Gilbert Tennent (5 February 1703 – 23 July 1764) was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

revivalist minister in

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. Born into a Scotch-Irish family in

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

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, he migrated to America with his parents, studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

, and along with Jonathan Edwards and

George Whitefield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican minister and preacher who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke Coll ...

, became one of the leaders of the evangelical revival known as the

First Great Awakening The First Great Awakening, sometimes Great Awakening or the Evangelical Revival, was a series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its thirteen North American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. The revival movement permanently affected Pro ...

. His most famous sermon, ''On the Danger of an Unconverted Ministry'', also known as the "Nottingham Sermon," compared "Old Side" ministers to the biblical

Pharisees The Pharisees (; ) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became ...

of the

Gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the second century AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message was reported. In this sen ...

, triggering a schism in the Presbyterian Church which lasted for 17 years. A prolific writer, Tennent would later work towards reunification of the two synods involved.

Early life

Gilbert Tennent, the eldest son of William Tennent and Catherine Kennedy, was born at Vinecash, County Armagh, Ireland. Gilbert's father was a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

minister who emigrated to the American colonies before 1718, when he successfully applied to the Synod of Philadelphia to be accepted as a Presbyterian minister. In 1721, the family moved from Westchester, New York to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

where William served as pastor at Bensalem in Bucks County. Five years later he accepted a call to Neshaminy in what is now

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where he remained until his death in 1746.Presbytery of Philadelphia. The same year he received an honorary

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degree from

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in recognition of his educational achievements despite not having attended lectures.

Ministry

In December 1725, Tennent accepted a call to ministry in Newcastle, Delaware but left abruptly after a few weeks. He was consequently reprimanded by the Synod. He assisted his father in the founding of Log College at Neshaminy, but soon accepted a call to establish a church in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. While at New Brunswick, Tennent became friends with Theodorus Frelinghuysen, a Dutch Reformed minister who greatly influenced Tennent and helped him develop his ministerial and preaching skills. Tennent became an enthusiastic orator known for "preaching the terrors" and for his fiery exhortations to repent. Tennent met

, an itinerant evangelist minister from England, in April 1740. He accompanied Whitefield on a preaching tour of New Jersey and

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, and in the winter of 1741 embarked on his own tour of New England. George Whitefield was impressed with Tennent's preaching and referred to him as "a son of thunder" in his journal. Tennent's views increasing brought into him into conflict with the Synod. He supported "enthusiastic itinerancy," opposed changes to the Synod's educational requirements for ordination, and insisted that only those who experienced "genuine conversion" should be ministers. He was scornful of his critics among conservative or "Old Side" Presbyterians and in his 1740 sermon ''The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry'', also known as the ''Nottingham Sermon'', denounced his opponents, calling them

who had, "no experience of a special work of the Holy Ghost upon their own souls." In 1738, several "New Side" ministers led by Tennent had split from the Presbytery of Philadelphia and formed the Presbytery of New Brunswick. In 1741, the Synod of Philadelphia voted to exclude the New Brunswick Presbytery, effectively expelling Tennent and other revivalist ministers. In 1745, the Presbytery of New Brunswick joined with the Presbytery of New York to form the Synod of New York. Tennent expressed regret for his role in fomenting the dissension that resulted in the scism. His sermons became less passionate and he worked towards reconciliation with the Old Side faction. In 1743, he left New Brunswick to become the founding pastor of Philadelphia's Second Presbyterian Church. In 1746, Tennent was elected a trustee of the recently chartered College of New Jersey (now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

). In 1753, he travelled to England to raise the funds to build what would become

Nassau Hall Nassau Hall, colloquially known as Old Nassau, is the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. In 1783 it served as the United States Capitol building for four months. ...

. The Old Side and New Side factions reunited in 1758. The Synod of Philadelphia and Synod of New York merged and Tennent was elected as the new moderator.

Emissary

Tennent retired from the ministry in 1762 due to chronic illness. In February 1764, Governor John Penn (governor) appointed Tennent to a delegation of civic leaders led by

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

and Tennent to meet with the Scotch-Irish vigilante group known as the

Paxton Boys The Paxton Boys, also known as the Paxtang Boys or the Paxton Rangers, were a mob of settlers that murdered 20 unarmed Conestoga in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in December 1763. This group of vigilantes from Lancaster and Cumberland counti ...

. Scotch-Irish immigrants to Pennsylvania frequently squatted on indigenous territory. As a result they were the target of raids during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

and Pontiac's War. In response, Reverend John Elder, a Presbyterian minister from Paxtang known as the "Fighting Parson," raised two companies of mounted associators. In December 1763, this group massacred 20 peaceable

Susquehannock The Susquehannock, also known as the Conestoga, Minquas, and Andaste, were an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian people who lived in the lower Susquehanna River watershed in what is now Pennsylvania. Their name means “people of the muddy river.” T ...

at Conestoga Town and Lancaster. In February 1764, the

led an armed march on

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

with the intent of attacking the Moravian Lenape and Mohican who had been moved there for their protection. The Paxton Boys halted their march in Germantown after learning about the sizable force that was prepared to meet them in Philadelphia. Following a day of negotiations, the marchers agreed to disperse after receiving assurances that their grievances would be presented to the Governor and Assembly.

Family

Tennent married three times. His first wife died childless in 1740. Tennent then married Cornelia Clarkson (née de Peyster), a widow with several children. She died in 1753. Sometime before 1762 Tennent married another widow, Sarah Spofford, who had one daughter by her first husband. She had three children with Tennent; one of the two daughters was given the name of Tennent's second wife, Cornelia.

Works

Tennent had many of his sermons, as well as some of his other works, published by Benjamin Franklin and other Philadelphia printers. These include:
''The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry, Considered in a sermon on Mark VI. 34. Preached at Nottingham, in Pennsylvania, March 8, Anno 1739,40''
(1740)
Examiner, examined, or, Gilbert Tennent, harmonious : in answer to a pamphlet entitled, The examiner, or Gilbert against Tennent''
(1743)
''Some Account of the Principles of the Moravians, Chiefly Collected from Several Conversations with Count Zinzendorf''
(1743)
''Twenty Three Sermons Upon the Chief End of Man: The Divine Authority of the Sacred Scriptures, the Being and Attributes of God, and the Doctrine of the Trinity''
(1744)
''The Late Association for defence farther encouraged, or, Defensive war defended, : and its consistency with true Christianity represented in a reply to some exceptions against war, in a late composure, intituled, The doctrine of Christianity, as held by the people called Quakers, vindicated.''
(1748)
''The Substance and Scope of Both Testaments; or, The Distinguishing Glory of the Gospel: A Sermon''
(1749)
''Irenicum Ecclesiasticum, or, a Humbly Impartial Essay upon the Peace of Jerusalum''
(1749)
A Persuasive to the Right Use of the Passions in Religion; or, The Nature of Religious Zeal Explain’d, Its Excellency and Importance Open’d and Urg’d, in a Sermon, on Revelations iii.19. Preached at Philadelphia, January 27th, 1760
(1760)

References

External links

Partial list and transcriptions of Gilbert Tennent's sermons and other published works (Evans Early American Imprint Collection)

Digitized copies and transcriptions of 162 of the original manuscripts of Gilbert Tennent's sermons (Philadelphia Congregations Early Records Project)

Gilbert Tennent's monument at Abington Presbyterian Church Cemetery (Find a Grave)

Gilbert Tennent resources at Log College Press
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennent, Gilbert 1703 births 1764 deaths People from County Armagh American Presbyterian ministers 18th-century American Christian clergy Yale College alumni University and college founders Tennent family