Literate Piety

Abstract

Though separated by a century, the lives and work of John Witherspoon and James McCosh are strikingly similar. Both were Presbyterian ministers, leaders of the Evangelical party in the Church of Scotland, presidents of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and public intellectuals in America. Both also attempted to unite the philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment with the Calvinist theology of the Westminster Confession. This chapter examines the theology of both men through their careers and major works, and evaluates their legacy of literate piety.