Thomas De Witt Talmage

Thomas De Witt Talmage (January 7, 1832 – April 12, 1902) was a preacher, clergyman and divine in the United States who held pastorates in the Reformed Church in America and Presbyterian Church. He was one of the most prominent religious leaders in the United States during the mid- to late-19th century, equaled as a pulpit orator perhaps only by Henry Ward Beecher. He also preached to crowds in England. During the 1860s and 70s, Talmage was a well-known reformer in New York City and was often involved in crusades against vice and crime.

During the last years of his life, Talmage ceased preaching and devoted himself to editing, writing, and lecturing. At different periods he was editor of the Christian at Work (1873–76), New York; the Advance (1877–79), Chicago; Frank Leslie's Sunday Magazine (1879–89), New York; and the Christian Herald (1890–1902), New York. Each week he was said to have preached to audiences of 8,000 people, and for many years his sermons were published regularly in more than 3,000 journals, through which he was said to reach 25,000,000 readers.

Biography

Early life and education T. De Witt Talmage was born in what is now Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey and he was a member of the Reformed Church of Bound Brook (located on Main Street in South Bound Brook) and always had a close association to South Bound Brook. His ancestors included some of the earliest Dutch families who settled in New York. His father's ancestors came from Barton Stacy, England, and included founders of Southampton and East Hampton, New York.

Talmage earned an undergraduate degree at the University of the City of New York (now New York University). Following his graduation in 1853, Talmage studied law for a time before deciding on entering the ministry. He studied theology at the Reformed Dutch Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Philadelphia and the Reformed Dutch Church Under his guidance, the church grew from a minor congregation to one of the most powerful and influential institutions in the city. Talmage began attracting large crowds almost from the time of his arrival. Despite his being called a "pulpit clown" and "mountebank" for his sensational sermons, Talmage attracted a growing audience. The church could no longer seat everyone who attended. Larger and wealthier congregations began to recruit him and in 1869, Talmage accepted an offer from the Central Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York.

Three days later, his body was brought to the Church of the Covenant, where a quiet funeral service was held. Those who assisted included Teunis S. Hamlin of the Church of the Covenant; Thomas Chalmers of the Eastern Presbyterian Church of Washington; St. Louis preacher and lifelong friend Samuel J. Nicols; and former classmates E.P. Terhune, Howard Suydam and James Demarest. His death received international attention, and condolence messages were sent to the family from England, Russia and other countries. Talmage was buried in the family plot at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Works Earth Girdled:The World as Seen Today. Hunt and Eaton Publishing, H.S. Smith Publishing, C. F. Beezley And Co., 1896. The Masque Torn Off. Chicago: Fairbanks, Palmer & Co., 1883. Social Dynamite; or the Wickedness of Modern Society. 3rd ed. (1889) Introduction to Rev. A. Stewart Walsh, D.D., Mary: The Queen of the House of David and Mother of Jesus. (1889) Night Scenes of City Life. (1891) Accessed January 2, 2013. Talmage in the Holy Land. Chicago: Rhodes & McClure Publishing Co., 1890 Pathway of Life. Historical Publishing Company, 1894 Crumbs Swept Up by T Dewitt Talmage published by William B. Evans & Co. 1870 The Abominations of Modern Society by Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, published by Adams, Victor & Co. 1872. Old Wells Dug Out: Being a Third Series of Sermons, Harper & Brothers (US), 1874 Sin: A Series of Popular Discourses. Chicago: Rhodes & McClure Publishing Co., 1897 From Manger to Throne. Philadelphia: Historical Publishing Company, 1893