David Morrieson Panton
Encyclopedia
David Morrieson Panton (1870–1955) was the pastor
of Surrey Chapel, Norwich
, Norfolk
, UK
, where he succeeded Robert Govett
. He was the editor (1924–1955) of The Dawn Magazine, a writer of books and numerous tracts, and a British leader amongst those pursuing Prophetic studies.
in 1870. There, his father was the first Archdeacon
and a missionary
of the Church of England
. His uncle had been the Archbishop
of the West Indies. Panton came to England in 1885 and was educated at the Old Hall School, Wellington
, for two years, then at St. Lawrence’s School, Ramsgate
, where he spent another two years. Finally he attended university at Caius College, Cambridge
, where he studied law
with a view to becoming a barrister
. In his college days, Panton was influenced by one of his tutors, Labarestier, who came from Jersey. It was from him Panton first heard of the doctrines of the coming Kingdom and the Glory of Christ, during the last thousand years of earth’s existence (The Millennium
). Panton, also, came to accept the view there were conditions, which disciples had to fulfil in order to share this special reign ("Selective Rapture"). The immediate consequence was Panton’s acceptance of baptism by total immersion, which caused him to leave the Church of England and become an "Undenominational" Christian. Panton remained unaffiliated for most of his life, though later he did bring his Church into membership of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.
who had died in February that year and whose teaching he had come to accept from his days at Cambridge. Panton had become acquainted with the Church through doing seven months duties as an assistant
to Govett in the 1890s. Panton came to have a close bond with his congregation, in the same way his predecessor had. Panton had a gracious and dignified personality, but also sought to bring all matters of doctrine to the plain exposition of Scripture. Like his predecessor he took a ‘literalistic’ view of Scripture – particularly in eschatology
.
During his 24 years of ‘full-time’ ministry at Surrey Chapel, Norwich, he saw the congregation built up. The Church maintained its Evangelical
convictions and Panton saw many conversions, which were followed by baptism and Church membership. In particular Panton’s time saw the Sunday School built up to reach a peak of over 600 scholars and 60 teachers and officers. There were also several who volunteered for missionary service, including one worker in China who was influential in the nurturing of Watchman Nee
.
His work as Editor:
Panton founded and edited a new bi-monthly magazine, The Dawn, an Evangelical Magazine, which first appeared on 15 April 1924. Panton’s aim for his magazine was the stimulus, encouragement, and instruction of Christians, who believed without reservation in all the Scriptures, and who sought to devote their lives to the highest ends before the return of Christ and the Kingdom. His editorial policy was to keep The Dawn as a fundamental, evangelistic, missionary, prophetic, dispensational, devotional magazine. This new responsibility heavily taxed the delicate constitution of Panton’s health and brought inevitable changes, he retired from fulltime ministry at Surrey Chapel, but he agreed to preach for one Sunday in each month. He continued to live within reach of the Church and so was always accessible. He maintained his output of writing the magazine’s main article, which was often recycled as a separate tract. Quite often, the monthly sermon
was taken down in shorthand by a member of his congregation, and appeared as one of the articles in a later edition of the monthly magazine.
Panton’s own writings included:
Present-Day Pamphlets [Series]: (All published by Charles J. Thynne & Jarvis Ltd, London).
‘A Rejoinder on The Judgment Seat of Christ’ (A J Tilney, Norwich 1912 [Private Run]).
Present-day Papers (or Addresses) [Series]:
Perils of the Age, First Series:
Studies in the Types:
‘Trusting and Toiling’ Reprints:
Present-Day Leaflets:
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of Surrey Chapel, Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where he succeeded Robert Govett
Robert Govett
Robert Govett, was a famous British theologian, and a successful independent pastor of Surrey Chapel, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. His father, Robert Govett Sr., Vicar of Staines, died in 1854...
. He was the editor (1924–1955) of The Dawn Magazine, a writer of books and numerous tracts, and a British leader amongst those pursuing Prophetic studies.
Early days
Panton was born in JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in 1870. There, his father was the first Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
and a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. His uncle had been the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the West Indies. Panton came to England in 1885 and was educated at the Old Hall School, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, for two years, then at St. Lawrence’s School, Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
, where he spent another two years. Finally he attended university at Caius College, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, where he studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
with a view to becoming a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
. In his college days, Panton was influenced by one of his tutors, Labarestier, who came from Jersey. It was from him Panton first heard of the doctrines of the coming Kingdom and the Glory of Christ, during the last thousand years of earth’s existence (The Millennium
Millenarianism
Millenarianism is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming major transformation of society, after which all things will be changed, based on a one-thousand-year cycle. The term is more generically used to refer to any belief centered around 1000 year intervals...
). Panton, also, came to accept the view there were conditions, which disciples had to fulfil in order to share this special reign ("Selective Rapture"). The immediate consequence was Panton’s acceptance of baptism by total immersion, which caused him to leave the Church of England and become an "Undenominational" Christian. Panton remained unaffiliated for most of his life, though later he did bring his Church into membership of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.
Pastor of Surrey Chapel Norwich
In 1901, Panton was called to take up the pastoral duties at Surrey Chapel, Norwich, succeeding Robert GovettRobert Govett
Robert Govett, was a famous British theologian, and a successful independent pastor of Surrey Chapel, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. His father, Robert Govett Sr., Vicar of Staines, died in 1854...
who had died in February that year and whose teaching he had come to accept from his days at Cambridge. Panton had become acquainted with the Church through doing seven months duties as an assistant
Personal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
to Govett in the 1890s. Panton came to have a close bond with his congregation, in the same way his predecessor had. Panton had a gracious and dignified personality, but also sought to bring all matters of doctrine to the plain exposition of Scripture. Like his predecessor he took a ‘literalistic’ view of Scripture – particularly in eschatology
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
.
During his 24 years of ‘full-time’ ministry at Surrey Chapel, Norwich, he saw the congregation built up. The Church maintained its Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
convictions and Panton saw many conversions, which were followed by baptism and Church membership. In particular Panton’s time saw the Sunday School built up to reach a peak of over 600 scholars and 60 teachers and officers. There were also several who volunteered for missionary service, including one worker in China who was influential in the nurturing of Watchman Nee
Watchman Nee
Watchman Nee was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China. Together with Wangzai, Zhou-An Lee, Shang-Jie Song, and others, Nee founded The Church Assembly...
.
His work as Editor:
Panton founded and edited a new bi-monthly magazine, The Dawn, an Evangelical Magazine, which first appeared on 15 April 1924. Panton’s aim for his magazine was the stimulus, encouragement, and instruction of Christians, who believed without reservation in all the Scriptures, and who sought to devote their lives to the highest ends before the return of Christ and the Kingdom. His editorial policy was to keep The Dawn as a fundamental, evangelistic, missionary, prophetic, dispensational, devotional magazine. This new responsibility heavily taxed the delicate constitution of Panton’s health and brought inevitable changes, he retired from fulltime ministry at Surrey Chapel, but he agreed to preach for one Sunday in each month. He continued to live within reach of the Church and so was always accessible. He maintained his output of writing the magazine’s main article, which was often recycled as a separate tract. Quite often, the monthly sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
was taken down in shorthand by a member of his congregation, and appeared as one of the articles in a later edition of the monthly magazine.
His last years
From 1941, Panton resigned completely from Surrey Chapel, Norwich. As he aged, he felt the mode of the country and the times changed, so there was a reduction in readers of The Dawn. Paternoster took over from Charles Thynne as the publishers for the magazine. Panton died on 20 May 1955; he had prepared the final issue of his magazine, which ceased after his death.Publications
The volumes of The Dawn Magazine from 1924 to 1955 contain at least a leading article by Panton – and often more. As well as his own books, tracts and articles, Panton use his magazine to continue to popularise the writings of Robert Govett.Panton’s own writings included:
- The Christian Home: Its Sanctity and Joy. Charles J. Thynne & Jarvis Ltd, London, May 1924.
- Satanic Counterfeits of the Second Advent. Charles J. hynne & Jarvis Ltd, London, Jan 1925 [Second Edition Revised and Enlarged]).
Present-Day Pamphlets [Series]: (All published by Charles J. Thynne & Jarvis Ltd, London).
- Spiritualism: Its Origin and Character. (“Contemporary spiritism studied in the light of the occult in Scripture”).
- The Medium and the Witch. (The roots of spiritualismSpiritualismSpiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
laid bare in world-old and worldwide phenomena). - Irvingism and the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. (“The most plausible of all modern ‘tongues’ movements examined in the light of a legitimate desire for the supernatural”).
- The Advance of Rome. (“A black thunder-cloud revealed on the horizon of the Church of Christ”).
- Democracy, Socialism, and the Sermon on the Mount. (“Christian ethics in relation to Socialism and Democracy”).
- Gnosticism: The Coming Apostasy (1910, Alfred Holness, London & R L Allan & Son, Glasgow: 2nd Edition, August 1925, Chas J Thynne & Jarvis Ltd, London). (“A study of the occult signs and doctrinal foundations of the Great Apostasy”).
- The Judgment Seat of Christ. (“The responsibility of believers as a supplementary truth to their eternal security in Christ”).
‘A Rejoinder on The Judgment Seat of Christ’ (A J Tilney, Norwich 1912 [Private Run]).
- Christ Risen a Fact. (“The fact of the Resurrection the rock-foundation of the Faith”).
- Expiation by Blood. (“Atonement traced and studied as the blood-red heart of the whole Bible”).
- Rapture [Second edition 1924]. (“A problem as urgent and as practical as any that confronts the child of God”).
- The Godhead of Jesus. (“Modernism answered by the Scriptures themselves”).
Present-day Papers (or Addresses) [Series]:
- God’s Oil and our Vessels: An Exposition.
- Bread for God’s People: A Truth for the Times.
- The Prayer Battle: God’s Arrow of salvation.
- On Verbal Inspiration: ‘Or One Jot or One Tittle’ (Alfred Holness, London, before 1910.
- Watchman, What of the Night?
- An Outline of the ApocalypseApocalypseAn Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
. - The Last Hour of Foreign Missions.
- The Letters to the Seven Churches.
- Marriage and the Woman Movement.
- Sin after Conversion.
- Our Seat of Authority.
- A Federated Church.
- The First resurrection.
- Earth’s Last Pentecost.
- Evolution and the Fall.
- The Disciple and the state.
- Maranatha (Poems).
Perils of the Age, First Series:
- Millennial Dawnism.
- Christian Science.
- Church Amusements.
- The Growth of Rome.
- Modernism.
- Spiritualism.
- Test for the Supernatural.
- The Seed, The Ox, and the Garment.
- The Order of the Star in the East.
- God’s Terms of Communion.
- The Secrets of the Great War.
- Universalism.
- Spiritualism Inside the Churches.
- Earthquakes.
Studies in the Types:
- The Robes of the High Priest.
- The Scarlet Bird.
‘Trusting and Toiling’ Reprints:
- The Springing Fig Tree.
- The Re-engrafted Olive.
- Babylon and the Jew.
- The Uplifted Veil.
- Israel and Islam.
- The Rebuilding of the Temple.
- Democracy and the End.
- The Empire of Antichrist.
- Universal War.
Present-Day Leaflets:
- Christ and the Critics.
- The Virgin Birth.
- Baptism according to God.
- The Prize of our Calling.
- Counsels for Young Workers.
- Prayer.
- Rapture and Soul Winning.
See also
- Robert GovettRobert GovettRobert Govett, was a famous British theologian, and a successful independent pastor of Surrey Chapel, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. His father, Robert Govett Sr., Vicar of Staines, died in 1854...
- Jessie Penn-LewisJessie Penn-LewisJessie Penn-Lewis was a Welsh evangelical speaker and author of a number of Christian evangelical works.-Early life:Penn-Lewis was born in Victoria Terrace, Neath in 1861. Her father was a Methodist minister...
- Watchman NeeWatchman NeeWatchman Nee was a Chinese Christian author and church leader during the early 20th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life in prison and was severely persecuted by the Communists in China. Together with Wangzai, Zhou-An Lee, Shang-Jie Song, and others, Nee founded The Church Assembly...
- Margaret E. BarberMargaret E. BarberMargaret E. Barber or M. E. Barber , was a British missionary in China. She was born in 1866 in Peasenhall, County Suffolk, England, the daughter of Louis and Martha Barber. She died at 63 years of age, in 1929...
- G. H. PemberG. H. PemberGeorge Hawkins Pember , known as G. H. Pember, was an English theologian and author who was affiliated with a branch of Protestant Evangelical Christianity that is known as the Brethren Movement or is also sometimes identified as the Brethren Assemblies, Christian Brethren, or Plymouth...
- John Nelson DarbyJohn Nelson DarbyJohn Nelson Darby was an Anglo-Irish evangelist, and an influential figure among the original Plymouth Brethren. He is considered to be the father of modern Dispensationalism. He produced a translation of the Bible based on the Hebrew and Greek texts called The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation...
- Plymouth BrethrenPlymouth BrethrenThe Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...