Daily Baptist Encyclopedia Church, Pharcellus, D.D., was born Sept. 11, 1801, near Geneva, N. Y.

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AdminTop contributor  · 3h  · Daily Baptist EncyclopediaChurch, Pharcellus, D.D., was born Sept. 11, 1801, near Geneva, N. Y. He spent the most of his first ten years of life at what is now called Hopewell Centre, five miles from Canandaigua. At eleven years of age his home was changed to the shores of Lake Ontario, at that time without reli- gious privileges. His Sabbaths were spent in the rough sort of life peculiar to the wilderness of a new country. In the midst of his rude sports a respect for religion, instilled in his mind early in life by a tender, loving mother, asserted itself, and led him to follow her counsel and study the Divine Word. While thus engaged as a matter of filial duty, and obeying the outward forms of religion, he was deeply affected by portions of the Gospel of John. These impressions led to his conversion at thirteen and a half years of age. He attended no church and heard no domestic or sanctuary worship, and yet enjoyed communion with God, which was greatly increased by an open confession to his pious mother. Soon after this event, a Baptist church was formed in the vicinity, and in June, 1816, he was immersed upon profession of his faith, He ° became immediately more or less active in social meetings, and at the age of seventeen he felt called to the Christian ministry. Through the influence of friends he devoted him- self to study, and finally took a classical and theo- logical course at Hamilton, N. Y. He was first settled as pastor at Poultney, Vt., where he was ordained in June, 1825, and where he remained until 1828. In the latter year he was married to Miss Conant, daughter of Deacon John Conant, of Brandon, and in the fall of that year became pastor of what is now the Central Baptist church of Provi- dence, R. I. He spent the winter of 1834-35 in New Orleans, and while there wrote “ Philosophy of Benevolence,’ published in New York in 1836. Upon his return to the North he located with the church at Rochester. From thence he removed, in 1848, to accept the pastorate of Bowdoin Square Baptist church, Boston. This position he left on account of sickness. In 1855 he became editor of the New York Chronicle, in which service he re- mained ten years. Since 1865 he has spent the time partly in Europe, making the original Serip- tures a principal study, preaching occasionally, and writing for the press. His home has been at Tarrytown for the last eight years. An offer of a premium fora work on religious discussions being made in the summer of 1836, he wrote a book on that subject of 400 or 500 pages, which was published in 1837. The revival interest among his people in Rochester turned his attention to the subject of spiritual power, and he published in 1842 a work entitled “ Antioch, or the Increase of Moral Power in the Church,” which contained an able introduction by Dr. Stow, of Boston. Another publication of a like character, in 1843, entitled ‘‘ Pentecost,’ being the substance of a sermon preached at Albany before the Foreign Mission Board in the spring of that year, was printed by request. In Boston, he compiled “ Me- moirs of Mrs. Theodosia Dean,’ which was pub- lished in that city about 1851, and is now included in the American Baptist Publication Society’s lists. While in Canada he wrote ‘‘ Mapleton, or more Work for the Maine Law,” a temperance tale ; and while in Bonn, on the Rhine, he wrote *‘ Sad Truths,” a work embodying a good deal of thought on Bible subjects, which was published in Edin- burgh and in New York. Dr. Church has written largely for reviews and other periodicals, and is still engaged in the same service. Dr. Church is a grand old man, with a noble in- tellect, a great heart, splendid culture, an unsullied record, and a saintly piety, one of those men whom we would keep forever in the church on earth, and whom we would endow with undying vigor, if his state and place were in our charge.From the Baptist Encyclopedia by Willaim Cathcart photo from findagrave