“President Lincoln worshiped regularly at NY Avenue Presbyterian Church during the American Civil War. Lincoln and Rev. Gurley developed a relationship in which they frequently discussed theology, and those discussions and Gurley’s sermons likely influenced Lincoln’s perception of the war and its meaning for the nation. Gurley presided over the funeral of Lincoln’s son, William Wallace Lincoln, in 1862, and then over the funeral of Lincoln himself in 1865.”

Ruling elders in a PCA church are regularly called upon to make determinations about the authenticity of a persons’ faith (or lack thereof) as they come before the elders of the church for membership in the local body.   Now when a person comes to our church seeking membership from another church in our denomination, or even from a sister church in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, the job in these meetings is considerably easier.  When we receive new members by letter of transfer, we know that these persons have already been through a similar screening process by another body of elders in another church.  The PCA Book of Church Order simply says:

57-6. Persons received from other churches by letters of dismissal as well as those being received by reaffirmation of faith should give a testimony of their Christian experience to the Session.

So reception by letter of dismissal of those who testify to their Christian experience in the meeting with the elders is almost perfunctory.  These members are just being transferred; they are not being admitted to the Christian church for the first time.   So the body of elders in the receiving church is relying heavily upon the prior church to have done the major job of screening a believer for authentic Christian faith.  Now if an elder has the letter of transfer in his hand when someone comes, so much the better, and if the letter is signed by a well-known pastor in the Reformed and Presbyterian community, that really makes the job easy!

So let me suggest that in the case of Abraham Lincoln we have something equivalent to this letter in hand, signed by two outstanding leaders in the Old School Presbyterian tradition.  So contrary to the claims of an article by the highly respected Reformed evangelical historian Mark A. Noll in the Aquila Report for Monday, November 19, 2012, entitled: “The Struggle for Lincoln’s Soul: Was Abraham Lincoln a Christian? A look at the evidence,” who says that with Lincoln we do not have “a clear-cut profession of orthodox faith,” we will demonstrate in what follows that we have the testimony of two outstanding leaders in the Old School Presbyterian tradition that Abraham Lincoln was indeed a solid believer and orthodox Christian in the great Reformed and Presbyterian tradition.

Let’s first distance ourselves from the “conservative preachers and broadcasters who bemoan the decline of Christian America by repeating moving stories of Lincoln’s deep piety.” We are not suggesting anything of the sort.  Nor do we think that “it would amount to a great victory” if it could be proved that Lincoln was an orthodox Christian.  Let’s just look at some of the original sources on this question and see where they lead us.

As we look at these sources it will become apparent that Dr. Noll just has not dug deep enough.  So to his excellent overview we must drill down deeper and add some things of interest, especially to those coming from the great conservative Reformed and Presbyterian tradition.   The focus of our attention must be upon the two Presbyterian Ministers with whom Lincoln developed a deep, close, and abiding friendship, two friendships that continued to the end of his life.

One was Lincoln’s pastor in Washington, the Rev. Dr. Phineas Densmore Gurley, an Old School Presbyterian (read Conservative – Old Princeton Theology) who had been called in 1853 to pastor the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.  Today this liberal PCUSA church’s web site accurately describes the nature of some of the Old School/New School controversies in the Presbyterian Church at the time:  “The New School was ardently evangelistic and revivalist, and abandoned strict Calvinism for a theology of free will; the Old School was more doctrinally rigid.”  Dr. Gurley had graduated from Old School Princeton in 1840 and later served as a moderator for the Old School Presbyterians in their general assembly in 1867 and 1868.  So today this liberal PCUSA church accurately reflects the theology of one of their earliest pastors, Dr. Gurley as the Church’s web site notes:

President Lincoln worshiped regularly at NYAPC during the American Civil War. Lincoln and Rev. Gurley developed a relationship in which they frequently discussed theology, and those discussions and Gurley’s sermons likely influenced Lincoln’s perception of the war and its meaning for the nation. Gurley presided over the funeral of Lincoln’s son, William Wallace Lincoln, in 1862, and then over the funeral of Lincoln himself in 1865.

So if Lincoln was an unbeliever, and a non-Christian, we would want to understand why he is found “regularly attending” the preaching and prayer meetings of an Old School Presbyterian Calvinist like Dr. Gurley?  Surely he could have found something a little more generically Christian if he wished to give the world a false pretense while he and his family were in Washington.  And why did he develop a relationship with this pastor?  And why have him preach at the funeral of your son?  And why would his family allow this orthodox Calvinist to preach at their loved one’s funeral?

“In February 1862, Mrs. Gurley had helped the nurse Rebecca Pomeroy to care for Tad Lincoln after Willie’s death.” ¹ So it appears that the Gurley’s and the Lincolns were trusted family friends.

Upon his death, “Mrs. Lincoln arranged to have her late husband’s hat sent to Dr. Gurley.”   This is quite a gesture showing the close personal familiarity between these two families.   These were not mere casual acquaintances; this is something you would do for your one of your deceased husband’s closest friends.

According to historian Allen C. Guelzo, Pastor Gurley’s “preaching was confined with remarkable closeness to the great central doctrines of the cross.” ²

Once when accosted as he left the White House after an early morning meeting, Dr. Gurley explained that he and the President had “been talking of the state of the soul after death. That is a subject of which Mr. Lincoln never tires. This morning, however, I was a listener.  Mr. Lincoln did all the talking.”³   So we must deduce from this that Dr. Gurley and Lincoln had spoken about the state of the soul after death on numerous occasions.  What kind a minster, and graduate of Old Princeton,  would Dr. Gurley be if he had not explained the gospel to Lincoln in these conversations relative to the state of the soul after death if he believed Lincoln to be lost and in need of salvation?

Pastor Gurley also said prayers at the Capitol and the Washington train station and again at the graveside in Springfield, Illinois, after the assassination.  He also composed a funeral hymn, “Rest, Noble Martyr.”

Now we are compelled to ask, surely Dr. Gurley knows that a martyr is a deceased Christian believer?  Why would he mislead the American People who would read his funeral hymn “Rest, Noble Martyr” if he judged that Lincoln was not a believer?  And who, pray tell, would be in a better position to know the state of Lincoln’s soul than his pastor and one of his dearest friends?  Would an Old School Calvinist, who preached the great central doctrines of the cross, knowingly mislead the American people and those who would come after reading his funeral hymn on this central question?

The second Old School Presbyterian minister who was earlier an influential force in the life of Abraham Lincoln from his time in Springfield, Illinois, was the Scotsman Dr. James Smith, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield.  He was a native of Glasgow and described himself as an “old light Presbyterian” ordained first in the Cumberland Presbyterian church in Kentucky in 1825; later he moved to Springfield and became the pastor of The First Presbyterian Church, this time as an Old School Presbyterian.  He was noted as the author of an important and hefty apologetic work, The Christian’s Defense, in 1843.  Lincoln requested a copy from the author after he had found it on the shelves of a family member during a trip to Kentucky.

When the Lincolns lost their child Eddie in Springfield in 1850, their usual Episcopal pastor was away, and they got connected with Dr. James Smith to conduct the burial services.   This meeting started a lifelong friendship between the Lincolns and Dr. Smith.  Mary Lincoln was admitted to membership in Dr. Smith’s church on Wednesday, October 13^th, 1852.  Their son Thomas (Tad) was baptized there on Saturday, April 4^th, 1856. Abraham was circuit riding much of the time during this period and did not become a member on the same occasion as his wife.   The family continued to attend services, renting pew number 20 for $36 per year, until they left for Washington in February, 1861.⁴   On April 26th, 1853, the session of the church made a motion to retain the services of Abraham Lincoln in a church legal proceeding in Presbytery. ⁵

For those unfamiliar with such practices, Presbyterians take seriously Paul’s admonition:

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?  Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? [1 Corinthians 6:1-2]

The idea is that the Church should be competent to try its own cases, and they should not do this in front of unbelievers.   The case for which Lincoln was retained had to do with an alleged unpaid debt on the church organ purchased from another church in the presbytery.  This dispute was not something to be paraded before unbelievers.   So if Lincoln was judged an unbeliever by Dr. Smith or by his session, why would they retain Lincoln as their counsel for this action that was to be tried, not in civil court – in front of unbelievers – but in the Presbytery?

After the Lincolns returned to Springfield from Kentucky, where he had seen this important apologetic book, he “sought Dr. Smith to talk over some of the religious doubts he had entertained,” according to the Times-Herald. “Dr. Smith tells us that as a result of these talks Lincoln’s doubts were shattered and from that time on he was a believer in the Christian faith. Thus began their close and lasting friendship.”⁶

Soon after Lincoln’s assassination a controversy broke out about the nature of Lincoln’s faith, when William H. Herndon, his old law partner, began lecturing and writing for publication allegations that Lincoln’s faith was not genuine.  Robert Todd Lincoln, Lincoln’s son, responded: “Mr. Wm. H. Herdon is making an ass of himself.”

Dr. Smith, now back in Scotland, wrote in a somewhat hostile tone, with barbs at the end, to William Herndon in January 1867:

Your letter of the 20th of December was duly received, in which you ask me to answer several questions in relation to the illustrious President, Abraham Lincoln. With regard to your second question, I beg leave to say it is a very easy matter to prove that while I was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Mr. Lincoln did avow his belief in the divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures.  And I hold that it is a matter of greatest importance, not only to the present but to all future generations of the great Republic and to all advocates of civil and religious liberty throughout the world, that this avowal on his part and the circumstances attending it, together with very interesting incidents illustrative of the excellence of his character in my possession should be made known to the public. My intercourse with Abraham Lincoln convinced me that he was not only an honest man, but preeminently an upright man, ever seeking, so far as was in his power, to render unto all their due. It was my honour to place before Mr. Lincoln arguments designed to prove the divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures, accompanied by arguments of infidel objectors in their own language. To the arguments on both sides, Mr. Lincoln gave a most patient and searching investigation. To use his own language, he examined the arguments as a lawyer who is anxious to reach the truth investigates testimony. The result was the announcement by himself that the argument in favour of the divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures was unanswerable.  I could say much more on the subject, but as you are the person addressed, for the present I decline. The assassin Booth, by his diabolical act, unwittingly sent the illustrious martyr to glory, honour, and immortality, but his false friend [i.e. Herndon] has attempted to send him down to posterity with infamy branded on his forehead, as a man who, notwithstanding all he suffered for his country’s good, was destitute to those feelings and affections without which there can be no excellency of character.⁷

From this letter, by another Old School Presbyterian minister, Dr. James Smith, we have a second testimony, this time from this another esteemed Presbyterian Minister, one who trusted Abraham Lincoln to represent his church as legal counsel in a Presbytery legal proceeding, this minister is now claiming that Lincoln had been persuaded by his apologetic book of the divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures.  Then he proclaims, in no uncertain terms, that John Wilkes Booth “unwitting sent the illustrious martyr to glory, honor and immortality.”  Again the word martyr is used and the language of glory, honor and immortality most certainly refers to the heavenly afterlife reserved only for the elect of God in the Old School Presbyterian understanding.  So here is a second clear testimony, strong though implicit, from an Old School Presbyterian minister, one who was in a position to know, having served as the family pastor for 9 years in Springfield, that Abraham Lincoln was indeed a bona fide believer.

Let all things be established on the testimony of two Old School Presbyterian Ministers!

Two of Lincoln’s closest friends on earth, both of his Old School Presbyterian pastors, first in Springfield and then in Washington, both considered him saved.

Notice that in God’s providence these fine Old School Presbyterian pastors of Abraham Lincoln were Doctors and from all accounts, both brilliant men. ⁸

Before attending Princeton, Gurley graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1837, with the highest honors of his class.  Meanwhile, Dr. Smith is described as the author of an: “Erudite volume entitled The Christian’s Defense, with this statement of content, ’Containing a fair statement and impartial examination of the leading objections urged by infidels against the antiquity, genuineness, credibility, and inspiration of the Holy Scriptures; enriched with copious extracts from learned authors.’”

Smith was familiar with such authors as David Hume, a fellow Scotsman and the most prominent skeptic of modern history. He was also knowledgeable of outstanding pagan philosophers as well as with Thomas Paine, a thinker who was as radical in his religious as in his political views. Their objections to biblical claims, along with those of Olmstead, were stated in their own words, and then Smith combated them in a reasonable manner in the book. He displayed an understanding of the original biblical languages as well as knowledge of several world religions.

This apologetic work of Dr. Smith, Abraham Lincoln later testified was used of God to convert him.  It was described as a “600-page tome is worthy of careful study, ….a technical book on theology.”

Lincoln found this book refreshing by a former doubter that was addressed to those sharing his frame of mind. He told Ninian Edwards, his brother-in-law, “I have been reading a work of Dr. Smith on the evidences of Christianity and have heard him preach and converse on the subject and I am now convinced of the truth of the Christian religion.” ⁹

The Lincolns’ friendship with Smith continued after Smith retired to Scotland. Even though a Democrat, Lincoln described him to Seward as “an intimate personal friend.”  Lincoln appointed him to succeed his son, who had died while serving as United States consul in Dundee.  Before Smith’s death in 1871, he guided Mary Lincoln on a tour of Scotland.

Mary Lincoln wrote to Dr. Smith on June 8th 1870 complaining about the “the fearful ideas” and “falsehoods” that Herndon had put in play.  She described her husband, as a man who:

“never took the Lord’s name in vain, who always read his bible diligently, who never failed to rely to God’s promises and looked upon Him for protection, …. when Willie was called away from us to his heavenly home, with God’s chastening hand upon us, he turned his heart to Christ.” ¹⁰

Douglas Fox is a Ruling Elder at the Presbyterian Church of Coventry (PCA) in Coventry, CT. The author expresses appreciation and gratitude to his friend, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner of the Cornwall Alliance, who reviewed the article and made several helpful suggestions.”

¹ http://www.mrlincolnswhitehouse.org/inside.asp?ID=49&subjectID=2

²Allen C. Guelzo, Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President, p. 321.

³DeWitt Jones, Lincoln and the Preachers, p. 37.

⁴ Robert J. Havlik, “Abraham Lincoln and the Reverend Dr. James Smith: Lincoln’s Presbyterian Experience in Springfield. p.3    Found at: http://dig.lib.niu.edu/ISHS/ishs-1999autumn/ishs-1999autumn222.pdf [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]

⁵ Ibid. p. 6.

⁶ W. Winston Skinner, The Times-Herald.com ”Death of Lincoln’s son led family to Presbyterian church”  Published Saturday, November 03, 2012  Found at: http://www.times-herald.com/religion/20121103fpc-springfield-MOS [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]

7 Nicholas Parrillo, “Lincoln’s Calvinist Transformation: Emancipation and War,” Civil War History, Fall 2000, pp. 229.  Found at: http://www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/Library/newsletter.asp?ID=127&CRLI=175

8 William E. Phipps, Journal of Presbyterian History: Studies in Reformed History and Culture: Volume 80-Number 1, Spring 2002, pp. 17-28.

⁹  James Reed, ” The Religious Sentiments of Abraham Lincoln,” Scribner’s Monthly, July 1873, 336.

Reed, who followed Smith as pastor of that Springfield church, obtained this information from a letter about Lincoln’s religion that John Stuart, Lincoln’s first law partner, wrote him on 17 Dec. 1872.

¹⁰ Turner, Justin G. and Linda Levitt Turner, Mary Todd Lincoln, 567-8. Cited in Robert J. Havlik, “Abraham Lincoln and the Reverend Dr. James Smith: Lincoln’s Presbyterian Experience in Springfield. p. 3. Found at: http://dig.lib.niu.edu/ISHS/ishs-1999autumn/ishs-1999autumn222.pdf p. 14.

[Editor’s note: One or more original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid; those links have been removed.]