USA > New Jersey > Morris County > Madison > A history of the Presbyterian Church, Madison, N.J. : a discourse, delivered on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1854 > Part 4
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Trustees. The bell, whose sweet tones have so often summoned the people of God to the house of prayer, weighs about seven hundred pounds ; was purchased of Mr. Ephraim Force, of New York, at a cost of about six hundred and forty- five dollars ; and was lifted to its place early in April of the year just mentioned ; and now, the church and congregation are ready to dedicate this new edifice to the worship of God.
Many were the prayers which were put up by devout hearts in all this region, while the work was in progress. Many were the efforts which were put forth, and many the anxieties experi- enced, before the work was completed. Many were the tears of joy that were shed, when, at length, the last stone was lifted to its place, amidst shout- ings of " grace, grace unto it !" And now let us look in upon the congregation, as they have con- vened to engage in the dedication services. It was on the 18th day of May, 1825. Sad memo- ries crowded upon their minds, as they left the sanctuary in which their fathers had worshipped for so many years before ; and happy thoughts, at the same time, possessed them, as they went up, for the first time, to offer their worship in this
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new house of prayer. A great company of per- sons, of all ages and conditions, were seen wending their way to this new " hill of Zion" on that glad and beautiful spring morning. The house was crowded to its utmost capacity, both above and below. A common impulse had brought the multitude together, and common sentiments of thanksgiving and praise arose in every heart. Here and there sat the fathers and pillars of the church, with gratitude and joy engraven on every lineament of their countenances. Scattered about in the assembly, too, were those who had borne the chief responsibility in the erection of the new edifice ; and they, too, were happy on that day. There, too, were the young, with bounding hearts and glad faces, unfurrowed as yet by care, and unused as yet to the disappointments and trials of life. At the head of the choir sat their leader, Lewis Carter, and around him were gathered a group of singers, chiefly in the morning of life, awaiting the signal of their conductor, to give utterance to the joy that glowed in their hearts. Common sympathies and common emotions per- vaded the whole assembly.
And now the hour of service has arrived. The
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
pastor, Rev. Mr. Bergen, introduced the solemni- ties of the occasion. The blessing of God was invoked upon entering into this new and beauti- ful sanctuary. They united in singing a song of thanksgiving. Prayer then was offered, in which the edifice, with all that appertained to it, was solemnly set apart to the worship of Almighty God. A portion of Scripture appropriate to the occasion was read. Again they united in the song of gratitude and praise. The pastor then preached a discourse, full of good sense and piety, on the words, " Enter into his courts with thanks- giving, and into his gates with praise." Prayer was again offered ; and again was the new edifice consecrated to God. Again they sang in joyful concert :
" Far as thy name is known, The world declares thy praise ; Thy saints, O Lord, before thy throne, Their songs of honor raise. Let strangers walk around The city where we dwell, Compass and view the holy ground, And mark the building well," &c .*
Then the benediction was pronounced, and the
* Psalm 48, second part, S. M.
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assembly retired to their homes, amidst mutual congratulations and thanksgivings, to bless God for what their eyes had seen, and their ears had heard, on that day.
HOLTON & JARDINE SE N.Y.
THE NEW CHURCH.
The dimensions of the church are fifty-five feet by seventy-five. It is constructed of brick, its side walls being twenty-four, and its end walls twenty inches, thick. It has a gallery extending around three sides ; is neatly carpeted and other- wise furnished ; contains an excellent organ, and all the other arrangements of a well-appointed
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sanctuary, and is capable of seating comfortably about nine hundred persons.
Such was the origin of the substantial and beautiful sanctuary in which we are stated wor- shippers. It has now been standing nearly thirty years ; and it has already been a witness of several precious revivals-of many most delightful com- munion seasons ; and to a great multitude, both here and elsewhere, it is the centre of many of the most tender and delightful associations. It stands to-day a monument of the perseverance and self- sacrificing zeal of our fathers, as well as of their good taste and their piety ; and here may it stand long to be a source of the choicest blessings to this entire community, both in this world.and in that which is to come.
Mr. Bergen continued to officiate as the pastor of this church for about three years after the new sanctuary was opened for divine worship, and he appears to have been a very successful and useful pastor here, until the August of 1828, when, at his own request, he was dismissed ; having been in this relation for a period of nearly sixteen years. From this place he soon after removed to the
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West, where he is still living, in the vicinity of Springfield, Illinois.
After Mr. Bergen had retired, the congregation appear to have been without the services of a regular pastor for nearly two years. During this time the Rev. DANIEL BEERS was called here by a vote of fifty-two to forty-two ; and after preaching about six months, and finding but little prospect of a harmonious settlement here, he was never installed.
For a considerable time after this, the congre- gation were unable to agree upon any one whom they should call to become their pastor, until the month of October, 1830, when they extended a call to the Rev. ALEXANDER G. FRAZER. This call he accepted, and entered at once upon his labors, his place of residence, while here, being the house since occupied by Mr. Sherrill, near the railroad bridge. Mr. Frazer was a native of Scotland, and received his education in that country. Previous to his coming to this place, he labored for several years as the pastor of the Pres- byterian church in Westfield, in this State, where his efforts to build up the Redeemer's kingdom appear to have been considerably blessed. He
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continued the pastor of this church for about one and a half years, until February, 1832, when he resigned his charge and withdrew.
It was about this time that our village received its present appropriate and beautiful name. Being dissatisfied with the name of " Bottle Hill" which it had borne for more than a hundred years previ- ously, and having become earnest and active friends of the temperance reformation, the inhab- itants of the village met together, and unani- mously resolved to drop this odious appellation, and substitute for it the name of MADISON .. This was the name that had been given to the academy more than twenty years before ; and, as it will readily suggest itself to all, it was given both to that edifice, and subsequently to the village, in honor of the fourth President of the United States.
The pulpit was vacant for about nine months after Mr. Frazer's dismission, until the autumn of 1832, when the church and congregation in- vited the Rev. CLIFFORD S. ARMS to become their pastor. Mr. Arms was born in Sunderland, Mass., on the banks of the Connecticut river, on the 4th of June, 1796. The principal portion of
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his early life was spent in Canaan, Columbia county, New York ; and there it was that in the year 1817, at the age of twenty-one, he was hope- fully converted to God, and made a public profes- sion of religion. His preparatory studies were pursued under the care of Mr. Moses Hallock, father of the Rev. William A. Hallock, of the
American Tract Society. In the fall of 1820 he became a member of the Freshman class in Wil- liam's College, where he remained but one year. He then entered Union College at Schenectady, New York, where, after three years' study, he grad- uated in the year 1824. In the autumn of the same year, he entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton in this State, and after a three years' course, graduated in the month of September, 1827.
He was licensed to preach the Gospel one year previous to his leaving the seminary ; and when he had completed his studies in that institution, he labored four or five months as a missionary in "' The Pines" of this State, under the Ladies' Missionary Society of Princeton. In the fall of 1827, he assumed the charge of a small church in Middletown Point, Monmouth county, N. J., and
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while he was there, he received ordination as an evangelist, from the same Presbytery that gave him license. The relation which he sustained to that church was that of stated supply ; and while connected in this way with the church, his labors appear to have been signally blessed to its enlarge- ment and permanent establishment.
After laboring in that field for a period of about five years, he received a call to become the pastor of this church at the time above stated ; and in the month of October of that year (1832) he re- moved his family to this place, and was regularly inducted into the pastoral office here, by the Pres- bytery of Elizabethtown, the Rev. David Magie, D. D., and others, taking part in the services.
While here, he resided for a short time in the house of the widow Cook, opposite the academy ; then in the house now occupied by Mr. Henry Keep ; and then in a house belonging to the family of the late Archibald Sayre, in the vicinity of the Catholic church. This last was his principal residence while the pastor of this church.
The Session of the church at that time was composed of Messrs. William Crowell, Ichabod Bruen, Lewis Thompson, Charles Carter, and Zo-
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phar Freeman ; and during his ministry here, Messrs. Ira Burnet, Ashbel Carter, and William P. Conklin were added to that body.
It was during Mr. Arms' pastorate here, that the Morris and Essex Railroad was constructed through this village. The right of way along the southern border of the burying-ground, and imme- diately in front of the site of the old meeting- house, was granted to the company by the congre- gation in the month of January, 1836 ; and the road was completed, and cars were passed over it for the first time, as far as this place, in the month of October of the year following. The occasion of its completion was one of great interest to this community ; and its construction has proved, in every point of view, an incalculable benefit to this entire surrounding region.
In the year 1838, all access to the burying- ground having been cut off by the building of the railroad, as just stated, the present road to it was opened from the turnpike ; the land for this object having been obtained of Mr. Henry Keep.
In the course of the same year, the Roman Catholic church in this place was erected. This was done by the descendants of a wealthy French
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gentleman, who emigrated to this place from the Island of Guadaloupe in the latter part of the last century. This gentleman, whose name was Mr. Vincent Boisaubin, resided on the property now occupied by. Mr. A. M. Treadwell, and was very highly esteemed and respected by this entire community. For many years previous to the erection of the Catholic church here, both he and his family owned seats and were frequent wor- shippers in our own sanctuary; and for this rea- son, these facts have been regarded as proper mat- ters to be recorded in the Annals of this society.
In the year 1842, a number of gentlemen be- longing to the parish, united together and pur- chased the organ that is now standing in our sanc- tuary. This instrument was constructed by Messrs. Charles and Davis Marsh, of Union Hill in this township ; and cost the sum of four hundred dollars.
On the 17th of October 1843, this church and congregation were transferred from the " Presby- tery of Elizabethtown"-with which body they had previously been connected from the time of its formation-to the " Presbytery of Newark," with which they are connected at the present time.
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As it respects the ecclesiastical connections which this church has sustained from the period of its organization, it may be interesting at this point to state, that its first connection was with the old Presbytery of New York. That body, at or about the time of the formation of this church, was composed of the following ministers, to wit : the Rev. Messrs. Azariah Horton (pastor of this church), John Pierson, Ebenezer Pemberton, Simon Horton, Aaron Burr, James Davenport, David Bostwick, Jacob Green, Caleb Smith, John Brainerd, Elihu Spencer, Daniel Thane, Enos Ayres, John Moffet, Chauncy Graham, Timothy Syms, John Grant, Timothy Jones, Aaron Richards (afterwards stated supply in this place), Alexander Cummins, and Jonathan Elmore.
In this connection the church was associated first with the " Synod of Philadelphia," then with the "Synod of New York," until the year 1758, when these two Synods having become united under the name of the "Synod of New York and Philadelphia," it became connected with that body, which at that time embraced all the Pres- byterian churches and ministers in this country. In the year 1780, a few clergymen in this vicinity,
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having a strong predilection for the Congregational method of church government, withdrew from the Presbytery of New York, and formed a new Pres- bytery which was called the " Morris County Pres- bytery." The father and founder of this body was the Rev. Jacob Green, of Hanover ; and asso- ciated with him were the Rev. Amzi Lewis, of Warwick, N. Y .; the Rev. Joseph Grover, of Par- sippany; the Rev. Ebenezer Bradford, of this place, and others.
Mr. Bradford, who was then the pastor of this church, it is believed, made a strong effort to carry the church over with him to that body ; and the influence of several neighboring pastors, as well as the example of several churches in the vicinity, tended very strongly in that direction. But, not- withstanding all this, the church adhered to its original connection with the Presbytery of New York, until the formation of the old Presbytery of Jersey,* which occurred on the fourteenth of No-
* The Presbytery of Jersey, which was set off from the old Pres- bytery of New York on the 14th of November 1809, comprised all the ministers and churches in this State, which were formerly con- nected with the latter body, as well as those in the city of New York and on the east bank of the Hudson river generally ; and its first regular meeting was held at Morristown, on the 24th of April,
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vember, 1809, when it was regularly set off by the Synod with that body. In this new connection it then stood, until the Presbytery of Jersey was di- vided into the Presbyteries of Newark and Eliza- bethtown,* which occurred in the autumn of 1824, when it was regularly set off with the body last named ; and with that it continued to be ecclesias- tically connected until the 17th of October, 1843, as has already been stated, when it withdrew and united itself with the Presbytery of Newark, with which body it now stands. The reason of this movement, it may be proper to state, was not that the church had experienced any change in relation to their doctrinal views, or their views respecting
1810; the Rev. Asa Hillyer, D.D., of Orange, being its first moderator.
* " In the autumn of 1824, the Presbytery of Jersey, which had existed under that name fifteen years, was divided by the Synod of New Jersey, at its own request, into two Presbyteries-the Pres- bytery of Newark and the Presbytery of Elizabethtown, of which the former held its first meeting at Jersey City, November 2, 1824. The property belonging to the old Presbytery, consisting of books, money for purposes of education, &c., was equally divided by a committee, appointed for that purpose. The last two volumes of the records were assigned to the Presbytery of Elizabethtown, and the preceding volumes, including, besides those of the old Presby- tery of New York, the first three years of the Presbytery of Jer- sey, and running back to the year 1775, to that of Newark."-Dr. Stearn's First Church, Newark, p. 299.
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church polity ; but simply and solely, because its pastor and some of its leading members sympa- thized with that part of the Presbyterian church which they believed to have been aggrieved and injured in the great schism which occurred in that body in the year 1838. And it is worthy of notice, and not a little singular, that in leaving the Presbytery of Elizabethtown for that of New- ark, this church has, in point of fact, simply gone from one branch of the old Presbytery of Jersey, to the other ; and that, thus, the time-honored succession in which it has stood from the first, is still unbroken. To the members of the church and congregation it must consequently be matter of great satisfaction, to be assured, that from its very origin to the present time, it has been truly and thoroughly Presbyterian, in all its affinities - and connections. It is not improbable that the attachment of its early members to Presbyterian- ism had not a little to do with their withdrawal from the old church at Whippany, then under the pastoral care of the Rev. Jacob Green, and their organizing a new church in this place ; nor is it - without reason that the opinion is harbored, that this same love of the principles and polity of the
-
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Presbyterian church was the real secret of Mr. Bradford's short ministry here.
The year 1844 is worthy of a place in this his- torical sketch, as the year when the Methodist Episcopal Church in this village was erected, and consecrated to the worship of God. Persons of this persuasion had for a few years previously kept up occasional religious services in the upper room of the academy, at East Madison, or, as it was for- merly called, "Genung Town." Subsequently, they met in a large room connected with the umbrella manufactory of Mr. Henry Keep, in this village, until the year above mentioned, when they erected the neat and commodious edifice in which they now statedly worship. The congrega- tion at that time belonged to the same circuit as those of Whippany, Chatham, and Green Village ; and the ministers in charge were the Rev. Messrs. Lewis R. Dunn and Israel S. Corbit. The con- gregation is now associated with the church in Whippany alone ; and the Rev. Joseph Gaskill is the minister in charge.
In the year 1845, the burying-ground was con- siderably enlarged by the purchase of some ad- foining land belonging to the Rev. Mr. Sewall,
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
for which the parish paid one hundred dollars ; and in the year 1846, the name of the congrega- tion was changed to the "First Presbyterian Church of Madison," which it now bears.
When Mr. Arms began his labors here, the number of church members was one hundred and fifty. His efforts to build up the Redeemer's kingdom, while the pastor of the church, were very abundantly and signally blessed. Three or four revivals of religion were enjoyed under his ministry ; and one very extensive and powerful one marked the commencement of his labors in this place: In the multiplied labors connected with this work of grace, he was assisted by the Rev. Messrs. Peter and George Kanouse, as well as others, whose happy influence here will never cease to be acknowledged and felt in this com- munity. Large numbers were received into the fellowship of the church, as the result of these special efforts, among whom were many heads of families ; and the congregation enjoyed a remark- able degree of prosperity. While he was the pastor of this church, there were nearly three hundred persons added to its membership, either by certifi- cate, or upon profession of their faith in Christ.
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON. .
The Rev. Nathaniel E. Pierson, of Westtown, New York, and the Rev. Charles H. Force, of Unadilla, in the same State, are in the number of the hopeful converts under his ministry.
In the early part of the year 1846, the congre- gation came into possession of the " Church Library," which now stands in the pastor's study at the parsonage. This library contains one hundred and sixty-seven volumes of the best works which have been issued by the " Presby- terian Board of Publication ;" and for it, the con- gregation are indebted to the generosity of Mr. David Sayre, of Lexington, Kentucky, a son of Mr. Ephraim Sayre, who for many years was a deacon and an elder in this church.
For a great many years the evening meetings in this village were held in the upper room of the academy. This was a very inconvenient and. uncomfortable place for divine worship, and, as a consequence, the project of erecting a LECTURE- ROOM for this purpose, was often the subject of conversation. At length, in the fall of 1849, a lot was purchased of Mrs. Mahlon Pierson, on the point formerly occupied by the store of Mr. Obadiah Crane; and measures were at once
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
adopted to erect the new edifice. The following gentlemen were appointed the building commit- tee, to wit : Messrs. Benjamin Birdsall, George T. Sayre, and Ashbel Bruen. The latter, how- ever, soon resigned, and the superintendence of the work devolved, as a consequence, upon the other two gentlemen who have been named. To the persevering efforts of Mr. Birdsall, more, perhaps, than those of any other person, is the congregation indebted for this neat and com- modious edifice. The building was erected dur-
HOLTON KIJARDINE ENSSN.Y.
THE LECTURE -ROOM.
ing the year 1850, and was dedicated by the pastor, Rev. Mr. Arms, assisted by the Rev. 4
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Charles H. Force, and the Rev. Joseph M. Ogden, on Sabbath afternoon, the 9th day of February of the year following. Its dimensions are twenty- eight feet by forty-five. It is constructed of wood, and finished, both within and without, in a very neat and simple manner, after the Grecian style. It is well carpeted, and otherwise furnish- ed with blinds, sofa, solar lamps, &c., and is capable of accommodating about two hundred and twenty-five persons. The Bible and Hymn-book, in the pulpit, were presented by Mr. Benjamin Ludlow Brittin, of Arkansas, on the day that the house was dedicated.
The dedication of the lecture-room was among the concluding acts of Mr. Arms' ministry in this church. On the third day of June following, after having held the pastorate for about eighteen and a half years, he was dismissed by the Pres- bytery of Newark, at his own request, to enter his present field of labor, in Ridgebury, Orange county, New York; carrying with him the respect and confidence, as well as the kindly wishes, of his people.
About three months after the resignation of Mr. Arms, the Rev. S. S. HUGHSON was employed by
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
the congregation to labor among them as a stated supply. He was a native of Chester, in this State, and pursued his collegate studies at Ober- lin, Ohio, and his theological, at the " Union Seminary," in the city of New York. He labored here in the capacity just mentioned, with great diligence, for a little more than a year, when he withdrew to enter his present field of labor in Penn Yan, Yates county, New York.
For one year after Mr. Hughson's retirement, the pulpit was supplied by the Rev. JOHN M. JOHNSON, of Morristown. Mr. Johnson, who was a son of the late Peter A. Johnson of the place just mentioned, graduated at the College of New Jer- sey, in the year 1835 ; and pursued his theolog- ical studies in the Union Theological Seminary, New York. For several years he officiated as the pastor of the Presbyterian church, at Hanover, until the year 1849, when he was obliged to retire from pastoral life, on account of an affliction which at one time threatened the total loss of his sight. While he was supplying the pulpit in this place, he was instrumental in deciding the congregation to relieve themselves of an unpleasant debt of a considerable amount, which for some years pre-
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viously had proved the occasion of no little diffi- culty ; and justice requires that the fact should be placed on record, also, that to the efficiency and persevering efforts of the ladies of the parish this important result is in a great measure to be ascribed. In a great variety of ways, Mr. John- son rendered the most valuable services to this congregation, while they were without a pastor ; and his happy influence over this church, it is believed, will long be acknowledged and felt by this entire community.
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