30
October 1769 A.D. Rev.
Dr. Samuel Miller—Pastor of 1st Presbyterian (NYC), Wall Street
Presbyterian (NYC), Professor of Church
History at Princeton Seminary, and 2nd President of Princeton
Seminary
Archivist. “October 30: Dr. Samuel Miller.” This
Day in Presbyterian History. 30 Oct
2014. Accessed 30 Oct 2014.
October 30: Dr. Samuel Miller
Strongly Inclined to Be Devoted to the
Ministry
Samuel
Miller was born in Dover, Delaware on October 30, 1769. As was typical for his day,
he studied theology privately in preparation for the ministry. Upon completion
of his examinations he was ordained by the Presbytery of New York on June 5,
1793 and installed as pastor of the First Presbyterian church of New York City,
where he then served from 1793-1801. He next served the Wall Street church from
1801-1813, before answering the call of General Assembly to serve as professor
of ecclesiastical history and church government at the Princeton Theological
Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey. As the second professor at the Seminary after
Archibald Alexander, Miller served the Seminary from 1813-1849, finally taking
emeritus status at the age of 80. He died less than a year later, on January 7,
1850.
Resting
behind the simple facts of our first paragraph is the spiritual depth of this
man of God. Upon taking the new ministry at Princeton, he sat down and
wrote out seven resolutions. We don’t have space for all seven of them,
but the first one stands out and indeed sums up all the rest. It reads,
“I will endeavor hereafter, by God’s help, to remember more deeply and solemnly
than I have ever yet done, that I am not my own, but Christ’s servant; and, of
course, bound to seek, not my own things, but the things which are Jesus
Christ’s” That says it all with respect to the character and conduct of
this seminary professor.
Words to Live By: Samuel
Miller’s first resolution is but a summary of those words written down by the
Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 6:19
, when he stated in the context of the need to live a moral
life, the following: “Do you not known that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your
own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
(NIV) Whether soul or body, each of us should make Samuel Miller’s
resolution our own resolution, and indeed recommit ourselves to it at pivotal
points of our life, such as our birthday. It would be exciting to see what God
would do with such a committed Christian if this is true of you and me.
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