Miller played a pivotal role in [Old Princeton] seminary—that of teaching ministerial students how to preach. No doubt, as to influencing the local church, this proves one of the most significant professorates of the seminary. Miller performed this function for thirty-five years and trained approximately 1,600 ministerial students!

Most Presbyterians know the name Samuel Miller (1769-1850) for his work as a member of the faculty of Old Princeton Seminary (1812-1929).[1] Unfortunately, Miller is often overshadowed by other men of his era, especially his colleagues at Princeton in the theology department such as Archibald Alexander (1772-1851), Charles Hodge (1797-1878), or B. B. Warfield (1851-1921). Historians of American Presbyterianism have often left the general impression that the dogmaticians more significantly impacted the seminary and its students than did Miller or other professors in different theological disciplines. In reality, however, Miller played a pivotal role in the seminary—that of teaching ministerial students how to preach. No doubt, as to influencing the local church, this proves one of the most significant professorates of the seminary. Miller performed this function for thirty-five years and trained approximately 1,600 ministerial students![2]

What exactly did he teach his students? Thankfully, Miller meticulously preserved manuscripts of his thirty-lectures on preaching, which are preserved in the Princeton Theological Seminary Library Archives.[3] Unfortunately, however, these are not readily available apart from a trip to New Jersey. For that reason, beginning with this essay, we will relay a few things from Miller’s lectures that appear to be relevant, challenging, and helpful to modern preachers. In this first essay, we will consider what Miller teaches on the Importance of Preaching.

In his homiletical lectures, Miller covers a full gambit of topics including a history of preaching along with all the nuts and bolts of delivery. However, before doing this, Miller reminded his theological students of the centrality of the pulpit to the Christian ministry. We could summarize this portion of his lecture under three headings: 1. The Importance of Preaching to the Purpose of the Seminary; 2. The Importance of Preaching to the Minister’s Work; and 3. The Importance of Preaching to the Salvation and Comfort of God’s People.

The Importance of Preaching to the Purpose of the Seminary

Miller begins his lecture by urging his pupils to remember that the very reason that the seminary exists and the reason that they attended such a theological institution was “that you may be duly qualified to preach the everlasting gospel.” This general principle informs the student in three ways.

First, this means that every branch of study should come to bear on this purpose.  Old Princeton required advanced courses in the biblical languages, exegetical, systematic, and polemical theology, church history, as well as polity. According to Miller, however, the learning of these skills and completion of these courses were all intended to facilitate this one overarching purpose—to preach the gospel of Christ.

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