A.J. Gordon Heritage Project

What is the A.J. Gordon Heritage Project?

The A.J. Gordon Heritage Project was created in 2011 as a way to digitize and make available the writings of Adoniram Judson Gordon.

About A. J. Gordon

(1836-1895)
President 1889-1895

Adoniram Judson Gordon was born in tiny New Hampton, New Hampshire on April 19, 1836 to devout Christian parents. At about 15 years of age, A. J. had a conversion experience and was baptized in his father's mill stream. One year later, he openly confessed in a church meeting his desire and determination to prepare for Christian ministry.

In 1856, at age 20, he entered Brown University as a Classics major, where he met his future wife, Maria Hale. In 1860 he entered the Newton Theological Institution. Upon graduation in 1863, he accepted a call to become a pastor of the Jamaica Plain Baptist Church in Roxbury, MA and married Maria Hale. After six successful years in Roxbury, he accepted the pastorate of the Clarendon Street Baptist Church in Boston in 1869, the church where his ministry would have its broad impact. Gordon remained pastor of Clarendon Street Church for 26 years until his death on February 2, 1895 of influenza and bronchitis.

He wrote many books including, but not limited to: In Christ, The Two-Fold Life, The Ministry of the Spirit, and How Christ Came to the Church. He also spent Monday mornings working on publishing The Watchword. A. J. Gordon poured his heart and energy into the work of foreign missions. He traveled, preached, wrote, and served with the passion of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A. J. Gordon also felt a call to provide education for people to work in the mission field. Gordon felt that all people, including women and people of color, should be able to receive a thorough education in matters of the Bible, theology, and church history if the potential student felt they had a true calling to serve God and the church. So, in response to the great number of individuals in his community who did not have the opportunity for advanced learning and were not able to attend college or seminary, Gordon founded the Boston Missionary Training School in 1889. On October 2, 1889, the school opened its doors to 19 students enrolled in full-time and partial courses, including six women. After Gordon's death, the school voted to change its name from the Boston Missionary Training School to the Gordon Missionary Training School.

Learn More

You can learn more about the life of A. J. Gordon by reading:

Adoniram Judson Gordon: A Biography by Ernest Barron Gordon
A. J. Gordon: An Epic Journey of Faith and Pioneering Vision by Kevin Belmonte

Many of A. J. Gordon's original works are available in the Gordon College Archives located in Jenks Library at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. For more information, email archives@gordon.edu.

Books, Hymns, and Sermons

Books by A. J. Gordon

Congregational Worship
Ecce Venit: Behold He Cometh
The First Thing in the World, or, The Primacy of Faith
The Holy Spirit in Missions
How Christ Came to Church
In Christ, or, The Believer's Union with His Lord
Journal of Our Journey
Ministry of Healing, or, Miracles of Cure in All Ages
The Ministry of the Spirit
The Ministry of Women
The Twofold Life, or, Christ's Work for Us and Christ's Work in Us
Yet Speaking: A Collection of Addresses

Books about A. J. Gordon and Gordon College

A Faithful Past; An Expectant Future by Tom and Jean Askew
Adoniram Judson Gordon: A Biography by Ernest Barron Gordon
Fifty Eight A. J. Gordon Quotations
A School of Christ by Nathan R. Wood
Shaping a Heritage edited by Ann Ferguson

Hymns by A. J. Gordon

The Coronation Hymnal
Hymns by A. J. Gordon
Service of Song
Service of Song Supplement
The Vestry Hymn and Tune Book

Sermons

Abigail's Intercession	Fruits of Revival	Peace with God
A. J. Gordon Sermons	Fulness of the Spirit	The Perils of Self Indulgence
Alternative Attributes	Getting, In Order to Give	Personality of the Holy Spirit
Am I in Sentiment or in Fact God's Steward?	God, A Consuming Fire	The Pilgrim's Place and Promise
And Enoch Walked with God - A Sermonette	Grace and Glory Sermons	Power - Pentecost Possible
The Angel's Message: Fear Not	Grace and Reward	Preaching According to Command
Anniversary Sermon	The Great Consummation	Preparation for Service
The Anointing of God	Guidance from Within	Prophecy at the Tomb of Christ
Apostolic Ambition	Holding Forth	Proving God
Atonement, Peace, Access	The Holy Spirit	Putting on Christ
A Basket of Summer Fruits	The Holy Spirit's Relation	Repulsions of Christianity
Be Not Conformed to This Age	How Much Better Than	Resurrection
Bearing the Cross	If Christ Be Not Risen	Sanctification
Behold, He Cometh	If Ye Continue in My Word	The Saviour's Tears
Blessed Dead	If You Knew Him	The Secret of Christian Growth
Body of Humiliation	In Him Was Life	Separation and Service
Boldness in Christ	Inward Guidance	The Simplicity That Is in Christ
Boldness in Testimony	Jesus Christ at Home	Sins Against the Holy Spirit
Bringing Back the King	Lamb of God	Spirit Interpreting Spirit
The Chosen Fast	Law and Gospel	The Star in the East - The Morning Star
Christ - The Light and the Glory	Leaving Us an Example	A Steadfast Face
Christ, The Laboring Man's Friend	Let Us Go Forth	Strength for Tired Workers
The Christian's Footprints	Letting Go and Laying Hold	Taken into Partnership
The Christian's Proof	Letting Your Light Shine	Taste and See
The Christian's Way and Work	The Living Dead and Dead Living	Temptation
The Christian's Wealth	The Lord's Surprising Invitation	Three Admonitions
The Christian's Zeal	Love Conquered by Love	Three Kinds of Preaching
Christians	Love for Unseen Christ	Three Missionary Ambitions
Congregational Amen	Love of God	Threefold Confession
Conviction, Cleansing, Consecration	Made Known to His Brethren	Threefold Growth
Dedication to the Cross	The Making of a Saint	Til He Come
The Divine Drawing	Memory and Hope	Trial Upon the Deep
Divine Hurt and Divine Healing	Missionary Debt	Triumph Through Trial
Divine Indwelling	Missionary Money	Two Advocates
Divine Standard	My Other Self	Two Great Necessities
Elect According to the Foreknowledge of God	A New Name - The Lamb	Two Heredities
The Endowment of Power	Ordinance of Silence	Twofold Ministry of Christ
The Enduement of Power	Our Destination	The Virgin's Lamp
Epistles of Christ	Our Lord's After-earthly Ministry	The Voice in the Garden
Exaltation Through Humiliation	Our Source of Power	Waiting for the Moving of the Water
The Fiftieth Year	Our True Yoke-Fellow	Watching at the Gates
First Fruits	Overcoming or Overcome	White Raiment
The First Thing in the World	Pastoral Letter: 25th Year	Why Lifted Up
A Fixed Heart	The Peace of God	Why Written: A Bible Reading
For Mine Own Sake		Workers with God

Articles in The Watchword

Letters of A. J. Gordon

ERgwovyX4v9IiDgc14wxA_EBrHPYCK-Eq7XD-jq2SMY9fw?e=jYq9g1Letters of A. J. Gordon

The following letters and correspondence from A. J. Gordon and members of his family are available as downloadable PDF files. Click on the link of the individual titles to start downloading. This is a sampling of letters from a much larger archive of letters and correspondence from members of A. J. Gordon's family. To view the original letters, please contact the Gordon College Archives.

For each letter, we list both the original scanned document and a transcribed version if it has one.

One additional note is that many of these letters were written with "overlapping letter-writing" which is a practice where the writer would complete their message on a page, turn it 90 degrees, and write over the previous text to fit in as much information as possible. In these cases, many of the letters in this collection have each sheet numbered in order of how they are to be read. The pdfs will have the letters in chronological order by page number, but occasionally you may need to scroll back up to complete a letter. For example, one letter may be numbered: 1, 2&5, 3, 4, in which case you will have to scroll back up to page 2 to complete the letter.

A GUIDE TO THE AUTHORS

John Calvin Gordon – A. J.'s father
Edward Fox Gordon – A. J.'s brother
Julia Ann Gordon – A. J.'s sister
Helen Gordon – A. J.'s sister
Maria Hale Gordon – A. J.'s wife
Arthur Gordon- A.J.'s son
Ernest B. Gordon- A.J.'s son
Isaac Hale – Maria's father
Harriet Hale – Maria's mother
NP Hill – Maria's brother
Wendell P. Hale – Maria's brother
Alice Hale Hill – Maria's sister
Ellen S. Read – Maria's friend
Kitty – Maria's student
George Randolph – Maria's friend

A. J. Gordon Letters to Maria Hale Gordon

A. J. Gordon Family Correspondence

Whole Family:

July 10, 1888

February 21, 1894

Edward Fox Gordon:

July 4, 1890

November 2, 1892

Ernest B. Gordon:

Helen Gordon:

Harriet Hale:

Arthur Gordon:

John Calvin Gordon:

February 1, 1837

A. J. Gordon Correspondence

Adoniram Judson- February 1,1891

Charles Spurgeon- June 16, 1888

D.A.W.- February 5, 1891

D.L. Moody:

July 1879

July 31,1885 (transcript included)

February 11, 1887 (transcript included)

December 28,1891 (transcript included)

July 30, 1892 (transcript included)

August 31, 1892 (transcript included)

March 21, 1893 (transcript included)

May 11, 1886 (transcript included)

Dr. Farnum, Theological Library Boston- December 15, 1894

Edward W. Park- November 30,1883

E. M. Synge- August 26, 189?

F. T. Mayser- July 27, 1891

J. M. Foster-

February 3, 1891

February 6, 1891

John Cairns- July 18, 1888

Joseph Cook- January 26, 1886

Letter to the members of Clarendon Street Church:

From A. J. Gordon- January 1, 1886

From Jacob J. Delakoff - July 23, 1892

Mrs. Amelia C. Stewart Norwich:

March 27, 1893

January 31, 1894

March 27, 1893

Rev. D. F. Lawson- December 9, 1884

Rev. D. F. Smith- May 3, 1890

W Knaff- July 26,1890

Unknown- March 26, 1894

Unknown- December 31, 1894

Exact Date Unknown- 1860

Exact Date Unknown- 1860 (2)

A. J. Gordon Columns/Writings/Events

Periodical- June 21, 1894

Temperance Society- May 3, 1892

C. H. Spurgeon Sermon- June 17, 1888

Chicago World's Fair Meeting Announcement- June 22, 1893

International Missionary Conference- June 9-19, 1888

Correspondence About the Gordon Twins Deaths

A series of letters between Mrs. Pauline Swain, A .J. Gordon's sister, about the illness and death of the Gordon twins, Theodore and Theodora. This occured while Dr. and Mrs. Gordon were in England in August of 1876.

A. J. Gordon Obituary

February 2, 1895

June 21, 1860	July 18, 1860	April 2, 1864	April 2, 1864 (2)
April 3, 1864	May 25, 1864	August 14, 1864	August 17, 1864
December 26, 1864	July 8, 1883	July 11, 1883	July 12, 1883
July 13, 1883	July 15, 1883	July 17 1884 (Exact year unknown)	July 18, 1884
February 4, 1884	February 16, 1894	February 19, 1894	February 20, 1894
February 22, 1894	February 23, 1894	February 23, 1894 (2)	February 25, 1894
February 28, 1894	March 1, 1894	March 5, 1894	March 6, 1894