COMMUNICATIONS. For the Signs of the Times. New Charlottesville, Va., May 29, 1846. (Covington)

COMMUNICATIONS.

For the Signs of the Times.
New Charlottesville, Va., May 29, 1846.

EDITORIAL. NEW VERNON, N. Y., JUNE 15, 1846. AN EVANGELIZED ZEAL! (Beebe)

EDITORIAL.

NEW VERNON, N. Y., JUNE 15, 1846.

AN EVANGELIZED ZEAL!

Little indeed do the contributors to the pecuniary capital of modern missionism know the wanton use that is made of their liberality by hirelings, by them employed to enlighten the dark corners of the earth. Occasionally, however, they are startled by “awful disclosures” made by individuals who have opportunity to know, and honesty to disclose the extravagance of Foreign Missionaries. Not long since, the Baptist Missionary, Weston, published an account of the missionary operations in Jamaica; in which, we were informed of the “Ticket system;” by which operation some missionaries were realizing, in addition to their salaries from their respective boards, from $6,000 to $6,500 per annum. And so far as we can learn from any responsible source, it is very little better in any other quarter. From Missionary Reports which have been constantly paraded through the papers, throughout our country, of the wonderful success of the mission, enterprise in the Sandwich Islands, of the number of converts immersed and baptized, &c., the confiding community are but illy prepared for the following disclosures which we copy from a late work, published in New York and London in two volumes which may be had at 23 cents per volume of Wiley & Putnam, 161 Broadway New York. The account is given by Herman Melville, after having resided four months in the valley of the Marquesas.

The extract which we make, shows that the disclosures made is not attributable to any hostility felt by the writer to the missionary doctrines, as he is a believer in the efficiency of missionary operations when conducted on different principles. The length of our extract, makes it inexpedient that we should accompany it with very extensive comments. It speaks for itself; and, lest those zealous missionaries, should charge us with fabricating the report, as they did that of Weston’s account of the Jamaica mission, we have in the above referred the reader to the publishing house in Broadway, New York, where the work from which we make the extract, can be procured. The following is taken from volume ii. pages 243—254. The title of the Book is “Typee: A peep at Polynesian life, during a four months residence in the Marquesas, &c.; by Herman Melville.”

“Ill-fated people! I shudder when I think of the change a few years will produce in their paradisaical abode; & probably when the most destructive vices, and the worst attendances on civilization, shall have driven all peace and happiness from the valley, the magnanimous French will proclaim to the world that the Marquesas Islands have been converted to Christianity! and this the Catholic world will doubtless consider as a glorious event. Heaven help the ‘Isles of the Sea!’—The sympathy which Christendom feels for them, has, alas! in too many instances proved their bane.

How little do some of these poor islanders comprehend when they look around them, that no inconsiderable part of their disasters originate in certain tea-party excitements, under the influence of which benevolent-looking gentlemen in white cravats solicit alms, and old ladies in spectacles, and young ladies in sober russet gowns, contribute sixpences towards the creation of a fund, the object of which is to ameliorate the spiritual condition of the Polynesians, but whose end has almost invariably been to accomplish, their temporal destruction!

Let the savages be civilized, but civilize them with benefits, and not with evils; and let heathenism be destroyed, but not by destroying the heathen. The Anglo-Saxon have exterminated Paganism from the greater part of the North American continent; but with it they have likewise extirpated the greater portion of the Red race. Civilization is gradually sweeping from the earth the lingering vestiges of Paganism, and at the same time the shrinking forms of its unhappy worshippers.

Among the islands of Polynesia, no sooner are the images overturned, the temples demolished, and the idolators converted into nominal Christians, than disease, vice, and premature death make their appearance. The depopulated land is then recruited from the rapacious hordes of enlightened individuals who settle themselves within its borders, and clamorously announce the progress of the Truth. Next villages, trim gardens, shaven lawns, spires, and cupolas arise while the poor savage soon finds himself an interloper in the country of his fathers, and that too on the very site of the hut where he was born. The spontaneous fruits of the earth, which God in his wisdom had ordained for the support of the indolent natives, mercilessly seized upon and appropriated by the stranger, are devoured before the eye of the starving inhabitant, or sent on board the numerous vessels which now touch at their shores.

When the famished wretches are cut off in this manner from their natural supplies, they are told by their benefactors to work and earn their support by the sweat of their brow! But to no fine gentleman born to hereditary opulence does the manual labor come more unkindly than to the luxurious Indian when thus robbed of the bounty of heaven. Habituated to a life of indolence, he cannot and will not exert himself; and want, disease, and vice, all evils of foreign growth, soon terminate his miserable existence.

But what matters all this? Behold the glorious result!—The abominations of Paganism have given way to the pure rites of the Christian worship—the ignorant savage has been supplanted by the refined European! Look at Honolulu, the metropolis of the Sandwich Islands!—A community of disinterested merchants, devoted self-exiled heralds of the Cross, located on the very spot that twenty years ago was defiled by the presence of idolatry. What a subject for an eloquent Bible-meeting orator! Nor has such an opportunity for a display of missionary rhetoric been allowed to pass unimproved!—But while these philanthropists send us such glowing accounts of one half of their labors why does their modesty restrain them from publishing the other half of the good they have wrought!—Not until I visited Honolulu was I aware of the fact that the small remnant of the natives had been civilized into draught-horses, and evangelized into beasts of burden. But so it is. They have been literally broken into the traces, and are harnessed to the vehicles of their spiritual instructors like so many dumb brutes.

Among a multitude of similar exhibitions that I saw, I shall never forget a robust, red-faced, and very lady-like personage, a missionary’s spouse, who day after day for months together took her regular airing in a little go-cart drawn by two of the islanders, one an old grey-headed man, and the other a roguish stripling, both being, with the exception of the fig-leaf, as naked as when they were born. Over a level piece of ground this pair of draught bipeds would jog with a shambling, ungainly trot, the youngster hanging back all the time like a knowing horse, while the old hack plodded on and did all the work.

Rattling along through the streets of the town in this stylish equipage, the lady looks about her as magnificently as any queen driven in state to her coronation. A sudden elevation, and a stony road, however, soon disturb her serenity. The small wheels become embedded in the loose soil,—the old stager stands tugging and sweating, while the young one frisks about and does nothing; not an inch does the chariot budge. Will the tender-hearted lady, who has left friends and home for the good of the souls of the poor heathen, will she think a little about their bodies and get out, and ease the wretched old man until the ascent is surmounted? Not she: she could not dream of it. To be sure she used to think nothing of driving the cows to pasture on the old farm in New England; but times have changed since then. So she remains in her seat and bawls out, “Hookee! hookee!” (pull, pull.) The old gentleman, frightened at the sound, labors away harder than ever; and the younger one makes a great show of straining himself, but takes care to keep one eye on his mistress in order to know when to dodge out of harm’s way. At last the good lady loses all patience; so “Hookee! hookee!” and rap goes the brawny handle of her huge fan over the naked skull of the old savage; while the young one skips to one side and keeps beyond its range. “Hookee! hookee!” again she cries—“Hookee tin bannaka!” (pull strong, man,)—but all in vain, and she is obliged in the end to dismount, and sed necessity, actually to walk to the top of the hill.

At the town where this paragon of humility resides, is a spacious and elegant American chapel, where divine service is regularly performed. Twice every Sabbath towards the close of the exercise may be seen a score or two of little wagons ranged along the railing in front of the edifice, with one or two native footmen of the congregation to draw their superiors home.

Least the slightest misconception should arise from anything thrown out in this chapter, or indeed in any other part of the volume, let me here observe that against the cause of missions in the abstract no Christian can possibly be opposed; it is in truth a just and holy cause. But if the great end proposed by it be spiritual, the agency employed to accomplish that end is purely earthly; and, although the object in view be the achievement of much good, that agency may nevertheless be productive of evil. To abort missionary undertakings, however it may be blessed of Heaven, is in itself but human; and subject, like everything else, to errors and abuses. And have not errors and abuses crept into the most sacred places, and may there not be unworthy or incapable missionaries abroad, as well as ecclesiastics of a similar character at home? May not the unworthiness or incapacity of those who assume apostolic functions upon the remote islands of the sea more easily escape detection by the world at large than if it were displayed in the heart of a city? An unwarranted confidence is the security of its apostles—a proneness to regard them as incapable of guilt—and an impatience of the least suspicion as to their rectitude as men or Christians, have ever been prevailing faults in the Church. Nor is this to be wondered at; for subjects as Christianity is to the mass of unexperienced men, we are naturally disposed to regard everything like an exposure of ecclesiastical misconduct as the offspring of malevolence or irreligious feeling. Not even this last consideration, however, shall deter me from the honest expression of my sentiments.

There is something apparently wrong in the practical operations of the Sandwich Islands Mission. Those who from pure religious motives, contribute to the support of this enterprise, should take care to ascertain that their donations, flowing through many devious channels, at last effect their legitimate object, the conversion of the Hawaiians. I urge this, not because I doubt the moral probity of those who disburse these funds, but because I know that they are not rightly applied. To read pathetic accounts of missionary hardships, and glowing descriptions of conversion, and baptisms taking place beneath palm-trees is one thing; and to go to the Sandwich Islands and see the missionaries dwelling in picturesque and prettily-furnished coral-rock villas, whilst the miserable natives you see committing all sorts of immorality around them, is quite another.

In justice to the missionaries, however, I will willingly admit that whatever evils may have resulted from their collective mismanagement of the business of the mission, and from the want of vital piety evinced by some of their number, still the present deplorable condition of the Sandwich Islands is by no means wholly chargeable against them. The demoralizing influence of a dissolute foreign population, and the frequent visits of all descriptions of vessels, have tended not a little to increase the evils alluded to. In a word, here, as in every case where civilization has in any way been introduced among those whom we call savages, she has scattered her vices, and withheld her blessings.

As wish a man as Shakspeare has said, that the bearer of evil tidings hath but a losing office; and so I suppose will it prove with me, in communicating to the trusting friends of the Hawaiian Mission what has been disclosed in various portions of this narrative. I am persuaded, however, that as these disclosures will by their very nature attract attention, so they will lead to something which will not be without ultimate benefit to the cause of Christianity in the Sandwich Islands.

I have but one thing more to add in connection with this subject—these things which I have stated as facts will remain facts, in spite of whatever the bigotted or incredulous may say or write against them. My reflections, however on these facts may not be free from error. If such be the case, I claim no further indulgence than should be conceded to every man whose object is to do good.”

ELDER C.B. HASSELL IN THE SIGNS 1835

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

NUMBER 3.

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Paul.

a contrast between the heart of Pharaoh and the hearts of the children of Israel (Trott)

Original Communications.

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

NUMBER 1.

SRAPS

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

BROTHER BEEBE:—The following remarks are submitted for your publication, if you consider them worthy.

For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear: Mark iv. 23.

RELIGIOUS MISCELLANY. TRIBUTE TO ROGER WILLIAMS. (Signs of the Times 1833)

We extract the following beautiful passage from the first volume of Bancroft’s History of the United States, just published by Mr. Chas. Bowen, of this city.

HOW TO MAKE MINISTERS. (Christian Watchman)

HOW TO MAKE MINISTERS.

A PENSYLVANIAN.

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

“THE ADVANTAGES OF SABBATH SCHOOLS” EXAMINED. 2 (Vail)

 

NEW-VERNON, ORANGE COUNTY, NEW-YORK. JUNE 18, 1834.

GILBERT BEEBE, EDITOR.
To whom all Communications must be addressed.

COMMUNICATIONS.

For the Signs of the Times.

“THE ADVANTAGES OF SABBATH SCHOOLS”
EXAMINED.

“We to the rebellious children, saith the Lord that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt.” Isa. xxx, 1, 2.

THE ADVANTAGE OF SABBATH SCHOOLS EXAMINED. (Vail)

 

For the Signs of the Times.

THE ADVANTAGE OF SABBATH SCHOOLS
EXAMINED.

FOR THE SIGNS (Vaill)

 

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

BROTHER BEEBE:—There is published at Hartford, Ct. a paper called the “Christian Secretary,” and is “under the patronage of the Connecticut Baptist Convention.”

AN OUTCAST

BROTHER BEEBE:—I have often been struck, at the professed Ministers of this our day who are crying up human effort and human means for advancing the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; believing that if they had been taught the first lesson in Grace, which is the shutting up of ones mouth, and had known what it is to be shut up in prison, and had known experimentally what a real spirit of bondage was; they would rather sit in eternal silence than thus to prate like a parrot, and cut out work enough for others, but perform no part of it themselves, yet by the bye, look at the activity and fleshly sincerity of such characters;—Hark! how they can mimick the child of God, & with what vehemence they preach their Gospel.

New-York, Feb’y. 27, 1834. FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. New York, 20th Feb. (Westervelt)

New-York, Feb’y. 27, 1834.

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
New York, 20th Feb.

THE CHURCH OF ROME (Vail)

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

BROTHER BEEBE:—The following is a parody on a communication published in the New York Observer—signed M. S. or a translation from the original partial religion of the Roman Church, alias, Benevolent Societies of the day, into the true impartial religion taught in the Bible.

Eldefr Samuel Trott on Predestination (Trott) 1834 Signs

To whom all Communications must be addressed. COMMUNICATIONS. For the Signs of the Times. Absolute Predestination of all things. No. 1. This sentiment, as expressed in the Prospectus of the “Signs of the Times,” has called forth so much invective from some, and so much ridicule from others of the popular Baptists of this region that one would conclude some strange and absurd idea had been advanced; some absurd whim daringly promulgated as a part of the secret things of God. It, therefore, may not be amiss to re-examine the subject and enquire whether it be a revealed truth of God, or a visionary notion of man, which is calling forth such malicious sneers from those who profess to be the servants of God.

Abel Morgan Biography

Title: Abel Morgan: Welsh Baptist Minister, Scholar, and Pioneer in Colonial America Slug: abel-morgan-welsh-baptist-minister Labels: Abel Morgan, Baptist History, Welsh Baptists, Church History, Colonial America, Biography, Theology SEO Description: Abel Morgan’s life and ministry shaped Welsh Baptist identity and helped strengthen early Baptist life in colonial America through preaching, translation, and church leadership.

Excerpt: Abel Morgan was a Welsh Baptist minister whose life bridged the nonconformist struggles of Wales and the formative years of Baptist life in colonial America. His ministry, translations, and organizational leadership left a durable mark on Welsh Baptist identity and early American Baptist development.

Abel Morgan (1673–1722) was a Welsh Baptist minister renowned for his pastoral leadership, scholarly contributions to Welsh religious literature, and role in establishing Baptist congregations in colonial America. ^{[1] [2]}

Born in 1673 at Allt-goch, Cwrtnewydd, in the parish of Llanwenog, Cardiganshire, Wales, Morgan was the son of Morgan Rhydderch, a deacon at the Rhydwilym Baptist church, and brother to Enoch Morgan, who later pastored the Welsh Tract Church in Delaware. ^{[1] [2]} From an early age, he joined the Baptist church at Llanwenarth in the Abergavenny district, where he began preaching in 1692 at the age of 19. ^[1] By 1696 or 1697, he accepted a call to pastor the church at Blaenau Gwent in Monmouthshire, though he was not formally ordained until 1700. ^{[1] [2]} Influenced by the Calvinistic theology and Puritan sentiments of 17th-century Welsh Baptist pioneers, Morgan emphasized Reformed doctrine, congregational singing, expositional preaching, and strict church discipline during his ministry in Wales. ^[2]

In September 1711, Morgan emigrated to America at the invitation of his brother Enoch, enduring a perilous 22-week voyage that claimed the lives of his first wife, Priscilla Powell, and their infant son; he arrived in Philadelphia on February 14, 1712. He had a son and daughter from his first marriage. ^{[1] [2]} He soon became the sixth pastor of the Pennepek Baptist Church (also known as Lower Dublin), the oldest surviving Baptist congregation in Pennsylvania, founded in 1688, resolving internal divisions through his leadership and serving until his death. ^[2] As an itinerant preacher, he organized churches in southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware valleys, and New Jersey, including establishing a congregation at Cape May, and contributed to the Philadelphia Baptist Association (PBA), the first such body in America, founded in 1707, by promoting ministerial education and associational cooperation. ^[2]

Morgan married twice more after arriving in America: first to Martha Burrows in November 1714 (who died the following October), and then to the widow Judith Gooding (née Griffiths) in 1717, with whom he had four children. ^{[1] [2]} His scholarly output preserved Welsh Baptist traditions amid English assimilation; he translated the Westminster Shorter Catechism and the Century Confession (based on the 1689 London Confession) into Welsh, drafted church covenants, and produced Cyd-goriad Egwyddorawl o'r Scrythurau (1730), the first Biblical concordance in Welsh and the second Welsh book printed in the United States, published posthumously by his brother Enoch. ^{[1] [2]} These works advanced Calvinistic ecclesiology, family catechizing, and doctrinal instruction among Welsh immigrants. ^[2]

Morgan died on December 16, 1722, in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, at age 49, and was buried at the Pennepack Baptist Church Cemetery before his remains were reinterred at Mount Moriah Cemetery. ^{[1] [2]} His legacy endures through his family's continued ministerial roles, including his nephew Abel Morgan Jr., and his foundational influence on American Baptist organization, evangelism, and confessional standards, including elements of the 1742 Philadelphia Confession derived from his manuscripts. ^[2]

Early Life in Wales

Birth and Family Origins

Abel Morgan was born in 1673 at Allt-goch, Cwrtnewydd, in the parish of Llanwenog, Cardiganshire, Wales. ^[1] His father, Morgan Rhydderch (also known as Morgan Roderick), was a prominent figure in the local Baptist community, having united with the Rhydwilym Baptist church during a period of violent persecutions and been elected deacon there in 1668, with ordination following in 1669. ^[3] Morgan Rhydderch's early death around 1680 left his widow, Jane, to remarry John Griffith, who became stepfather to Abel and his siblings, including younger brother Enoch Morgan (born 1676). ^[4]

The Morgan family exemplified the Nonconformist Baptist heritage in 17th-century Wales, descending from a line of religious leaders influenced by Puritan sentiments and Calvinistic theology. ^[2] Rhydwilym, established in 1668 under William Jones, represented a key hub for early Welsh Baptists practicing close communion and adherence to the 1689 Second London Confession of Faith, amid broader associations linking churches across South Wales. ^[2] This familial commitment to Baptist principles occurred against the backdrop of post-Restoration religious tensions, including the enforcement of the Act of Uniformity (1662) and Conventicle Act (1664), which suppressed dissenting worship and prompted many Nonconformists to convene secretly in rural settings. ^[3]

In rural Cardiganshire, a region dominated by pastoral agriculture, families like the Morgans balanced modest farming livelihoods with devout religious observance, fostering an environment where early exposure to Baptist preaching shaped young lives. ^[1]

Religious Education and Influences

Abel Morgan's early religious formation was deeply rooted in the nonconformist Baptist traditions of Wales, shaped primarily through his family's longstanding ties to local churches. His father, Morgan Rhydderch, served as a deacon at the Rhydwilym Baptist church from 1668 and was ordained in 1669, providing Morgan with informal immersion in Baptist principles from childhood in Cardiganshire. ^[1] This environment exposed him to core doctrines such as Calvinistic theology and the 1689 Second London Confession of Faith, which the Rhydwilym Association emphasized by requiring churches to affirm it biannually. ^[2]

Upon moving to the Abergavenny district in his youth, Morgan joined the Baptist church at Llanwenarth, where he encountered influential figures and communities upholding Welsh nonconformist theology amid growing religious tensions. The church, part of the broader network of Particular Baptist congregations, reinforced practices like believer's baptism and church covenants, drawing from seventeenth-century pioneers such as John Miles and Jenkin Jones. These influences fostered his commitment to Baptist ecclesiology, including close communion and local church autonomy, within a family legacy that included his brother Enoch, who later became a minister. ^[1]

Around age 19 in 1692, Morgan underwent a personal conversion that led to his baptism and deepened dedication to Baptist convictions, marking the onset of his spiritual maturity before formal ministry. ^[2] This awakening aligned with the fervent, Puritan-influenced piety of Welsh Baptists, solidifying his rejection of infant baptism in favor of adult immersion as a public testimony of faith. ^[2]

Ministry and Persecution in Wales

Ordination and Early Preaching

Abel Morgan began his preaching career in the early 1690s as a young member of the Baptist church at Llanwenarth, near Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, where he delivered initial sermons emphasizing nonconformist principles and the authority of scripture within Welsh Baptist communities. ^[1] Born in Llanwenog, Cardiganshire, Morgan's early ministry drew on his familial ties to nonconformist traditions, as his father, Morgan Rhydderch, had been ordained in the Baptist church at Rhydwilym in 1669. ^[1]

By 1696, Morgan received a call to serve the newly formed Baptist congregation at Blaenau Gwent in Monmouthshire, marking a significant step in his formal ministry among small, scattered Welsh Baptist groups. ^[5] His ordination as a Baptist minister occurred in 1700, solidifying his role as a preacher focused on scriptural exposition and the defense of Baptist doctrines amid broader religious nonconformity in Wales. ^[1]

During this period, Morgan established key connections within the Welsh Baptist network, which helped elevate his standing in Baptist leadership and facilitated collaborative efforts in preaching and church organization across Monmouthshire congregations. ^[6] These early assignments involved itinerant preaching at modest gatherings, where he addressed themes of personal faith, scriptural fidelity, and communal resilience in the face of nonconformist challenges. ^[1]

Challenges Under Welsh Laws

As a Baptist minister in late 17th- and early 18th-century Wales, Abel Morgan operated amid severe religious restrictions imposed by the established Church of England, particularly through the Act of Uniformity (1662), which required all ministers to conform to Anglican practices and ejected nonconformists from parishes, and the Conventicle Act (1664), which prohibited gatherings of more than five people for worship outside the Anglican framework. These laws led to widespread fines, imprisonment, and property seizures for Baptists, who were targeted for their practices of believer's baptism by immersion and unlicensed preaching; enforcement was especially harsh during the Restoration period under Charles II (1660–1685), resulting in threats of violence and forced secrecy for nonconformist assemblies.

Morgan's congregations, including Llanwenarth Baptist Church (established 1652) where he served as an assistant preacher, and Blaenau Gwent (a branch from Llanwenarth established around 1660, with early meetings at sites like Tŷ Nest Llewellyn, where he became pastor following his 1696 call), endured direct harassment from Anglican authorities. ^{[7] [8]} Members were frequently dragged before magistrates for participating in nonconformist meetings, with surveillance by local clergy and officials in Monmouthshire, where Morgan preached, intensifying scrutiny and compelling the group to hold worship in private homes, fields, woods, and mountains to evade raids and arrests. Records of personal fines or imprisonment for Morgan himself are not detailed.

Despite these adversities, Welsh Baptists demonstrated remarkable resilience, sustaining underground networks of preachers and safe houses to preserve their faith, a context in which Morgan played a key role by traveling extensively to preach and support scattered congregations in Monmouthshire and beyond. His efforts helped maintain unity and growth, as seen in the expansion of Blaenau Gwent under his leadership, where he was "very well received and much respected" amid ongoing threats; these networks involved shifting meeting locations weekly, posting sentinels, and avoiding singing to prevent detection, enabling Baptists to baptize new members and organize despite the legal prohibitions. Morgan's farewell charge to Blaenau Gwent in 1711 emphasized perseverance in doctrine and mutual support, reflecting the enduring spirit of resistance that carried into his later American ministry.

Emigration to America

Motivations and Journey

Abel Morgan's decision to emigrate from Wales to America in 1711 was driven by the broader context of religious persecution faced by nonconformist Baptists in Wales, where strict laws under the Church of England limited their ability to worship freely and preach openly. As a prominent Baptist minister, Morgan sought a more tolerant environment for his faith, aligning with the wave of Welsh Baptist migrations to Pennsylvania, which promised political and spiritual liberty under William Penn's Quaker-influenced colony. Additionally, invitations from established Welsh Baptist communities in America, including a formal call in 1709 from the Pennepek Baptist Church near Philadelphia—verified through correspondence with Pennsylvania acquaintances—played a key role in his resolve, encouraging him to relocate with his congregation's blessing from Blaenau Gwent in Monmouthshire. ^{[2] [1]}

Morgan departed from Bristol, England, in late September 1711 aboard an unnamed vessel bound for Philadelphia, accompanied by his wife Priscilla Powell, their infant son, and young daughter Jane, as part of a group of Welsh Baptists fleeing similar hardships. The transatlantic crossing lasted approximately eleven weeks of active sailing, though the total journey extended to about twenty-two weeks due to repeated delays from adverse weather, including a stop in Ireland, during which the ship twice sought safe harbor. Traveling with family and fellow believers underscored the communal nature of the migration, building on earlier Welsh Baptist settlements like the one his brother Enoch helped establish in 1701 at the Welsh Tract in Delaware. ^{[2] [1] [9]}

The voyage proved perilous, marked by relentless storms that battered the ship and exposed passengers to the era's typical transatlantic hazards, including disease, malnutrition, and the constant threat of shipwreck. Tragically, Morgan's wife and infant son succumbed to the rigors of the journey, likely due to illness exacerbated by the harsh conditions, leaving him to arrive in Philadelphia on February 14, 1712, widowed and grieving with his daughter Jane amid the relief of reaching American shores. Such challenges were emblematic of the high risks borne by early 18th-century emigrants, where mortality rates on similar crossings often exceeded 10-20 percent. ^{[2] [1]}

Arrival and Initial Settlement

Abel Morgan arrived in Philadelphia on February 14, 1712, following a protracted and storm-battered voyage that began in September 1711 and lasted over five months with multiple harbor stops. ^{[2] [1]} During the journey, Morgan endured profound personal losses, including the deaths of his first wife, Priscilla Powell, and their infant son, leaving him to continue with his young daughter Jane. ^{[2] [10]}

Upon landing, Morgan was welcomed into the close-knit Welsh Baptist communities that had taken root in the region over the preceding decade, bolstered by earlier immigrants who had fled religious persecution in Wales. ^[2] His brother Enoch, who had arrived in Philadelphia in September 1701 aboard the ship James and Mary as part of a group of sixteen Welsh settlers led by Rev. Thomas Griffith, provided a vital familial anchor; Enoch had initially settled in the Pennepek area before relocating to the Welsh Tract near New Castle, Delaware, eighteen months later, where he became a preacher and pastor. ^{[2] [10]} These networks, comprising both Baptist and broader Welsh immigrant families, offered immediate support amid the challenges of colonial establishment. ^[2]

Morgan's initial settlement occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he quickly established connections with the Pennepek Baptist Church, joining as a member amid its internal disputes and contributing to its stabilization through his preaching and counsel, drawing on the Welsh traditions of expositional ministry and church discipline familiar to the congregation's scattered Welsh membership. ^[2] He maintained ties to the Welsh Tract area through his brother Enoch and other kin. This early integration laid the groundwork for his sustained involvement in the Philadelphia Baptist Association, fostering unity among dispersed congregations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. ^[2]

American Ministry and Contributions

Pastoral Roles in Pennsylvania

Upon his arrival in Pennsylvania in February 1712, Abel Morgan assumed the role of pastor at the Pennepek Baptist Church (also known as the Lower Dublin Baptist Church), located near Philadelphia, succeeding earlier leaders including the church's founder, Elias Keach. ^{[2] [11]} This appointment, which followed a call extended to him in 1709, addressed ongoing leadership disputes within the congregation and marked the beginning of his decade-long tenure until his death in 1722. ^[1] As the oldest surviving Baptist church in Pennsylvania, founded in 1688, Pennepek served a scattered membership drawn from Welsh immigrants and local settlers across eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with collective meetings held only biannually. ^[2]

Morgan's daily ministerial duties centered on preaching the Word with expository fervor, delivering sermons in both Welsh and English to preserve cultural and doctrinal ties for the immigrant community while reaching English-speaking members. ^[2] He administered key ordinances such as believer's baptism by immersion and the laying on of hands, emphasizing Baptist distinctives like church covenants, psalm-singing, and anointing the sick with oil. ^[2] Additionally, he provided pastoral counseling through guidance on church discipline, mutual faithfulness, and ministerial support, helping to foster unity and doctrinal purity amid the challenges of frontier life. ^[2]

Beyond Pennepek, Morgan expanded his influence by assisting at the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia, organized in 1698 but still linked to Pennepek until 1746, where he supported immigrant integration by promoting Welsh Baptist customs and resolving inter-church tensions. ^{[2] [12]} His itinerant preaching extended to nearby areas in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including Hopewell and Montgomery, aiding in the establishment of daughter congregations and reinforcing community bonds for new arrivals. ^[2]

Role in Baptist Organization

Abel Morgan played a significant role in the early development and strengthening of Baptist organizational structures in colonial America, particularly through his leadership in the Philadelphia Baptist Association (PBA), the first sustained Baptist association in the New World, established in 1707. Arriving in Pennsylvania in 1712, Morgan quickly became involved in resolving internal disputes at the Pennepek Baptist Church via PBA mediation, serving as its pastor from 1712 until his death and helping to stabilize it as a central hub for the association's activities. He promoted associational governance modeled on Welsh Baptist traditions, emphasizing advisory cooperation among churches to maintain local autonomy while fostering doctrinal unity and mutual support, such as in itinerant preaching and church planting efforts in regions like Cape May, New Jersey, and Hopewell, Pennsylvania. As a frequent moderator of PBA meetings, Morgan advocated for "regularity" in church order, influencing the association's shift toward terms like "advice" and "mutual agreement" over more authoritative language in handling disputes. ^{[13] [2]}

Morgan's writings further advanced Baptist unity amid the challenges of a diverse colonial landscape dominated by Quakers in Pennsylvania. He drafted confessional documents, including a Welsh adaptation of the Century Confession (based on the 1689 Second London Confession with additions on practices like laying on of hands and psalm singing), which members of the Welsh Tract Church signed and which informed the PBA's 1742 Philadelphia Confession of Faith. These works, along with circular letters contributed to PBA minutes, promoted Calvinistic theology and countered emerging Arminian influences, helping to solidify orthodox Baptist identity across scattered congregations. Additionally, Morgan translated the Westminster Shorter Catechism into Welsh to encourage family-based religious education, reinforcing doctrinal cohesion in immigrant communities. ^{[13] [2]}

In mentoring emerging leaders, Morgan emphasized the cultivation of ministerial gifts, directing PBA churches in 1722 to identify promising young men for advanced training, such as at Thomas Hollis's academy, which laid foundational steps for Baptist education in America. He particularly influenced his nephew, Abel Morgan Jr. (1713–1785), who followed family tradition by becoming a prominent Regular Baptist pastor at Middletown Church and continuing advocacy for Welsh Baptist orthodoxy. Morgan also championed Welsh-language services to preserve cultural and religious heritage among immigrants, preaching primarily in Welsh at churches like Welsh Tract and translating key texts to prevent assimilation into English-dominated practices, though English services gradually prevailed by the mid-18th century. These efforts ensured the endurance of distinct Baptist customs in the face of colonial pluralism. ^{[13] [2]}

Later Years, Death, and Legacy

Final Activities and Death

In the early 1720s, Abel Morgan persisted in his pastoral responsibilities at the Pennepek Baptist Church near Philadelphia, where he had served since 1712, while also undertaking itinerant preaching and contributing to the expansion of Baptist congregations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. ^[2] His activities included regular ministry at churches such as Hopewell and Montgomery, as well as promoting Calvinistic doctrines, church discipline, and the preservation of Welsh Baptist traditions through translations and educational efforts. ^[2] Notably, Morgan translated key confessional documents, including a Welsh version of the Century Confession adapted from the 1689 Second London Confession, which influenced the Philadelphia Baptist Association's later standards. ^[2]

During the 1722 meeting of the Philadelphia Baptist Association, Morgan actively supported initiatives to identify promising young individuals for ministerial training, recommending them to an academy funded by London Baptist merchant Thomas Hollis to bolster future leadership among American Baptists. ^[2] This reflected his ongoing commitment to organizational development and education within the denomination, though it did not lead to immediate institutional outcomes. ^[2]

Abel Morgan died on December 16, 1722, in Philadelphia at the age of 49. ^{[1] [2]} He was originally buried at the Pennepack Baptist Church Cemetery, but his remains were reinterred in 1768 at the First Baptist Church burial ground in Philadelphia and then moved in 1860 to the First Baptist Church plot at Mount Moriah Cemetery. ^[12] Following his death, several of his unpublished works, including a Welsh Bible concordance titled Cydgordiad Egwyddorawl o'r Scrythurau , were edited and published posthumously by his brother Enoch Morgan in 1730, ensuring the continuation of his theological influence. ^{[2] [14]}

Family and Personal Life

Abel Morgan married his first wife, Priscilla Powell, in Wales sometime before 1711; together they had two children, a daughter named Jane and an unnamed son. ^{[2] [15]} The family emigrated from Wales to Pennsylvania in September 1711 aboard a ship from Bristol, enduring severe storms and delays that extended the voyage to twenty-two weeks, during which Priscilla and their infant son perished at sea, leaving Jane to arrive with her father in Philadelphia on February 14, 1712. ^{[2] [4]}

In America, Morgan remarried twice: first to Martha Burrows in 1714, who died less than a year later without issue, and then to the widow Judith Gooding Griffith on March 7, 1717, with whom he fathered four children—Rachel, Abel Jr., Samuel, and Enoch—resulting in at least five surviving offspring overall when including Jane. ^{[2] [9] [16]} Child-rearing in the colonial Welsh settlements of Pennsylvania proved challenging amid harsh frontier conditions, religious community pressures, and the need to balance ministerial duties with family needs, yet Morgan integrated his household into Baptist life. ^[2]

Morgan was proficient in both Welsh and English, preaching and writing in Welsh to preserve his cultural and religious heritage among immigrants while adapting to English-speaking contexts in America. ^[2] His devotion to family-integrated worship was evident in his translation of the Westminster Shorter Catechism into Welsh, which included specific admonitions for parents to catechize their children at home, emphasizing religious instruction as a familial duty. ^[2] He briefly mentored his son, Abel Morgan Jr., who later became a prominent Baptist pastor. ^[2]

Legacy

Morgan's legacy includes his foundational role in American Baptist organization, evangelism, and confessional standards. Elements of the 1742 Philadelphia Confession were derived from his manuscripts, and his family's continued ministerial roles—such as those of his son Abel Jr. and other descendants—extended his influence across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and beyond. His works preserved Welsh Baptist traditions and promoted Calvinistic ecclesiology among immigrants. ^[2]

Endnotes

1. https://biography.wales/article/s-MORG-ABE-1673 ↩︎a ↩︎b ↩︎c ↩︎d ↩︎e ↩︎f ↩︎g ↩︎h ↩︎i ↩︎j ↩︎k ↩︎l ↩︎m ↩︎n ↩︎o ↩︎p ↩︎q ↩︎r ↩︎s ↩︎t ↩︎u ↩︎v
2. https://baptisthistoryhomepage.com/morgan.abel.by.priest.html ↩︎a ↩︎b ↩︎c ↩︎d ↩︎e ↩︎f ↩︎g ↩︎h ↩︎i ↩︎j ↩︎k ↩︎l ↩︎m ↩︎n ↩︎o ↩︎p ↩︎q ↩︎r ↩︎s ↩︎t ↩︎u ↩︎v ↩︎w ↩︎x ↩︎y ↩︎z ↩︎aa ↩︎ab ↩︎ac ↩︎ad ↩︎ae ↩︎af ↩︎ag ↩︎ah ↩︎ai ↩︎aj ↩︎ak ↩︎al ↩︎am ↩︎an ↩︎ao ↩︎ap ↩︎aq ↩︎ar ↩︎as ↩︎at ↩︎au ↩︎av ↩︎aw ↩︎ax ↩︎ay ↩︎az
3. https://baptisthistoryhomepage.com/morgan.abel.appleton.enclo.html ↩︎a ↩︎b
4. https://robertsongenealogy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Abel-Morgan-Life-and-Family.pdf ↩︎a ↩︎b
5. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20084561 ↩︎
6. https://www.reformedreader.org/history/ivey/ch08.htm ↩︎
7. https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/church/llanwenarth-baptist-church-govilon ↩︎
8. https://outoftheblueartifacts.com/blaenau-gwent-baptist-movement-and-chapel-ty-nest-llewellyn/ ↩︎
9. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Morgan-1170 ↩︎a ↩︎b
10. http://enoch-morgan.blogspot.com/2016/01/ ↩︎a ↩︎b
11. https://www.reformedreader.org/history/early.philadelphia.baptists.chapter4.htm ↩︎
12. https://friendsofmountmoriahcemetery.org/about/notable-burials/14549/ ↩︎a ↩︎b
13. https://dbts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/The-Abel-Morgans-Contribution-to-Baptist-Ecclesiology-Priest.pdf ↩︎a ↩︎b ↩︎c
14. https://openlibrary.org/works/OL234903W/Cyd-gordiad_egwyddorawl_o%27r_Scrythurau ↩︎
15. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15767641/abel-morgan ↩︎
16. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LY2W-4M8/abel-morgan-1673-1722 ↩︎

Prepared for Blogger from the uploaded Grokipedia page on Abel Morgan, with site navigation and interface elements removed for publication use. Endnotes are now linked both ways.

Sermon at the Funeral of Elder Evan Morgan Brother of Enoch Morgan of Welsh Tract (Duche) 1723

PSALM xxxvii. 37

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright;
At the end of that man is peace.

1833 SIGNS OF THE TIMES (BEEBE)

Can it be possible that Mr. Judson, with his Bible before him, can think that the adorable Lamb who is in the Bible emphatically called “the Mighty God, the everlasting father” &c. that he, in whose hands is vested all power in heaven and on earth, that he should give eternal life to as many as the Father hath given him, is so very deficient in power after all, as to be dependent on the American females, for ability to draw souls into union with himself, or that

SIGNS OF THE TIMES 1833 (EXCERPT)

 ...the hidden things of dishonesty; can only be appreciated by those who have been taught in the Old School of Christ, whose souls have been sickened with the specious doctrines which prevail to such an alarming extent in our land.

ACTUAL ETERNAL ONENESS (Patman)

ANTI-MISSION BAPTISTS (Trott)

As I was taking a peep at a short time since at the paper entitled the “World as it is,” I discovered some things worthy of being noticed in the Signs of the Times. In the World of Oct. 6th, there is an article taken from the Pioneer, of which I will give you a part as it stands:

Revivals (Stanton)

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

Voluntown, Ct., Dec. 28, 1842.

AB GOLDSMITH ON CHURCH COUNCILS (Santamaria)

COMMUNICATIONS.

FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

In a former communication, I proposed to consider some errors which have crept in among the Baptists, ten of which were named as principal errors, and to each of which special regard was to be paid in a particular and separate paper, and first in order stood “Ecclesiastical Councils.” These bodies have of late assumed an importance and consequence in Church Legislation, which ought to alarm every friend to Gospel order, and cause an immediate and serious inquiry among the sons of Zion, for the “Old Paths” and the “Good Way,” with an accompanying determination to walk therein, when found. They originated in their present form in the corruption of the Church in early ages, and received a great proportion of their importance from the royal sanction of Constantine, when he solemnized the Marriage of “Church and State.” It is not necessary at this time to specify the particular Councils, which at different times have set, to dictate laws to Zion, or Babylon, to make Creeds and confessions of faith,—by which to make and punish Heretics. Our object is not to amend or reform them, but to destroy them, or prove that they ought to be destroyed, at least in their present form. The only way then is to appeal to the old statute book, which, like the Book of the Law in king Josiah’s days, seems to be hid in the rubbish, and look for what is there written; and if the modern proceedings will not compare therewith, let us reject the inventions of men and obey the law of the Lord.

HEBREWS 2.5-11 (Santamaria)

Some passages feel like thunder rolling across the page—slow at first, then suddenly splitting the sky open. Hebrews 2:5–9 is one of them. It takes the whole architecture of reality—angels, humanity, dominion, suffering, glory—and rearranges it around one blazing center: a Man crowned with glory who first wore thorns.

Entertaining Angels Unawares (Santamaria)

There is something at once beautiful and unsettling in the command of Hebrews 13:2: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” It is one of those verses that opens a window for a moment, lets in a gust of heaven, and then leaves us standing there wondering how many ordinary moments were not ordinary at all.

Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God (Santamaria)

There are truths in Holy Scripture that stand like mountains above the landscape of revelation. Men may wander around them, deny them, rename them, or try to chip them into something smaller, but still they rise. One of those truths is this: Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. This is not a decorative phrase, not a soft religious title, not a poetic flourish added by devout men. It is part of the very marrow of the Christian confession. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15). John wrote his Gospel “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). Take away the Son as Scripture presents Him, and the gospel is not merely weakened; it is gutted.

THE FINALITY OF CHRIST (Santamaria)

When the Perfect Comes: A Fuller Reading of 1 Corinthians 13:8–13

There are passages in Scripture that seem, at first glance, so simple that one wonders why they have caused such controversy. First Corinthians 13:10 is one of them: “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” Yet around that single line, whole systems have been built, arguments sharpened, and theories defended with more confidence than the text itself will bear. Some have said “that which is perfect” is the completed New Testament canon. Others have said it is the mature condition of the church. Still others have taken it, more broadly and more naturally, as the final state of perfection into which the saints enter at the return of Christ. The question is not trivial. Paul’s point touches not only spiritual gifts, but the entire contrast between the church’s present partial condition and her future fullness.¹

MANY CROWNS (Santamaria)

MANY CROWNS

Contents

FOREWORD

Introduction

Actual Articles concerning this Doctrine from the Signs

But does not Paul speak of his desire that he may win a crown?

FOREWORD

ENGLISH VERSIONS AFTER THE kjv (Santamaria)

English Bibles After the King James Version