J. W. Alexander, 1804-1859

James Waddell Alexander was born to Archibald and Janetta Waddell Alexander in Louisa County, Virginia, on March 13, 1804. The infant had been named for Janetta’s father, James Waddell, D.D., who had ministered in the Shenandoah Valley many years and was known as “The Blind Preacher of Virginia.” Young Alexander graduated the College of New Jersey in 1820 and then studied divinity at Princeton Seminary. His first ministry following his ordination by Hanover Presbytery was in the Presbyterian Church, Charlotte Court House, Virginia, which began with him preaching as the stated supply and then he served briefly as the called pastor. He then moved to Trenton, New Jersey, where he served that congregation, 1829-1832. His longest single service was as the Professor of Rhetoric and Latin Language and Literature in the College of New Jersey, 1833-1844. Because of a renewed desire for pastoral ministry, he accepted a call in 1844 to the Duane Street Church in New York City where he continued until 1849. He returned to Princeton that year to serve briefly as the Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government in the seminary. However, he once again yearned to serve a congregation and took the opportunity to return to New York City to be the minister of Fifth Avenue and Nineteenth Street Church. Hoping to relieve an illness, Dr. Alexander took time from his church and visited Red Sweet Springs, Virginia, where he died, July 31, 1859, at the age of only fifty-four years. His body was returned to Princeton to be buried near his father. J. W. Alexander had been honored during his lifetime with the D.D. by both Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, 1843, and Harvard University, 1854.

Twenty-five years after J. W. Alexander’s death, the alumni of Princeton Seminary erected the Alexander Tablet in the campus chapel as a memorial to Archibald, James Waddell, and Joseph Addison Alexander and their ministries not only to the seminary but also to the church in general. J. W. Alexander was remembered at the service through a brief message presented by Theodore L. Cuyler, D.D., who had been a student of Alexander during his teaching years at the College of New Jersey. Cuyler commented that Dr. Alexander was a prolific writer but he personally rated most highly “his ‘Charles Quill’ letters to workingmen—which have the simplicity and pith of Benjamin Franklin” (p. 23). The Charles Quill letters had been published under the pseudonym as a series in the Newark Daily Advertiser. The series was then published in succession as a two volume set. The first was titled The American Mechanic, 1838, and the second part was published in 1839 under the title, The Working Man. The books were republished in a set in 1847 under the single title of The American Mechanic and Working Man. J. W. Alexander commented that he was motivated to write the articles because of his great concern for those Americans moving from the rural areas for jobs in the factories of the rapidly growing and densely populated cities (The Life of J. W. Alexander, 1:145-46, 246, 266). Alexander thought, like several of his contemporaries, that even though industrialization was bringing economic benefits and employment, it was also affecting the employees negatively with respect to their spiritual, family, and social lives.

These books might be useful tools for home schooling and Christian schools. Though many aspects of the books are dated, Dr. Alexander tells several personal stories to illustrate some of the principles he presented in the book that might be of interest to children. An advantage of this type of antiquarian book is that it not only provides wisdom for living, but also vocabulary, trades, and cultural aspects which could be incorporated in the teaching of history. Professions such as the cooper, tanner, and turner have for the most part changed as wooden barrels have become steel or plastic, leather is processed with newer and safer technology, and manufacturing lathes are often fully automated. Today’s children might enjoy learning how in some cases those who practiced the trades adopted the name of the trade as a surname; for example, John the cooper became John Cooper, William the tanner became William Tanner, and Andrew the turner became Andrew Turner.

Sources—The Alexander Memorial, 1879, includes the memorial presented by T. L. Cuyler for J. W. Alexander on pages 19-27; The Life of J. W. Alexander: Forty Years of Familiar Letters, 2 vols., New York: Charles Scribner, 1860; the picture of Dr. Alexander is the photograph in The Alexander Memorial, which is available on Internet Archive; there are several copies of Alexander’s American Mechanic and Working Man available on Internet Archive.

Regeneration by Archibald Alexander

Archibald Alexander was the first professor and principal of Princeton Seminary. He was well respected and labeled "The Physician of the Soul". In fact, Charles Hodge was so influenced by this great man that he named one of his son's after him-"A.A Hodge". His tremendous amount of years as a pastor and professor make him an excellent resource for understanding the soul.

1. Regeneration is the commencement of spiritual life in a soul before dead in sin, by the omnipotent agency of God; and the exercises of this life are specifically different from all the exercises of an unregenerate heart.

2. The strength of the principle of life in the new birth, as in the natural birth, is exceedingly various; for while some are brought into the world of grace in the clear light of day, and are from the first active and vigorous, and enjoy much comfort in their pious exercises; others give very obscure evidence of being in possession of life, and remain long in a state of feebleness. Indeed, some are like children who seem at birth to be dead, but afterwards revive, and by degrees acquire vigor and maturity. But it by no means is a uniform fact that the children who are most healthy and vigorous at birth, continue to be so throughout life. Disease or other disasters may check their growth, and debilitate their constitution; while those who commence life in extreme weakness may acquire strength, and grow prosperously from year to year; so that, in mature age, they may have greatly surpassed many who were much more healthy and vigorous in the earliest stage of existence. Analogous to this are the facts observable in the spiritual life.

3. While some may experience this change so remarkably that they never can doubt of its reality, and can refer to the very day when they emerged from darkness to life, others, who nevertheless are truly regenerated, remain long in doubt about their spiritual state; and even when the evidence of their conversion becomes satisfactory, they are utterly unable to fix the precise time when they began to live. And it is probable that many who speak with confidence of the time and place of their new birth, mistake entirely respecting this point: the time to which they refer the commencement of their spiritual life, is more probably the season of some clear manifestation of the divine favor, when darkness and sorrow were succeeded by joy and peace; and yet the principle of life may have existed long before. There is good reason to think that the exercises of a soul under conviction are often those of the sincere penitent.

4. Spiritual life is progressive in its nature. Habitual growth in grace is the best evidence of its reality. Those affections and joys which are temporary, however high they may arise, are not the exercises of a new creature. Under the influence of a strong love of happiness and dread of misery, and the convictions of an awakened conscience, many are greatly concerned about their salvation, and are induced to attend diligently and earnestly on the means of grace, and often are deeply impressed and shed many tears; and from some latent principle in the human constitution an oppressive burden of misery may suddenly be succeeded by a feeling of pleasure and lightness, accompanied by the persuasion that sin is pardoned and God appeased. This change of feeling may have its origin merely in the animal frame or nervous system, and may be illustrated by the effects produced by physical causes, such as opiates, carminatives, nitrous-oxide, etc. Or these sudden joys may originate in some suggestion to the mind, as that our sins are pardoned, or that God loves us, and the delusion is more complete if this sudden suggestion comes clothed in the language of Scripture, as son or daughter "thy sins are forgiven thee." These false conversions soon die away, and like the seed on stony ground, bring no fruit to maturity. But genuine piety is a growing principle, and proves that it has deep root by its regular advancement towards perfection. This gradual process in piety is beautifully represented by our Lord under the figure of seed vegetating and going on to maturity. "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear; after that the full corn in the ear." Growth in piety resembles the growth of the human body from childhood to manhood. No progress is visible from one day to another, but in months and years the increase is manifest. And as the body, while rising to maturity, may for a season be retarded or thrown back by disease, so also the health of the soul is sometimes deeply impaired, and the exercises of piety in such a state of declension, become extremely feeble. But from these diseases the Great Physician knows how to recover the souls which he has redeemed.

5. Genuine piety is a permanent and undying principle, and thus it may be distinguished from transient impressions, however powerful; yet we should not suppose that the exercises of the real Christian are uniform, or that all experience equal fluctuations of feeling. We cannot ascertain, much less describe, all the causes which may singly, or in combination, give complexion to the frames and exercises of a child of God; nor can we determine, in many cases, why one believer enjoys so much more tranquillity and cheerful hope than another, who may be equally sincere, and equally fervent in spirit.

A melancholy temperament, or a disposition to anticipate the worse in all matters, and to contemplate the dark side of the picture, has doubtless a great effect in modifying the exercises of many pious people. They are naturally gloomy and desponding, and they bring this temper with them into religion. They are always full of doubts and fears, and though they do really possess the characteristics of piety, they will not be encouraged to hope with confidence. They hang their heads daily like the bulrush, and are of a sorrowful spirit, and refuse to be comforted. On the other hand, persons of a sanguine temperament, as in other things, so in religion, are disposed to view every thing in the most favorable light; and although their evidences may really be no clearer than his who is forever in doubt and distress; yet they cherish a favorable opinion of their spiritual state. That, however, which we wish to inculcate is, that true piety is an abiding principle, which, however the feelings may fluctuate, never becomes extinct.

6. One of the certain effects of divine illumination is an increasing knowledge of the sinfulness of our own hearts. These views of inbred corruption are indeed most appalling and discouraging; they are also unexpected; but they are among the most salutary with which we are favored; and they furnish the best evidence of the genuineness of a work of grace. Hypocrites may talk much of the wickedness of their hearts, and even exceed all bounds in the accusations which they bring against themselves; but their words are like the parrot's, without meaning; they would be offended if any one believed only a small part of their self-accusations. Their object is not to be thought corrupt and sinful, but humble and holy. True humility, however, arises out of this knowledge of our own hearts, and is proportioned to the degree of self-knowledge which we possess. These spiritual views also cut up by the root self-righteousness and self-dependence. The man who knows the corruption of his own heart, and the secret defects of his holiest emotions and best affections, will never be disposed to place the least dependence on his own works. This knowledge also stirs him up to prayer, by showing him his urgent necessities.

Truth is Not Determined by Feelings — Archibald Alexander

Alexander,

In judging of religious experience, it is all important to keep steadily in view the system of divine truth, contained in the Holy Scriptures; otherwise, our experience, as is too often the case, will degenerate into enthusiasm. Many ardent professors, seem too readily to take it for granted, that all religious feelings must be good. They therefore take no care to discriminate between the genuine and the spurious, the pure gold and the tinsel. Their only concern is about the ardour of their feelings; not considering, that if they are spurious, the more intense they are, the further will they lead them astray.

In our day, there is nothing more necessary than to distinguish carefully between true and false experiences, in religion; to “try the spirits whether they are of God.” And in making this discrimination, there is no other test but the infallible word of God; let every thought, motive, impulse and emotion, be brought to this touchstone. “To the law and the testimony; if they speak not according to these, it is because there is no light in them.”

If genuine religious experience is nothing but the impression of divine truth on the mind, by the energy of the Holy Spirit, then it is evident that a knowledge of the truth is essential to genuine piety; error never can, under any circumstances, produce the effects of truth. This is now generally acknowledged. But it is not so clearly understood by all, that any defect in our knowledge of the truth, must, just so far as the error extends, mar the symmetry of the impression produced.

The error, in this case, is of course not supposed to relate to fundamental truths, for then there can be no genuine piety; but where a true impression is made, it may be rendered very defective, for want of a knowledge of the whole system of revealed truth; or its beauty marred by the existence of some errors mingled with the truth, which may be well illustrated by returning again to the seal. Suppose that some part of the image inscribed on it has been defaced, or that some of the letters have been obliterated, it is evident, that when the impression is made on the wax, there will be a corresponding deficiency or deformity, although in the main the impress may be correct.

There is reason to believe, therefore, that all ignorance of revealed truth, or error respecting it, must be attended with a corresponding defect in the religious exercises of the person. This consideration teaches us the importance of truth, and the duty of increasing daily in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is the true and only method of growing in grace. There may be much correct theoretical knowledge, I admit, where there is no impression corresponding with it on the heart; but still, all good impressions on the heart, are from the truth, and from the truth alone.

Hence we find, that those denominations of Christians which receive the system of evangelical truth, only in part, have a defective experience; and their Christian character, as a body, is so far defective; and even where true piety exists, we often find a sad mixture of enthusiasm, self-righteousness, or superstition. . .

Let all Christians use unceasing diligence in acquiring a correct knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus; and let them pray without ceasing for the influence of the Holy Spirit, to render the truth effectual in the sanctification of the whole man, soul, body, and spirit. “SANCTIFY THEM THROUGH THY TRUTH, THY WORD IS TRUTH,” was a prayer offered up by Christ, in behalf of all whom the Father had given him.

Alexander, Archibald. Thoughts on Religious Experience. Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1844. pp. 7-10.