Samuel Davies
Samuel Davies was an influential minister and educator in colonial America, known for his compelling preaching and advocacy for religious freedom. Born in Delaware to Welsh parents, he received his initial education at home before attending Reverend Samuel Blair's Seminary. At just fifteen, he joined the Presbyterian church and became a licensed minister by the age of twenty-two. His pastoral work in Hanover County, Virginia, involved traveling on horseback to preach to large audiences, including enslaved individuals, despite the religious restrictions imposed by the colonial government.
Davies championed the right to choose one's religion and actively worked to educate enslaved people by teaching them scripture and hymns in his home. In 1753, his reputation as a powerful speaker led him to England to raise funds for the College of New Jersey, where he had the opportunity to preach at the Royal Chapel before King George II. His bold sermon emphasized the importance of divine authority, earning him respect and successful fundraising results. In 1759, he became the president of the College of New Jersey, a position he held until his untimely death eighteen months later, leaving a significant legacy in both religious and educational spheres.
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Samuel Davies
- Born: November 3, 1723
- Birthplace: Near Summit Ridge, Newcastle County, Delaware
- Died: February 4, 1761
- Place of death: Princeton, New Jersey
Biography
Samuel Davies was born in Delaware to parents of Welsh descent. He received his early education at home and then attended Reverend Samuel Blair’s Seminary in Delaware. In 1739, at age fifteen, Davies joined the Presbyterian church. Seven years later, he became a minister licensed by the Newcastle Presbytery. The next year he was ordained as an evangelist and sent to Hanover County, Virginia. There he traveled throughout his pastorate by horseback, preaching to thousands of people, including slaves.
At the time, Virginia’s colonial government discriminated against any religion other than that promoted by the Church of England. However, Davies’s gift of persuasive speech helped him obtain a license to minister in four counties. His sermons, which combined scripture with practicality, drew large audiences and broke through the barriers of religious intolerance. Davies believed that all humans had the right to choose their religion. For this reason, on Saturday evenings Davies invited hundreds of slaves into his home, where he taught them to read scripture and sing hymns.
In 1753, Davies’s reputation as a powerful speaker earned him an invitation to go to England to solicit donations for the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). While in England, King George II invited Davies to preach at the Royal Chapel. During his famous sermon there, Davies bravely and boldly stated directly to King George II, “When the lion roars, all animals in the jungle fall silent; and when the Lord speaks, the kings of the Earth shut their mouths.” Davies’s fundraising trip was successful and earned him the respect of the academic superiors at the college. In 1759, Davies accepted the position of president of the College of New Jersey. He occupied this position until his death eighteen months later.