24
April 1872 A.D. Unique
and memorable celebration held for Mr. (Rev. Dr. Prof.) Charles Hodge of
Princeton Theological Seminary.
Dr. Rusten tells the story at
p. 230.
Rusten, E.
Michael and Rusten, Sharon. The One Year
Christian History. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003.
Backstory.
Charles Hodge was born 27
December 1797. Although few notice this fact, he was reared and
catechetized with the Westminster standards by his mother. His father, an Army Surgeon, died when Charles was 6 months
old. While at Princeton University, 1812, he confessed his faith. He attended Princeton Seminary and graduated
at age 22. A year later, he began to teach Biblical languages.
On 24 April 1872, a celebration was held to remember his 50 years of
teaching at Princeton. The shops were
closed. People gathered from far and
wide. They gathered at First
Presbyterian Church. Charles, his wife,
eight children and many grandchildren were on hand. 400 PTS graduates attended (15% of the
alumni). Presidents and faculty
representatives from other colleges and seminaries of other denominations
gathered.
The Rev. Dr. Henry Boardman,
that old school Confessional Churchman, that great Pastor of Tenth
Presbyterian, Philadelphia and that great friend of Dr. Hodge, spoke on behalf
of the Seminary trustees:
“What honor, beloved Brother,
has God put upon you! For fifty years
you have been training men to preach the glorious gospel of the grace of God to
their fellow-sinners. The teacher of
teachers, your pupils have become professors in numerous Colleges and
Seminaries at home and abroad. Not to
speak of one or two thousand pastors, who are exerting an ameliorating
influence upon this nation more potent than that of an equal number of men
belonging to any other calling, you are helping, through your students, to
educate a great body of Christian ministers, not a few of whom are here to be
employed in laying the foundations of Christianity on pagan lands.”
Hodge, by this date, had
taught 2700 students. No other seminary
had even enrolled that many.
At the celebration-event, the
75-year old Dr. Hodge sat to the side on a sofa out of sight.
After 15 men had spoken, Dr.
Hodge came to the lecturn, saying:
“When I say thank you for all
your respect, confidence and love, I am nothing, I am powerless. I can only bow down before you with tearful
gratitude, and call on God to bless you, and to reward you a hundred-fold for
all your goodness.”
That night, 24 April 1872, Dr. Hodge penned the
following in his journal:
“April 24th. The apex of my life…altogether affording an
imposing and most affecting testimony of the unity of the faith, and of common
love to the same gospel, and to our common God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
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