A memoir of the Rev. Edward Payson, D. D

by Asa Cummings

A memoir of the Rev. Edward Payson, D. D. late pastor of the Second church in Portland This book, "A memoir of the Rev. Edward Payson, D. D," by Asa Cummings, is a replication of a book originally published before 1830. It has been restored by human beings, page by page, so that you may enjoy it in a form as close to the original as possible.

Genres: Biography

446 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2013

Reviews

[Tori Samar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The world—O what a bubble—what a trifle it is! Friends are nothing, fame is nothing, health is nothing, life is nothing; Jesus, Jesus is All! O what will it be to spend an eternity in seeing and praising Jesus! to see him as he is, to be satisfied with his likeness! O, I long, I pant, I faint with desire to be singing, Worthy is the Lamb—to be extolling the riches of sovereign grace—to be casting the crown at the feet of Christ!"

How many Christians even know who Dr. Edward Payson is? In my humble opinion, he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as David Brainerd—both men of whom the world is not worthy. This is a well-written, transformational biography. Its greatest triumph, as with Brainerd's biography, is that you get pulled deep into the subject's inner life. Because the biographer allowed Dr. Payson's own words to do most of the talking, I don't just know the man's life now. I know the man. His passion for God's glory, hungerings after holiness, and faithfulness in his pastoral calling are beautiful and inspiring.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir of Edward Payson (1783-1827), found in volume 1 of Payson's Complete Works, is an awkwardly assembled collection of his diaries and letters with commentary by Asa Cummings. As a product of its time (mid-19th century) it bears little resemblance to a well-researched, critical biography. It is long (almost 450 pages) and took me a long time to get through. But I had read enough brief excerpts from Payson to draw me to the book and am glad I persevered through to the end. Payson's life was marked by deep physical suffering, earnest spirituality, and deep humility. The records of his dying thoughts and conversations from the last weeks of his life are especially insightful. If I am lucid enough to read, this is a book I'd like to have by my bedside in my dying hours.

Someone needs to write a fresh biography of Payson that situates his ministry in its historical context, fills out the details of his life and family, and weeds out the extraneous, repetitive material from the memoirs, while keep the more edifying parts.

For a brief chapter length biographical sketch of Payson, see Faith Cook's book Singing in the Fire: Christians in Adversity.

3 1/2 stars