The ‘Selected Writings of Benjamin Morgan Palmer’ recounts the experiences of a dedicated pastor who served his denomination faithfully. Even though twenty-first century ministers might think they are beyond learning from an old book containing wisdom from an experienced nineteenth-century pastor, the articles show that the work of shepherding is essentially the same today as then because pastors visit the sick, minister the Word & sacraments, and respond to the challenges of those who do not believe the gospel.

This review is the first of five that are being relisted today April 17, 2026 from their original posting dates. The Palmer book is one of the earliest articles on Presbyterians of the Past having been first posted February 19, 2015, then again May 17, 2025. Each of these five titles is highly recommended and each one is written or edited by the best of authors. From what I can tell online, they are all still in print.

1. N. Willborn and Caleb Cangelosi, eds., Selected Writings of Benjamin Morgan Palmer: Articles Written for the Southwestern Presbyterian in the Years 1869–1870, Carlisle: Banner of Truth Trust, 2014, cloth, 205 pages.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS)  gathered in First Church, Jackson, Mississippi, May 15, 1902. The retiring moderator, Neander M. Woods of Second Church, Memphis, delivered the opening sermon from 1 Samuel 13:19-22. Following prayer, the stated clerk reported that the Synod of Louisiana had been organized per the direction of the previous General Assembly with Benjamin Morgan Palmer moderator of the sessions.  Palmer was a leader of the denomination, well known for his writings, and served a forty year call to First Church, New Orleans. Unfortunately, he was not able to attend the General Assembly because of severe injuries received a few days earlier when he was hit by a streetcar. Professor of Theology William T. Hall of Columbia Seminary was moderator when the Assembly resolved that “the richest ministrations of divine grace” join with our “earnest hope and prayer that he may yet long be spared to the church to which he is so dear” (GA Minutes, 248). However, shortly after the assembly adjourned, Pastor Palmer was taken home on May 25, 1902.

The editors of Selected Writings of Benjamin Morgan Palmer, Caleb Cangelosi and C. N. Willborn, have brought together thirty-four articles published from 1869 to 1870 in a forgotten periodical titled The Southwestern Presbyterian. These articles provide a glimpse into Palmer’s ministry as pastor, expositor, evangelist, and apologist. The articles are organized into five sections. Each of the entries is brief with the shortest having three and the longest eight pages, and they could be read during snippets of time waiting for the children in car line at school or while anticipating the arrival of that friend who is always late to appointments. The handy size of the attractively dust jacketed book–five by seven inches–facilitates storage in small spaces for ready access.

The articles that are included in the first section, “Leaves from a Pastor’s Portfolio,” provide accounts of some of Palmer’s pastoral, evangelistic, and apologetic experiences. Included among the narratives are the conversion of a man anticipating death from yellow fever; salvation coming to an alcoholic suffering with the red death, tuberculosis; one person who believed in soteriological universalism and went to his grave thus deceived; and other examples of Palmer’s compassion, conviction, and constant confirmation of gospel truth. “Leaves from the Pastor’s Portfolio” reminds readers that life in the nineteenth century was often shortened by epidemics and diseases that are no longer feared thanks to God’s gracious work through medical science but they also remind readers there is nothing new when it comes to individuals suppressing the knowledge of God in defense of their unbelief.

One story in particular, “The Young Student,” provides a picture of Palmer dealing with an objection to the gospel. He relates a conversation held with a young college student while travelling by steamer on the Mississippi River. Palmer had recently spoken at a university commencement that the young man attended.

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