BI BLICAL RECORDER April 27, 1892

IN MEMORY OF REV. J. J. JAMES.

Rev. Joshua John James died at hi s home near Yanceyville , Caswell county, N. c., on April 6th , 1892, in the seventy-eighth year of his age .

He was born in Halifax county , Va., Nov. 30th , 1814. After obtaining a neighb orhood educa ti on, he prepared f or coll ege at a cl assi cal school in Danville , Va. He th en was a student at Wake For est College thr ee sessions , and after t his ta ught school fo r two years at Peytonsburg Academy. He ente red Columbian Universi ty , Washington , D. c., wher e he gradua t ed in 1841. He obtained a hope in Christ in his seventeenth year , and connected himself with th e Baptist chur ch in hi s nativ e count y. He was ordai ned t o the gospel minis try in 1842 by th e presby -tery of the Dan River As sociation , at Count y Line church , Halifax County, Vir gini a.

In June , 1843, he se t tl ed in Caswell county , N. c., and became pastor of Yanceyville and Trinity Baptis t chur ches , lo cate d in the bounds of

'- IJ\'( ~ the Beulah Associa tio n, wher e he continued to labo r f or eight years . ~ ·, Whil e laborin g in this fie ld he baptiz ed many of t he pr ominent citiz ens living connnunit ies contiguous to his churches .

In 1852, he entered upon t he agency of. ·a :Baptist Female College in Oxford, N. c. which he succeeded in esta blis hing .

In 1853, he was calle d by the Bapti st Stat e Convention t o the editorial chai r of the BIBLICAL RECORDER, which paper he cont i nued to edi-t until 1861, when he tr ansf err ed it to Rev. J . D. Hufhamo

The r emainder of his l ife •he spent with hi s family on hi s farm in Caswell county , N. c., with the exceptio n of a few years when he filled short pastora te s at High Point , Milton and Ephesus . He al so ai ded his ministerial br ethr en in their meetings and pre ached whenever occasion seemed to re quire , until failing heal th unfitted him for publi c. service- -a peri od of t en years , during which time he could only now and then preach, and this always seemed to be a pleasure t o him.

He was at one tim e Moder at or of the Beulah Associat io n, Trustee of Wake Fores t Coll ege , and Vice President of the Baptist Stat e Convention of North Carol ina .

He was a good preach er, a fi ne conversationa li st and well-versed in theology . As a writ er, he excelled . His views were comprehensive , his per ception was clear , hi s style el evated , his language chaste , his diction excellent ; all this , to geth er wit h his s t r ong l ogi cal turn of mind, made him one of our best writers . Few coul d cope with him in a newspaper dis -cussion .

For more t han sixty years he was a member of the Baptist church and for fifty years a pre acher of t he gospe l. Re had unbounded confidenc e in God, a str ong faith in Christ , and an unwaver i ng reli ance on t he promises of the Bibleo A fe w year s before he di ed , t he wr it er heard him say , "I have tri ed t he pleasures , t he honors , th e wisdom, and in some measure the riches of this world; but t hese have all cloyed on my appetite , and have failed to bring relief and comfort in th e trial s of life . Christianity as ta ught in th e Scr iptures of Divi ne Truth , bas been a source of never-

In memory of Rev. J. J o James Page - 2 -

fai lin g comfor t to me in all th e trials of lif e. And now t hat 'm~l end is drawing near , my only hope of salvation is in the atoning merit of Jesus Christ. My trust is in t he mercy of God in Christ."

For sev eral months previous to hi s death, he was a constant sufferer and talked freely about dying to his fami lyo A short while befor e he died , he said to his three sons as they were near him, "Care tenderly and kindly for your mother and sist ers, be good boys, and prepare to meet your fath er in heaven." Among his las t utterances was about the fo llowing: "Dear Jesus, how can I do without thee now? Be t hou my st ay and suppor tl"

He requested the writer to pre ach his funeral, and Rev. Jo K. Howell t o assist i n the exerc ises . We car ri ed out his request . A large number of his br ethr en and friends attended hi s bur ial . Rev. J. R. Jones of Milton was also pr esent and too k part in the burial services.

He leaves a wife and fi ve childr en to mourn their loss o They have our sympathy. May God's all sustaining gr ace be t heir comfort and support . .

F. H. Jones.

MARRIED

In Wake Forest on Wednesday, the 9th inst., at 4 o'clock, P.M., by the Rev. J. S. Purify, the Rev. J. J. JAMES, of Raleigh to MISS MARYL., second daughter of the late Priestly H. Mangum, Esq.

BIBLICAL RECORDER April 17, 1856 Page 3:3

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REV. J. J. JAMES 1814-1892

FAitor Biblical Recorder January 18, 1854-April 17, 1861

1 v. J. J. James was born in Halifax County, ,, 1o:in ia, November 30, 1814. He attended Wake 1 r,·st College three sessions, after which he ;;d: t two years in Virginia. He graduated from ·tumbian College, \Va s hington, D. C., in. 1841. He

• ·'-' baptized at the age of eighteen by Rev. John , ~fi ll s , and was ordained to the Baptist minisi'ry ., 1 4 2. For many years he was pastor in Cas-

~. !I County, and did an. unusualiy fine work. He was enthusiastic in his efforts to establish

, 1 :\,r d Femal e College. T his institution se::-ved • u,e (ul purpose for many years. The school was ·, nduc ted by John H. Mills for a J1umber of years .

. \ lr . .James was an unusually active mar:: in the ~'.l'a irs of the State Convention, and was a capable r::,·mber of several board6.

As editor of the Biblical Recorder from 1854 w 18 61 , h e made many friends for the pap er, and tiui lt up the circulation. Durin g this tim e there v :ls little controversy in th e Biblical Recorder, and iaith in its fu t ure was more firmly establi.shed.

After le:v,ing the Recorder Mr. James retired to his farm in Caswell Cou:aty, in which he had a large interest; a:,d in connection with his farm, h1, preached to country churches. He died April ~. 1892, reaching the ripe age of almost seventy-•·i;;ht years.

A d iscu ss!on of his work along with that of oth er editor s, as written by Dr. G. W. Paschai, appears in this issue .

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James, Elder J. J.

B History of the First Baptist Churc h Hi gh 286.17 5662 Poi nt, N. C. H53

Photo graph of J. J. James , p. 23.

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