The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-10-27


public profession of his faith until he united
with the church while engaged in teaching at
the Kanawha Salines in 1920
Very early in life he determined to obtain a
liberal education. In his nineteenth year he
became the pupil of the venerable Dr. McElhen-
ney, of Lewisburg, West Va, with whom he
pursued his studies until he was prepared to en-
ter Washington College (now Washington and
Lee University, where he graduated in 1925.
He often spoke of his Indebtedness to Dr. George
A. Baxter and to the Rev. DR.. Henry Ruffner.
two of his instructors in the College and his
faithful friends as long as they lived In about
three months after his graduation he became a
student in Princeton College. He was licensed
to preach by the Presbytery of New Brunswick,
n. j., and was ordained by the Presbytery of
Orange, in Danyille, Va, in May, 1927. In
Danville he gathered and organized the Presby-
terrain church, of which the Rev. DR.. Martin is
now pastor After several years spent chiefly
in evangelistic labor in North Carolina, he re.
turned to Virginia, and after a short term of
service in the Briery church, Prince Edward, he
removed to Petersburg, where he held pastoral
charge for four years. In October, 1884, he re-
moved to Richmond and became pastor of the
First Presbyterian church. Here he labored
twelve years and three months. In 1S47 he ac-
cepted a call from the Franklin Street Presbyte-
rian church, Baltimore, where he resided nearly
eight years. In 1854, by nearly unanimous
vote of the General Assembly, he was elected to
the Chair of Didactic and Pastoral Theology in
the Western Theological Seminary ALLEGHENY.
Pa, and filled that post for eight years When
he entered upon his work there, the number of
students was fftysix, the next year seventy
nine, the next ninety-one and went on STEADILY
increasing till it rose to 16S
From 1862 to 1866 he was actively EMPLOYED
In serving various churches and in preparing
works for the press when he was elected to the
Protessorshlp of Didactic and Polemc Theology
In the Theological Seminary of South Carolina
In January, 1867, he went to Columbia, and
entered upon his duties there, filling that chair
eight years, when he was transferred to the
Chair of Historic, Casuistic and Pastoral The
ology.
He was twice made Moderator of the General
Assembly-frst of the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church, North, in 1888, and then
of the Southern Assembly, which sat in Hunts
vile, Ala, in 1871
Secretaryship of several of the Boards of the
church were at different times offered him, but
he never saw his way clear to accept any of these
appointments. In 1888, Washington College,
Pennsylvania, Lafayette College, Pennsylvania,
and Princeton College conferred upon him the
title of Doctor of Divinity, and in 1857 the Uni
versity of Mississippi conferred upon him the de-
gree of Doctor of Laws. In 1877, DR.. Plumer
was delegate to the Council of all the Presbyte-
Ran churches of the world, which met in the CITY
of Edinburgh. There he commanded the most
marked attention, and left an impression upon
the thousands who saw and heard him, which
will not be forgotten in this generation.
In the review of such life the first thing
which arrests our attention is the amazing in
dustry and capacity for work which character
lzed HIM While pastor in Richmond, he edi-
ted the Waterman of the South afterwards the
| WdtchnpGr and Observer, and now the Central
Presbyterian, and all his life he was a contribu
tor to the periodical press, writing for reviews,
for magazines, and for many of the religious
| newspapers North and South.
In addition, to the larger works of which he
was the author, such as Studies in the Book of
Psalms and Commentaries on the Epistles to
the Romans and Hebrews he published
hundreds of tracts for the Presbyterian Board of
Philadelphia, for the Methodist Book Concern
of Nashville and New York, for the American
Tract Society, for the Board of Publication of
the Protestant Reformed Dutch church for the
Baptist Publication Society of PHILADELPHIA. for
the American Sunday School Union. for the
Presbyterian Committee of Publication of Rich
mond Some of these works were republished
| In Europe. Others were translated into Ger
man, French and Modern Greek.
While Professor of Theology in the Seminary
at Allegheny, he was at the same time pastor of
church which grew in numbers influence and
In all that makes church efficient, while it was
under his watchful care
DurlhS MS connection with the Seminary in
Columbia, s. c., though he had no pastoral
charge, there was scarcely Sabbath when he
did not preach. These labors were not confined
to Columbia ITSELF but extended to Yorkville.
Marion and Hopewell, and to Wilmington and
Charlotte, N. G.
During all his life he continued to receive
and to accept invitations to deliver lectures and
addresses before benevolent associations and
literary institutions, and to conduct a CORES.
| pondence which, to most men, would have been
burdensome In the extreme
Perhaps no man of his time. not in political
life, knew more people or wrote larger number
of letters on subjects 80 varied and important
But his chief and favorite field of usefulness
was the pulpit. His great success there was
due, In part to natural gifts a commanding
presence, reminding the beholder of some ma
lestc patriarch or prophet, or of the statue of
Moses by M. Angelo a voice of great hexiblity
and power often tremulous and low when he be-
gan to speak, but increasing in volume as his
heart kindled with his theme until it sounded
like melodious thunder and reached the most dis
tant limits of the great audience he addressed
But this was not the chief source ofhis power It
was because Of his intense realization of the
truth ne uttered his deep conviction of the inn
portance OF the message he proclaimed, and be-
cause OF his ardent love for the MESSAGE itself
1t was the gospel and he preached it earnestly
ana tearlessy In all its richness, and tender
ness, and adaptation to the needs of men. He
felt its power in his own soul. He had ex
perience of its preciousness, and therefore he
proclaimed 1T with the JUNCTION of one whose in
/ IN arr nd ha1