[1] For the subsequent seven years following his graduation from Union Seminary in 1840, Duffield remained in New York where he extensively read, wrote, evangelized, and began to lay the foundations of his career in ministry.

His tenure in Philadelphia proved to be among the heights of his career as he was able to reach more people in need than ever before and had years of experience in ministry to guide him.

[5] Due to his family's various ministry careers, George Duffield spent most of his life growing up and working in the church.

His career as a pastor impacted the global Church in all over the country, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and other such states.

[7] Duffield's pastoral journey in the 1800s led him to a very successful revival during the winter of 1857-58 that spread throughout the land of Philadelphia.

[8] During Duffield's 48 years as a preacher of the gospel, he also spent some time serving as a Christian Commission delegate at Gettysburg.

Upon the tragic death of another abolitionist and friend, he shared in a sermon, "I caught its inspiration from the dying words of that noble young clergyman, Rev.

As he had been much persecuted in those pro-slavery days for his persistent course in pleading the cause of the oppressed, it was thought that these words had a peculiar significance in his mind; as if he had said, ‘Stand up for Jesus in the person of the downtrodden slave.'

(Luke 4:18)"[9] George Duffield Jr.'s contributions as a preacher and hymn writer have had a notable impact on American culture.

During the American Civil War, the hymn became popular amongst soldiers of the Union Army, likely due to its inspiring and militant language.

He preached against slavery, intemperance, the mistreatment of Native Americans and Mexicans, and the practice of polygamy amongst Mormons.

In a Sailor's magazine published during the war, he wrote in vivid detail his experience preaching to members of the Navy: Agreeably to my appointment, at 10 o'clock a.m., I found myself on the deck of the double-turreted monitor Onondaga, Commodore Melauethou Smith of the Reformed Dutch Church.

[13]On April 21, 1861, following the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, Duffield preached a sermon entitled "Courage in a Good Cause" which spoke out against the Confederacy and called for fearlessness in standing up for what is right.

[6] Consistent with his volunteer work within the Union during the American Civil War, Duffield was completely opposed to the applications of slavery.

In fact, Duffield was so disgusted by the slavery sentiment possessed by many in his church that he ended up resigning from his Episcopal congregation.

[6] Duffield, in contrast to many religious leaders at the time, held a consociational ideology regarding the participation of various Protestant denominations and Catholicism within the body of Christianity.

He used his abilities as a speaker and writer to warn society of the poverty, wretchedness, and ruin caused by drinking.

He preached this reform of temperance within the church and wrote about it as an editor of the Christian Observer or American Presbyterian.

[6] He served as an appointed secretary of the World's Temperance Convention, held at Metropolitan Hall in the city of New York on September 6, 1853.