It was his first Sunday at Old Pine Street Church in Philadelphia. The congregation voted by a strong majority to call George Duffield (1732-1790) to be its pastor in 1771. A large crowd gathered to hear his inaugural sermon, but the old guard (called Old Siders) padlocked the doors, barring entrance. The Old Siders took a hard line on the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1636, while New Siders centered on the authority of Scripture and conversion as expressed in new revivalists like George Whitfield and Charles Finney. Okay, back to the story. Someone broke the locks so the service could begin. During Duffield’s sermon, the Old Siders arranged for a local magistrate to evict everyone. Someone stepped forward to carry the magistrate out of the building and told George in a calm voice, “Go on, Mr. Duffield.” He resumed his sermon, and most everyone went home happy. The next day, a constable appeared, charged Duffield with disturbing the peace, and locked him in jail. Welcome to your new assignment, Rev. Duffield. The charges were eventually dropped, and Duffield went on to serve the church faithfully until his death in 1790. Old Pine Street was known in those days as the “Church of the Patriots.” Duffield became Chaplain to the Pennsylvania Militia during the Revolutionary War, and sixty men from his congregation joined him. John Adams, who worshiped at Old Pine Street, called Duffield “a man of genius and eloquence.” After the war, Congress declared Dec. 11, 1783, as a Day of Thanksgiving for the restoration of peace and the establishment of independence. As I read Duffield’s sermon, I’m reminded it is not history in the abstract. The pain, fury, and sacrifice of war still bleeds through his sermon. While there is no printed prayer to accompany his sermon, I reworked his closing words into a prayer that befits him:
George Duffield
Almighty God, we praise Thee, for Thou hast wrought a great deliverance for our nation. We remember with gratitude what Thou hast done for us. Thou hast cast aside our enemy, bestowed on us a fruitful land and blessed us with a safe and honorable peace. To Thee we raise our thanks and pledge our sacred trust. Thou hast done great things for us, whereof we are glad. We resolve from this day forward to love Thee, to walk in Thy ways and keep Thy commandments. Great are Thy works, O Lord. Thine is the power and the victory and the greatness. Amen.
“A Sermon Preached on a Day of Thanksgiving” by George Duffield (Dec. 11, 1783)
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.