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 5
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I will only add, that on the sixth day of Decem- ber, 1853, the church and congregation united in a call to the writer of this history, to become their pastor ; and that on the third day of January, 1854, he was formally inducted by the Presby- tery of Newark, into his present responsible posi- tion ; Rev. Job F. Halsey, of West Bloomfield, . presiding, and proposing the constitutional ques- tions ; Rev. Joseph F. Tuttle, of Rockaway (brother of the pastor), preaching the sermon, on Mark xvi. 15. ; Rev. J. Few Smith, of the Sec- ond Church in Newark, delivering the charge to the pastor ; and Rev. John M. Johnson, of Morris- town, the charge to the people.
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
The writer, it is hoped, will be pardoned, if, for the gratification of his friends, he adds, that he is a native of Bloomfield, in this State, being a de- scendant, on his mother's side, of Deacon Law- rence Ward, one of the first settlers of Newark ; and on his father's, of Stephen Tuttle, one of the first settlers of Elizabethtown ; that he pursued his preparatory studies in Bloomfield ; his col- legiate studies in the College of New Jersey, where he graduated in the year 1836 ; his theo- logical studies under the venerable Dr. Richards, in the seminary at Auburn, N. Y., where he graduated in the year 1840 ; that in the month of October, of the same year, he was licensed by the Presbytery of Newark to preach the Gospel ; that, three months subsequently, he was installed by the same body as the pastor of the Presbyterian church at Caldwell, in this State, where he con- tinued to labor for about eight and a half years ; that, after resigning his charge in that place, he spent nearly five years in the service of the Ameri- can Bible Society, as their " Agent for Connecti- cut," and as their " Assistant Secretary " at the Bible House, New York ; and that, from the sec- retarial department of that institution, he was
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
called to his present position as the pastor of this church.
At the commencement of the present pastorate, the following gentlemen constituted the session of this church, viz. : Messrs. Ira Burnet, Lewis Thompson, Ichabod Bruen, Ashbel Carter, and William P. Conklin. The deacons of the church were, Messrs. William Crowell and Ichabod Bruen, the former of whom departed this life on the 16th of February following. On the 21st day of March, immediately ensuing, the church made choice of the following individuals, to be added to the session, to wit: Messrs. Wm. M. Muchmore and Albert Carter, and Dr. George Cole ; and at the same time they elected the following persons to the office of deacon, to wit : Messrs. Caleb C. . Burroughs, Amaza W. Genung, and David M. Force.
In the month of April following, the congrega- tion purchased their present commodious parson- age, and fitted it up for their minister. The property, which stands on the corner southwest of the academy, and was formerly occupied as a boarding-school by Mr. Franklin Sherril, was bought of Abraham Brittin, Esq., for the sum of
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
nineteen hundred dollars ; and was fitted up at an expense of nearly five hundred dollars, under the direction of Dr. H. P. Green and Mr. James Albright, the former of whom was president, and
HOLTON & JARDINE SE N.Y.
THE PARSONAGE.
the latter, clerk, of the Board of Trustees. The dimensions of the building are twenty-two feet by forty ; it is two and a half stories high ; and has a dry and well-lighted basement. It contains twelve finished rooms, and twelve closets and pantries, besides a cellar and coal-room ; a hall, running through the centre, twenty-one feet by nine, and an inclosed piazza in the rear of it, of forty feet by eight. The dining-room in the basement is about eighteen feet square ; while the parlor on the first
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
floor, and the study on the second, are each twenty-one feet by fourteen. On the property is a good barn, well, cistern, &c .; and the lot con- tains a little more than half an acre. Its location is one of the finest in this vicinity, commanding very extensive and beautiful views in every direc- tion.
In the latter part of March, of the same year, the church and congregation were favored with a very extensive and precious revival of religion ; and it is with unfeigned gratitude and pleasure that the writer is able to state, that, during the first year of his ministry here, there were received into the communion of this church, either by cer- tificate, or upon a profession of their faith in Christ, but three short of sixty persons.
The church and congregation have great reason to be thankful that they possess and enjoy all the various equipments and arrangements of a well- ordered Christian parish. Their large, substan- tial, and well-appointed sanctuary ; their conve- nient and beautiful lecture-room ; their venerable and attractive cemetery ; their commodious and spacious parsonage; and all their other conve- niences and various appliances for the maintenance
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
of divine worship, place them in a very high rank among neighboring congregations. In an outward point of view, the society is, perhaps, in a more prosperous condition than it has ever been before ; and, as far as the spiritualities of the church are concerned, we have, all of us, great reason to be devoutly thankful.
With respect to the benevolent operations of the parish, it may be proper to add, in this connec- · tion, that the following societies have been organ- ized, and are now in active operation among us, to wit : the " Ladies' Missionary Society," which contemplates the raising of funds in aid of Foreign Missions ; the " Madison Female Bible Society," which labors to supply those who are destitute, within our limits, with the Holy Scriptures ; the "Madison Home Missionary Society," which con- templates rendering aid to the Home Missionary operations of the day ; and the " Madison Tract Society," which is engaged in distributing tracts, and other religious publications, from house to house, within our borders. In addition to these, we have among us a vigorous and efficient associa- tion, called the " Ladies' Diligent Society," which contemplates the furnishing, repairing, &c., of the
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church and the lecture-room. All these societies are diligently employed in their respective spheres, and are accomplishing much good.
The stated religious services of the church, at the present time, are as follows : at half-past ten on the morning of the Sabbath, divine worship is held in the sanctuary ; at three o'clock in the afternoon, the Sabbath-school is attended in the same place ; and on Sabbath evening, divine ser- vice is attended again in the lecture-room. On the evening of Tuesday the prayer-meeting, which has been regularly maintained for the last sixty- five years, is held in the lecture-room ; and on the evening of Thursday, a weekly lecture is delivered in the same place. The monthly concert of prayer for Home and Foreign Missions, is attended on the Sabbath evening preceding the first Monday even- ing of each month; and on the afternoon of the Sabbath, the pastor lectures alternately in the school-houses at Union Hill, East Madison, and Green Village. The leading causes of benevo- lence are brought before the church at stated in- tervals ; that of Foreign Missions being assigned for the month of January, and that of Domestic Missions for the month of July. The Lord's Sup-
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
per is statedly celebrated on the first Sabbaths of December, March, June, and September ; the pre- paratory lecture being attended on the Saturday afternoon preceding each of these seasons.
The officers of the church at this time are : ELDERS-Messrs. Ichabod Bruen, Lewis Thomp- son, Ira Burnet, Ashbel Carter, Wm. P. Conklin, George Cole, M.D., William M. Muchmore, and Albert Carter. . DEACONS-Messrs. Ichabod Bruen, Caleb C. Burroughs, David M. Force, and Amza W. Genung. TRUSTEES-Henry P. Green, M.D., James Albright, Geo. E. Sayre, Amza W. Genung, William M. Muchmore, and Albert Carter.
It may be proper to add, as an index of the present character of this people, that the congre- gation, in its corporate capacity, assumed the responsibility of publishing five hundred copies of this history, and directed their Board of Trustees to take the oversight of the work.
Such, then, is a brief sketch of the history and the present condition of this old church and congregation. It is now one hundred and eight years since it was organized, and about one hun- dred and six years since our first house of worship was erected in this place. The worship of God
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
was regularly maintained here by our ancestors for a period of nearly thirty years, before the com- mencement of the Revolutionary War ; and all through that dark and eventful period, our sanc- tuary was thrown open from Sabbath to Sabbath, for the accommodation of all classes in this com- munity. Our old meeting-house stood on yonder beautiful eminence, when Washington and his army were passing back and forth, on their way from the sea-board to the interior; and while they were lying in winter quarters in this vicinity, many of them repaired thither to record their vows before God; and it is a fact that we may be allowed here to state, that when the United States were first admitted as an inde- pendent sovereignty among the nations of the earth, this old church had been in existence, and been shedding light upon the paths of men, and been gathering in precious souls for heaven, for a period of nearly forty years. One year after the " Declaration of Independence " was published to the world, the first pastor of this church was "gathered to his fathers," having been toiling here by day and by night, to win souls to the Redeemer, for twenty-five years. For four gener-
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ations, this church has regularly kept up the administration of the Lord's Supper, and main- tained all the other rites and observances of our holy religion. During all that time, it has been throwing up barriers in the way of the progress of vice and immorality of every description ; it has been conducting inquiring souls to " the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world ;"' and been pointing the sons and daughters of sor- row to Him who came to " bind up the broken- hearted." The number of those who have been influenced by its various instrumentalities, either directly or indirectly, to " walk in wisdom's ways," no human being can tell. The record of all these is on high. The entire number of those who have been actual members of the church, it is wholly out of our power to determine. On account of the loss of our sessional records, pre- vious to the year 1790, we shall never be able to know how many, and who, were members here, antecedent to that time ; but it is a pleasure that we are able to state, that the number of persons enrolled upon the catalogue of the church, since the period referred to, does not materially vary from one thousand.
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
We are happy, also, to be able to state that nine of the children of the church* have gone forth from us to proclaim to their fellow men " the un- searchable riches of Christ ;" and that two others, having become the wives of Home Missionaries, are now laboring to build up the Redeemer's king- dom in the frontier settlements at the West.
This church has passed through many trials. It has had its enemies, although now, even the names of these have passed away for ever from the memory of all the living. It has lost many tried and self-sacrificing friends. At various periods in its history, many persons who have been its firm- est pillars, have been removed by death ; and there have been many others who have left us at ,various times to locate themselves in other parts of our country, and to cast in their influence to build up Christian institutions elsewhere. The church has,
* Rev. Matthias Burnet; Rev. Barnabas Bruen ; Rev. Eliazer Burnet ; Rev. Franklin Sherrill, of Wisconsin ; Rev. Nathaniel E. Pierson, of Orange co., N. Y .; Rev. Charles H. Force, of Otsego co., N. Y .; Rev. Geo. Thompson, missionary to Africa ; Rev. M. L. R. P. Thompson, D.D., Buffalo, N. Y. ; Rev. Wilmot Thompson, of Ohio. t Mrs. Eliza Carter Orr, wife of the Rev. Robert Orr, of Wis- consin, and daughter of the late Lewis Carter ; and Mrs. Caroline Keep Lum, wife of the Rev. Samuel Y. Lum, of the territory of Kansas, and adopted daughter of Mr. Henry Keep, of this place.
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
consequently, seen many days when every thing seemed to be very dark and unpromising. It has passed through periods when it seemed as if it must go down ; and yet " the angel of the Lord has en- camped round about it," and given us abundant evidence that, " as the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so is the Lord round about his people, from henceforth, even for ever."
In times past, the church has been an object of special divine favor. God has granted it fre- quent and most wonderful outpourings of his spirit, in answer to prayer ; many revivals of relig- ion have been enjoyed by it, and from generation to generation it has been the object of the divine sympathy and care. One flourishing Presbyterian church, and three Methodist Episcopal churches, and, within the past year, a Protestant Episcopal church,* have sprung up within its original bounds, and been constituted, in some measure, of those who were formerly members of this parish, and yet we are not consumed.
* This congregation is now worshipping in " Oriental Hall ;" but having already purchased a lot adjoining the residence of Augustus Blanchet, Esq., they intend erecting a church for their accommodation, during the ensuing spring. Their rector, Rev. John A. Jerome, has been preaching for them now about three months.
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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON.
The average number of communicants in the church during sixteen of its most prosperous years, and when it was the only church in the township of Chatham, was two hundred and fifty. This was during the pastorate of the Rev. Mr. Bergen ; and at the present time, notwithstanding all the drafts which have been made upon us by all these churches around us, and notwithstand- ing the losses which we have sustained by death and by removals to other parts of the country, the number of our communicants is but little short of two hundred and forty. Since the church's or- ganization, whole generations of its active friends and supporters have gone down to the grave, and thousands of hearts which have heretofore beat in sympathy with it, have been chilled by the hand of death ; and there have been junctures in its history, arising from these trying dispensations, which have sometimes caused the friends of this our Zion, to feel profoundly anxious for the future. As the pillars of the church have, one after an- other, fallen, the prayer has often gone up from this sanctuary, and from these family altars all around us, " Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from the children of men ;"
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MADISON. 97
and we have reason to know that that prayer has as often been heard by Him who heareth prayer ; and it is our happiness to know that this old church, which we have inherited from our fathers, is now neither dead, nor declining, but that under the benignant smiles of its adorable Saviour and Head, it is still living, to hold up the lamp of life before the world, and to scatter the rich blessings of the everlasting Gospel among all those who live within its reach. Like a rich merchant-ship, it has come down to us, wafted by the prayers of the saints, and freighted with the priceless bless- ings of redemption, both for ourselves and for the world ; and to-day it is our happiness to behold it riding quietly upon the great stream of time down which it has come, with every sail set, with every streamer flying, and under the favoring gales of heaven, going down to unborn generations, carry- ing with it the same blood-bought blessings which it has brought down to us. God bless it! God bless it ! ! GOD BLESS IT ! !! as it floats down to the future ! God make it in all time to come, what it has been to generations past, and what it is still to us !
The place where we are now assembled, my
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friends, is holy ground. "This is none other than the house of God ; this is the very gate of heav- en." Here have our fathers often met to record their vows before " the Most High." Here have they often gathered around the table of the Lord, and with broken hearts, partaken of the symbols of his love. Here have they met God in his holy temple. Here have they enjoyed the visitations of divine grace. Here have they met to revive their Christian graces-" to trim their lamps, and to gird up their loins ;" to gather consolation and support under their trials, and to prepare them- selves from time to time for the great conflict of life. Here have they often sat together "in these heavenly places in Christ Jesus," and enjoyed sweet foretastes of heaven; and from this sacred mount of privilege have they gone up, one by one, to join "the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven." Not far from where we are now assembled, their precious remains have been intrusted to the earth, until the morning of the resurrection. The church of God, which was precious in their eyes, with all its various instrumentalities and agencies, with all its ordinances and means of grace, they
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have most solemnly given in trust unto us ; and we have been honored with a place in the succes- sion of these Christian worthies. In these cir- cumstances, may we not, with propriety, each one for himself, declare : " If I forget thee, O Jeru- salem, let my right hand forget her cunning : If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy" ? And shall we not, on this thanksgiving morning, with our minds refreshed with the contemplation of the faithfulness and lov- ing kindness of God towards us as a people, " set up our Ebenezer," as Samuel did, and with glad hearts and voices, say, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us" ? And with the Psalmist, shall we not add, " I will extol thee, my God, O King, and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise thy God, O Zion ! For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates ; he hath blessed thy children within thee. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him-let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people ; he will beautify the meek with salvation."
APPENDIX.
MINISTERS.
Rev. Nehemiah Greenman. 1750
Azariah Horton 1752
Aaron Richards 1777
Ebenezer Bradford 1779
6 Alexander Miller 1782
66 Asa Hillyer 1789
Matthew La Rue Perrine 1801
John G. Bergen 1810
Daniel Beers 1829
66 Alexander G. Frazer 1832
Clifford S. Arms 1833
66 S. S. Hughson 1852
John M. Johnson 1853
66 Samuel L. Tuttle 1854
103
101
APPENDIX.
RULING ELDERS.
John Pierson, 1758
William Thompson 1810
Sylvenus Hedges. 1760
John J. Conkling 1819
Joseph Wood.
1765
Charles Carter
Paul Day.
1765
Philip Cockrem
Ephraim Sayre 1783
Zophar Freeman. 1825
Moses Allen
1786
Obadiah Crane, 66
Jonathan Nichols
1789
Lewis Thompson
Jacob Bonnel
1790
William Crowell 1826
Stephen Day
66
Ichabod Bruen
Jonathan Thompson
Benjamin Crane 1834
Enos Ward
1795
Ellis C. Thompson
Jonathan Bruen
1800 John S. Beach 66
Samuel Muchmore
Ira Burnet 66
Aaron Burnet
1804
William P. Conklin 1844
Lum Foster
66
Ashbel Carter
Israel Lum
1807
George Cole, M.D.
1854
Benjamin Thompson 1808 William M. Muchmore ..
Stephen Day
66
Albert Carter
DEACONS.
Sylvenus Hedges. 1758
William Thompson 1826
John Pierson
1760
Zophar Freeman
Paul Day. 1765
William Crowell. 1834
Joseph Wood
Ichabod Bruen.
Jonathan Thompson
1799
Caleb C. Burroughs 1854
Ephraim Sayre
66
David M. Force " !
Samuel Muchmore 1804 Amza W. Genung
Moses Allen 1819
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APPENDIX. 105
ASSESSORS, COLLECTORS, AND TRUSTEES.
. Daniel Day
1757
John Harris.
1767
Horrick Benjamin
Thomas Bonnel
Obadiah Lum
=
David Bruen
1768
Thomas Genung
66
David Ward.
66
David Corey
1758
Benjamin Carter
1769
Benjamin Ladner
Jacob Morrel.
66
William Burnet
Enos Ward
Josiah Hand
66
Silas Hand
Jonathan Thompson
1774
Isaac Winans
1761
Elias Bruen
George Carter
66
Stephen Day
66
John Bonnel
66
Stephen Hand, Jun.
Aaron Carter
1775
Aaron Burnet, Jun.
66
Joseph Wood
1777
Jabez Foster
John Dixon
1778
Nathan Wilkinson
66
Israel Ward.
Josiah Burnet
66
Joseph Day.
66
Seth Crowell
66
James Tichenor
1763
John Pierson.
6
Abraham Corey
1764
Joseph Miller
Luke Carter
1765
David Ward, Jun.
Joseph Foster
William Butler
1783
Joseph Winget
66
Thomas Carter
1784
James Burnet
1766
Uzal Corey .
Thomas Coyle
1785
Ananias Halsey
Jonathan Nichols
Paul Day.
Samuel Frost
1770
Josiah Miller
1759
Theophilus Miller
1771
Nathaniel Bonne]
1760
Thomas Day
Josiah Broadwell
1772
Benjamin Day
Aaron Burnet
1762
John Roberts
1780
Ephraim Sayre
Ellis Cook
17.67
5*
106
APPENDIX.
John Crowell 1789
Flavel Woodruff
1808
Foster Horton. 1790
Daniel Crane
John Blanchard
Luke Carter
66
Daniel Burnet.
Samuel Denman
66
Thaddeus Day.
66
John Caldwell
Benjamin Cook 1791
Caleb Blanchard.
Luther Howell
Ebenezer C. Pierson 1809
James Donaldson
1792
David Bowers
1810
William Day
Elias Howell .
1811
Samuel Gardner
66
Benjamin L. Day
1816
Moses Allen
Benjamin P. Lum
1819
Jacob Bonnel
1793
Lewis Carter
1821
Jonathan Bruen
1795
Samuel Roberts
Samuel Denman
66
Jeptha B. Munn, M.D. 1822
Samuel Muchmore
Thomas Darling
1824
Joseph Bruen.
Isaac Brittin
Philip Cockrem 1797
Benjamin Douglass 1827
Simeon Broadwell 1800
William Sayre. 66
Thomas Eddy
66
Aaron Carter
1828
Stephen Day, Jun.
1801
Samuel P. Thomas
1830
Archibald Sayre 1802
Stephen P. Stiles
William Brittin
1803
Ellis C. Thompson
Benjamin Bruen 66
Ashbel Carter
Silas Ward
Ashbel Bruen 66
Nathaniel Roberts 66
Wickliff H. Genung 66
William Thompson
1804
David Burnet, Jun. 1832
Ichabod Bruen.
Collin Robinson 66
Matthias Ward 66
Walter Sturges 66
Abraham Burnet
66
John B. Miller
Luke Miller 1805
Henry P. Green, M. D. .. 1833
Elias Woodruff
66
Abraham Brittin.
1836
Silas Jaggers
Isaac Mills
1838
Aaron Burnet
Robert Albright
William Eddy 1806
Amza W. Genung 1839
Elijah Ward
66
Luther Eddy
William Spencer
Ezra Howell
1840
John Ward
1807
William P. Conklin
APPENDIX. 107
Matthias L. Burnet. 1840
Janes Albright 1853
Stephen D. Hunting 1841
Joseph S. Sayre 1854
Henry Keep 1842
Samuel Roberts, Jun.
Ira Burnet 1848
William W. Beach 66
Charles Ross
William M. Muchmore. 66
George T. Sayre 1851
Albert Carter
66
Benjamin Birdsall
George E. Sayre 1852
David M. Force 1855
Copy of the First Minute Entered upon the Records of this Parish
"South hanover Wednesday ye 7th of September Anno D 1757.
At a meating appointed and met at the meating house and pro- ceaded in the folowing manor, By way of Voats-
Aaron Burnet moderator Stephen Morehouse, Clark
Obadiah Lum & thomas geanung assessors Daniel Day and horick Benjamin Collectors Voated that Mr horton shall have Seventy pound Sallery for ye comeing yeare Paul Day and Benjamin Ladnor appointed to make up acounts with all ye Collectors for several years past and to Endeavor that all old Rearages in Mr hortons Rats (rates) Be made good to him thomas Day Esq appoint- ed to Secure a Deed for a Certain acre of Land wich has Ben pur- chased of David hamelton or Else the money to Be Rated Benja- min Ladnor appointed to keep as a trustea all the writings Be- longing to this Congregation
An Extract from the Parish Records in reference to Psalmody.
" thursday Janur ye 11th 1759
at a meating appointed and met at this house and passed ye fol- lowing voats namely 1 that ye Reavd Mr Joans should Be moder- ator and ye Reavd Mrs. (Messrs. ) Horton and Elenmore preasent to assist in the Settling of the Diferances Relating to ye Psalms 2 that we shall no more Sing Both Vertions as formerly But that we Shall now pass a Voat wich shall be Sung hully 3 Voated that Wats's Vertion shall be Sung here hully for time to come then Dismissed ye Reavª Mrs. (Messrs.) Joans, horton and Elenmore
APPENDIX. 109
and Voated Ct. Bonnel moderator, and Samuel fraust & Isaac Winans to Lead the psalm-tune - Voated to have pues Built all Round this house and Seats in ye midle --- ''
Copy of the Minutes in reference to the finishing of the old Mecting House.
" Wednsday September the 5 year 1764 South hanover
At a parish meeting appointed and mett att this house and passed the following votes viz Chose Beniamin Day Esquire mod- erator
Stephen hand Jr. Clark-Josiah miller and James tichenor as- sessors Ben Day Esquy and abraham Corey Collectors-voted that Josiah Broadwell Esqy and Jacob morral shall have Liberty to Build a pue at the West End of the house voted that the old Committee Be Dissolved voted That Beniamin Day Esqy and Thomas genong and Josiah miller Be a new Committee for to have the Care of the finishing of the meeting house"
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