David Steele (minister)
Encyclopedia
David Steele, Sr. was a Reformed Presbyterian or Covenanter
minister. He was born in Upper Creevagh, Donegal
, Ireland
to David Steel and Sarah Gailey. His father was a fourth-generation descendant of Capt. John Steel of Lesmahagow
, Lanarkshire
, Scotland
, a local leader in the Covenanter
uprising of 1679. His grandparents, on both sides of the family, were Covenanters. His paternal grandfather, John Steel, had resided in Fanet. He moved to Creevaugh sometime prior to the birth of his grandson. His maternal grandfather, Andrew Gailey, resided in Killylastin. His father died when he was an infant, in February, 1805. According to Steele, his only recollection of his father was conducting family worship. Next to the Bible
, Steele claimed the greatest impression made on him, in his youth, was Thomas Boston
's Four-fold State of Man and A Cloud of witnesses for the royal prerogatives of Jesus Christ. The latter work is an account, published in 1714, of the Scottish martyrs who perished during the persecutions, known as the "Killing Times", during the reigns of Charles II
and James VII
. In his seventeenth year [1820], he entered the Academy in Londonderry
, where he pursued his studies for three years, including the study of languages.
In 1824 he emigrated to the United States
. He settled in Huntingdon
, Pennsylvania
, where he worked, for a time, in his uncle's store, while he pursued classical studies. In the spring of 1825, he was retained to teach at the Academy of Ebensburgh
. The following year he entered the Western University of Pennsylvania
, from which he graduated, in 1827. After this, he began a course of studies in theology under the direction of the Rev. Dr. John Black, at Pittsburgh
. In 1830, on April 8th, he was licensed by the Pittsburgh Presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Church
.On May 4th, 1831, he married Eliza Johnston, of Chillicothe
, Ross County
, Ohio
. He accepted the unanimous call to serve as pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian
congregation in Brush Creek
, Adams County
, Ohio
. On the 6th of June, 1831, he was ordained and installed, as the third pastor, by two brothers, members of the Ohio Presbytery, Rev. Gavin and Rev. Hugh McMillan. During this time, he had several preaching assignments, one being in Mill Creek, Kentucky. When the Reformed Presbyterian Church split into "Old Lights" and "New Lights," in 1833, Steele and his Brush Creek congregation remained in ecclesiastical connection with the "Old Lights" party. He was appointed Clerk of Synod in 1833 and, in 1838, he was assistant clerk.
After the split, in 1833, Steele expressed hope that the "Old Lights" would revive the law of the Church concerning "occasional hearing
" and tighten the prohibition on "voluntary associations." With the re-admission of the Rev. Robert Lusk
, in 1834, he found a kindred spirit.
These two ministers spent the next six years witnessing and challenging a return to the original Testimony together with a restoration of history to its proper place in that Testimony.http://www.covenanter.org/Steele/analysisofpreface.htm In 1838, he went together with a few others to attend the death bed of the Rev. William Gibson, the last surviving minister who had participated in re-erecting the Reformed Presbytery in 1798. Gibson left his dying testimony against the practice of "voluntary associations" or, as George Gillespie
and Hugh Binning
had called them, "unlawful confederacies."http://www.covenanter.org/VoluntaryAssociations/voluntaryassociationhome.htm This served to confirm Steele and his stricter Covenanting brethren in their course of pressing the matter in Synod. In 1840, Steele, on behalf of a number of his brethren, presented a paper (#30) to Synod petitioning for redress on the matter of "voluntary associations." This paper was pushed aside for later consideration at a future meeting of Synod. This was, for Steele and Lusk, the final straw.http://www.covenanter.org/Steele/letter.htm
Synod adjourned on June 26th, 1840, and the following day, he protested and separated from the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America
, along with fellow minister Robert Lusk and elders William McKinley, William Wylie and Nathan Johnston, on the grounds that the RPCNA had "corrupted the doctrines and worship, and prostituted the government and discipline of the house of God".http://www.covenanter.org/RPCCov/Deedcons.htm. They constituted themselves as the Reformed Presbytery and set about to return the "old paths." He remained in Adams County
, Ohio
, until 1859, ministering to adherents in that area. At that time, he removed to Hill Prairie, near Sparta
, Illinois
and served adherents of Presbytery in that vicinity. In October, 1866, he moved to Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
. In Philadelphia, he pastored a small congregation and established a small theological school. In 1885, he moved for a brief period of time to Galesburg
, Illinois
. However, in the fall of 1886, he returned to Philadelphia. It was there he died of old age and from the effects of a slight stroke of paralysis, Wednesday, June 29, 1887. His death was announced in the Public Ledger
of Philadelphia on June 30th. "STEELE. - On the 29th inst., Rev. DAVID STEELE, Sr., D.D., in the 84th year of his age. The remains may be viewed by relatives and friends, on Friday evening, July 1st, from 6 until 8 o'clock, at 2732 Brown Street. Interment in Petersburgh
, Pa., on Saturday morning, July 2nd, 1887." Though he was never known to use the title of "D.D." during his life, it was a degree granted him, in 1884, by the Western University of Pennsylvania
. His epitaph reads, "I have kept the faith."
He devoted much of his writing to demonstrating the defection of those who called themselves Reformed Presbyterians, and chastising, the Reformed Presbyterian Church
for her treacherous defection from Covenanted Reformation. He spent most of his life visiting those who adhered to the "good old way," ministering to them. He was a tremendous controversialist, and manifested great inflexibility of character, for which he was despised by "false brethren." Toward the end of his life, in 1884, he stated, "The principles...for more than 40 years defended against many opponents—especially "false brethren"—I still believe to be founded upon the Scriptures and long experience, with developments among opponents, has tended to confirm my earlier convictions." Although he lived in the United States for sixty years, he never became an American citizen, believing that the U.S. Constitution sanctioned "atheism and slavery." He died in the belief that the principles which he held and propagated would one day triumph in the earth. In retrospect, even his adversaries were constrained to admit he "was a learned and powerful preacher of the gospel, an adept in ancient languages, and an independent thinker."
His wife of 56 years, Eliza Johnston, was born July 14, 1809, in Chillicothe, Ohio. She died April 3, 1896. Her epitaph reads, "I have hoped in thy Word."
His church survives tenuously, without ordained ministers, as the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Covenanted)http://www.covenanter.org/ also known as the "Steelites." In 2010, the "David Steele Reformed Presbyterian Library" was formed to preserve and archive his documents and other documents relating to the broader Covenanting and Reformed Dissenting traditions. The term is also used to describe other secessions from the RPCNA and other bodies that claim inspiration from Steele, including the Reformed Presbytery in North Americahttp://www.reformedpresbytery.org/ and the Covenanted Reformed Presbyterian Church.http://www.truecovenanter.com/
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
minister. He was born in Upper Creevagh, Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to David Steel and Sarah Gailey. His father was a fourth-generation descendant of Capt. John Steel of Lesmahagow
Lesmahagow
Lesmahagow is a small town on the edge of moorland, near Lanark in the central belt of Scotland. It is also known as Abbey Green.-Etymology:The name is possibly a corruption of "Church of St Machutus"...
, Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, a local leader in the Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
uprising of 1679. His grandparents, on both sides of the family, were Covenanters. His paternal grandfather, John Steel, had resided in Fanet. He moved to Creevaugh sometime prior to the birth of his grandson. His maternal grandfather, Andrew Gailey, resided in Killylastin. His father died when he was an infant, in February, 1805. According to Steele, his only recollection of his father was conducting family worship. Next to the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Steele claimed the greatest impression made on him, in his youth, was Thomas Boston
Thomas Boston
Thomas Boston was a Scottish church leader.He was born at Duns. His father, John Boston, and his mother, Alison Trotter, were both Covenanters. He was educated at Edinburgh, and licensed in 1697 by the presbytery of Chirnside...
's Four-fold State of Man and A Cloud of witnesses for the royal prerogatives of Jesus Christ. The latter work is an account, published in 1714, of the Scottish martyrs who perished during the persecutions, known as the "Killing Times", during the reigns of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
and James VII
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
. In his seventeenth year [1820], he entered the Academy in Londonderry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, where he pursued his studies for three years, including the study of languages.
In 1824 he emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He settled in Huntingdon
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Huntingdon County. It is located along the Juniata River, west of Harrisburg, about halfway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, in an agricultural and fruit-growing region, with valuable forests and deposits of...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, where he worked, for a time, in his uncle's store, while he pursued classical studies. In the spring of 1825, he was retained to teach at the Academy of Ebensburgh
Ebensburg, Pennsylvania
Ebensburg is a borough located in, and is the seat of, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, west of Altoona and surrounded by Cambria Township. It is situated in the Alleghenies about 2025 feet above sea level. Ebensburg is located in a rich bituminous coal region. In the past, saw mills, tanneries,...
. The following year he entered the Western University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, from which he graduated, in 1827. After this, he began a course of studies in theology under the direction of the Rev. Dr. John Black, at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. In 1830, on April 8th, he was licensed by the Pittsburgh Presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Church
Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America , a Christian church, is a small Presbyterian denomination with churches throughout the United States, in southeastern Canada, and in a small part of Japan. Its beliefs place it in the conservative wing of the Reformed family of Protestant churches...
.On May 4th, 1831, he married Eliza Johnston, of Chillicothe
Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...
, Ross County
Ross County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 27,136 households, and 19,185 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile . There were 29,461 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. He accepted the unanimous call to serve as pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian
Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America , a Christian church, is a small Presbyterian denomination with churches throughout the United States, in southeastern Canada, and in a small part of Japan. Its beliefs place it in the conservative wing of the Reformed family of Protestant churches...
congregation in Brush Creek
Brush Creek Township, Adams County, Ohio
Brush Creek Township is one of the fifteen townships of Adams County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,231 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Meigs Township - north...
, Adams County
Adams County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,330 people, 10,501 households, and 7,613 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 11,822 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. On the 6th of June, 1831, he was ordained and installed, as the third pastor, by two brothers, members of the Ohio Presbytery, Rev. Gavin and Rev. Hugh McMillan. During this time, he had several preaching assignments, one being in Mill Creek, Kentucky. When the Reformed Presbyterian Church split into "Old Lights" and "New Lights," in 1833, Steele and his Brush Creek congregation remained in ecclesiastical connection with the "Old Lights" party. He was appointed Clerk of Synod in 1833 and, in 1838, he was assistant clerk.
After the split, in 1833, Steele expressed hope that the "Old Lights" would revive the law of the Church concerning "occasional hearing
Occasional hearing
Occasional hearing is the practice of attending worship services or preaching by ministers of denominations other than one's own. Historically, this practice has been resisted and, in some cases, even matter of church discipline amongst churches that study confessional integrity...
" and tighten the prohibition on "voluntary associations." With the re-admission of the Rev. Robert Lusk
Robert Lusk (minister)
Robert Adam Holliday Lusk was a Reformed Presbyterian or Covenanter minister of the strictest sort, in a century which, according to Presbyterian historian Robert E. Thompson, was marked by increasing relaxation into less stringent manifestations of doctrine and practice amongst all branches of...
, in 1834, he found a kindred spirit.
These two ministers spent the next six years witnessing and challenging a return to the original Testimony together with a restoration of history to its proper place in that Testimony.http://www.covenanter.org/Steele/analysisofpreface.htm In 1838, he went together with a few others to attend the death bed of the Rev. William Gibson, the last surviving minister who had participated in re-erecting the Reformed Presbytery in 1798. Gibson left his dying testimony against the practice of "voluntary associations" or, as George Gillespie
George Gillespie
George Gillespie was a Scottish theologian.-Life:He was born at Kirkcaldy, where his father, John Gillespie, was parish minister, and studied at St. Andrews University as a "presbytery bursar". On graduating he became domestic chaplain to John Gordon, 1st Viscount Kenmure , and afterwards to John...
and Hugh Binning
Hugh Binning
Hugh Binning was a Scottish philosopher. He became regent and professor of philosophy at the University of Glasgow in 1646, aged 19, a follower of James Dalrymple...
had called them, "unlawful confederacies."http://www.covenanter.org/VoluntaryAssociations/voluntaryassociationhome.htm This served to confirm Steele and his stricter Covenanting brethren in their course of pressing the matter in Synod. In 1840, Steele, on behalf of a number of his brethren, presented a paper (#30) to Synod petitioning for redress on the matter of "voluntary associations." This paper was pushed aside for later consideration at a future meeting of Synod. This was, for Steele and Lusk, the final straw.http://www.covenanter.org/Steele/letter.htm
Synod adjourned on June 26th, 1840, and the following day, he protested and separated from the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America
Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America , a Christian church, is a small Presbyterian denomination with churches throughout the United States, in southeastern Canada, and in a small part of Japan. Its beliefs place it in the conservative wing of the Reformed family of Protestant churches...
, along with fellow minister Robert Lusk and elders William McKinley, William Wylie and Nathan Johnston, on the grounds that the RPCNA had "corrupted the doctrines and worship, and prostituted the government and discipline of the house of God".http://www.covenanter.org/RPCCov/Deedcons.htm. They constituted themselves as the Reformed Presbytery and set about to return the "old paths." He remained in Adams County
Adams County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,330 people, 10,501 households, and 7,613 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 11,822 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, until 1859, ministering to adherents in that area. At that time, he removed to Hill Prairie, near Sparta
Sparta, Illinois
Sparta is a city in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,486 at the 2000 census.The city was the principal filming location for the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night.-Geography:Sparta is located at ....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and served adherents of Presbytery in that vicinity. In October, 1866, he moved to Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. In Philadelphia, he pastored a small congregation and established a small theological school. In 1885, he moved for a brief period of time to Galesburg
Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. However, in the fall of 1886, he returned to Philadelphia. It was there he died of old age and from the effects of a slight stroke of paralysis, Wednesday, June 29, 1887. His death was announced in the Public Ledger
Public Ledger (Philadelphia)
The Public Ledger was a daily newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania published from March 25, 1836 to January 1942. Its motto was "Virtue Liberty and Independence". For a time, it was Philadelphia's most popular newspaper, but circulation declined in the mid-1930s.-Early history:Founded by William...
of Philadelphia on June 30th. "STEELE. - On the 29th inst., Rev. DAVID STEELE, Sr., D.D., in the 84th year of his age. The remains may be viewed by relatives and friends, on Friday evening, July 1st, from 6 until 8 o'clock, at 2732 Brown Street. Interment in Petersburgh
Petersburg, Pennsylvania
Petersburg is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was a stop on the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line between Tyrone and Huntingdon and the junction point for the Petersburg Branch...
, Pa., on Saturday morning, July 2nd, 1887." Though he was never known to use the title of "D.D." during his life, it was a degree granted him, in 1884, by the Western University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. His epitaph reads, "I have kept the faith."
He devoted much of his writing to demonstrating the defection of those who called themselves Reformed Presbyterians, and chastising, the Reformed Presbyterian Church
Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America , a Christian church, is a small Presbyterian denomination with churches throughout the United States, in southeastern Canada, and in a small part of Japan. Its beliefs place it in the conservative wing of the Reformed family of Protestant churches...
for her treacherous defection from Covenanted Reformation. He spent most of his life visiting those who adhered to the "good old way," ministering to them. He was a tremendous controversialist, and manifested great inflexibility of character, for which he was despised by "false brethren." Toward the end of his life, in 1884, he stated, "The principles...for more than 40 years defended against many opponents—especially "false brethren"—I still believe to be founded upon the Scriptures and long experience, with developments among opponents, has tended to confirm my earlier convictions." Although he lived in the United States for sixty years, he never became an American citizen, believing that the U.S. Constitution sanctioned "atheism and slavery." He died in the belief that the principles which he held and propagated would one day triumph in the earth. In retrospect, even his adversaries were constrained to admit he "was a learned and powerful preacher of the gospel, an adept in ancient languages, and an independent thinker."
His wife of 56 years, Eliza Johnston, was born July 14, 1809, in Chillicothe, Ohio. She died April 3, 1896. Her epitaph reads, "I have hoped in thy Word."
His church survives tenuously, without ordained ministers, as the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Covenanted)http://www.covenanter.org/ also known as the "Steelites." In 2010, the "David Steele Reformed Presbyterian Library" was formed to preserve and archive his documents and other documents relating to the broader Covenanting and Reformed Dissenting traditions. The term is also used to describe other secessions from the RPCNA and other bodies that claim inspiration from Steele, including the Reformed Presbytery in North Americahttp://www.reformedpresbytery.org/ and the Covenanted Reformed Presbyterian Church.http://www.truecovenanter.com/