SERMONS - University of Tennessee, Knoxville

SeRMon entRieS
Commentary: A note on the sermon indicates that it was preached at Tinkling
Spring on severing “pastoral relation between that people and me, which continued
a little more than 24 years and ended regularly and friendly. November 1764.”
It contains 21 double pages. See also Foote, Sketches of Virginia, pp. 118-19. The
Encyclopaedia of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America notes
that Craig “received a call” from the Augusta and Tinkling Spring congregations
in April 1740 and was ordained on September 3rd of that year. That volume lists
his resignation from Tinkling Spring as occuring in 1754 (p. 161). Given Craig’s
narrative statement quoted above it seems likely that the date of “1754” is incorrect.
Keywords: sermon, farewell;
992. DAVIES, SAMUEL. (VA; Pres.; 1723-1761; lic.1746; ord.1747;)
“[Except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish.]” [1759] 13pp. [Acc. No. 925]
Repository: Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA
Bib. Ref.: Luk. 13. 3 I tell you; Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner
perish.
Commentary: The biblical text of the sermon is written in Greek, probably in
shorthand. A stain at the top of the manuscript obscures small parts of the text.
There is no indication of where the sermon was preached. Pages 11-13 contain
one of Davies’ untitled poems consisting of ten quatrains. The first line is “With
bleeding Hearts & gushing Eyes.” The sermon is not included in Davies’ Sermons on
Important Subjects, 3 vols., 1811. Davies preached in and around Hanover, VA from
1740 through May 1759 (except for a college fund-raising trip to Great Britain with
Gilbert Tennent in 1753-1755). In July 1759 he succeeded Jonathan Edwards and
was installed as the president of the College of New Jersey (later named Princeton).
Given the division of his duties for the year 1759, the location where this sermon
was preached is problematic.
Keywords: repentance;
993. [DAWSON, THOMAS?]. (VA; Epis.; 1713-1761; ord. 1740;)
“[God’s help—A Confirmation Sermon.]” [1740-1761] 1 + 1 blank +13 pp. [Acc.
No. 926] [Entry added March 2010.]
Repository: Library of Congress, Washington, DC (The Papers of William Dawson
Papers) microfilm mss. 16, 471, barcode 00004267734
Commentary: Dawson takes his text from the Catechism of the Book of Common
Prayer (1662). It is the beginning of the answer to the fourth question in the
Catechism. The sermon exhibits a clear, simple style with no classical allusions.
Some scriptural quotation is used. The front cover bears a brief inscription in
Greek. Edward L. Bond transcribes the manuscript in his Spreading the Gospel in
Colonial Virginia, pp. 491-95.
Keywords: confirmation; sermon, confirmation; Book of Common Prayer; God,
help of; salvation through Christ; Christ, salvation through;
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