Diary of Edward Bates, Sunday, July 17, 1859

Went to church and heard Mr. Davis preach quite a fluent and flow[e]ry discourse, on the parable of Dives and Lazarus[.]

Mr. Davis is a young man (of poor, respectable Welsh parents here in St Louis) Educated for the ministry, chiefly by contributions of the churches here. At the instance of our Pastor, Mr. Anderson,²⁶ just before his recent departure for Europe, the session of our church (in my absence) invited Mr. Davis to take Mr. A.[nderson]'s place and occupy our pulpit during his absence. Last Sabbath Mr. Cox²⁷ preached and administered the Lord's supper, while Mr. Davis only gave out a hymn.

Now, it is ascertained that Mr. Davis is not licenced to preach the Gospel, and therefore, notwithstanding the invitation, has no more authority in the pulpit than any other layman.

I have spoken to Mr. Bishop²⁹ about it, who seems to concur with me in the opinion that the proceeding is irregular and against the discipline of the church — He says that at the time the Session passed the invitation, they thought that Mr. D.[avis] was a licentiate. But I do not know that Mr. Bishop concurs with me in believing that the precedent thus set is dangerous. It is dangerous in many ways, and among others, in lowering the official standard of our ministers. Whoever begins by disregarding or dispensing with the known law, for convenience' sake or in respect of persons, will be easily tempted, for the same reasons, to make new law, equally without authority. I fear the consequences.

[Marginal Note.] Saturday, July 23d. I mentioned the subject to Revd. Mr. Brook[e]s,³⁰ of 2d. church, who admits that the proceeding is irregular and without law — but seemed to think that, under the circumstances, and Mr. D. [avis'] being a very clever young man, no harm would come of it &c[.]

I answered that it was dangerous to depart from the known laws of the church — When we begin to depart, there is no rule for stopping the departure. You dispense with one law to day; I with another tomorrow. And both of us, having assumed the dispensing power, will soon assume the power to make new law, to suit our convenience.

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²⁶ Samuel A. P. Anderson, Virginia-bred Presbyterian clergyman, pastor since 1851 of the Central Presbyterian Church.

²⁷ Probably Samuel H. Cox, Presbyterian clergyman; at this time, president of Ingham University for women, at Le Roy, N. Y.

²⁸ See infra, July 25, 1859. [Blog Editor’s Note: there is no anchor for this foot note in the text.]

²⁹ Daniel H. Bishop. See loc. cit.

³⁰ James H. Brookes, eloquent "premillenialist" minister of the Second Presbyterian Church, 1858-1865(?), and of the Compton Avenue Church, 1865-1897, editor of the St. Louis (Presbyterian) Truth, and author of several religious books.

SOURCE: Howard K. Beale, Editor, Annual Report of The American Historical Association For The Year 1930, Vol. 4, The Diary Of Edward Bates, pp. 32-3