let us now look into john chambers's inner life,—of the heart as well as the intellect. we have seen how the vigorous and lusty twig which grew up in the classical academy of baltimore began to bend away from certain statements and formul? in the westminster symbols, as then interpreted to him, which gave the afterwards robust and widespreading tree a tremendous inclination. "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." john chambers's convictions shaped his message and colored all his preaching. there were probably reasons, other than those merely intellectual, for the young man's tremendous antipathy to the idea that the fullness of the christian life and the message of jesus could be compressed into the mathematical statements made at westminster during the days of the british commonwealth.
when i was a student at rutgers college, new brunswick, new jersey, from 1865 to 1869, i was asked, as an incoming freshman, by the president, rev. william h. campbell, d.d., ll.d., concerning my religious training. i told him how much i owed to john chambers in philadelphia. a bland light overspread the full expanse of that face, so seamed with thought and studious toil and which nothing but warm affection could call handsome. indeed, it seemed as though every wrinkle was smoothed out, as a prairie-like smile suffused its whole area. then, laughing heartily, he said, "well, i can remember when he had orthodoxy taught him with the sole of a slipper." evidently then, according to the accepted and supposedly wholesome custom of the times, the future preacher received at intervals[43] what was expected to be a physical aid to faith, though in reality the result was the reverse of what was expected. whether the slipper was applied to the lad before or after intellectual defection, its use induced reaction. whether, as is probable, the correction by leather came from the employer to whom the apprentice was bound, or from the schoolmaster is not known. the boy would not accept westminsterism whole, certainly not as then interpreted.
above all, this young irish-american lad had a big, warm heart. as he read the scriptures for himself he was early filled with that idea, which afterwards he infused into the lives of thousands, that the gospel is a glorious message to the individual, that the christian life is a way, as well as a belief, that there are elements in religious life and experience which do not submit to exact definitions, and that the mercy of god is the largest factor of the divine life toward wrong-doing man. in this the time of his youth, as well as all through his life, he felt deeply rather than thought coolly. whether we must ascribe most or all of the results to the towering personality of his teacher, john mason duncan, and of his long continued training at a most susceptible age under so forceful a master, certainly, whatever our philosophy of the known facts may be, he was filled with an antipathy to creeds. in a time and climate of theological severity, and amid the rancor of controversy, he was, among his clerical brethren who set higher value than he did, upon "the form of sound words" or logical formulas, verily a pilgrim and stranger upon the earth. he rejoiced to see by faith the day we live in, even the work of the general assembly, and of the synods and presbyteries of 1903.
ever hoping and praying for the day to come when the creeds, especially of the presbyterian body of churches, in which he had been educated, would be revised, he lived and[44] "died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar". the change of theological climate, the revision of the westminster symbols and the simplification of theology into which we, in this twentieth century have come, even the work of the general assembly, that met in new york in 1902, and in los angeles in 1903, was what he in hope long ago looked for. he believed in expressing forms of faith in the language of living men, not of dead ones, for he ever taught not only that god was, but that he is.
to recapitulate, john chambers left the classical academy in 1818, after five years' instruction. he remained seven years longer in baltimore, active in church life and work. during this time, he was occupied also in business, thus earning his livelihood, for he had learned the trade of a jeweler. during these years, his life was made rich and joyous by one who had crossed his path, and who was to be to him his beloved wife, miss helen mchenry. she was the first of three noble specimens of womanhood who were to light his household fire, irradiate his home, double and share his joys and sorrows. how often and how tenderly did "our pastor" refer to "the partner of his life", the beloved "companion of his bosom!" what a refining power, what a potent influence, stimulating to marital purity and mutual "love that lightens all distress", was his steadfast example. it was his frequent felicitous use of passages from the song of songs, that so impressed one boy's mind that, despite his vow, registered in college, never to write a "commentary", he composed and published "the lily among thorns".[6]
[6] the lily among thorns. a study of the biblical drama entitled the song of songs. boston, 1889.
let us look at the heredity of his affianced. as early as 1735, francis mchenry, an ordained minister of the[45] presbyterian church came from ireland to america and was associated with gilbert tennant in the deep run, or neshaminy, churches in bucks county, pennsylvania, and also in the beginnings of the log college, which by direct evolution became the great princeton university.
his grandson was francis dean mchenry, a shipping merchant of baltimore, whose daughter helen was born in september, 1805, when the boy in ohio was nearly seven years old. when he met her in baltimore, he had the lover's "three t's" or elements of success—propinquity, opportunity, and importunity. those who knew john chambers in later life will not marvel why he won her, rather might they wonder how any maiden could resist the urgency of the warm-hearted and handsome youth, who was the largest and handsomest of the chambers family. as matter of fact, she made capitulation in due time and was led to the altar.
it was but a very short time after john chambers had reached the first stadium in his successful career and was an ordained minister, that the marriage took place in baltimore, march 14th, 1826.
the young preacher brought his bride to philadelphia and enjoyed just three years and six months of wedded happiness with the companion of his youth. those who remember mrs. chambers speak of her beauty and animation, and of her whole-hearted sympathy with her husband's work, but her life was destined to be brief. the first child born of the union was john mason duncan chambers, whom the happy father joyfully named after his spiritual father, under whom his soul life had opened and ripened in baltimore. his second child, a daughter, helen frances chambers, now mrs. james hackett, living at pomfret centre, conn., still survives him.
[46]
john mason duncan chambers, born march 15, 1827, married miss emma ward of winchester, virginia, in october, 1851. he died november, 1857, leaving three children, of whom helen mchenry is the only survivor. she is married to mr. george lothrop bradley, of pomfret centre, conn., and washington, d. c.
helen frances chambers, born april 25, 1829, was married july 17, 1849, to mr. james hackett, of baltimore. their one surviving child, helen mchenry hackett, married george f. miles. with mrs. hackett, these two grandchildren are the only descendants of john chambers.
the pastor, elect and ordained, brought his bride to philadelphia and took a house on thirteenth street, below walnut, and there began his home. being on the same street as his church, he had not been many months at work before scores of people living on thirteenth, or streets parallel and crossing it, were attracted to become worshippers with him as their pastor. as one lady, still lovely in her eighty years of life, tells the story from girlhood's memories, the "chamberites", as they were at first called, were every sunday morning seen to be moving with their faces set northward toward "the church of the vow"; and the preacher, being from the first the soul of promptness, "led the procession".
between thirteenth and broad streets and walnut and locust, had grown up "the village", where for lack of accommodation in the church edifice, the sunday school was established. on sabbath afternoons, the whole school adjourned bodily to the church, walking up thirteenth street to filbert.
yet even with a growing sunday school and enlarging church membership, the way of the young pastor was far from smooth, and the first independent church of phila[47]delphia was in no danger of being smothered with kindness. almost as a matter of course, an industrious army of prophets arose to foretell failure to a church founded on the bible alone. rather, instead of "prophets", we should say a busy host of fortune-tellers, since the hebrew and biblical word, prophet, does not mean predicter, but the utterer of truth. the little ecclesiastical infant, rather foundling, needed much warmth of prayer and devotion, certainly during its first decade. with shakings of the head and emphatic use of the hands in dreadful warning of calamity, the philadelphia variety of soothsayers declared that in two or three years, the first independent church would go to pieces. both laymen and ministers were loud in declaring that such a church, without a "creed," (though the bible is a very library of creeds), could not thrive or live. the idea of success in rearing a church, with the holy scriptures only as a rule of faith and practice, was scoffed at. in our day, it does indeed seem strange that protestant ministers should so talk, but experience, the great teacher, showed "the divine sufficiency of the bible as a rule of faith and practice, and ... also a bond of union holding together a large and flourishing congregation in christian love and harmony". so wrote john chambers in 1859.
however, "liberal", or, rather scriptural, in his theological opinions, the young minister was, since especially he cared nothing for any man's boasted "predestination" or "election" to eternal life, unless that same man showed the fruits of faith in holy living, he was anything but liberal in his ideas of morals, or as related to amusements, or the keeping of the christian day of rest. we shall see this clearly when we note how he dealt with one of his theatre-going elders.
[48]
in his fortieth anniversary sermon, may 14th, 1865, which was printed, mr. chambers referred to this experience, stating that during the two-score years of his ministry no word of disagreement, or of an unpleasant character with his fellow-presbyters, had ever been spoken, with the exception that we are about to describe, and which, in order to make a perfectly correct record, mr. chambers himself would not omit.
shortly after administering his first communion, the young pastor found that "one of the original elders was in the habit of attending theatrical amusements and of taking his children with him". what resulted from this discovery is given in his own words:
"this conduct was so directly in opposition to what were then my convictions of what was right, and which opinion i still hold—so directly in the face of the teachings of the bible, that i could not remain silent under it, but at once sought mr. ——, in order that we might have a mutual explanation of our views. upon my putting the question to him, as to whether he thought his course was a proper one—whether it was the love of christ which induced him to frequent such places, and if in so doing he was bringing up his children in the nurture and admonition of the lord by making them his companions on such occasions, i found that he was obstinate in his determination to adhere to his own course of action. i referred him to second corinthians, sixth chapter, fourteenth to eighteenth verse, and then told him that i could not and would not serve with him in the session; that either he or i must resign, and proposed that it should be left to the vote of the church. if the church advocated or permitted indulgence in theatrical amusements, if it was considered a means of grace and the proper school in which children were to be trained up for god, there was [49]
[50]
[51]but one path for me to pursue—to dissolve my connection with them at once. if on the contrary they sustained me in my views, mr. —— must resign. he was unwilling to submit the matter to the vote of the congregation, knowing only too well that their standard of piety was a high one, and that his conduct would meet with their severe displeasure. consequently he resigned his office of elder in the spring of 1826, and from that day to this neither elder nor lay member has advocated visits to the theatre as the way to heaven, and i am sure with the bible as their rule of life, never will".
john chambers.
about 1856.
it soon became very evident that the young minister and his people were separatists of a strict sort. they believed in being "in the world", but not "of the world". the passages in corinthians which had been quoted, "wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate", was one on which the pastor preached many times in the course of his ministry. his insistence was from the first that christian people ought to find their enjoyment in religion and be visibly different from those who had no scruples against cards, dancing, gaming, or the theatre.
was not john chambers right? he had a just fear of the real influence of these methods of killing time. furthermore, those who can remember the chestnut street, of even as late as the sixties, need not wonder at his earnest and pointed preaching—for every sermon-bullet of john chambers hit the target, and usually the bull's eye. in language not to be mistaken and often with tears, he called upon young men and women to rise upon higher levels into a more spiritual life than was then common. a realistic description of the vice, that openly flaunted itself on philadelphia's gayest street, would not here be in good taste, or be relished if given; but it was something horrible.[52] whether the world, on the whole, is getting better or worse, it is quite certain that the houses of ill-fame, the midnight street-walkers and the pictures once visible in public places and in the saloons, inexpressibly obscene as they were, are not found at the present time, or if so, are much more concealed, for they have at least been driven to cover. it seemed to be the idea of the young minister that he ought to know what was going on in the world, and to teach his people to know, while yet choosing the pure, and avoiding the impure. he was liberal enough in his attitude to his brethren of other names, always working with them in practical religion.
some of the years of his first marriage were spent on arch street, near 13th street. in later years he lived on walnut above broad on the south side. from about the time of "the war" and until his death, he dwelt at the corner of 12th and girard street north of chestnut. thus his whole pastoral life was spent in the very heart of the city, seeing things as they were, and with his eyes open to the manner in which the people amused themselves.