctrinal in- 
 
211 
 
 struction, and well illustrates the absurdity of the 
 notion that the truths of religion should not be lodged 
 in the minds of the young, before they can fully com- 
 prehend them. This class, of which I have spoken 
 was continued, without intermission, during his pasto- 
 rate at Elizabethtown — when one class of scholars 
 left, others came in to supply their places ; and, after 
 going through the Catechism, he took up a course of 
 Ecclesiastical History. 
 
 An instance of remarkabl'e Christian courage and 
 fidelity in so young a man was manifested soon after his 
 settlement. The ministers of that church had been 
 accustomed to baptize indiscriminately the children 
 of those who we?'e not professing Christians. But in 
 this Dr. McDowell could not conscientiously follow 
 the example of his predecessors. His refusal to do so 
 caused great dissatisfaction, especially among the most 
 prominent and infliiential members of the congrega- 
 tion ; yet he remained firm to his convictions, and im- 
 mediately distributed several copies of the Confession 
 of Faith, proving to them that this practice was con- 
 trary to the creed and rules of their Church. 
 
 I fear, my dear Sir, you will be disappointed that I 
 can furnish nothing that is more to your purpose. I 
 have, indeed, a vivid remembrance of this excellent 
 
212 
 
 man — for even the lapse of fifty years cannot obliter- 
 ate from onr hearts and memories the obligations we 
 owe to those guides and teachers, who have been in- 
 strumental of forming our characters, and leading us 
 in the paths of truth and virtue ; but my recollections, 
 at this late period, are rather general than particular. 
 The last letter I received from him was in 1861, 
 which I prize as a precious memorial of a faithful ser- 
 vant of Christ, who has closed his labours on earth, 
 and gone to receive his reward. 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 M. T. HALL. 
 
 VL 
 
 From the Rev. David Magie, D. D. 
 
 Elizabeth, JYovember 7, 1863. 
 My Dear Sir : 
 
 You ask me for my impressions of the character of 
 
 Dr. John McDowell, with some incidents in his life, and 
 
 I cheerfully comply with the request. I owe this both 
 
 to him and to you — to him for what he was to me, to 
 
 you for your labour of love in thus embalming the 
 
 name of an honoured Minister of the Gospel. Right 
 
 glad am I that the work of preparing his memoir has 
 
 fallen into your hands, and my earnest prayer is that 
 
 it may prove a rich and a widely extended blessing. 
 
213 
 
 Dr. McDowell was my Pastor for fifteen of the most 
 impressible years of my life, and after that we laboured 
 in intermingled parishes for upwards of twelve years 
 more. During the latter period especially, I saw him 
 almost daily, and had the best possible opportunity for 
 observing his spirit and witnessing his manner of life, 
 both as a man and a minister. Still I find a difficulty 
 in meeting your request, not so much because my im- 
 pressions of his character are indistinct, as from the 
 want of a knowledge of those striking incidents which 
 would help to impart zest and fairness to the sketch 
 you are preparing. The fact is, his life was not made 
 up of what are termed striking incidents. In this re- 
 spect many men of not half his real personal worth, or 
 a tithe of his usefulness to the Church of God, could 
 supply more material for a memoir. 
 
 There was very little about this good man to excite 
 wonder, or lead the multitude to say, lo, here ! or lo, 
 there ! Year in and year out, it was but the earnest 
 preacher filling his pulpit, the faithful shepherd feed- 
 ing his flock, the alert watchman taking the oversight 
 of souls, the energetic minister serving his congrega- 
 tion by the will of God. If he gained distinction, it 
 was not by saying and doing queer things, but good 
 things. Though a very cheerful, genial man, drawing 
 
214 
 
 his friends closely around bim,^ and binding tbem to 
 him by ties not easily broken, his influence depended 
 very little upon witty remarks, or mirth-inspiring anec- 
 dotes. But for the interest imparted to particular 
 seasons by special visits of Divine mercy, his course 
 was as even and uninterrupted as can well be imagined. 
 Had there been more of the wild dashing stream, now 
 almost dry, and again breaking over its banks, and less 
 of the steady, quiet river, it would have been easier to 
 write his biography. 
 
 His industry was remarkable, leading him to fill up 
 his whole time with something useful, and prompt- 
 ing him to work, as it would seem, for the very 
 love of work itself. How he ever got through the 
 labour of his large charge at Elizabethtown, preaching 
 so many sermons, attending so many evening meetings, 
 making so many family visits, hearing so many Bible and 
 Catechetical Classes, spending so many hours with the 
 sick and dying, and attending so many funerals — to 
 say nothing of Committees, Boards, and Church Judi- 
 catories — was always a puzzle to me, and is so yet. It 
 can only be explained by saying he allowed himself no 
 idle hours. Seldom did he leave home except on pub- 
 lic business, no matter what the heat or the unhealthi- 
 ness of the season. No prominent name was seen reg- 
 
215 
 
 istered less frequently at the sea-shore, or the spring- 
 side, or the mountain-top. While he uttered no harsh 
 censures on his brother ministers for taking annual 
 holidays, he was always at home, and ready to listen to 
 the cry of sorrow, come from what quarter it might. 
 The care of an invalid daughter mayhave had something 
 to do in fixing this habit, but with him it certainly be- 
 came a second nature. His people were always on his 
 mind, and he could not bear the thought of being out 
 of the way when his presence was needed. 
 
 There was, too, an intrepidity in him quite above what 
 any one, on a slight acquaintance, would be apt to give 
 him credit for. No man could be bolder or more ready to 
 seize giant iniquity by the horns, whenever he became 
 convinced that great principles were involved, or the 
 welfare of Church and State imperilled. It was for 
 the very purpose of sounding an alarm at the approach 
 of danger that he felt himself stationed on the walls 
 of Zion, and never on such occasions did he hesitate to 
 lift up his voice like a trumpet. 
 
 At one time, a series of horse-races was projected in 
 the neighbourhood, and he at once threw himself in- 
 to the breach, proclaiming a Fast, and calling a solemn 
 assembly, and so thundering out the terrors of the Lord 
 as to turn the whole tide of popular feeling to the side 
 
216 
 
 of God and right. No triumph could be more complete. 
 The impression of his sermon on that awful day still lin- 
 gers on many a mind. At a later time, strong and per- 
 sistent efforts were made to establish a regular Sabbath 
 communication between Elizabethtown and the city of 
 New York, by means of a line of steamboats, counte- 
 nanced by not a few of the Doctor's friends, and respect- 
 able citizens. But here, too, he was found unyielding 
 as a rock. It was enough for him to be convinced that 
 the enterprise was a violation of the fourth command- 
 ment, and fraught with injury to the souls of men. 
 These things tried the mettle of the man, as well as 
 the fidelity of the minister, and he did not falter for a 
 moment'. If he did not pluck off the hair of the lovers 
 of pleasure and gain more than of God, like Nehemiah, 
 he withstood them to the face, as did Paul, and was 
 successful. 
 
 No trait of his character was more prominent than 
 punctuality — a punctuality that left him little patience 
 with the large tribe of dilatory and laggard folks. It 
 was strange to find him a minute behind time when an 
 appointment had been made. The people soon came 
 to understand that when the minister said seven for 
 the commencement of service, in the pulpit or confer- 
 ence room, he did not mean eight. An incident of this 
 
217 
 
 sort is well remembered. There was to be a Funeral 
 at half past three, just at the close of public service ; 
 but the Doctor had a long-winded brother to preach 
 for him, who kept on and on, until his patience was 
 utterly exhausted. After looking, and twisting, and 
 wriggling, for a long time, he could stand it no longer, 
 but seizing the preacher by the coat, brought him to a 
 sudden halt. Another illustration of a more serious 
 nature may be given. The Doctor announced that he 
 would preach, on a certain evening, in the "Stone School. 
 House," at Lyon's Farms. In the course of the day 
 preceding the appointed evening, a violent storm set 
 in, accompanied by a high wind, which gathered the 
 snow in deep drifts, and rendered travelling exceed- 
 ingly tedious and disagreeable. But the knowledge of 
 their minister's punctuality induced many, with great 
 difficulty, to make their way to the place, though they 
 doubted whether even his courage would surmount the 
 unusual violence of the storm for three miles of road. 
 One person says he secretly rejoiced in the thought that 
 they should now get ahead of the Pastor. Others, by 
 whose houses he passed, saw him going, and, ashamed 
 to be thus outdone, breasted the fury of the storm, and 
 the room was crowded to overflowing. That evening, 
 19 
 
218 
 
 lie took for his text, — " The Master is come and calleth 
 for thee ;" and the service was blessed to the awaken- 
 ing of a number of individuals. This was one of the 
 early incidents in the great revival of 1817. Gray- 
 headed men, still living, say that the Master called 
 them that dreary night. 
 
 All this, however, is but a very imperfect view of a 
 man, who, for nearly sixty years, was a burning and 
 shining light among the churches of our land. Not 
 only is his record on high, but he lives in the hearts 
 of multitudes, to whom his name will be fragrant for- 
 ever. Affectionately Yours, 
 
 DAVID MAGIE. 
 
 YII. 
 
 From the Rev.. M. C. Sutphen. 
 
 Philadelphia, JYovember 16, 1863. 
 Dear Sir : 
 
 It is with sincere pleasure that I comply with your 
 request to furnish some reminiscences of my venerated 
 late colleague — Dr. McDowell. 
 
 Although I was born within a mile of his native 
 place, and he had known my family for three genera- 
 tions, yet my acquaintance with him dates with our as- 
 sociation in the pastorate of the Spring Garden Church, 
 
219 
 
 of this city. You will not, therefore, expect of me the 
 characteristics which marked his earlier so much as 
 those which distinguished his later years. And if his 
 life's morning was bright, surely its evening was 
 blessed. As the natural sunset sheds a splendour and 
 beauty peculiar, so the sunset of this eminent man of 
 God. 
 
 Among many qualities which adorned his old age, 
 mention deserves to be made of his indomitable ener- 
 gy. This ever distinguishing trait, and contributing 
 in no small degree to the'extraordinary success which 
 crowned his early efforts, the frosts of eighty winters 
 failed to prostrate or enfeeble. Increasing infirmities 
 with many .dishearten, so that they shrink from the 
 prosecution of labours in which they have long en- 
 gaged, as well as from new undertakings. But not thus 
 with Dr. McDowell. His resolute will exacted of 
 his body, even after it had become infirm, its wonted 
 toil. The same erectness which was observed in more 
 vigorous years he maintained so long as his failing 
 limbs availed to support him. He persisted in his 
 habitual early rising until weakness compelled its dis- 
 continuance ; and, with self sacrificing perseverance, he 
 fulfilled the duties which he had long discharged, 
 whether of a domestic, pastoral or ecclesiastical charac- 
 
220 
 
 ter. Ne^ver without a severe struggle did be relinquish 
 any labour which be had been wont to perform for bis 
 family, the individual church to which he ministered, 
 or for the Church universal. Accordingly, death found 
 him girded with much of the harness in which he had 
 toiled through life. Surely, his was the motto : — 
 
 "Ne'er think the victory won, 
 
 " Nor once at ease sit down ; 
 " Thy arduous work will not be done 
 
 " Till thou hast got the crown." 
 
 Another characteristic of his advanced years was the 
 admirable manner in which he accomodated himself to 
 the changing demands of the ofSces which he filled. It 
 is not infrequent that energy remains to the aged with- 
 out the power of adaptation, so that, though anxious 
 to continue useful they are not permitted. But in Dr. 
 McDowell there was a happy appreciation of and con- 
 formity to the proprieties of the services he performed. 
 This was strikingly manifest in his pulpit ministrations. 
 Even after disease had diminished usual rapidity of 
 utterance, his prayers and sermons were most appro- 
 priately timed, so that, until sight as well as voice 
 failed him, his preaching varied but little from that of 
 his palmy days, when delighted crowds hung upon his 
 lips. 
 
 Still another point I will notice, is the beautiful 
 
221 
 
 manner In which his graces developed towards the 
 close of his life. As is well known, for about sixteen 
 months before his death, he was physically incompetent 
 to public service, and was shut out in great measure 
 from the world. This relief I have been happy of re- 
 gard as a 'rest granted to him here promissory of the 
 more perfect rest of Heaven. Like Joshua and Caleb 
 he was permitted to enjoy an earthly Canaan before 
 entering the Heavenly. " God seemed to call him aside 
 from his incessant toils to special communion with him- 
 self here, preparatory to -eternal fellowship hereafter; 
 and this season was largely spent in pious reading and 
 meditation. Frequently in my visits I found him pe- 
 rusing some devotional work, and especially he appeared 
 to enjoy the incomparable writings of Bunyan. It was 
 also improved in grateful recollection of the past, as 
 well as faithful preparation for and hopeful contempla- 
 tion of the future. 
 
 The death of Dr. McDowell was eminently consistent 
 with his life, and such as all may well desire to die. It 
 was literally a sleep. The only sad experience was his 
 inability to speak ; but although he could not give ver- 
 bal expression to his thoughts and feelings, yet he 
 failed not by signs to communicate to relatives and 
 
 friends his continued aflfection and assured hope of 
 *19 
 
222 
 
 Heaven. On one occasion, shortly before his departure, 
 I asked him if the Saviour he had so often recommended 
 to others was precious. His countenance at once lighted 
 up, as with a ravishing joy, while thrice, in the most 
 emphatic manner, he intimated assent. Truly fitting 
 end for one who had comforted so many in their pas- 
 sage through the dark valley. 
 
 Such are some of the rays of light which emanated 
 from the closing hours of the life of this distinguished 
 Father in Israel ; and I shall always refer with grati- 
 tude to that Providence which associated me with him 
 on earth, while I rejoice in that grace which permits 
 me to expect fellowship with him in Heaven. 
 Truly 3'ours; 
 
 M. C. SUTPHEN. 
 
 I 
 
 vni. 
 
 From the Rev. Thomas H. Skinner, D. D. 
 
 Newport,* J^dy 15th, 1863. 
 My Dear Sir : 
 
 In compliance with your request, I give you my im- 
 pressions of the character of the late Dr. John Mc- 
 Dowell. You do not expect me to speak of him at 
 
 • This letter was written while Dr. Skinner, was passing his summer 
 vacation at Newport. 
 
223 
 
 length: this is your own undertaking; and I rejoice 
 that you have gratiiSed his friends by yielding to their 
 desire of a memoir of him. You are engaged in a good 
 work : the life of such a man deserves to be well 
 written. 
 
 I became acquainted with him in the early part of 
 his ministry at Elizabethtown, when I resided seven 
 months in his family as his theological pupil. I claim 
 not that I was, when so young, competent to judge of 
 him, especially in his character and work as a minister, 
 but my means of acquaintance with him were peculiar, 
 and I received, and, on retrospection of his finished 
 course, I retain, convictions of his worth, according to 
 which I cannot but place him among the first ministers 
 and disciples of our Divine Master I have personally 
 known. I am persuaded that I could have found no 
 situation in our Church at that time, more favourable to 
 my preparation for the sacred office than that which 
 his kindness offered me. The Theological Seminary at 
 Princeton was not established : there were men of more 
 renown in the Presbyterian ministry, but I think I 
 should have gained, on the whole, by no exchange of 
 position. I am sure that no one who is to be a minis- 
 ter should willingly forego the advantages of a thor- 
 ough Seminary training; but if these are not to be 
 
224 
 
 had, it would be di£Scult to find better than I enjoyed 
 in my early intimacy with Dr. McDowell. 
 
 He was not distinguished as a speculative theologian, 
 or a critic of Scripture : he had less philosophy and 
 less learning than some of his brethren ; but there was 
 not one among them of sounder theological views, or 
 better instructed, or more firmly rooted and grounded, 
 in the Biblical system of doctrine. Next to the Bible, 
 and as the best book-interpreter of its substantive 
 teaching, he received, after thorough and renewed 
 study of it, the Westminster Confession ; every article 
 and item of which he treated in course in the pulpit^ 
 and then gave the sermons he preached on it to the 
 public, in two octavo volumes. He knew it from a 
 child, and, in his maturity, as a minister, it was the 
 summary and the standard of his belief; with which 
 his preaching was never consciously discordant. No 
 one was farther than he from the idolatry of " the 
 Symbol;" not the Confession, but the Bible was his 
 authority and his measure in preaching. A preacher 
 more entirely and emphatically Biblical, I have never 
 heard — always, on all topics, he spake as the " Oracle 
 of God;" making the Confession itself, and all books, 
 doctrines and teachings of men, amenable to the arbi- 
 trament of Holy Scripture, Nevertheless, as he stood 
 
225 
 
 pledged before God and the world to the Westminster 
 Confession, as containing the Biblical system of doc- 
 trine, he was, to his life's end, faithful to that pledge. 
 In Faith and in Discipline he was an earnest and a con- 
 sistent Presbyterian. With the most exemplary Ca- 
 tholicism, with the most cordial acknowledgment of 
 the churchship and ministry, as well as membership, of 
 other denominations of Christians, he had a very intel- 
 ligent and decided preference of his own ; and his 
 thinking and teaching, his conversation and piety, his 
 ecclesiastical and public life, were always true to the 
 theology and order of the celebrated Calvinistic sym- 
 bol, the standard of Presbyterianism. He was, by no 
 means, ultra or extreme in his ecclesiastical polemics, 
 or in disciplinary measures : on one or two points he 
 was stricter than some of his brethren in his construc- 
 tion of the Confession ; but he was an extremist in 
 nothing. I regard it as one of my chief privileges in 
 preparing for the ministry, that I had such intimacy 
 with a mind so truly liberal and genial, and exempt 
 from every kind of narrowness and prejudice, as his; 
 but I never knew one more settled in its convictions : 
 it was remarkably free from sectarian exclusiveness, 
 but it was also remarkably fixed and firm in its denomi- 
 national attachments and tenets. 
 
226 
 
 I have always classed him with the best preachers 
 of his day. He was not equal to some of them in the 
 higher exhibitions of eloquence ; in depth and com- 
 pass of thought ; in ingenuity and originality of plan ; 
 in the use of the figures of rhetoric ; in the finish and 
 elegance of style ; but in the more solid excellences of 
 discourse, in matter, in ease, simplicity and clearness 
 of method, in earnestness and directness of address, 
 in soundness and conclusiveness of reasoning, in per- 
 spicuity, and pre-eminently in applying proof-texts 
 and illustrations from the Bible, and concentrating 
 every thing, from first to last, on the main point of his 
 discourse, he was excelled by no one I have known. In 
 the average of its productions, his pulpit was in the 
 first order. No preacher is always equal to himself: 
 from his own level of performance, which was high, he 
 very seldom descended. If his discourse was not 
 splendid or eloquent, it was, with rare exceptions, exact 
 and lucid in method, compact, solid, and it was always 
 natural and simple. He composed with great ease, 
 treating his subject with reference to his end ; restrict- 
 ing his analysis rigidly within that limit ; avoiding 
 tenuous distinctions and definitions • unambitious of 
 rhetorical embellishment and polish ; wholly engaged 
 in carrying his point, he advanced with great rapidity. 
 
227 
 
 and often finished his sermon at a sitting. As good 
 discourses as his, made as quickly, I am sure I never 
 heard. And without much novelty as to manner, there 
 was uncommon variety in his preaching. He adapted 
 it to the constantly varying wants of his parish, with 
 which he kept himself particularly acquainted. And 
 he had a large store of topics. He treated, in detail, 
 both the doctrine and the morality of the Gospel. There 
 was nothing in the system of Christian truth, which he 
 thought unsuitable as a vehicle of the renewing and 
 sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit ; there was great 
 breadth in the sphere of his subject-matter. The one 
 theme, Christ Crucified^ had indefinite diversity of ex- 
 hibition and enforcement, under his laborious ministry. 
 His treasury of subjects was rich, and he brought forth 
 out of it, in his very abundant preachings, things new 
 and old. His dispensation of the word did not want 
 the highest evidence of excellence, the attestation 
 and seal of the Spirit. While I was with him, there 
 were almost constant refreshings of Divine Grace in 
 his parish, and, both before and afterwards, he was 
 familiar with these decisive tokens of God's approval 
 and blessing. 
 
 It was, in a high degree characteristic of his preach- 
 ing, that it was suited particularly to the character 
 
228 
 
 and changing circumstances of his parish. His thor- 
 ough acquaintance withhis parish gave the word of com- 
 mand to his selection of texts and subjects, and shaped, 
 coloured and attempered his discourses on them. He 
 preached to his people as a flock, and not as an audi- 
 tory merely. His Elizabethtown parish, when I was 
 with him, was divided into districts, in each of which, 
 in turn, he met a gathering of his people on a week- 
 day, and gave them a familiar sermon. In season and 
 out of season, publicly and from house to house, he 
 abounded in parish preaching. The pulpit, with him, 
 except when he preached out of his parish, was but an 
 instrument — the chief instrument of his pastorate, to 
 realize his ideal of which he made everything subser- 
 vient. Indeed, excellent as he was as a Preacher, his 
 chief distinction was the completeness and all-sided- 
 ness of his example as a Pastor. In this, unquestiona- 
 bly, he was a rare model to the parish minister. There 
 was no means of pastoral efficiency of which he did 
 not strive to make full proof. Bible class teaching, 
 catechising, parochial visitation, the care of the poor, 
 attention to the sick and to families in affliction ; con- 
 ference with individuals, sympathy with his people in 
 their sorrows and joys ; proper concern even for their 
 material interests ; friendly and thoughtful oversight 
 
229 
 
 of the common school ; variation of his agency to 
 meet appropriately new emergencies in his parish ; 
 every thing in the entire compass of pastoral enterprise 
 and prudence, had place and proportion in his parochial 
 assiduity. Among all the faithful, sound-minded, zeal- 
 ous, devoted, successful Pastors that I have known, in 
 the course of a ministry of fifty years, there is not one 
 that stands higher in my esteem, in the sum of pasto- 
 ral excellences, than my own revered and lamented 
 Pastor, Dr. John McDowell. 
 
 His application to parish work did not withdraw him 
 from the more public spheres of ministerial activity. 
 Among all his brethren who more constant, more punc- 
 tual, more laborious than he, at ecclesiastical meetings, 
 more engaged in the interest of missions, and of theolo- 
 gical education and general learning; or more earnest- 
 ly and patiently occupied in the various forms of evan- 
 gelistic labour? Had he not been at the head of a 
 parish, had he been entirely a minister at large, his 
 interest could hardly have been greater in the work of 
 domestic and general evangelism. There was no dis- 
 cordance between the intensity and fulness of his pas- 
 toral engagements and his extra parochial fidelity and 
 influence. The spirit of his pastorate was evangelistic. 
 
 Not his parish, but the world, was his field. His church 
 20 
 
230 
 
 was a missionary institution. He trained it to be an 
 agent in the general cause of Christianity. His work 
 out of his parish reacted upon and forwarded his pas- 
 torate, and this reciprocally forwarded and stimulated 
 that. 
 
 There was a beautiful consistency, a sweet harmony 
 between Dr. McDowell's appearance in general society 
 and his ministerial character and position. In his 
 social relations and demeanour, he was still the Chris- 
 tian Minister, still the Pastor. There was no reserve 
 in his manners; he was affable, cheerful, easy in his 
 intercourse with the world ; but no one who had been 
 unacquainted with him was ever surprised at learning 
 that he was a Minister of the Gospel. In company he 
 might, at any time, if asked, take the lead in worship 
 without being under the necessity of passing through 
 an abrupt change in either his manners or frame of 
 mind. He made no ostentation of religion ; he avoided 
 worldly complaisance. He was never a man of strife; 
 he never connived at wrong doing. In matters of social 
 prudence or expediency he was a pattern of discretion 
 and good sense. J 
 
 My residence with him gave me opportunity of know- 
 ing him in a sphere in which, more than in any other, a 
 man appears most decisively and unequivocally just as 
 
231 
 
 he is, — the bosom of the family. I was never an inmate 
 of a more cheerful, pleasant, happy home than his ; but 
 worldliness had no license to enter it. He was in his 
 household, as he was in his parish and in general so* 
 ciety, consistent with himself as the special represen- 
 tative of Christianity. Under appropriate modifica- 
 tions, his family was a model to the families of his 
 parish. There was a church in his house. When his 
 family came together for worship, morning and even- 
 ing, he was not accustomed to give remarks of his own ; 
 but, when I was with him, he united with prayers and 
 the reading of the Scriptures, the constant reading of 
 the Commentary of Scott, and the occupations and 
 pleasures of his house were such as beautifully became 
 the character of its consecrated head. I cannot recall 
 the scenes of either grief or pleasure that I witnessed 
 in his family without a revived consciousness, at this 
 distant day, of the serene, chastened, and amiable piety 
 by which they were marked. During my residence 
 with him he was not without painful domestic afilic- 
 tions, with which he continued to be deeply familiar 
 till near the end of his pilgrimage. Nothing in human 
 life is more lovely than such unmurmuring submission 
 and gentleness and tenderness of spirit as he exempli- 
 fied under them. 
 
232 
 
 I ought to speak tenderly of the peculiarity of his 
 inward life. He was not himself free in expressing 
 even to his friends the frames and habitudes of his 
 spirit. Except as revealing itself in his ministry and 
 in his general character, there were few, if any, so far 
 as I know, who had the means of intimate acquaintance 
 with his private walk with God. I have not heard 
 that he kept a diary — if he did, I should be surprised 
 to find that it contained much about fluctuations, 
 in ^is " experience." There were few indications of 
 these in his external life, so far as I was acquainted with 
 it. I should suppose, from what I knew of him, that 
 his subjective piety was calmly emotional rather than 
 sensational, or much diversified, like that of Brainerd, 
 or Martyn, or Pay sou, by contrasted variations, high 
 elevations or deep depression of feeling. The impres- 
 sion which I received of it, from personal intercourse 
 with him, was that of habitual peace and cheerfulness. 
 Religion, as represented in his example, was not severe 
 and ascetic, but social, amiable, attractive. It was 
 evident, that as he recommended it to others in his 
 ministry, as the good part, the true portion of man, so 
 it was his own supreme happiness ; that he had in him- 
 self the earnest of the "purchased possession;" that 
 his work as a minister was not merely functional ; that 
 
233 
 
 he did not preach an unknown Christ ; that he was 
 himself a traveller to that Heavenly country to which 
 he invited and allured others to travel. He was, to 
 myself, when I was his pupil, a son of consolation in 
 my spiritual conflicts. I cannot think it possible that 
 Buch an adept as he was in conferences with troubled 
 souls, such a minister of peace to the disquieted and 
 dejected in spirit, could have been habitually without 
 a vivid sense of the peace of God in himself. I have 
 always regarded him, not as an Edwards, or a Howe, or 
 an Owen, or a Flavel, in the deep and various workings 
 of spiritual feeling, but as a bright and lovely example 
 of the present *' blessedness of the righteous," " the life 
 of God in the soul of man." I have, at this moment, 
 in lively recollection instances of his sympathy with 
 myself in my early religious disquietudes, which renew 
 my love for him as a spiritual comforter and guide, 
 while I am writing this sentence. 
 
 There was a trait of nobleness in the nature of this 
 good minister of Christ. He was a genial, generous, 
 liberal-spirited man. Grace found a favourable soil to 
 root itself and grow in the peculiarities of his physical 
 constitution. While it sanctified these, they became 
 choice instruments of its power — it beautified, it glori- 
 fied itself through them. They gave a tincture, a 
 *20 
 
234 
 
 colour, a glow to his ministry and his piety. By means 
 of them he became, in a degree to which otherwise he 
 doubtless would not have attained, like " the disciple 
 whom Jesus loved," both in his oflScial and private cha- 
 racter. His mindfulness of early friends, after long 
 separatioi. from them ; his precious letters of condo- 
 lence to them in affliction ; his generous sympathy with 
 young men in their trials and struggles with difficulty; 
 the non-interference of his pastoral and ecclesiastical 
 labours with private and individual claims on hi& time 
 and care, these, which distinguished his whole career, 
 were specially dignified and adorned by the natural- 
 ness and spontaneity which signalized them all. 
 
 On the whole, according to my maturest thought, 
 my settled convictions, there were very few in his day 
 that deserve a higher place among models of pastoral 
 and private worth than this venerable man of God. 
 He began in early life the service of his Divine Master ; 
 for nearly three score years, without any intermission, 
 and I think I might almost say with scarcely a vaca- 
 tion for rest, he laboured as his minister, in word and 
 doctrine, to the latest days of a life of more than four 
 score ; abounding in the arduous duties of the pasto- 
 rate, bringing forth precious fruit, even to the last, 
 
235 
 
 and ceasing from his cheerful toil only to breathe out 
 his spirit, and depart to be with Christ. 
 I am, very dear Sir, 
 
 With the highest regard, yours, 
 
 THOMAS H. SKINNER. 
 
 IX. 
 
 From the Rev. S. H. Cox, D. D. 
 
 New York, December 19, 1863. 
 My Dear Brother : 
 
 The late Reverend John McDowell, D. D., of Phila- 
 delphia, I well knew, and love him yet, not only with 
 high and filial esteem, but with reverence due to 
 exalted excellence ; also with the affection proper to a 
 mature friendship, at once, I trust, mutual, personal, 
 tender, and of immortal continuance. 
 
 It is in these relations, my dear friend and brother 
 in Christ, that you invoke, from my pen, some memo- 
 rial of him ; and I respond Avith all my heart ; if I 
 may be helped to make some fitting contribution, 
 acceptable, possibly useful, with others to the biogra- 
 phical pyramid, which I am glad, my dear Dr. Sprague, 
 that you are engaged to rear to his memory, more 
 to the glory of the Great Author of the new creation, 
 
236 
 
 •who made him what he was in this world, and what he 
 is in that brighter and better world, where all the elect 
 of God shall ultimately be at home, happy and holy 
 forever. 
 
 It was about autumn, in the year 1811, when I first 
 saw and heard Dr. McDowell in one of the pulpits of 
 Newark, N. J. A stranger to me as I to him, I 
 had no idea of his character, no prejudice for him or 
 against him, apart from the wrong feelings of a worldly 
 mind. Knowing not his Divine Master, nor my own 
 heart, when I was a young student of the Law in that 
 city, (then only a large and beautiful town,) when the 
 present was all to me, the future an indefinite mist of 
 inscrutable possibilities, the importance of which, as 
 I then thought and felt, was almost practically nothing. 
 
 At that time he was the Pastor of the Presbyterian 
 Church of Elizabethtown, six miles to the South of us, 
 then no other church in that town — now also a city, 
 with several others of the same faith, order, name. 
 His text, on that occasion was. Quench not the Spirit : 
 1 Thes., V, 19 — as I could never forget. 
 
 After due explanation of the ofiice-work of the Holy 
 Ghost in the Divine economy of redemption, where his 
 soundness could not fail of a correct demonstration, he 
 gave reasons why we must not quench his influenca. 
 
237 
 
 The logical sequence and array of those reasons I can- 
 not now reproduce. They were, however, well dis- 
 posed, masterly in distribution and aggression, espec- 
 ially on the mind and the conscience of the sinner. I 
 was not the only one that felt it. The moral con- 
 sciousness of many of us was just impaled and kept in 
 durance — not vile ; as the shafts of truth struck us, 
 from his well poised archery ; shafts selected from the 
 thesaurus^ the armory of God, and sped as from the 
 quiver of the Almighty. At least two of his impres- 
 sive thoughts I can rehearse. First, said he, " The 
 work of the Spirit is to us proximate, and in order 
 last, as compared with the offices of the Father and 
 the Son. Hence only resist Him effectually, grieve Him 
 away, quench totally the flame He would enkindle, and 
 you are lost ! You have then in Him, alienated God 
 forever from you, the Father and the Son and the Holy 
 Ghost, all the Persons of the Godhead. There will be 
 another — never, to debate with you and persuade you." 
 He paused, as he spoke it. Every word weighed 
 heavy as a millstone. He felt as his grave, and clear, 
 and solemn articulation announced it. It seemed to 
 resound, as the dirge of lost souls. We felt as we 
 heard it. Second — 
 
 In conclusion, said he, " You seem to feel it. Alas ! 
 
238 
 
 without true faith, the fruit of the Spirit, jou will all, 
 I know, forget it, till the day of judgment. Wherefore, 
 yield to his holy and heavenly influence this instant ; 
 and whatever of this sermon you forget, remember, I 
 pray you, remember the text — Quench not the Spirit" 
 
 It was seemingly a living sermon, with living effect. I 
 It was the pure and simple Gospel of Christ that he 
 preached. I feel it yet. His honest directness, godly 
 sincerity, manly propriety of diction ; himself hid 
 behind his Master, made him such a preacher, for good 
 effect, as no Archbishop in many ages equals ; and few 
 devout Presbyters of whatever age or name. He had 
 perpetually a succession of revivals ; but they were 
 rational as the truth of Scripture, and not delighting 
 in mere sensation, noise, extravagance, disorder, delu- 
 sion and stony ground experiences. 
 
 His general character as a man, a Christian, a min- 
 ister of Christ, a theologian, a preacher, a pastor, a 
 friend, a person every way so eminent, so useful, so 
 honoured, so esteemed, so loved, is well and widely 
 known; and glad I am that in your hands, my dear 
 brother, it will be more extensively portrayed, appre- 
 ciated ; so exemplary, so beneficent. Of those whose 
 hands devoted me in office, at my Ordination, only two 
 or three of the large and venerable old Presbytery of 
 
239 
 
 Jersey remain. In that constellation, I rejoice instinct- 
 ively to remember him as a star of magnitude now 
 ■fixed in the firmament of the new creation. He was 
 just thirteen years my senior, then proportionally felt 
 to be, as then it was, considerably greater than in pe- 
 riods much subsequent. 
 
 He was distinguished for practical, punctual, symme- 
 trical, assiduous, executive service in the Church ; local, 
 provincial, national, universal : this the ratio semper 
 eadem of his excellence. He was eminently Scriptural in 
 all his ministrations, as well as steady, sound, compre- 
 hensive, edifying — except too possibly to some who 
 desired almost any other qualification in a preacher, 
 rather than the last I mention. I have preached for 
 him, with him; in times of revival, of greatly quick- 
 ened interest among his flock, and often, too ; and if in 
 any thing our general views of doctrine or theosophy 
 were at all various — I write knowing what — our practi- 
 cal agreement was moral identity ; in his own words, as 
 I think I remember them; I " clinched all the nails he 
 drove, he all mine." He was no bigot, no hobby-driver, 
 no jealous, consequently no mean detractor from the 
 just estimation of others, and when, in the mourning 
 times of excission, in 1837-38, 1 record it from his 
 own faithful disclosures to myself, few bosoms more 
 
240 
 
 laboured with ingenuous grief than his own. I could 
 here say more, much more, but — I forbear. 
 
 Dr. McDowell was ever industrious to a proverb, a 
 rare paragon of that great virtue ; as distinguished 
 also for a genial and apostolic sympathy; for a care 
 and an interest toward young ministers and candidates 
 for the ministry, which was truly paternal ; as, in some 
 good degree, it was alike characteristic and rare also. 
 Oh, how excellent, as compared with some opposites, 
 that many have had to remember, not one to approve. 
 A character stiff with dignity, inaccessible, factitiously 
 unkind, wealthy, selfish, while technically glorying in 
 a transcendental disinterestedness; disinterested in all 
 the trials and the wants of others ; in such contrasts, if 
 true religion is lovely, how truly amiable and excellent 
 in the sight of God and man, are the name and the 
 memory of John McDowell. I am happy, both as a 
 witness and a beneficiary, to attest his excellence, 
 glorifying God in him. 
 
 But I must conclude. A friend has just put in my 
 hand a good sermon of Rev. David Magie, D. D., of 
 Elizabeth, N. J., well written, and full of truth, com- 
 memorative of his life and character, which I commend, 
 to your perusal and use. I was not at his Funeral, 
 but last May 24th, at the General Assembly, I felt 
 
 I 
 
241 
 
 it a privilege to preach for his worthy successor, Rev. 
 M. C. Sutphen, in the presence of a large assemblage 
 of his friends, his weeping and honoured widow in- 
 cluded ; then and there to anticipate, in reference to 
 Dr. McDowell, the substance of this document, and to 
 express my sympathetic and humble and most frater- 
 nal impressions of his worth. 
 
 Faithfully and fraternally yours in Jesus, 
 
 SAMUEL HANSON COX. 
 
 X. 
 
 From the Rev. Thomas L. Janeway, D. D. 
 
 Philadelphia, March 1, 1864. 
 Dear Sir : 
 
 You have asked for my recollections of my lamented 
 and venerable friend. Dr. John McDowell, and I cheer- 
 fully comply with your request. My father's residence 
 in this city, and the annual meetings here of the Gen- 
 eral Assembly, made me, from my boyhood, acquainted 
 with the distinguished men of our Church, among 
 whom I recall Dr. McDowell. He was a frequent guest 
 of my father's, and I believe, on such occasions, always 
 preached for him. I can remember his name as con- 
 nected with the great revivals which honoured and 
 21 
 
242 
 
 blessed his ministry. My attendance at the Seminary 
 at Princeton brought him more frequently and intelli- 
 gently before me. After my licensure, and some mis- 
 sionary labour performed, I was prepared to settle, and 
 he kindly commended me to the people of Rahway, and 
 there I became, in my early ministry, his near neigh- 
 bour. He presided at the meeting which called me, 
 and preached my Ordination Sermon, and I remember, 
 on that day, he gave me advice and told me facts which 
 were of incalculable advantage to a young and inex- 
 perienced preacher. Our congregations joined, and in 
 the school houses on the border we often met for com- 
 mon labour. To me he was uniformly kind, and he 
 gave me a prominence I hardly deserved. A frequent 
 guest at his table, I could go to him at all times, with 
 almost filial confidence for advice. 
 
 In those days, the Presbytery of Elizabethtown had 
 their annual visitations to their different churches. 
 The ministers, two and two, went forth, for a series of 
 days, preaching, exhorting, and confirming the minds 
 of the disciples^ — Dr. McDowell kindly, on such occa- 
 sions, insisting that I should be his companion ; and 
 many an hour of pleasant intercourse have I spent in 
 his society, and many a phase of human nature did he 
 present to my mind, and from his long and varied ex- 
 
243 
 
 perience did I learn to labour in the vineyard. That 
 God placed my early ministry in that region, and 
 under such influences, in ail probability, gave me 
 fitness for any usefulness I have been permitted to ex- 
 ercise in the Church of our Master. 'Eternity only 
 will disclose how much of mercy to me, and may I not 
 hope to others, my settlement in Rahway, then an ob- 
 scure village, and owing to Dr. McDowell's kind influ- 
 ence, was ordained to accomplish. His removal to 
 Philadelphia separated us. Never failing, in my occa- 
 sional visits to the city of my birth, to call and pay 
 him my respectful attention, he met me with the same 
 kind treatment, and exhibited the pleasure he felt. 
 Years passed, and we became near neighbours, when I 
 settled as a Pastor in Philadelphia. Soon after, his 
 trials began — trials overruled to the glory of God and 
 the extension of his Church ; and when, to the amaze- 
 ment of all, at his time of life, he determined to com- 
 mence a new enterprise, after my surprise at his appa- 
 rent hardihood, I rejoiced in the prospect of his suc- 
 cess. It was at my suggestion in Presbytery that the 
 present important site of the Spring Garden Church 
 was selected. It was near my church, and I knew the 
 region, and the likelihood of its great enlargement. 
 When he was installed, he required that I should 
 
244 
 
 preach the Sermon ; and when the ground was broken 
 for the trench of the foundation, he was kind enough 
 to insist that I should be the principal speaker. I 
 sympathised in his struggle — I marvelled at his perse- 
 verance — I wondered how he could endure it — but the 
 building rose, the people gathered, and valuable fami- 
 lies were gained to our cause. And when the new 
 house was crushed in by a mass of snow, and his friends 
 all seemed crushed too, he, with his characteristic 
 faith and energy, girded his loins to his work, and rose 
 stronger from the blow. I felt thankful to hear, as 
 Chairman of a Committee appointed at a meeting of 
 the Pastors of our churches, the assurance of their 
 sympathy, and the promise of effective assistance. He 
 was overcome and wept when he heard of their 
 kindness. 
 
 The church arose from its rubbish in brighter beauty, 
 and remaineth to this day, his monument, and, by the 
 goodness of God, the honour of a faithful servant. 
 Few knew what all these efforts cost him: what toil, 
 what weariness, what anxiety. He told me that five 
 days in every week, for two years, were spent soliciting 
 aid for his church edifice, and his success was wonder- 
 ful. Before he was called hence, he could rejoice over 
 the child of his old affections, as out of debt, and like- 
 
245 
 
 ly to run a career of honourable usefulness. I felt it a 
 privilege to attend, as I did, worship in his church, 
 when it was opened, one Sabbath evening in each month. 
 He always expected me to occupy a seat in his pulpit, 
 and I went there as a matler of course. He received it as 
 a respectful kindness, and the sympathy of a younger 
 disciple. Our churches met, on several occasions, for 
 union meetings, on consecrated days. My people always 
 welcomed him, for he was extensively known and 
 greatly revered among them. Few ministers, a younger 
 with an elder and more honoured servant of God, have, 
 in Divine Providence, in a period extending over thir- 
 ty-three years, been so commingled in services, and the 
 younger permitted, in after life, to return the kindness 
 he received at the outstart from his venerable friend. 
 Eight years before his death, loss of health compelled 
 me to resign my charge and retire to the country, in 
 hope of its recovery. He expressed great regret, and 
 was pleased to say that he should miss me from his 
 circle. Again Providence brought me into close fel- 
 lowship with him, when I became Corresponding Sec- 
 retary of the Board of Domestic Missions. He was 
 President of the Board, and Chairman of its Executive 
 Committee. As long as increasing infirmities permitted, 
 
 he met me in Committee every week. I recall his kind 
 *21 
 
246 
 
 expression of welcome, and the confidence lie gave me, 
 amid the dangers and embarrassments of the situation. 
 And he rejoiced when the Board began to emerge from 
 its difficulties, and his last efforts were given to a 
 cause, over which, for thirty years, he had w^atched, 
 and laboured, and fainted not. 
 
 If I may be permitted to give my impression of Dr. 
 McDowell, as a Preacher, which I early received, and 
 which all my intimacy afterwards confirmed, it was 
 •that he possessed great fervour and unction of manner, 
 ■and that he made every one feel that he was a good 
 man, and sincerely desirous to save souls — his sensi- 
 bilities were easily excited, and he often wept over 
 sinners in his anxiety for their salvation. 
 
 Others will tell you of his devotion to his life-long 
 work — what a model Pastor he was — how marvellous 
 was his success, and what glorious revivals God hon- 
 ored him with ; the devoted attachment of his flock to 
 his person and his ministry; the exactitude of his 
 habits, the amazing amount of labour that he per- 
 formed, and so on, till he fell with his harness on — a 
 striking instance, in these days of change, of an aged 
 minister dying surrounded by his flock. I saw him 
 shortly before his departure, — the same man as ever 
 amid the wreck of his humanity, and my visit seemed 
 
247 
 
 to gratify him. I helped, with devout men, to carry 
 him to his resting-place, till his Master calls him at the 
 last day. It is among the mercies of my life that I 
 knew him so well, and enjoyed so much of his confi- 
 dence. I hope to meet him in a brighter and purer 
 world, to renew our friendship, and unite in the holier 
 worship of God. 
 
 I am with great regard, truly yours, 
 
 THOMAS L. JANEWAY. 
 
 XL 
 From Mrs. Lydia A. Holdich.* 
 
 HOBOKEN. 
 
 Dear Sir : 
 
 I take pleasure in giving you a few of my early re- 
 collections of one of the best and noblest men I have 
 ever known. 
 
 A child is a true physiognomist, and, from the time 
 I remember any thing, I remember what trust I placed 
 in Dr. McDowell's word. I felt that he was always 
 true. Fancy brings him before me now, as I used to 
 see him in my childish days. I recall the morning and 
 evening prayer, in which there was little variety, but 
 which always seemed solemn and fervent, though very 
 calm. There was sincerity in the tones of his voice — 
 
 ♦Wife of the Rev. Dr. Holdich. 
 
248 
 
 nothing was ever put on — there was no exaggeration. I 
 liked his short sentences. He never used an involved 
 sentence in preaching, conversation or prayer. His 
 faith in prayer was often tested. He has called his con- 
 gregation together to fast and pray for rain during a 
 distressing drought, and I think, on each occasion, 
 rain was sent, apparently in answer to prayer. I once 
 spoke to a wise and thoughtful Christian friend of the 
 marked answers that Dr. McDowell's public prayers 
 had received. She replied, "he honours God publicly, 
 and therefore God honours him." Dr. Morse, an old 
 physician in Elizabethtown, used often to say to his 
 patients, "Now I've done all that I can for you, only 
 one thing remains, — Dr. McDowell's prayers." This 
 used to be said seriously, although Dr. Morse was not 
 himself a professor of religion. And really there were 
 striking facts to notice in this connection, one of which 
 I can distinctly recall. I knew a lady who lay so low 
 that her physician said she would not survive the night. 
 It was the evening of the weekly lecture, and the daugh- 
 ter of the sick lady, feeling that all earthly hope was 
 vain, sent a request that her mother should be remem- 
 bered in her Pastor's prayers. A remarkable change 
 in her symptoms suddenly took place, and to this day 
 the daughter loves to think that the mother was spared 
 
249 
 
 in answer to her minister's prayer. It was a common 
 saying among us children, — "It will rain on Sunday, for 
 Dr. McDowell will pray for it." I can now recall his 
 prayer in my aged grandmother's room, with his im- 
 pressive application of the 91st Psalm to herself. It 
 marked the Psalm for me then and ever after. The 
 children of his congregation loved him dearly, and yet 
 there was nothing caressing in his manner, although he 
 was always kind and considerate towards them. 
 
 His habit of life was very simple. I can see him now 
 working with his own hands, in the garden in which he 
 took no little pleasure, assisted by two faithful coloured 
 men, each of whom lived with him a number of years. 
 He generally raised the earliest and finest vegetables 
 of the season, and his neighbours were very apt to pro- 
 fit by his industry in this respect. At the foot of the 
 garden there was a fine orchard, and when he some- 
 times found me, with a book from his library, curled 
 up among the crooked branches of an apple tree, his 
 invariable salutation was, — " Well, little Miss Roman- 
 tic." He catechised us children regularly, I think, 
 once a month — it may have been once a quarter. He 
 required us to learn the Shorter Catechism perfectly, 
 and liked us to commit the Larger Catechism also. 
 Many of us went through the verbose answers of the 
 
250 
 
 latter for love of him, and our reward was the " Very 
 well, very well indeed," pronounced emphatically, as 
 he looked first at us and then around the room, as if 
 he wished others to participate in his own satisfaction. 
 When we were older we attended his lectures on Church 
 History, which were commenced by questions on the 
 Catechism. His course in Church History was narrow 
 but thorough. What he taught he made us under- 
 stand clearly. Whatever he undertook to teach was 
 well taught, and I have often thought that his success 
 in life was partly owing to his understanding so ex- 
 actly what he had the ability to accomplish. Milner's 
 Church History formed the basis of his lectures. He 
 read the lecture for the ensuing week to us, after ex- 
 amining us on the one read the preceding Wednesday 
 evening. Notes were taken, and thus those who had 
 no opportunity to study from books were able to under- 
 stand the lesson. It gave many a taste for books, and 
 a sense of their value. A volume in which they found 
 the whole lecture, and more besides, was a real treasure. 
 Some of the best scholars were those who had fewest 
 literary advantages. My heretical tendencies were 
 early developed. I crossed with pen and ink the dog- 
 matical answer to the question in the Larger Catechism, 
 " Can those who have never heard the Gospel, know not 
 
251 
 
 Jesus Christ and believe not on Him, &c.," (I have not 
 the book by me to quote it exactly and fully now), " be 
 saved, if they are ever so anxious to frame their lives 
 according to the light of nature, and the laws of the 
 religion they profess ? " but told no one that I had 
 done so. One evening the Doctor had forgotten his 
 own Confession of Faith, a thing which I think he never 
 did before nor since. There was no Catechism but 
 mine for him to borrow. It was fairly forced from me 
 by circumstances. I trembled when he took it. He 
 asked us our questions as calmly as usual ; heard our 
 Church History lesson, gave out that for the subsequent 
 evening, and then took that crossed question for a text. 
 In no mild nor measured terms did he denounce the 
 presumption of the young person who dared to expunge 
 the words written by wise and holy men, like the com- 
 pilers of the Catechism. The question went around the 
 class in whispers, " Whose Catechism is it ? " And I, 
 blushing and crying, had to say, "It is mine." Ah! 
 he was very severe that time, but he learned, in the 
 latter part of his life, that conscience cannot be squared 
 by rule and compass, and that all Christian people can- 
 not look at truth through Calvinistic spectacles. His 
 faith in the doctrines of his own Church continued as 
 strong as ever, but he certainly became more tole- 
 
252 
 
 rant to the creed of others, as he advanced in life. I 
 think the circumstance I have narrated was never spo- 
 ken of outside the class bj either of us. I was bitter- 
 ly mortified, but not angry, for I knew that, though 
 very much in earnest, he was never cross nor unkind. 
 One of Dr. McDowell's peculiarities was a dislike to 
 changes of any kind. It annoyed him to have the 
 smallest article of furniture transposed. He kept the 
 same servants many years. Some of them were cha- 
 racters in their way. One very old coloured man was 
 named Jack. During one of the very general revivals 
 with which Dr. McDowell's congregation was so often 
 blessed, Jack became a Christian. Perfectly uneduca- 
 ted and of weak intellect, he yet gave undoubted evi- 
 dence, by his changed habits and humble teachable- 
 ness, of his love for the Redeemer. Jack was always 
 glad to come in to prayers after he became a Christian, 
 and he liked to be questioned with the family on points 
 of Christian doctrine. But he had one invariable an- 
 swer to every question, — "The Lord Jesus Christ." 
 Poor old man ! he had learned to love that name, and 
 his heart and what mind he had were full of it. We 
 often remarked the ingenuity with which Dr. McDowell 
 would put the question which made his answer a cor- 
 rect one. 
 
253 
 
 Never was any one freer from envy or emulation, and 
 never had the Presbyterian Church a more distin- 
 guished lover. I know that his own personal interests 
 were as nothing to him in comparison with the inte- 
 rests of his Church. When, by his desire, the Second 
 Church in Elizabeth was set off from his own, some 
 one said, "It will weaken your congregation." "Yes," 
 he simply answered, "but it will strengthen Presbyte- 
 rianism." Some one told him of a comparison that 
 had been made between himself and the young Pastor, 
 in favour of the latter. He said, "I am not surprised; 
 when that church was formed, I took Saint John's 
 motto for mine, — He must increase, — I am contented 
 to decrease." 
 
 His words were few but impressive ; his incidental 
 remarks will long be remembered, and have helped to 
 form the characters around him. A person has often 
 said how pleased she was to have him sanction a sen- 
 timent that dropped hastily from her lips. She had a 
 near connection, who had sunk from his former station 
 in life, through dissipated habits. A relation observed, 
 — " How mortifying to have him in such a low scale of 
 society." " How mortifying to have him so wicked !" 
 was the rejoinder. Dr. McDowell turned to the last 
 
 speaker with a look of approbation. " Yes, M., that 
 22 
 
254 I 
 
 ia the right sentiment — the vice is the disgrace, not 
 the station in society." 
 
 He was very prudent and delicate in his intercourse 
 with others. I have heard him say how well he knew 
 the strong opposition that some members of his con- 
 gregation, who afterward became his warm friends, felt 
 for him, when he first came to settle in Elizabeth- 
 town. They did not find Dr. Kollock'^s eloquence, nor 
 the personal elegance and fascinating elocution of Mr. ■ 
 Austin, in their young successor. But he took no 
 notice of any apparent opposition, treated the 
 absentees in a kind and friendly manner, and, going 
 on in his own quiet and unostentatious way, soon 
 drew them all back to the church. In a little 
 while, every one loved him^ and no lip opened but to 
 speak well of him. He said that he did not care par- 
 ticularly for praise, ever, but that he once heard more of 
 it than he could well bear. He was once dining with 
 a large company in New York, at the house of his 
 friend, Mr. C. Dubois, when, after a hard ring at the 
 door, the loud voice of a "bustling Yankee" was heard 
 above the clashing of knives and forks, insisting upon 
 the servant's going in and delivering a Prospectus of 
 Dr. McDowell's "Theological Sermons" to the gentle- 
 man of the house. When the servant objected to dis- 
 
255 
 
 turbing him at dinner, the man went on to sny, " Tell 
 him he must subscribe — it's the greatest work of the 
 day, and worth double the money we ask for it." " And 
 I and the company sat there," continued the Doctor, 
 " hearing it all, and I wishing myself and my man any 
 where else." I never heard this told but once, for Dr. 
 McDowell talked little of himself, and rarely reiterated 
 a story. 
 
 With all his modesty, he had great consciousness of 
 power. When the Misses G. came to open a school in 
 Elizabeth, there was a good deal of opposition from 
 another denomination that patronized a flourishing 
 school of their own. Some one said, " another school 
 will never succeed." I remember the tone of voice, 
 mild as the breath of spring, yet firm as the granite 
 cliff, in which Dr. McDowell replied, — " She will suc- 
 ceed, she shall succeed." How successful the experi- 
 ment proved we all know. '^ 
 
 He accomplished much with apparently little effort. 
 An old servant of the family said, — " New preachers 
 come, everybody goes after them ; then they get tired 
 and come back to the Doctor. He just goes steady 
 on." I told him of the remark, and he said, — " Yes, I 
 never go very fast, — just steady on, as C. says." 
 
 You know how often he was called to city churches 
 
256 
 
 while Pastor of the Elizabethtown congregation. 
 There was said to be a most touching scene before 
 the Presbytery after a call from the Wall -Street 
 Church had been sent to him. The Session and some 
 of the private members of his congregation went to 
 protest against its acceptance. Mr. Lenox, who was 
 one of the city representation, spoke of the wants of 
 their church; their membership was declining ; their 
 Communion table almost deserted ; their social meet- 
 ings breaking down. They wanted a man of Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell's spirit, &c., &c. Up rose a poor but pious man, 
 named Miller, who burst forth, — " He wants to take our 
 minister because his Communion table is deserted, and 
 his pews vacant. Let him ask himself the reason. 
 Isn't it because of their own worldly spirit, and their 
 want of prayer ? No, Mr. Moderator, we can't give up 
 our minister. We must have him living and dead. We 
 want him to lead us on now ; we want him to close our 
 eyes, and talk to us of Jesus when we're dying; and 
 we want him to lie with us in the same church-yard 
 so that, in the morning of the resurrection, we may ^; 
 break ground together and go up one united body to 
 receive the welcome of the Saviour." I have given but a 
 feeble outline of the speech of the good old man. They 
 say his natural eloquence thrilled the whole assembly. 
 
257 
 
 I have never known such powerful and general revi- 
 vals as in Dr. McDowell's congregation. How well 1 
 remember the deep silence, the almost breathless atten- 
 tion that used to pervade the congregation when he 
 arose to speak to his people at such times. The church 
 seemed like such a " gate of Heaven " to my young 
 mind. How often I looked at its beautiful tapering 
 spire, rising from the ancient sycamores, in the silence 
 of a moonlight night, and thought what a sacred place 
 it was. We children learned to reverence religious 
 things under that ministry. 1 remember, on one 
 occasion, that about eighty persons joined the church 
 at one time. I believe it was in the month of June — 
 at any rate it was a delicious summer's day. At this 
 distance of time I can recall the rustle of the trees 
 outside the church, and the mild, soft air that fanned 
 us from the open window. How beautiful earth 
 seemed ; how near was Heaven on that day. They 
 were closely united. I can recall the words read at 
 the beginning of the service on that occasion. Never 
 has the 60 th of Isaiah appeared as impressive and beau- 
 tiful to me as then, and so appropriate it was to 
 the occasion. I said so to the Doctor once, and in 
 allusion to two or three coloured persons who were of 
 
 the number, he said, — " Yes, and another prophecy was 
 
 *22 
 
258 
 
 also fulfilled — Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands 
 unto God." Another portion of Scripture is indelibly 
 fixed upon my mind by the occasion on which he used 
 it, and the impressive manner in which it was read. 
 There was a sad epidemic prevailing, which proved 
 fatal to several female members of the congregation. 
 One Sunday morning at that time the bell continued to 
 toll, and Dr. McDowell did not appear. So punctual 
 were his habits that perhaps he did not vary three^ 
 minutes in the time of his appearance at church in the 
 course of the year. He invariably left his house at the 
 first toll of the bell. All were struck by the expres- 
 sion of his face, as he at length came up the middle 
 aisle, with many folded papers in his hand, which we 
 knew were requests for the prayers of the church. 
 Mrs. McDowell was with him, and she told us, weep- 
 ing, that they had just come from the bed-side of her 
 friend Mrs. T , who had been seized with the epi- 
 demic and was dying. Before the prayer, familiar 
 Ones were named as being apparently near to death, 
 all young and useful members of society ; then came 
 even a sadder announcement" prayers for friends be- 
 reaved suddenly of the light of their household. In a 
 low, solemn, subdued voice, when the prayer for these 
 suflferers was over, our Pastor read, — " 0, Lord, I have 
 
259 
 
 heard thy speech and was afraid. I saw the tents of 
 Cushan in affliction, and the curtains of the land of 
 Midian did tremble." It seemed as if the Prophet's 
 own voice was speaking that sublime prayer of Habak- 
 kuk's on that solemn day. Then he alluded touchingly 
 to what was passing around us. He always improved 
 passing events, ever watching " the signs of the times," 
 both in his congregation and in the political horizon. 
 
 Thus, my dear Sir, I have given you some unconnec- 
 ted recollections of my good brother, to use as you 
 "like. Perhaps they will be of no use ; perhaps some of 
 them may help to illustrate some trait of his character. 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 L. A. HOLDICH. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Rev. WILLIAM A. McDOWELL, D. D. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Rev. WILLIAM A. McDOWELL, D. D. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 His Life. 
 William Anderson McDowell, a younger brother 
 of the Rev. Dr. John McDowell, was born in Laming- 
 ton, N. J., on the 15th of May, 1789. He spent his 
 very early years at home, dividing his time between 
 the labours of the farm and the advantages of the 
 common school. At the age of about thirteen or four- 
 teen, he attended a Grammar School in the neighbour- 
 hood, and subsequently a school at Elizabethtown, 
 taught by Mr. (now the Rev. Dr.) Henry Mills. He 
 joined the Junior Class in the College of New Jersey in 
 1807, and graduated in 1809, having, throughout his 
 whole course, maintained an excellent reputation for 
 both scholarship and behaviour. 
 
264 
 
 In the spring of 1810, he went to live with the Rev. 
 Dr. WoodhuU, of Freehold, as his brother had done 
 before him, as a student of Theology ; and in June of 
 that year, he placed himself under the care of the 
 Presbytery of New Brunswick, as a candidate for the 
 ministry. Here he found, in the main, a congenial 
 element, and devoted himself to his studies with much 
 zeal, withdrawing, meanwhile, in a great measure, from 
 society, that he might attend the more diligently to 
 the culture of not only his mind, but especially his 
 heart. Not only for Dr. Woodhull himself, but for his 
 family, he seems to have formed a very strong attach- 
 ment; and, though his actual residence with them was 
 short, his attachment to them was enduring. Though 
 his letters at this period breathe a spirit of fervent 
 piety, he was not a little troubled with doubts in re- 
 spect to his own spiritual state ; and, after reading 
 Edwards on the Affections, he for a time well nigh 
 yielded to the conviction that he had never been the 
 subject of a truly religious experience. He was, how- 
 ever, gradually relieved, in great measure, from these 
 painful apprehensions, and his faith was generally so 
 much in the ascendant as to render him a peaceful and 
 happy Christian. When he was examined on experi- 
 mental religion, with a view to admission to the Pres- 1 
 
265 
 
 bytery, it was in the presence not only of the Presby- 
 tery itself, but of as many people as could sit in the 
 church in which the meeting was held. The conse- 
 quence was that he found himself greatly confused and 
 embarrassed ; and he afterwards expressed the confi- 
 dent conviction that such examinations, in order to the 
 accomplishment of their legitimate object, should be 
 conducted in a more private way. 
 
 Notwithstanding Mr. McDowell found his residence 
 at Freehold both pleasant and profitable to him, he re- 
 mained there for only a brief period : in November, 
 1810, he became a Tutor in Princeton College, and 
 continued in that relation until September of the next 
 year, pursuing his theological studies under the direc- 
 tion of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Stanhope Smith, then 
 President of the College. His health having become 
 delicate, he resolved to try the efi'ect of a Southern 
 climate, and, accordingly, in November, he sailed for 
 Savannah, the residence of the Rev. Dr. Kollock, 
 whose sister Mr. McDowell afterwards married. Under 
 the direction of this eloquent divine, he resumed his 
 theological studies, and continued them until the next 
 spring. Here he had great satisfaction in having for 
 
 s 
 
 a companion in his studies Mr. (now the Rev. Dr.) 
 
 Thomas H. Skinner, whom he had previously known at 
 23 
 
! 
 
 266 
 
 Elizabethtown, and with whom he formed a very close 
 and enduring intimacy. A revival of religion took 
 place in Dr. Kollock's congregation during his sojourn 
 there, and Mr. McDowell, at Dr. K's suggestion, took 
 an active part in it, even to delivering exhortations to 
 large assemblages in the church — which he seems to 
 have thought approached too near to an invasion of 
 the clerical prerogative, though he found an apology 
 for it in the urgency of the case. After making a visit, 
 with his friend Mr. Skinner, to Sunbury, where he 
 found very pleasant society, and spent a few days 
 much to his satisfaction, he left Savannah on the 6th 
 of April, 1812, accompanied by Mr. S., and, after stop- 
 ping a little in North Carolina, proceeded Northward 
 to his native State. 
 
 As early as the month of June, he seems to have 
 resumed his theological studies at Princeton, and as 
 the Seminary went into operation in August of that 
 year, he became connected with it shortly after, his 
 name appearing as the fifth on the catalogue. The fol- 
 lowing letter, addressed to his brother, the Rev. John 
 McDowell, is interesting from its relation to the Semi- 
 nary while it was yet in its infancy. 
 
267 
 
 Princeton, December 2, 1812. 
 My Dear Brother: 
 
 I fear you will begin to think, from my long silence, that I 
 have forgotten you ; but it is the press of business alone that 
 has prevented my writing. From early in the m(*rning until 
 late at night I am constantly engaged ; and to be able to 
 write even now, I am under the necessity of being absent from 
 recitation. My recitations with the class to Dr. Alexander 
 take up most of my time. We recite every day, and our re- 
 citations are unusually long and difficult ; and to accomplish 
 the object I have in view in spending the winter here, — 
 namely, to prepare myself to take license in the spring, I have 
 to apply myself with very great diligence. My being clerk 
 also to the Theological Society, which now meets twice each 
 week, adds considerably to the amount of my labour. So 
 you will be able to judge how much I have upon my hands, 
 and will readily forgive me if I should not, during the winter, 
 write as frequently as I have been in the habit of doing. 
 
 The number of theological students, since the commence- 
 ment of the session, has increased. Nine is our present num- 
 ber, and we are in expectation of more. Dr. Alexander de- 
 votes most of his time to us. We all love him, and often 
 render our united thanks to God that He ever put it into the 
 hearts of the members of the Assembly to appoint him to the 
 Professorship. He is certainly one of the best and most ex- 
 emplary of men, and I do not think a more judicious choice 
 could have been made. The students are excellent young 
 men. We meet together three evenings in the week for so- 
 cial prayer and reading the Scriptures. Our meetings are 
 all very solemn, and I think the time is not far distant when 
 God will revive his work in this place. There are too many 
 fervent prayers offered up here, not to be answered. In col- 
 lege we have many new regulations, and much more order 
 than formerly. Dr. Green's popularity has been considerably 
 increased by his having adopted it as a rule to invite eight, 
 each week, out of the Senior Class, to dine with him. An im- 
 
268 
 
 portant change has been effected in the prayer-hall, — the ser- 
 vices being marked by a much deeper solemnity than formerly. 
 Dr. Green has introduced singing in the morning, and the 
 students appear pleased with it. 
 
 Your affectionate brother, 
 
 w. A. McDowell. 
 
 Mr. McDowell continued his connection with the 
 Seminary until May, 1813, having been licensed to 
 preach by the Presbytery of New Brunswick on the 
 28th of April, preceding. He accepted an invitation 
 to preach to the congregation at Bound Brook ; the 
 result of which was, that they gave him a call to 
 become their Pastor, which also he accepted. He was 
 ordained and installed Pastor of that church by the 
 same Presbytery which had licensed him, on the 22d of 
 December following ; and about the same time was 
 married to Miss Jane Kollock, daughter of Shepard 
 Kollock, Esq., of Elizabethtown. His connection with 
 the congregation at Bound Brook continued less than a 
 year. It was dissolved on the 19th of October, 1814:; 
 and, on the 15th of the next December, he was installed 
 Pastor of the church at Morristown, N. J. He had 
 previously declined a call from the church in Flem- 
 ington. 
 
 His ministry at Morristown was alike highly accepta- 
 ble and highly useful. He enjoyed, in a very unusual 
 
269 
 
 degree, the affection and confidence of his people, while 
 he, in turn, was steadily and perseveringly devoted to 
 their best interests. But it was not very long before 
 his health became so much impaired as to threaten the 
 disruption of the tie that bound him to his flock. 
 When he was twelve years of age, he suffered severely 
 from the small pox, and never afterwards entirely 
 recovered from the effect of it ; but in the autumn of 
 1822, he was so seriously threatened with a pulmonary 
 affection that it was thought expedient that he should 
 try the effect of a milder climate. Accordingly, with 
 the consent of his congregation, he journeyed South 
 as far as Charleston. S. C, where he passed the winter. 
 The effect upon his physical system was altogether 
 invigorating ; and when he returned in the Spring, his 
 health seemed adequate to the amount of labour which 
 he had been accustomed to perform. It was not long, 
 however, before he relapsed into the feeble state from 
 which he had emerged. About this time he received a 
 call to become the Pastor of a Presbyterian church in 
 Charleston, S. C. ; and, notwithstanding his reluctance 
 to leave a congregation to whom he was so much 
 attached, and among whom he had laboured so pleas- 
 antly and so successfully, he could not resist the con- 
 viction that it was his duty, in view of the probable 
 *23 
 
270 
 
 effect of a permanent residence in the South upon his 
 health, to make the proposed removal. He therefore 
 accepted the call, and his pastoral relation at Morris- 
 town was dissolved on the 8th of October, 1823. 
 
 He was installed by the Charleston Union Presby- 
 tery on the 3d of December, 1823. Every thing in 
 connection with his introduction here gave promise of 
 •extensive usefulness. The congregation, of which he 
 ^assumed the pastoral charge, received him with great 
 •cordiality and kindness, and he found, not only in his 
 'Own flock but among his brethren in the ministry, an 
 ^efficient co-operation for the advancement of the great 
 interests of Christ's Kingdom. The following letter, 
 addressed to his brother about three years after his 
 settlement in Charleston, shows that, in removing to 
 the South, he had not got out of the range of what his 
 heart delighted in so much, — powerful revivals of 
 religion. 
 
 Cpiarleston, December 11, 1826. 
 My Dear Brother : 
 
 On my return from the meeting" of our Synod, two or three 
 days since, I received the copy of your System of Theology, 
 which you have been so kind as to send me, and for which 
 please to accept my warmest thanks. The work has circu- 
 lated considerably here, and I think has been useful. I have 
 read a part of it, and with much more than ordinary interest. 
 My impression is that it will do good ; and that, I think, is 
 the best test of merit. 
 
271 
 
 Our Synod has just closed a most interesting session. They 
 met at Washington in Georgia, The Lord had prepared the 
 ground for us by commencing in that place, before we met, a 
 revival of his work. A most powerful impulse was given to 
 the work by the meeting of the brethren ; and more interest- 
 ing scenes than were witnessed there, I think have seldom 
 passed under my eye. In several places in the upper part of 
 Georgia interesting revivals are now in progress. In the 
 University of Georgia, at Athens, the Lord has been doing a 
 great work. Nearly thirty of the students are hopefully 
 subjects of grace ; and more than fifty are under deep im- 
 pressions. As ministers are so much wanted in this country, 
 this is a work of deep interest to the friends of Zion. I 
 have just heard also of a revival having commenced in the 
 interior of the State, in a very destitute region, under the 
 preaching of one of our missionaries. The Lord is doing 
 great tilings for us, whereof we are glad. The Narrative of 
 the State of Religion within our bounds will soon be pub- 
 lished, and I will take care that a copy is forwarded to you. 
 
 In our churches here there is nothing special. Evangelical 
 religion, however, is, I think, daily gaining ground, and the 
 same is true of Presbyterianism. We expect, in the course 
 of one or two weeks, to commence the publication of a Pres- 
 byterian newspaper. I will send you the first number as soon 
 as it appears. 
 
 Our family are in good health, and not one of our number 
 has sufiered in the least from sickness during the season. 
 My own health also is quite good. I kept up most of the re- 
 gular public seivices during the warm season, and suffered 
 little inconvenience from it. 
 
 With love to all, I am 
 
 Your attached brother, 
 
 WILLIAM A. McDowell. 
 
 In 1827, he was honoured with the degree of Doctor of 
 Divinity from Franklin College, Georgia. In 1832, he 
 
272 
 
 was Moderator of the General Assembly ; and the same 
 year was chosen Professor in the Theological Seminary 
 at Columbia, S. C. He had taken a deep interest in 
 that institution from its foundation, and had done more 
 than any other man to sustain and advance its inter- 
 ests ; but he could not be persuaded that the indica- 
 tions of Providence were in favour of his accepting a 
 Professorship. The following letter to his brother at 
 Elizabethtown will be read with interest, not merely 
 for its historical details in reference to his connection 
 with the Seminary, but on account of the allusion which 
 it makes to the then threatening aspect of public affairs 
 in the South. 
 
 Charleston, January 2, 1833. 
 My Dear Brother; 
 
 Yours of the 24rth ult. I received a day or two since, and 
 sincerely thank you for it. At all times letters from my 
 friends are gratefully welcomed by me ; but, at the present 
 eventful moment, when our countr}^ is so much agitated, and 
 such strange events are daily occurring, it is. especially gra- 
 tifying to me to hear frequently from those I love. And not- 
 withstanding I have now lived more than nine years in the 
 South, and have formed many strong and tender attachments 
 here, and am regarded in fact as a Southern man, I have not 
 lost a particle of my Northern feeling, and every thing that 
 bears the stamp of the North is still as dear to me as when I 
 was living in your neighbourhood. 
 
 As for the Professorship, you will have learned from the 
 newspapers, before this reaches you, that I have declined ac- 
 cepting it. Could I have taken counsel of my own feelings, 
 
273 
 
 I would not have hesitated an hour ; and indeed I told both 
 the Board and the Synod, when the appointment was made, 
 that I could not accept. For two years past, they have been 
 urging me to take a Professorship, but I have never given the 
 least encouragement that I would consent to it. The Semi- 
 nary is now becoming very important — it has about twenty 
 students ; and it seems to be, under God, the great hope of 
 the Southern churches. From the first, no small part of the 
 burden of raising and supporting it has devolved upon me. 
 The Synod determined to appoint me Professor of Theology, 
 and throw on me the responsibility of saying yea or nay, after 
 the appointment was made ; and they placed it pretty much 
 on this ground, — that I must consent to go or the Seminary 
 would probably fail. Indeed several important pledges were 
 made, on condition of my accepting the place. It was under 
 such circumstances that I felt constrained to take the matter 
 into consideration. But, after the most careful and painful 
 and prayerful deliberation, I found it impossible to bring my 
 mind to accept, and I accordingly declined. 
 
 You express great anxiety that I should leave the South, 
 and once more make my home in the North. I thank you for 
 your kind interest in my welfare, and I will certainly tell you 
 my whole heart on the subject, I should have no fears on the 
 score of my health about going North, as I am now quite well, 
 and able, as I believe, to endure a Northern winter. And the 
 state of things here I confess is truly alarming. Should the 
 present crisis pass without a convulsion, I do not see that 
 there is any security in respect to the future — there is so 
 much combustible matter here that an explosion may take 
 place at any moment. I do feel that there is an awful cloud 
 hanging over the South, and particularly over South Carolina, 
 which, at some day, not far distant, must burst ; and what 
 will follow God only knows. And should I ever remove fi'om 
 Charleston, I should not think of locating myself again in 
 any part of the South. But, at the same time, the excitement 
 produced by my appointment as Professor would indicate 
 
2Y4 
 
 that I should probably find it a very painful business to leave 
 Charleston. And so involved have I become in the concerns 
 of the Church throughout the two States of South Carolina 
 and Georgia, and so intimately connected with the churches 
 here, that perhaps in no other place could I exert the same 
 amount of influence, or have the same facilities for doins: s:ood. 
 At present all is quiet in our city, and there seems to be some 
 hope that we may yet escape a war. But we know not what 
 a day may bring forth. Should we be all spared until spring, 
 I expect to visit the North, and to attend the meeting of the 
 General Assembly. 
 
 Let me hear from you soon. I cannot tell you how cheering 
 your letters are to me. 
 
 Your aflFectionate brother, 
 
 WILLIAM A. McDowell. 
 
 As Dr. McDowell had been Moderator of the General 
 Assembly, the preceding year, it devolved upon him to 
 preach the Opening Sermon at the next meeting ; and, 
 accordingly, he left Charleston, with his family, tow- 
 ards the close of April, 1833, not more to discharge 
 his duty at the Assembly than to give himself a season 
 of relaxation for the benefit of his health. The follow- 
 ing extract from a letter addressed to his brother, 
 shortly before he left Charleston, shows what was then 
 the state of his mind in connection with the first devel- 
 opments of the great controversy, which, for several 
 years, agitated, and finally rent asunder, the Presbyte- 
 rian Church. 
 
275 
 
 " I hope we may have a pleasant and profitable meeting of 
 the Assembly ; though some letters have been received here 
 expressing fears that it may be a season of considerable agi- 
 tation. In this part of the Church, we know so little of the 
 troubles at the centre, that we can hardly believe that there 
 is any real danger ; and for one I am not only disposed for 
 peace, but inclined to do all I can to put down the violent and 
 headstrong, on whatever side they may be found. And I 
 cannot but hope that there are among the ministers of the 
 Presbyterian Church a sufficient number who love the Jruth 
 and the order of the Church, and who, with meekness, but 
 firmness, will frown on every effort to produce jealousies and 
 divisions. May the Spirit of the Lord be with us to influence 
 and guide us in all our deliberations and decisions." 
 
 At the meeting of the Assembly above referred to, Dr. 
 McDowell was appointed Secretary of the Board of 
 Domestic Missions of the Presbyterian Church. This 
 appointment he thought it his duty to accept, and did 
 accept ; though at the expense of abandoning a field of 
 labour in which he had been eminently useful, and seem- 
 ed to be still greatly needed, as well as of sundering 
 the tie which bound him to a most affectionate and de- 
 voted congregration. He returned to Charleston shortly 
 after the sessions of the Assembly closed, and, to the 
 great regret of his pastoral charge, secured a regular 
 release from them, and then made his way to Philadel- 
 phia, and early in the autumn commenced his labours 
 as Secretary of the Board. 
 
276 
 
 Dr. McDowell, by his great wisdom, conscientious- 
 ness and diligence, quickly proved himself abundantly 
 qualified for the place to which he was now introduced. 
 His labours were exceedingly arduous, and his health, 
 during much of the time, materially impaired ; and yet 
 his zeal so far triumphed over his physical infirmities 
 that few men ha\ e occupied a similar place with greater 
 efficiency. The year after he entered upon his Secreta- 
 ryship, he had occasion, in the discharge of his official 
 duties, to pay a visit to the South, and the welcome 
 which he met from his former charge was not only 
 grateful but jubilant. It was delightful to him to per- 
 ceive that their affection for him had not even begun to 
 wane ; while it occasioned him deep regret that the 
 place which he had vacated, as their Pastor, more than 
 a year before, had not yet been filled. He seems to 
 have had some serious difficulties to encounter, during 
 this visit, in connection with his particular object, — 
 the cause of Missions ; and in one of his letters he 
 writes that it will require all the wisdom he can get 
 from Heaven and earth to meet them successfully — 
 what they were does not clearly appear ; though they 
 do not seem to have occasioned him any long continued 
 embarrassment. 
 
 Dr. McDowell suffered, for many years, from an affec- 
 
277 
 
 tion of the throat, which rendered speaking, especially 
 in public, a very difficult exercise to him. His hearing 
 also gradually became so much affected that it was irk- 
 some to him to engage in much conversation. In the 
 summer of 1840, he visited the Warm Springs, and 
 afterwards the Hot Springs, of Virginia, and, at the 
 latter, particularly, he experienced considerable im- 
 provement in his general health, and at least some 
 temporary relief from his deafness ; and he expressed 
 the opinion that, if his official duties would have al- 
 lowed him to give the waters a more tliorough trial, he 
 should have received a proportionally greater benefit 
 from them. How much his heart was in his work, 
 even in his seasons of greatest relaxation, may be 
 inferred from the following extract of a letter to his 
 brother, dated Hot Springs, August 21, 1840. 
 
 " I feel quite anxious to be in the office again, and know 
 liow matters are gettijig on. I find it no easy thing to rid 
 myself of anxiety — indeed I am too deepljMnterestcd in the 
 great cause to banish it from my mind for a single hour. 
 While rambling over these mountains, solitary and alone, my 
 mind has been dwelling on the magnitude of the object which 
 <mr Board contemplates. This is a great and growing coun- 
 try, destined, I am persuaded, to be the main instrument, in 
 tlie Lord's hands, for the conversion of a world ; and how im- 
 portant is it to the destinies of unborn millions that a Gospel 
 influence should pervade the whole population of this land I 
 Had I the power of hearing and speaking, as I once had, me- 
 24 
 
278 
 
 thinks I should rejoice to spend a year in visiting all portions 
 of our Church, and rousing them to vigorous action in some 
 measure suited to the almost incomprehensible magnitude of 
 the mighty object." 
 
 Towards the close of the same year (1840), Dr. Mc- 
 Dowell made a tour still farther South, in aid of the 
 interests of the Board, and, while in South Carolina, 
 attended a meeting of Synod, which led him, shortly 
 after, to address to his brother the following letter : 
 
 Charleston, December 4, 1840. 
 My Dear Be<ither : 
 
 On our arrival here, I wrote you a few lines, which T hope 
 you received. The next morning we left Charleston for Au- 
 gusta, where we spent the night ; and Saturday morning, 
 November 21st, we went to Beach Island, seven miles from 
 Augusta, on the Savannah river. We had a very pleasant 
 meeting of our Presbytery, and, after its adjournment, we re- 
 turned to Augusta to meet the Synod. The Synod was unu- 
 sually full, and the meeting was one of the most interesting 
 we have ever had. Several subjects of unusual interest came 
 up for consideration, and occasioned much animated discus- 
 sion ; chief among which was the whole subject of Boards 
 
 and Agencies in the operations of the Church. Brother C 
 
 and Brother T had come well prepared to overthrow the 
 
 whole system ; and each of these luminaries having a number 
 of smaller lights revolving around them, and influenced by 
 them, they had mustered their whole host, and I believe really 
 supposed they could carry the subject triumphantly through; 
 but they were met Vv^ith firmness and completely discomfited-. 
 The discussion occupied two days — the second day until about 
 eleven o'clock, p. m. The house was filled to overflowing by 
 the people of Augusta, and the interest was intense and gen- 
 
279 
 
 eral. The principal speakers on the one side were Messrs. 
 C. and T. — on the other Mr. L. made one or two excellent 
 speeches ; Mr. S. of Charleston was clear, forcible and con- 
 clusive ; and your brother, deaf as he is, spoke at one time, 
 about an hour and a half. The question was taken by yeas 
 and nays. The revolutionists had seven votes, and the other 
 side, — that is, those in favour of the Boards, about fifty. The 
 effect of the discussion has been most salutary. There was 
 much ignorance and great apathy on this whole subject in 
 this portion of the Church, and indeed many strong prejudices 
 — the result has been that light has been communicated, pre- 
 judices removed, ministers and elders roused to increased ex- 
 ertion, and a new impulse given to the whole cause. We all 
 rejoiced in the opportunity which the discussion afforded of 
 bringing the several Boards prominently before the Synod. 
 Several other important subjects were introduced, which led 
 to much animated discussion ; but the best feeling prevailed, 
 and it was delightful to find that we could differ on important 
 subjects, and discuss freel}'', and warml}', and still, in the best 
 sense, be perfectly harmonious. During our meeting, my 
 time was much occupied with the business of the Synod, and 
 particularly of the Theological Seminary. As I was one of 
 the Directors of the Seminary whose time of service expired 
 at this meeting, I begged to be left off the nomination, as I 
 could not hear their discussions ; but my wish was not com- 
 plied with, and I was re-elected. The Domestic Missionary 
 cause, I find, is almost entirely prostrate here — they are in 
 debt for the few missionaries they have, and are literally doing 
 nothing. I did what I could in Synod to rouse them, and I 
 hope not without some effect. They have agreed hereafter to act 
 with and through the Board ; and to help set them in motion, 
 I have agreed to spend two or three weeks in Georgia, and 
 visit Augusta, Athens, Washington, Greensboro' and Macon ; 
 and this will detain me longer than I intended from the oflSce 
 — but the case seems imperatively to demand it ; and as I 
 am now here, I suppose the Committee would prefer that I 
 
280 
 
 should take one or even two weeks more than I anticipated, 
 in order to do the work as cifectually as I can. My brethren 
 of the Board may rest assured that I shall not spend a day iu 
 idleness, nor remain an hour after my work is done. My 
 deafness is a sore trial to me in this important business, but 
 through the Divine goodness, I have got along much better 
 than I expected. Your attached brother, 
 
 w. A. McDowell. 
 
 Though Dr. McDowell's infirmities were all the time 
 rather gaining upon him, he still continued his labours 
 with little or no abatement, not only discharging with 
 great fidelity his duties at the office, but visiting many 
 of the more important churches, and bringing his 
 object very e£fectively to their attention and patronage. 
 In 1847, he had .become so feeble that he signified his 
 desire and intention to resign his office; but yielded to 
 urgent solicitations not to do it at that time. In the 
 spring of 1850, however, such was the state of his 
 health that he found it imperative to withdraw from 
 all active service, and he accordingly tendered his 
 resignation, which was accepted very reluctantly, 
 though with a deep sense of the Church's obligation 
 to him for his long continued and most important ser- 
 vices. 
 
 Dr. McDowell, feeling that he had now nearly closed 
 his earthly labours, turned his eyes towards t..t; home 
 of his early years as the spot where he would like to 
 
281 • 
 
 spend the little of life that remained to him. Accord- 
 ingly, shortly after the resignation of his office, he re- 
 moved from Philadelphia to Lamington, and settled 
 down amidst the scene of his early remembrances and 
 associations. But it was impossible that, with such a 
 spirit as he possessed, he could do otherwise than 
 labour still up to the full measure of his ability. He 
 spent the summer of 1850 at his "Retreat," in Lam- 
 ington, preaching occasionally, as his health would 
 permit, and dividing his time chiefly between his pen, 
 his books, and his friends. On hearing of the death of 
 Dr. Cuyler, with whom he had long been in the most 
 intimate relations, he writes thus to his brother : — 
 
 " The death of our excellent brother, Dr. Cnyler, is a so- 
 lemn, and, in some of its aspects, a sad event. After what I 
 had heard of his illness, I was somewhat prepared for a fatal 
 result. I find it difficult to realize that he is gone, and that I 
 shall see his face no more. He was indeed an excellent bro- 
 ther, and possessed some noble traits of character. I saw 
 him oft, and knew him well, and loved him much. God has 
 called him away at a time when we looked not for it, but 
 God's time is always the best. May his death be sanctified 
 to his brethren who are left on earth a little longer. Truly, 
 my dear bi'other, what we do for the souls of our fellow crea- 
 tures must be done quickly. However short may be the time 
 that remaineth to us, the work we j'et have to do is great, 
 and we have not a moment to lose. Oh the infinite value of 
 each passing hour ! The Lord help us to be diligent and 
 faithful." 
 
 *24 
 
282 
 
 In the autumn of this year (1850), Dr. DcDowell, 
 accompanied by Mrs. McDowell, made his last 
 visit to his friends in the South, in the hope that 
 his health might be benefited by that more genial 
 climate. They were received by their friends in 
 Charleston with the warmest demonstrations of 
 affectionate regard, and, in compliance with their 
 urgent solicitations, they remained somewhat longer 
 than they had intended. Tlie people of his former 
 >charge were permitted once more to enjoy a privilege 
 which they highly prized, — that of hearing his voice in 
 •the pulpit. For some time after his arrival in Charles- 
 ton, his health seemed somewhat improved ; but before 
 leaving the place, he was attacked with a chronic aifec- 
 tion of the bowels, which greatly reduced liis strength, 
 and threatened a fatal issue. He also became deeply 
 impressed, during this visit, with the delicate and peril- 
 ous relations existing between North and South, and, 
 in one of his letters, ventured a prediction of which 
 the fearful scenes of the present day are nothing more 
 than a fulfilment. Though he spent most of the win- 
 ter in Charleston, he paid short visits- to Camden, Co- 
 lumbia, and Hillsboro', N. C, where he had friends, 
 and wherever he went, was met with a most cordial 
 welcome. He returned to his residence in New Jersey, 
 
^83 
 
 in May, 1851, and shortly after, as appears from the 
 following letter to his brother, was visited with a 
 serious illness. 
 
 Retreat, June 18, 1851. 
 My Dear Brother : 
 
 Your kind letter of the 12th inst. came by the mail of yes- 
 terday. I thank you for it and will attempt a brief reply. I 
 wrote you not long since, and gave you a full account of the 
 illness with which our Heavenly Father has been pleased to 
 visit me. I then expressed the hope that I was better and 
 was slowly gaining strength ; and I venture to indulge that 
 hope still, though my cough is troublesome and I continue 
 very weak. The weather has been much against me. It is 
 now quite dry, and rain is much needed ; but it is culd, espe- 
 ciall}'' in the mornings and evenings. 
 
 The Pluckemin people are going forward with some spirit. 
 They have commenced their church edifice on a lot adjoining 
 the old grave yard. They build there to avoid covering graves, 
 and a threatened law suit The site is a good one. 
 
 The Lord seems disposed to keep you from stagnating. 
 And for your general good health you owe Him much. You 
 have indeed a heavy task, but I am persuaded that few others 
 could do it as well as you, and I rejoice in your good snccess. 
 That building will remain after your work on earth is done, 
 as a precious monument to your indefatigable industry and 
 perseverance in the best of causes. May a kind providence 
 enable you to complete the important enterprise ; and wlien 
 finished, may God, by his Spirit, take up his abode there. It 
 is the presence of the Holy Spirit and that alone, that can 
 give prosperity to a church. Oh that we all felt this more 
 decpl}' than we do. We greatl}' need an unction from the 
 Holy One. 
 
 As soon as I am able, I wish to write to your Presbytery 
 and give some account of myself Although not now within 
 
284 
 
 their bounds, I am not prepared at present to change my 
 Presbyterial connection. Should my health be restored, I do 
 not expect to spend the winter here, and I know not exactly 
 where I may be. If I liave strong-th to labour, I do not expect 
 to be idle. If my health should not be restored, I shall not be 
 in a situation to join any otlier body. I trust m}^ good bre- 
 thren of the Presbytery will not object to my retaining my 
 present connection, until I can see more clearly what God 
 designs for me. 
 
 Let me hear from you soon and often, and believe me 
 Your affectionate brother, 
 
 WILLIAM A. McDowell. 
 
 Dr. McDowell continued in a feeble state during the 
 summer, ar.d yet he was able to preach almost every 
 Sabbath, and his voice became clearer and louder 
 than it had been for a long time previous. In July, he 
 officiated in laying the corner-stone of the church at 
 Pluckemin, referred to in the preceding letter, and felt 
 the deepest interest in the occasion. About the first 
 of September, he went to Morristown, with a view to 
 place himself under the care of his former physician, 
 Dr. Johnes, in whom he had great confidence. Even 
 then he was not so ill as to occasion any immediate 
 alarm ; and he took with him a few sermons with the 
 expectation that he might be able to preach at least a 
 part of the time during his absence. Though his ill- 
 ness had been of long continuance, there was but little 
 immediate warning of his death. He was himself 
 
■ 285 
 
 fully aware of its near approach ; was perfectly calm 
 and self possessed in the prospect, and expressed the 
 full assurance of hope. The night before he died, he 
 was much engaged in prayer for the Church, and for 
 the cause of Missions, which was specially dear to 
 his heart. His strength gradually declined, until he 
 died, from exhaustion, on the l*7th of September, 1851. 
 His remains were removed to Lamington for burial, 
 and the Sermon on occasion of his Funeral was preach- 
 ed by the Rev. Dr. William W. Blauvelt, from 1 Timo- 
 thy, I, 12. 
 
 Mrs. McDowell still survives, with one son, who is an 
 Elder in the Church, and a highly respectable medical 
 practitioner in New Jersey. 
 
286 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 His Character. 
 
 I had the pleasure of a somewhat intimate acquaint- 
 ance with Dr. McDowell, having first been introduced 
 to him at his own house in Charleston, in the autumn 
 of 1830, and having had frequent opportunities of 
 intercourse w^ith him from about the commencement of 
 his residence in Philadelphia till near the close of his 
 life. A part of what I design to say in respect to his 
 character, in connection with some of his relations, of 
 course comes to me on testimony; but I shall say noth- 
 ing but what is in full keeping with, and might fairly be 
 inferred from, the results of my own observation. 
 
 Dr. McDowell was eminently favoured in respect to 
 the original elements of his character. He had a fine, 
 clear, well-balanced intellect, which had not only been 
 subjected to an early judicious training, but was kept 
 under careful culture in connection with the great and 
 diversified labours of his life. His moral character 
 was marked by uncommon amiableness and kindliness 
 
287 
 
 of spirit; by perfect openness and transparency ; by a 
 modesty that did not aspire to high places 5 by an 
 admirable discretion that never compromised either 
 dignity or consistency ; and by an energy of purpose 
 that never took counsel of fear, nor faltered in the most 
 difficult enterprises. In his physical qualities he was 
 much less favoured than in his intellectual or moral ; 
 for, however vigorous his bodily constitution may have 
 been originally, from the age of twelve it was essen- 
 tially and irremediably impaired. He was of a slen- 
 der form, rather below the medium height, and, in his 
 latter years especially, moved about with an air of fee- 
 bleness. His countenance indicated thoughtfulness, 
 gentleness, and earnestness ; and his utterances ful- 
 filled all that his looks foreshadowed. His manners 
 formed a faithful exponent of his mind and heart. 
 While there was nothing in his address to indicate 
 either sympathy with, or adaptedness to, fashionable 
 life, there was a freedom, and naturalness, and self-pos- 
 session, that showed his familiarity with good society, 
 and made his presence, in every circle, an element of 
 pleasure. 
 
 Dr. McDowell's excellent moral qualities were all 
 beautifully and thoroughly recast in the mould of a 
 living Christianity. It was impossible to be in his 
 
288 
 
 company, even for a short time, without perceiving that 
 his was no ordinary type of Christian character ; that 
 faith, and patience, and hope, and humility, and grati- 
 tude, and all the graces, had reached a maturity and 
 elevation in him, that distinguished him from most of 
 those that bear the Christian name. He was eminently 
 a devout man. The prayers that I have heard him 
 offer showed that he was at home in his closet, — that 
 there was no atmosphere which he breathed so freely 
 as that which surrounds the throne of grace. His reli- 
 gion, while it was founded in a deep conviction of the 
 great truths of the Gospel, diffused itself, by an all 
 pervading influence, over his heart and life. He real- 
 ized most deeply that his mission, as a regenerate 
 child of God, was to do good ; and his grand object 
 seemed to be to make eveiy faculty he possessed, every 
 relation he sustained, tributary to the well-being of his 
 fellow-men and the glory of his Master. And over all 
 his devout exercises and manifestations, and all his 
 earnest Christian activity, there was cast an air of 
 winning cheerfulness, which delighted everybody, and 
 lent a charm to Christianity, even in the eyes of those 
 who could not feel its more spiritual attractions. 
 
 As a Preacher, Dr. McDowell took rank among the 
 most evangelical, earnest, effective preachers of his 
 
289 
 
 day. His voice was originally clear and pleasant, but 
 in his later years, and, if m}' memory serves me, from 
 the time that I first heard him preach, disease had so 
 far affected his vocal organs that his speaking was 
 difBcult and laboured — he would, however, as he ad- 
 vanced and waxed warm in his sermon, recover, in a 
 good degree, the command of his voice, and, before he 
 was at the end of it, you would wonder what had be- 
 come of the hoarseness with which he started. His 
 manner in the pulpit was simple, dignified and com- 
 manding. Without the least approach to any thing 
 that would make you feel that he was trying to be elo- 
 quent, there was an earnestness in his looks and 
 utterances, and very attitudes, that the jnost indifferent 
 hearer would find it difficult to resist. And then what 
 he said was in full harmony with his manner of saying 
 it — it was the simple truth of God's word, presented 
 in its due proportions, and its legitimate relations, 
 without any admixture of splendid rhetoric or profound 
 disquisition. His sermons Vv'ere far enough from being 
 mere religious rhapsodies or exhortations — on the con- 
 trary, they were full of evangelical instruction, clearly 
 and logically presented ; but everything that he said 
 was practical — no doctrine that he preaciied was so 
 
 high but that he showed its personal bearings upon the 
 25 
 
290 
 
 conscience and hearts of his hearers — in short, all his 
 deliverances in the pulpit clearly evinced that he felt 
 that he was an ambassador of God, and that he had 
 nothing to do but to proclaim and enforce the message 
 vyhich had been given him. 
 
 As a Pastor, Dr. McDowell was a model of wisdom, 
 affectionate carefulness, and fidelity. He moved about 
 among his people like a father and a brother, and 
 nothing that in any way involved their happiness es- 
 caped his thoughtful and benevolent regard. To the 
 children of sorrow he was a very Son of Consolation, 
 endeavouring, at the same time, to render their aflflic- 
 tions a ministration of spiritual blessing. The way- 
 ward and the dissolute he sought to reclaim by timely 
 and solemn admonitions ; the anxious and the heavy- 
 laden he urged to the Cross as the only place of refuge 
 and of rest ; those whom he saw faltering in their 
 Christian course he endeavoured to stimulate to a 
 higher sense of duty ; and the steadfast and active fol- 
 lowers of Christ he encouraged, not only by his coun- 
 sels but by his example, to a vigorous co-operation for 
 the advancement of the Redeemer's cause. Persons of 
 every age and every description, not excepting even 
 those who were far from righteousness, respected, 
 honoured and loved him. 
 
291 
 
 In each of the congregations to which he ministered, 
 especially the two last, there were very marked results 
 from his ministr}'^ — not a small number, both at Morris- 
 town and at Charleston, were hopefully converted 
 through his instrumentality; and the church, in each 
 place, acquired increased stability and efficiency under 
 his pastorate. But his greatest usefulness, after all, 
 was undoubtedly in connection Avith his position as 
 Corresponding Secretary of the Board of Domestic Mis- 
 sions. For this office he Avas remarkably qualified, not 
 only by his great practical wisdom and good judgment, 
 but by his rare executive ability, his familiarity with 
 the forms of business, and his unusual tact in accommo- 
 dating himself to men of every variety of taste and 
 character. In all his personal and official relations with 
 his brethren, with whom he was thus more immediately 
 associated, he was most considerate and obliging ; and 
 most highly did they value his counsels and his sympa- 
 thy. The best comment upon his ability and fidelity in 
 conducting this important agency is the signal success 
 by which his labours were attended. Upon his accession 
 to the office, the condition of the Board was greatly 
 depressed, and it was deeply felt that some energetic 
 hand was needed to infuse into it new vigour, and to 
 enlarge the field of its operations. Dr. McDowell went 
 
292 
 
 quietly to work in his new vocation, and it quickly 
 became manifest that the Church had judged rightly in 
 assigning to him this important place. Each successive 
 year witnessed to a greatly increased interest in the 
 cause of Domestic Missions, until the Church at large 
 became in a good degree awake to its importance. He 
 had the satisfaction, during the seventeen years that he 
 was connected with the Board, of seeing its receipts in- 
 creased from 25,000 to nearly 80,000 dollars ; and the 
 number of ministers and missionaries from 209 to 570; 
 and the Church extended widely over our country, 
 and from 30 to 40,000 souls hopefully converted 
 through the instrumentality of this Board. He la- 
 boured in this cause with a zeal and perseverance to 
 which it would not be easy to fix the limit ; and, though 
 others have entered into his labours, and others still 
 will follow in an indefinite succession, it will always be 
 true that he was among those who have had a primary 
 influence in extending the borders of our Church, and 
 bringing under Christian culture regions that seemed 
 destined to perpetual barrenness. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to add that, in all his private 
 and domestic relations, Dr. McDowell was most exem- 
 plary and attractive. What he was as a husband and 
 a father, — how tender, and wise, and faithful, is writ- 
 
293 
 
 ten deep in the remembrance and sensibilities of those 
 to whom he sustained these endearing relations. What 
 he was as a friend, — how true, and generous, and self- 
 sacrificing, is attested by the gratitude and reverence 
 with which multitudes still pronounce his name. 
 Every community in which he has lived has loved to 
 do him honour ; but the most delightful reflection con- 
 cerning him is, that, though his name should fade from 
 every earthly record, it is indelibly engraven in the 
 register of the saved and the glorified ; even of those 
 who, having turned many to righteousness, shall shine 
 as the stars forever and even 
 
 *25 
 
294 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Commemorative Letters. 
 
 I. 
 
 Elizabethtown, March 27, 1864. 
 
 My Dear Brother : 
 
 I love the memory of Dr. W. A. McDowell too well, 
 and have too high an appreciation of his worth, intel- 
 lectual and moral, not to respond to your request for 
 some of my recollections of h'n character. My only 
 regret is that I have not the leisure, or the health just 
 now, to do fuller justice to the subject. 
 
 Dr. McDow^ell entered upon the ministry of the Gos- 
 pel while I was preparing for it, and, as he often 
 preached for his brother in Elizabethtown, where I was 
 born and brought up, 1 heard some of his first sermons. 
 My acquaintance with him commenced then, and it 
 continued, with great pleasure and profit to myself, as 
 long as he lived. It does me uood, at this late day, to 
 think of him as a dear friend. There was no difficulty 
 in knowing him well, for if he did not carry his heart 
 on the outside, to be gazed at, and commented on, by 
 ever}' passer by, he never carried a false heart, at any 
 stage of his life. I never met a man more perfectly 
 
295 
 
 free from pretence and assumption of every sort. Trans- 
 parency in whatever he said or did was one of the 
 prime excellences of his character, so prominent as 
 easily to be seen and read of all with whom he came 
 into contact. Making it his grand aim to be right, he 
 could not practise dissimulation, or look one way while 
 he was moving another. 
 
 Often did it seem to me a pity that so good and large 
 a mind was put into so frail a body. The casket was 
 not at all worthy of the priceless gem which it con- 
 tained. A disease that overtook hira in early youth, 
 left an impress of weakness upon his whole physical 
 frame, which no change of scene, or climate, or labour 
 could remove ; and eventually it hastened his depar- 
 ture from the world. His whole life was one long 
 battle with debility, giving him the stoop of age while 
 young, and leading him to preach as if he had " the 
 sentence of death in himself." How often has my heart 
 ached to mark with what feeble steps he ascended the 
 pulpit stairs. No wonder that he preached as a dying 
 man to dying men. A sermon which he delivered at 
 that early period, on the words of Job, — " I would not 
 live alway," and of which I have a very vivid remem- 
 brance, at the distance of half a century, seemed to me 
 as much like one's last utterances as could possibly be. 
 
296 
 
 No doubt the state of his health had a great deal to do 
 with his choice of texts, and his mode of treating them. 
 Yet it Avonid be a great mistake to conclude that he 
 was an unattractive preacher, repelling the youthful 
 and the buoyant, like the appearance of a death's head. 
 The very opposite was the fact. There was such an 
 air of cheerfulness overspreading his solemnity, and so 
 much of hope and joy connected with his deep lookings 
 into eternity, that he seldom failed to attract the feel- 
 ings, and win the sympathy of his hearers. He excelled 
 in earnestness and unction. These qualities were ap- 
 parent to every listener, and they rendered his minis- 
 trations unusually impressive. I never wondered that 
 he was loved and respected at Bound Brook, the first 
 field of his labours ; nor that he was still more highly 
 valued at Morristown, where he remained for a longer 
 period ; nor that he reached a still loftier eminence at 
 Charleston, where he took rank with the most honoured 
 and useful ministers of the whole region. Here it was 
 thought he had attained to the acme of his influence 
 and power. God blessed his labours in that city with 
 two precious revivals of religion. On many accounts, 
 this seemed to be the spot, where his talents could be 
 excited to the very best advantage, as well in the city 
 
297 
 
 itself as throughout the entire South. But his strength 
 was unequal to the great work before him. 
 
 His last service for the Church of God was that of 
 Secretary of the Assembly's Board of Domestic Mis- 
 sions, requiring a happy combination of talents not 
 very frequently found. For reasons which need not 
 here be enumerated, the juncture in the affairs of that 
 institution was a very serious one. But worn as Dr. 
 McDowell had been with other labours, he brought to 
 this difficult and important post an amount of zeal, and 
 tact, and kindheartedness, and far-seeing prudence, in 
 the office and out of it, corresponding with missionaries 
 and addressing churches, which has seldom been sur- 
 passed. Hundreds can bear record that, " to his power, 
 yea and beyond his power," he devoted himself to the 
 great enterprise. But his frail constitution at length 
 gave way. His hearing failed to such a degree that he 
 could scarcely distinguish the tones of his own voice, 
 and his organs of articulation seemed to have utterly 
 exhausted their power. Bear up for a long time he 
 did with indomitable resolution. It was affecting to 
 witness such a mastery of mind over matter, and he was 
 often heard with all the more interest because of the 
 victory we saw him gain over the infirmities of nature. 
 
298 
 
 To give np as one who could work no longer was his 
 severest trial. Had he only been blessed with robust 
 health, and with lungs and voice of ordinary capacity, 
 he would have stood fully abreast with the most useful 
 men our Church has produced. 
 
 As a companion, whether under his own hospitable 
 roof, or in the houses of his friends, he was all that the 
 purest and most elevated friendship could desire. I 
 am not alone in the opinion that his conversational 
 powers were remarkable, and though he could tell a 
 good story, and raise a hearty laugh, and laugh loudly 
 himself, there was in it all so charming a modesty, and 
 60 thoughtful a regard to the feelings of others that 
 there seemed no room for any thing but innocent enjoy- 
 ment. If the interview lasted until midnight, nothing 
 was said on his part, to render the bed uneasy, or plant 
 thorns in the pillow. I must affirm I never heard him 
 make a single censorious remark. You could not but 
 feel well repaid for the loss of a little sleep, in the re- 
 collection of the pleasant converse you had enjoyed 
 with one so guileless and at the saiije time so lively, so 
 fond of talk and yet talking so well. How sweetly 
 does the memory of his face and his smiles steal over 
 the minds of his many friends, to this day ! Where 
 can be found a larger share of fraternal kindness, ten- 
 
299 
 
 der affection, and genuine amiability, all underlaid by 
 a depth of Christian principle and feeling which every 
 body acknowledged ? I do not go too far when I say 
 he was like " the disciple whom Jesus loved." 
 
 The time now came when he had to withdraw from 
 public work altogether, and he did it with the grace 
 and goodliness of Him who said " He must increase but 
 I must decrease." His last days were spent on a beau- 
 tiful little farm, which he had prepared as a retreat 
 from cares and toils which he could no longer bear ; 
 almost in sight of the spot where he first opened his 
 eyes upon the light of life, and in the midst of friends 
 and neighbours who had loved him from his childhood. 
 Death overtook him somev/hat suddenly, but his loins 
 were girded and his lamp was burning. 
 
 Among my many dear friends, gone to a better 
 world, there are few whose memory I cherish with a 
 warmer affection, or whose excellences I should more 
 love to portray. R is a delightful thought that Heaven 
 is rapidly filling up with such people. May we be ready 
 to join them! 
 
 Very truly and affectionately yours, 
 
 DAVID MAGIE. 
 
300 
 
 11. 
 From the Rev. H. A. Boardman, D. D. 
 
 Philadelphia, Jlpril 28, 1864. 
 Rev. and Dear Sir : 
 
 You ask me for any recollections that may occur to 
 me respecting the late Dr. William A. McDowell. I 
 am sorry that it is out of my power to send you the 
 sort of letter which such a request is understood to 
 imply. For eventful incidents and occasions in his 
 experience, you will have to look to other sources. I 
 can only say that his name is cherished in our city as 
 that of a man fully devoted to his Master's service. The 
 office he filled of Secretary of the Board of Domestic Mis- 
 sions of our Church is one of equal delicacy and re- 
 sponsibility. To the discharge of its duties he brought 
 a vigorous and well furnished mind, a singularly equa- 
 ble temper, a heart full of kindly sympathies, a sound 
 judgment, most affable manners, the various culture 
 supplied by a ripe pastoral experience, and the pervad- 
 ing presence and power of an earnest piety. No one 
 could be with him without perceiving that his maxim 
 was " This one thing I do." He had taken the gauge 
 of his great work, and made up his mind that by no 
 rashness nor negligence on his part should it ever be 
 put in peril. It was no mere official tie which bound 
 
301 
 
 him to our excellent missionaries in the field. He was 
 one with them in purpose and sympathy. Their trials 
 were his trials. Their, triumphs were his triumphs. 
 In their perplexities they found him a prudent counsel- 
 lor. When their feelings had been wounded or irri- 
 tated, he knew how to soothe them. When cases of 
 peculiar distress occurred, he was prompt in seeking 
 and sending the needful relief. In the pulpit and be- 
 fore the Courts of the Church, he plead the cause of 
 Home Missions with marked ability and with eminent 
 success. And his abundant labours in conducting this 
 great interest entitle him to a place among those faith- 
 ful men whom the Church holds in grateful and lasting 
 remembrance. 
 
 I might speak of Dr. McDowell's fine social qualities 
 of his freedom from all acerbity and censoriousness ; ox 
 the warmth of his friendly greetings; of the kindly 
 sympathy with which he would enter into whatever 
 concerned you ; and of that most obliging disposition 
 which made him so ready to do you a good turn to-day 
 and another to-morrow, and so on as long and as often 
 as your necessities required. 
 
 But I am too much pressed for time at this moment 
 
 to dwell upon these pleasant topics, and I must either 
 
 decline your request altogether, or send you this hur 
 26 
 
302 
 
 ried note, — a very scant and imperfect tribute to the 
 memory of a valued personal friend and a faithful am- 
 bassador for Christ. 
 
 I remain, my dear Sir, with sincere respect and affec- 
 tion, your friend and brother, 
 
 HENRY A. BOARDMAN. 
 
 III. 
 
 From the Rev, John Maclean, D. D., 
 President of the College of New Jersey. 
 
 College of New Jersey, ? 
 
 Princeton, May bth, 18G4. ) 
 
 My Dear Sir : 
 
 At the time I received your favour of the 25th ult., 
 I was suffering from a severe inflammation of my right 
 eye, which prevented a prompt compliance with your 
 request in regard to my much esteemed friends, the late 
 Eev. Drs. John and "Wm. A. McDowell. And even now 
 I am scarcely able to do more than to give very brief 
 replies to the letters which I am daily receiving; yet, 
 in the present instance, as the case admits of no delay, 
 I must venture somewhat ; and add my testimony to 
 the worth of these two excellent men and faithful ser- 
 vants of Christ. I knew them both from my early life, 
 but was more intimate with the younger brother, who. 
 
303 
 
 when I was a lad, and he a Tutor in the College, was 
 wont to visit at my father's house, and whose friend- 
 ship for our family continued throughout his life. Dr. 
 John McDowell, the elder of the two brothers, I knew 
 first as the Pastor of the First Presbyterian church of 
 Elizabethtown, N. J., and as a Trustee of this College ; 
 always faithful to his ofl&cial trusts, and successful in 
 his efibrts to promote the cause of piety and learning, 
 and in one respect surpassing any Pastor of my 
 acquaintance — I refer to his constantly directing the 
 attention of the pious and promising youth of his 
 church to the importance of the Christian Ministry, 
 and to their own obligations in reference to it. Few 
 men were ever more blessed in their labours, and few so 
 worthy of imitation by those who desire to be faithful 
 and successful in winning souls to Christ. He was a 
 sincere man and a true friend. 
 
 Dr. Wm. A. McDowell was a favourite pupil of my 
 father, who, for many years, was Professor of Mathe- 
 matics and Natural Philosophy in this College, and its 
 first teacher of Chemistry. During apart of the sum- 
 mer term of 1812, he supplied my father's place in the 
 College as teacher of Mathematics, and sustained him- 
 self well. In the autumn of that year, if I err not, he 
 entered the Theological Seminary of Princeton, which 
 
304 
 
 had been recently established, the only Professor being 
 the late venerable Dr. Archibald Alexander. 
 
 At that time there being no buildings erected for the 
 Seminary, its students were permitted, if they desired 
 it, to lodge in the College buildings, and to use the 
 recitation rooms of the College at such hours as they 
 were not wanted for College purposes. This led to a 
 great intimacy between the students of the two insti- 
 tutions, and to a co-operation in their benevolent 
 efforts. In these. Dr. (then Mr.,) W. A. McDowell, 
 took an active part, and at the formation of the Nas- 
 sau Hall Bible Society, he was chosen its first Presi- 
 dent, and wrote an Address setting forth the object for 
 which it was established. The Address was published 
 with a copy of the Constitution, as then adopted, and 
 it was probably the first article from his pen that ever 
 appeared in print. This was three years before the 
 founding of the American Bible Society, at the forma- 
 tion of which, delegates were present from the Nassau 
 Hall Bible Society. Those familiar with the history 
 of the Bible agencies in our country know the import- 
 ant services rendered by the Nassau Hall Society in 
 the first efforts made to supply every destitute family 
 in the State of New Jersey with a copy of the Holy 
 Scriptures. 
 
305 
 
 In 1817, Dr. McDowell was chosen a Trustee of this 
 College. In 182-1 he resigned his seat at the Board, 
 and was elected again the following year. 
 
 Dr. McDowell was a man of no ordinary ability. He 
 was a good scholar, and an instructive preacher. 
 Pious, active, cheerful, he was a most agreeable com- 
 panion, and an exemplary Christian minister. I might 
 say more — I could not say less. 
 
 With the highest respect and esteem, Yours, 
 
 JOHN MACLEAN. 
 
Princeton Theologtcsl Semmary-Spef 
 
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