 He made a profession of faith when he was 17 and was then prepared for the Presbyterian ministry at Phillips Academy (1825–27), Andover Theological Seminary (1827–29), and Princeton Theological Seminary (1829–30).In 1846, Jones received an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Jefferson College, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.While in the North, Jones agonized over the morality of owning slaves, but he returned to Liberty County to become a planter, a fervent missionary to the slaves, sometimes called the "Apostle to Slaves," and a somewhat reluctant defender of the institution of slavery.