new church life : may / june 2016
He was attacked as an atheist in the presidential campaign of 1800 but praised God and religion in his inaugural address and attended services that day in the Capitol . As President in 1802 he invited the Rev . John Hargrove , one of the first New Church ministers ordained in America and pastor of the New Jerusalem Church in Baltimore , to deliver a sermon to the President and members of Congress : “ On the Leading Doctrines of the New Jerusalem .”
That apparently got Jefferson ’ s attention . He again invited Mr . Hargrove to preach before both houses of Congress on Christmas Day in 1804 on “ The Second Coming and the Last Judgment .” Imagine that happening today !
When Jefferson died – on the Fourth of July in 1826 – he asked to be remembered on his tombstone not as President of the United States but with this inscription : “ Here was buried Thomas Jefferson , author of the Declaration of American Independence , of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , and Father of the University of Virginia .”
( BMH )
Thomas Jefferson in the Mitchell Performing Arts Center ( Photo courtesy of Sandra Odhner )
a lesson in trust
Thomas Jefferson ’ s relationship as President with the Rev . John Hargrove was not just a casual thing . A page on the website of the Oak Arbor New Church in Rochester , Michigan , includes a letter from Jefferson to Hargrove on March 11 , 1801 , which still resonates today : It includes :
“ I deplore with you the present sanguinary and turbulent state of things in the Eastern world , and look forward to the restoration of peace , and progress of information , for the promotion of genuine charity , liberality , and brotherly kindness towards those who differ from us in opinion .
“ The Philanthropy which breathes through the several expressions of your letter is a pledge that you will endeavor to diffuse the sentiments of benevolence among our fellow-men , and to inculcate the important truth , that they promote their own happiness by nourishing kind and friendly dispositions towards others .”
Hargrove was born in Ireland in 1750 , came to Baltimore , Maryland , in 1769 and became a Methodist . He was introduced to Swedenborg in a sermon on the trinity delivered by the Rev . James J . Wilmer of the Protestant Episcopal Church . Hargrove began reading the Writings with the intention of refuting them , but came to accept them as Divine revelation .
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