Edward Payson (July 25, 1783October 22, 1827) was an American

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

preacher. He was born at

Rindge, New Hampshire Rindge is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,476 at the 2020 census, up from 6,014 at the 2010 census. Rindge is home to Franklin Pierce University, the Cathedral of the Pines and part of Annett Stat ...

, where his father, Rev. Seth Payson (1758–1820), was pastor of the Congregational Church. His uncle,

Phillips Payson Phillips Payson (1704–1801) was an American Congregationalist minister for the town of Walpole, Province of Massachusetts Bay. He is the ancestor of many distinguished clergymen of New England. History Rev. Phillips Payson was born 29 Februa ...

(1736–1801), pastor of a church in

Chelsea, Massachusetts Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County ( ) is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in ...

, was a

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

. Edward Payson graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1803, was then principal of a school at

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

, and in 1807 became junior pastor of the Congregational Church at Portland, where he remained, after 1811, as senior pastor, until his death on October 22, 1827.

Archibald Alexander Archibald Alexander (April 17, 1772 – October 22, 1851) was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary. He served for 9 years as the President of Hampden–Sydney College in Virginia and for 39 year ...

suggested in 1844 that "no man in our country has left behind him a higher character for eminent piety than the Rev. Edward Payson."

, ''Thoughts on Religious Experience'', p. 220. The most complete collection of his

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...

s, with a memoir by

Asa Cummings Asa Cummings (September 29, 1790 – June 5, 1856) was an American Congregational church, Congregational minister and author. He was ordained into the ministry of the First Congregational Church in North Yarmouth, Maine, in 1821. He wrote a well- ...

originally published in 1828, is the ''Memoir, Select Thoughts and Sermons of the late Rev. Edward Payson'' (3 vols., Portland, 1846; Philadelphia, 1859). Based on this is the volume, ''Mementos of Edward Payson'' (New York, 1873), by the Rev. E. L. Janes of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

Personal life

Edward was the father of Elizabeth Prentiss.

References

Attribution: *

External links

Edward Payson at Enrichment Journal

The Complete works of Edward Payson, D.D., vol. 1

The Complete works of Edward Payson, D.D., vol. 2

A memoir of the Rev. Edward Payson, D.D., late of Portland, Maine (1830)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Payson, Edward 1783 births 1827 deaths People from Rindge, New Hampshire Harvard College alumni American Christian religious leaders Clergy from Portland, Maine American Congregationalist ministers American school principals American evangelicals Educators from Portland, Maine 19th-century American educators