Life of the Rev. Calvin S. Gerhard, D. D.

Preface

VER since his assumption of the work laid down by Dr. Gerhard, the editor had the desire of paying some tribute of love and esteem to the character and work of his worthy predecessor. As he became better acquainted with the nobility of the former and the magnitude of the latter, this desire grew stronger, until it assumed a definite purpose, of which this volume is the result, and we humbly present it to the public with the hope that it may help to perpetuate the memory of a noble and consecrated servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, in the spirit of his Master, gave himself for others.

We felt unequal to the task of presenting every phase of this useful man's life and character, and called upon a number of representative brethren in the Church, who knew him intimately and could speak with authority on their respective subjects, to assist us in the undertaking. That they have faithfully and.most excellently done so, may be seen by reading the chapters which they have contributed to this book.

Before finishing our task, which was undertaken and prosecuted as a labor of love, there remains the pleasant duty of expressing our gratitude to all who contributed toward the accomplishment of our pur-

VI PKEFACE

pose and the completion of our work. We desire to thank the authors of the respective chapters for their hearty response to our request for a contribution, although, without an exception, they are busymen and had to perform their work under the stress of many exacting duties ; to Mrs. C. S. Gerhard, the widow of the subject of this volume, for information given, and especially for the presentation of the excellent portrait which appears as a frontispiece in the book ; to Messrs. Daniel Miller, Alvin J. Shartle, Fred. A. Krauss, Samuel E. Moyer and Robert H. DeLong, for valuable assistance in looking up the files of the Church papers, from which we quote extensively in the last chapter; to Mr. Edward S. Lamar, Librarian of the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church in the United States, Lancaster, Pa., for many courtesies shown ; to the members of the Seminary Ralston Club for their hospitality ; to Miss Sallie R. Kline and the members of her Sunday-school class, for the large number of advance subscribers secured ; to all who showed their confidence in the volume by subscribing for it in advance ; and to the printer and binder for the accuracy and excellence of their work.

Now the book, with all its virtues and all its defects, is yours.

The Editor.

Reading, Pa., December 15, 1904.

Introduction

By the Rev. John S. Stahr, D.D., LL.D,

President Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Penn'a

INTRODUCTION

LIFE like that of the late Calvin S. Gerhard, D.D., touching- so manyother lives, and exerting in its many-sided activity so marked an influence upon friends and associates, upon the community in which he lived and the Church to which he belonged, will not speedily be forgotten. The following pages, containing tributes of friendship and affection and an estimate of the man and his labors from those who are well qualified for the work of love which they have undertaken, are intended not simply to keep his memory fresh in the minds of those who knew him. They have the deeper purpose to bring into clear view the characteristics of mind and heart which made Dr. Gerhard a prominent figure in his day and generation and to set forth the principles which he cherished in the course of his life, as he grew from stage to stage of development as a Christian minister and a profound student of science and theology. It is hoped that in this way they will prove helpful and stimulating, serving to continue his influence and to perpetuate his work, even though he has been called away from the scene of his earthly labors and his place here shall know him no more.

It was the privilege of the writer while he was still a student at college, to learn to know Dr. Gerhard after he had graduated from his Alma Mater.

It was really arranged between us that we should be room-mates in the Theological Seminary at Mercersburg, in the autumn of 1867. The writer did not have the privilege of entering the Seminary at the time, but he remained in close touch with his friend from that time, and many a discussion of philosophical and theological questions between us proved mutually stimulating and helpful. In this way the writer had ample opportunity to know Dr. Gerhard's native powers, his literary, philosophical and theological attainments, the tendency of his mind, and the deeper traits of personality, his large heart and generous disposition, which knit him so closely to his friends and acquaintances.

Dr. Gerhard was a well-rounded man, and the tendrils of his nature reached out in many different directions. This was felt by all who had the privilege of knowing him, and the fact is amply demonstrated in the pages of this little volume. There are, however, two special traits or characteristics of the man to which it may be proper to call attention in this connection. The first is a high order of intellectual strength, keenness of mind, eagerness for knowledge and a desire to know the truth ; the other we may characterize by the general term loyalty— loyalty to his friends, loyalty to the truth, loyalty to the faith which he professed.

It was the privilege of Dr. Gerhard in his college days to come under the influence of great teachers, and he profited by their instruction. He came out of college not only with a well trained mind, better

INTKODUCTION 13

trained perhaps than that of the average college student, but also with an insight into the nature of scientific, philosophical and theological problems such as few students in our American colleges possess. It was but natural, therefore, that as he came in contact with men of force and ability in art, science and literature, he should eagerly take up the different lines of thought and inquiry, and push his research for the truth in the various directions which were open to him. As a theological student and a minister of the Gospel, theological questions, of course (aside from the care of souls, in which he was most faithful), claimed his first attention, but he soon perceived that theological questions in this age are so intertwined with questions of science and philosophy that the latter must in the nature of the case be earnestly studied if any one would do justice to the former.

This accounts for the fact that Dr. Gerhard's reading took a wide range in the departments of natural science and sociology, as well as in philosophy and theology. The writer was especially impressed with this fact when, before the publication of * * Death and the Resurrection, ' ' he had submitted to him the larger part of the manuscript of this work, and many of the points involved were freely discussed with Dr. Gerhard. He showed not only that he had read and studied carefully, but also that he had thought long and profoundly on the various problems involved, and no one will hesitate to give him the meed of praise for wide and accurate scholarship in the fields to which we have referred.

A man who becomes a close student naturally grows enthusiastic in the pursuit of the different lines of inquiry which he is endeavoring to follow, and this was pre-eminently true of Dr. Gerhard. But he was just as enthusiastic in his loyalty as he was in the pursuit of knowledge. He was, first of all, loyal to the truth ; as a careful inquirer it was always his purpose to ascertain where the truth lay, and when, as he thought, he had found it, he would stand by it with unflagging devotion. He had the courage of his convictions, and he would maintain these convictions with great boldness, sometimes, his friends thought, with unnecessary boldness ; but to judge of this it is necessary to take into account the whole attitude of the man. He was just as loyal in his faith, in the apprehension of those things which come not by searching, but through the revelation of the Spirit of God. No doubt he tried to reconcile his views of science, history and philosophy with his faith in the supernatural character of the Gospel ; but whatever his views were, there can be no doubt of his absolute acceptance of Christ as the Son of God, and of Christianity as the one hope of the world. It was refreshing to hear him preach and pray; and there are many who remember with what enthusiastic devotion he spoke of the power of the Gospel, and quoted eminent representatives of the best type of a living Christianity. The writer remembers

ENTRODUCTION 15

having given him a letter of introduction to Bishop Vincent, at Chautauqua, where it was his privilege to meet Principal Fairbairn. He had also met and heard Moody and Campbell Morgan. It was refreshing to hear him speak of these men and of their message, and to set forth with unfaltering trust his own faith in our common Lord and Master. He could not have wielded the influence he possessed as a pastor, he could not have been a leader of men in the Church to which he belonged, especially among the younger men and in the progressive movements of the Church, if there had not been this stanch loyalty to the faith, this profound apprehension of the power of the Gospel, to save, even unto the uttermost, all them that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Perhaps Dr. Gerhard appeared to the best advantage in the bosom of his family ; but here we are on sacred ground, and we may not speak in this connection of what he was as husband and father, except in the most incidental way. The writer may, however, perhaps be permitted to say that he was never more deeply impressed with the strength of Dr. Gerhard, on the one hand, and his simple, childlike faith on the other, than in the last interview which he had with him in his own house. Standing in the shadow of a similar great bereavement, the loss of promising sons, the conversation naturally turned toward the future life, and here a profound insight into the things which lie this side of the borderland, and the inability of the natural

16 THE LITE OF DR. GERHARD

eye to see beyond, coupled with great faith in the absolute certainty of those things which are set forth in the Gospel of Christ, were plainly manifest. The frame of mind shown by Dr. Gerhard at the time was in harmony with the development of his whole life, and it may perhaps be most fitly expressed in the words of Tennyson :

** Thou wilt not leave us in the dust,

Thou madest man, he knows not why, He thinks he was not made to die; And Thou hast made him ; Thou art just.

**Thou seemest human and divine;

The highest, holiest manhood Thou; Our wills are ours, we know not how, Our wills are ours to make them Thine.

** Our little systems have their day;

They have their day and cease to be; They are but broken lights of Thee, And Thou, O Lord, art more than they.

** We have but faith; we cannot know, For knowledge is of things we see; And yet we trust it comes from Thee, A beam in darkness; let it grow.

Let knowledge grow from more to more, But more of reverence in us dwell.

That mind and soul, according well,

May make one music, as before. ''

Chapter I

Dr. Gerhard as a Man

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

By the Rev. D. W. Gerhard, D.D.

Lancaster, Penn'a

Pastor Salem Reformed Church at Heller's, Lancaster County, Penn'a

CHAPTER I.

Dr. Gerhard as a Man.

EV. Calvin Seibert Gerhard, D.D.,

was by descent, as well as by education and choice, a life-long member of the Reformed Church. His greatgreat - grandfather, Frederick Gerhard, who emigrated from Longenselbold, Hesse Cassel, Germany, to America, in 1737, and settled in Berks County, Pa., was a stanch upholder of the Reformed faith. The same is true of the father, grandfather and great-grandfather. No less thoroughly devoted to the Reformed Church were his ancestors on the maternal side.

His parents were Rev. William T. Gerhard and his wife Elizabeth, the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Seibert. Eight children were born to them, five sons and three daughters. The fifth one was Calvin Seibert, who first saw the light of day October 3, A.D. 1845. The family then resided in Nockamixon Township, near Kintnerville, Bucks County, Pa. A few years later Durham Township came to be the place of residence. It was in this place, at Rufe's school, that the children received the elements of a common school education. The father was, in his early years, himself a school teacher, and always continued to take a deep interest in the public schools then being first introduced. He interested himself in having the best teachers that could be secured, and in this way helped to furnish for his own children, and others of the community, the very best conditions for mental training the public schools in those early years of their history afforded.

The home training of the children was also greatly to their advantage. Father Gerhard was not only a successful pastor and a preacher of considerable ability, but he was firm and judicious in the ruling of his family. In this he was greatly strengthened by the devoted and faithful assistance of his life companion, the mother of his children. She was of a very reserved disposition, quiet and mild in her manner, but there was a simplicity in her faith, a single-mindedness in her devotion to her children, and to the work to which her husband was consecrated, that made her a tower of strength wherever she was known. Her education was mainly in the German language — she rarely ever spoke in English, — ^but her intimate acquaintance with sacred Scripture, and her spiritual-mindedness gave her a good preparation to enjoy the services of God's house even though conducted in the English language. In later years, when the family resided in Lancaster, Rev. Dr. H. Harbaugh was her favorite English preacher. She was wont to say she could get more nourishment for her soul from his preaching than from any other. This was at the time when Dr. N. C. Schaeffer says: "His (Dr. Harbaugh's) sermons were fresh, interesting, instructive, and edifying. An audience composed largely of students and professors is very hard to please and very difficult to hold. Of their own accord the students of the College flocked to his church and filled his pews." Compared with the privileges these hearers enjoyed, those of mother Gerhard had been very limited, but her consecration to the service of her Saviour, her fidelity in every relation of life, fitted her to sit side by side with students and professors to enjoy the preaching of Dr. Harbaugh when not attending the German services conducted by her own husband.

Where father and mother were thus both faithful in their several spheres, the children enjoyed the benefits that result from a positive Christian atmosphere in their daily experience. * ' Huebner's Bible Stories," and such publications as *'Peep of Day," ''Line Upon Line," ''Here a Little and There a Little," and others of a similar character, were at the service of the household, and besides these, the daily reading of the Bible was encouraged, and on Sunday evenings it was customary to have each one of the children, according to age, relate what had been read during the day. In this way the parents not only had supervision of the reading that was done by their children, but also succeeded in drilling them in their knowledge of the Scriptures.

During the winter of 1856-57 it was my privilege to teach the home school, my four brothers, all younger than myself, being scholars, and in the spring — at the close of the term — we gave an exhibition of work accomplished during the winter, the same being held in Durham Church. The opening prayer was made by the subject of this sketch. The prayer was written by the teacher, but committed and delivered by the one selected from among all the others as best suited for the place, and so it happened that Calvin Seibert Gerhard made his first public prayer in Durham Church, when he was eleven years of age.

The year 1858 was an important one in the life of our family. I had entered the Allentown Seminary (later the site of Muhlenberg College) late during the preceding year, and now, in the fall of this year, entered the Freshman class of Franklin and Marshall College at Lancaster. Several events occurred about this time that were of great importance to the family — particularly to the five sons.

In the first place, the question must be decided where to enter college. A collegiate training and preparation for the ministry, had meanwhile been decided upon in my own case, but now the four brothers also became desirous of a college training. Accordingly father and myself took a trip to Easton to see about my entrance into Lafayette College. Fortunately, our first step was to call on Rev. John Beck, then pastor of the Third Street Reformed Church. The result was, that, without seeing a solitary one of the professors of Lafayette College, we went home and prepared for my entrance into Franklin and Marshall soon after. This fact is noted here because of the important questions that were once for all settled. Whether the family should continue to live on the farm twelve miles distant from the College, where the oldest son was pursuing his studies under a Presbyterian environment, or whether he should become a leader for others to follow in becoming a student in the College which represented the denominational life of the family, was settled by the friendly advice of pastor Beck.

Another question that confronted the family was whether the father should continue to serve his Master in the field in which he had been signally successful for fifteen years past. The question was one which called for serious consideration. In the neighborhood of Lancaster there were a number of weak congregations that needed the services of a faithful pastor and preacher. Here there seemed to be a providential opening for removal to the college town of our own Church. But this involved separation from what we all regarded as a very desirable pastoral field, and from a large circle of most devoted friends and parishioners. While the whole situation was under consideration and discussion by the parents and children, one day a family consultation was held, at which each one was requested to put down in writing an answer to the difficult question. Calvin wrote, ''I say we go." In after years he often spoke with satisfaction of his opinion as expressed at that time.

Suffice it to say, that in due time the matter was decided in the affirmative, the family moved to

Lancaster in the spring of 1859, the father at once entered upon an important work in attending to the spiritual interests of a number of country congregations, the sons were started in a course of study of higher education, and both father and mother lived to see their five sons graduate from college, two of them enter the Christian ministry, two the medical profession, the other one — Jacob Alfred — dying in his 26th year, while a middler in the Theological Seminary. Calvin was for several years a pupil in the Lancaster High School, preparing for admission into college in 1861. Early during college life he developed a fondness for reading, writing and public speaking. He wished to study law, but had, however, also at the same time a strong feeling that he ought to enter the ministry. Father took the ground that he would give his boys the best possible opportunity for securing a good education, but each one must choose for himself the profession to which to devote his life. For awhile Calvin tried to rid himself of the call to the ministry — ^but all to no purpose. The more he considered the question the more did he feel convinced that he must, in order to be true to himself, preach the Gospel of Christ to a dying world. In 1865 he graduated from college with the highest honors, delivering the valedictory on that occasion. His senior oration gives a good idea of his ability at that time, being then only in his twentieth year. He wrote as follows :

The history of the world must be regarded as a living organism in which the irresistible onward movement of humanity, the struggle of ages to actualize in full the deep meaning of life, may be fairly represented. The different nations of the earth, pervaded by the life power and principle of the whole, form the members of this organic body. Some nations, because they are not in vital union with it, merely form material for this structure. Only those are historical which exercise a determining influence on the progress of humanity, and which are incorporated into its very life and being. There is a central power in history which must be recognized by every true student of the science. Christ is that centre. He is the pivot on which the mighty structure rests and around which it revolves. Ancient history prepared the way for the great mystery of the Incarnation and modern history is but the expansion and development of it."

As still further illustrating his manner of thought and style of writing at this time, let the following extract from his valedictory oration speak for him. Addressing the professors he said :

*'By you we were taught to believe that Christ lives and moves in history ; that it is His all-powerful arm which guides and controls the destiny of nations and assigns each one its place in the grand drama of the world's history. Through you we learned that Science and Philosophy must bow their heads to Him and acknowledge Him as the principle of all truth. Yea, that all things, whether in heaven above, or the earth beneath, or under the earth, are perfect but in the degree in which they acknowledge Him to be Lord of all."

Two years were spent in teaching at Fayetteville, Franklin County, and Oley Academy, Friedensburg, Berks County, Pa. The thoroughness which had characterized the student was also evident in the teacher. While there was a relaxation from the kind of work done in the college class room, there was nevertheless also a ripening of manly powers, and in the fall of 1867 Calvin S. Gerhard was enrolled as a student of theology in the Seminary at Mercersburg. Three years of earnest study were spent here, and after graduation in 1870, a call came to him from the First Reformed Church in Sunbury, Pa.

PASTORATE AT SUNBURY.

Here he entered upon his work with characteristic energy, and at once met with marked success. His sermons gave evidence of careful preparation, and were delivered with a power that gave him high rank as a preacher of the Gospel. New life was awakened throughout the congregation, and was felt beyond its immediate bounds.

His marriage to Miss Emma Elizabeth Glase, of Friedensburg, Berks County, Pa. , October 12, 1871, was for him a fortunate event. Twelve months had passed by since his ordination. He had his work well in hand, and now, by bringing a helpmeet admirably suited to the responsible position of a pastor's wife, he strengthened his own hands, and added dignity to the character of his work. What added still more to the power of the young pastor was the fact that as pastor he at once developed tact of a high order. He knew how to approach the people, how to enter into their joys, their sorrows and their trials. Wherever troubles existed — of whatever kind they might be — he made them a personal matter with himself, and in this way he became a successful student of human nature, as well as an earnest student of the Word of God. His ministry at Sunbury was a happy and an unusually successful one.

Elder George Hill, of Sunbury, says :

" Your brother, my esteemed friend Calvin, received from the Sunbury charge a unanimous call, and, on October 4, 1870, was ordained and installed as pastor. He came here well equipped for his work and met with decided success. He and I were much together and kept in close touch with the various contentions then taking place among those standing at the head of the Church at large. Our views were identical. On all questions involving doctrine and theology we fully agreed. I learned much from him, and, on account of my age and experience, I was able to render him some assistance. No one regretted more than I did his determination to sever his relations with our congregation. In looking back, however, I regard his step as providential. He found a larger field of usefulness. He did a great work at Columbia and a still greater at Eeading. I was not disappointed in my conclusions as to his great ability as a theologian and church w^orker. From the time of his advent into our congregation I regarded him as a rising young man. The sermon preached by him at our late General Synod at Baltimore was to me a revelation and a treat. His untimely death was a great shock, and a mystery as well."

As an index to the character of his work done while at Sunbury, we have the three publications from his pen in the Mercersburg Review, as it was then still known, the one in 1874, the next in 1875, and the third in 1878. The first one of the three was entitled ''True Conversion and Rehgious Experience/' Conditions the young pastor met in his practical ministry challenged earnest thought on this subject. Therefore, in accordance with the cast of his mind, he must know for himself not only what his own Church teaches on the subject, but also what has been taught and written on the subject by others, but especially must he know what sacred Scripture says, and on the strength of this authority is he prepared to state his convictions. In the course of his argument he shows a familiarity with the subject that is the result of earnest and painstaking study. Among other things he says :

Formalism causes men to be satisfied with an outward religion. Pietism turns men in upon themselves, and makes them anxious to feel right: and their feelings then become the test and measure of their religion. Now, although these two extremes directly contradict each other, they are precisely alike in one respect — they both ignore Christ. Formalism seeks comfort in rites, ceremonies, observances, and ordinances, sundered from Christ. Pietism seeks comfort in experience, in feeling, in the emotions, without any regard to the means of grace. Both these forms of Christianity are unfaithful to Christ, and whoever falls into either one of them is guilty of unbelief. And just this, namely, unbelief, is the besetting sin of very many sincere inquirers after the truth.''

In these utterances he was not fighting a man of straw set up by himself. He was grappling with existing conditions. He had chosen the clerical profession because he felt called of God to preach the Gospel of a living Christ, and now, when, early in his ministerial career, he saw conditions that on the one hand ministered to lifeless formalism, and on the other to fanaticism, he went to work with his characteristic earnestness and wrought out for himself a system of truth that should avoid both extremes. Nor was he satisfied to state his views in negative terms. He was a positive character and must state his views in clean-cut, straightforward sentences. Hence he goes on to say :

What then is it that makes us true Christians ? Not our religious feelings, and pious emotions, but life union with Jesus Christ. How is this brought about and maintained ? Neither through mental and spiritual exercises, nor through outward observances, but by faith and prayer in the use of the means of grace — the Word of God and the Holy Sacraments. The Lord Jesus Christ is the source of all grace, and without His assistance in the Holy Ghost we can neither begin, continue nor finish the work of our personal salvation. Faith in him, therefore, is the one indispensable requisite whereby His grace will reach us and become effectual in us. In His Word and Sacraments, as means of grace. He really comes to us, and by faith, and prayer, as the deepest expression of faith, we are brought into life union with Him through these means. In His Word He makes known to us the promise of the Gospel, concretely fulfilled — become flesh and blood in Himself. In the Holy Sacrament of

Baptism this fulfilled promise is signed, sealed and thus made over to us in our infancy. In the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist our Lord, as the glorified Christ, feeds us by faith with His own body and blood, whereby our regenerate life is nourishsd and built up. Hence, true faith directs us to Christ as the Head of His mystical body, the Church, of which we are true members by faith in the proper use of the means of grace, and thus in life union with Him. Faith leads us to look away from ourselves to Him, our Saviour and our God; and the Holy Ghost helps us to bring all our burdens and cares to Him who alone can sustain us."