Theology and Spirituality in the Works of Samuel Davies

Book excerpt: From his death in 1761 through the American Civil War, Samuel Davies was a recognized name among American Presbyterians, yet for more than a century he has remained far more obscure in discussions of American religion. During the mid-Eighteenth Century, New Side Presbyterian evangelist and preacher Samuel Davies was a pioneer for religious toleration in Colonial America, yet to date no single work has examined Davies' vision for the interior life. Theology and Spirituality in the Works of Samuel Davies is the first monograph-length analysis of Davies' conception of Christian spirituality. After a decade of pastoral ministry to congregations in Virginia, Davies followed eminent American theologian Jonathan Edwards as the fourth President of the College of New Jersey (Princeton University), a tenure cut short by his early death at age thirty-seven. J.C. Harrod examines various aspects of Davies' own personal piety as well as the place that Scripture, conversion, holiness, and the means of grace played in his formulation of Christian piety.