Who is john witherspoon

And was liberally educated in the University of Edinburgh; invested with holy orders in the year , he faithfully performed the duties of his pastoral charge, during five and twenty years, first at Beith, and then at Paisley.

Elected president of Nassau Hall, he assumed the duties of that office on the 13th of August, , with the elevated expectations of the public. Excelling in every mental gift, he was a man of pre-eminent piety and virtue and deeply versed in the various branches of literature and the liberal arts.

A grave and solemn preacher, his sermons abounded in the most excellent doctrines and precepts, and in lucid expositions of the Holy Scriptures. Affable, pleasant, and courteous in familiar conversation, he was eminently distinguished in concerns and deliberations of the church, and endowed with the greatest prudence in the management and instruction of youth. He exalted the reputation of the college amongst foreigners, and greatly promoted the advancement of its literary character and taste.

He was, for a long time, conspicuous Among the most brilliant luminaries of learning and of the Church. At length, universally venerated, beloved, and lamented, he departed this life on the fifteenth of November, aged 73 years. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Contact us Apply for membership Visit us on Facebook Learn about upcoming meetings.

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James Brown. One of the most active members of the Continental Congress, Witherspoon advocated independence, served on a large number of committees, and authored a number of Resolutions of Prayer and Thanksgiving. Consistent with his Presbyterian theology, Witherspoon believed that God was the author of freedom, and he did not think that the state, which was administered by imperfect individuals, had the right to dictate personal religious beliefs. Unlike some English advocates of religious freedom, Witherspoon was willing to extend such freedom to Roman Catholics , and he believed that the state could encourage good behavior and that religious virtue led to political strength.

The Presbyterian Constitution of to which Witherspoon contributed removed provisions from the earlier Westminster Confession that allowed magistrates to suppress blasphemies and heresies, and the U.

Constitution denied the power of the state to intervene in matters of religious faith Morrison, He is co-editor of the Encyclopedia of the First Amendment. This article was originally published in Morrison, Jeffry H. John Witherspoon and the Founding of the American Republic.

Notre Dame, Ind. Morrison, Jeffry H..