USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > First church in Newark : historical discourses, relating to the First Presbyterian church in Newark; originally delivered to the congregation of that church during the month of January, 1851 > Part 24
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280
MR. RICHARDS'S EARLY LIFE.
hated became his joy and his song. "I was born an Arminian," said he, "and lived an Arminian, but ob- stinate freewiller as I was, I was at length brought to ' lick the dust' at God's footstool, and accept of salva- tion by grace."
Mr. Richards's own conversion was immediately fol- lowed by earnest efforts on his part for the conversion of others, and such was the zeal and fervor, with which he pursued this object, and especially the free- dom he displayed in speaking at meetings of confer- ence and prayer, that in the low state into which reli- gion had at that day fallen in his native region, it excited some surprise, and was the occasion of many remarks.
He united with the Church in Stamford, Conn., on the 17th of September, 1786, and immediately began to look forward with strong desires to the work of the Christian ministry. With many discouragements and interruptions, he completed his preparatory studies through the assistance of two excellent female relatives, and entered Yale College in the year 1789. But, at the close of his freshman year, his studies were inter- rupted, first by want of pecuniary means, which com- pelled him to leave College, and afterwards by severe illness; so that, although his diligence and persever- ance overcame most of the obstacles of a private edu- cation, he did not go through College with his class, but received his degree of Bachelor of Arts out of course, in the year 1794. In the year 1793, he was li- censed to preach the gospel by an association in Fair- field county, Connecticut, and having preached for a
281
MINISTRY AT MORRISTOWN.
time in Wilton, and then in Ballston, Shelter Island and Sag Harbor, he commenced the work of the min- istry in Morristown in June, 1794, and was ordained as pastor of the Church in that place, by the Presby- tery of New York, on the first of May, 1795. Dr. Macwhorter preached the ordination sermon, from Acts xx: 24. Dr. Rodgers presided, and Mr. Austin gave the charge to the people.
About the time when he received license to preach, young Richards, it is said, passed through Newark, and called at the parsonage with an introduction to Dr. Macwhorter. But, being a stranger, somewhat diffident and little used to society, his manners, it is likely, did no justice to his real character. Dr. Mac- whorter seemed to regard him with little favor, sub- jected him to a rather severe examination, spoke some- what sternly of his apprehended deficiencies, and sent him away with a discouraged and sorrowful heart. It was his testimony, however, in later life, as I am told, that the interview, trying as it was, did him good, and was a lesson to him in regard to his future intercourse with young men.
The ministry of Mr. Richards in Morristown was signally successful. It was a difficult and laborious station, but his diligence and wisdom surmounted all obstacles, and the excellences of his character secured for him universal love and respect. In three memora- ble instances, his labors were attended with peculiar manifestations of Divine influence, first in the year 1701, again in 1803 and '4, and lastly, in a manner more remarkable than in either of the former in-
282
REMOVAL TO NEWARK.
stances, in 1808. In the last instance, between seventy and eighty persons were converted, who united with the Church in that and the following year.
Meanwhile, the expenses of Mr. Richards's family were increasing, and his salary had become inadequate to supply their wants. Many of the people saw this, and acknowledged it, and several attempts were made to remedy the evil, but without success. This result was a severe trial to him. It mortified him exceeding- ly, and at first preyed upon his spirits. But he wisely resolved not to dwell upon the dark side of the pic- ture, but to give himself anew to the duties of his ministry, to serve God and his people with all his strength, and wait for the further movements of God's providence. Nor did he want long. The applications which were made to him, after the removal of Dr. Griffin, to take the charge of the Church in Newark were urgent, and sustained by what appeared strong reasons. The people of Morristown came to the res- cue, by providing cheerfully for an increase of his sal- ary. But it was too late. Other reasons had come to light in favor of his removal; he had already given the people here some encouragement; and, when a call was unanimously offered him, the path of wisdom and duty seemed plain, and, with the consent and appro- bation of the Presbytery, he accepted it, and his con- nection with the Church in Morristown was dissolved.
Mr. Richards was installed as pastor of this Church on the 7th of June, 1809. Dr. Romeyn, of New York, preached the sermon, from Acts xxiv : 24, 25. Dr. Rowe presided and gave the charge, and Dr. Miller, of
283
PRESBYTERY OF JERSEY.
Princeton, gave the exhortation to the people. It ap- pears, from an entry in his journal, that the perform- ances were peculiarly excellent and appropriate, and were heard with no small degree of feeling, and with universal approbation. "It was under a strong con- viction of duty," he records, " that I took leave of my people at Morristown and accepted the call to this peo- ple. The Lord grant that I may not be left to myself." He delivered his introductory sermon on the 12th of June, from I. Corinthians, iv: 1, 2.
A few months after the installation of Dr. Richards, viz., on the 14th of November, 1809, the Presbytery of New York, with which this Church had been con- nected ever since its formation in 1738, a period of seventy-one years, was divided into two, by erecting a portion of its Churches into a new Presbytery bearing the old name, and changing the name of the remaining portion, of which this Church was one, into "THE PRESBYTERY OF JERSEY." Its first meeting under the new arrangement, was held in Morristown, April 24th, 1810 .*
The First Church had been hitherto, during nearly a century and a half, the only Presbyterian Church in
* The Presbytery of Jersey was not a constituted a Presbytery by the name of new body, but the Presbytery of New the Presbytery of New York, &c. Resolved York under a new name; and that, as further, That the remaining part of the Presbytery of New York be hereafter known by the name of the Presbytery of Jersey.' Whereupon, Resolved, That as the present Moderator is one of the mem- bers set off to the new Presbytery, Mr. Hillyer be appointed Moderator of this Presbytery to come into office on the second Tuesday in January next." See Minutes of Pres. of Jersey. I have already had occasion to notice, was a continuation of the ancient Presbytery of East Jersey, formed in the year 1733. This the record shows. "The following extract from the Minutes of Synod was received and read : 'That so much of the Presbytery of New York as lies on the east side of Hudson river, &c., and so much of the Presbytery of New York as lies west of Hampstead Plains, &c., be
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284
PLAN FOR NEW CHURCHES.
the town of Newark, except those of Orange and Bloomfield, which had now become separate towns. But the time had come, when the need of greater facilities for the accommodation of a large and growing population, was manifest to all. Accordingly, as early as the Spring of 1809, about the time of Dr. Griffin's dismission, the business of church extension was entered upon with commendable zeal and enter- prise. At a meeting of the congregation, held in this house, April 8th, incipient steps were taken to that effect, and a large committee was appointed to draw a plan. The committee reported at an adjourned meeting, on the 18th of the same month. Whereupon " it was resolved, that, from this congregation, a separate and distinct congregation should be set off, and meas- ures taken to invest it with all the powers and privi- leges of a body politic." For the encouragement and promotion of the design, it was also resolved, that when the new congregation should have become incor- porated and have built a meeting house, not less than fifty feet by seventy on its base, in a good and substan- tial manner, and should have called and settled a min- ister, this congregation would convey to them, with the reserve only of their own house of worship and the land occupied by it, two-sevenths of their real es- tate for the support of the gospel forever.
At the same time, as it was plainly perceived that the day was not far distant when even this provision would be insufficient to meet the wants of a rapidly increasing population, the congregation proceeded, with a liberality and forethought which can not be too
1
285
, PLAN FOR NEW CHURCHES.
much admired, to agree that whenever it should be deemed advisable to establish a third Church, the same provisions, subject to the same conditions, should be made for the furtherance of that enterprise.
Some difference of opinion seems to have existed at this time, as to the place where the second Church should be located ; the people both in the north and the south end of the town claiming the preference. To accommodate this dispute, it was determined by vote of the majority, that the people of the south end should have the first opportunity ; provided, however, that if they should not proceed immediately to the erection of a house of worship, and have the walls raised " as high as the water table" within six months from the date of the resolution, the obligation to divide the property in their favor should be void; and that thereupon the people of the north end might commence the work, with the promise of the same privileges, provided they should have advanced to the same point, in the course of nine months from the close of the first period.
Accordingly, the people in the south part of the town commenced the work, and, by the end of the time specified, had fulfilled the conditions on which they were entitled to the first claim. But just at that point, the zeal of the people in that neighborhood was diverted into another channel, the enterprise was sus- pended, the design failed, and the materials which had been collected were at length dispersed.
After waiting through the remainder of that year, the people in the north part of the town began to make arrangements for building a Church in their own
286
SECOND PRESPYTERIAN CHURCH.
neighborhood. The corner-stone of the present Second Presbyterian Church was laid on the 17th of June, 1810, by the Rev. Samuel Whelpley ; and, the edifice having been completed and dedicated, the Trustees chosen, and the Rev. Hooper Cumming, son of one of the leading members of the new congregation and a former pupil of Dr. Griffin at Andover, ordained and installed, ninety-three persons were dismissed in a body with recommendations from this Church, on the 9th of October, 1811, and organized into a new Church on the 8th of November following.
The conditions of the resolutions of 1809 being now fulfilled, on the part of the Second Church, this con- gregation deemed themselves obligated to fulfill their part of the engagement; but, as the division of the real estate between the two congregations seemed not expedient at that time, a temporary arrangement was agreed upon, by which, instead of the two-sevenths of the whole real estate, which had been pledged, one- third of the whole income should be annually set apart for the second congregation.
The whole transaction, which resulted in the estab- lishment of the Second Presbyterian Church, took place with the entire approbation, and was forwarded by the active assistance of Dr. Richards. At the ser- vice of organization, he delivered an address, founded on the words of Hebrews xiii : 1-" Let brotherly love continue;" in which he affectionately and solemnly re- minded the persons about to be embodied, of their ob- ligations to God and one another, and exhorted them, with special earnestness, to the exercise of brotherly
287
FIRST SABBATH SCHOOL.
love. For a little time, as I am informed, the two pas- tors exercised a sort of joint ministry in the two con- gregations, officiating in each other's pulpit in the after- noon of every Sabbath; but this arrangement being found on the whole undesirable, was soon abandoned.
During the ministry of Mr. Richards, the first Sab- bath School in this congregation was established, under the superintendency, as I am told, of Moses Lyon, and held its meetings, for a time, in the gallery of the church, The first lecture-room, a low brick building, much smaller than the present one, and standing on the same spot, was erected in the year 1813." The present pulpit was built in the year 1818 ; and the old one, a small octagonal structure, standing separate from the wall at a distance of several feet, and surmounted by a "sounding board," was presented to the Presby- terian Church in Paterson.
Dr. Richards' ministry, especially the early part of it, seems to have been hardly less fruitful in conver- sions than that of his predecessor. About the close of the first year, a few were gathered into Christ's fold under its influence. But, between the years 1812 and 1813, there was a very marked revival of God's work. It commenced, as we are informed by his journal, in the early part of the winter. The first Sabbath in January was a day of peculiar solemnity. In the ad- ministration of the Lord's Supper, the declining affec- tions of professed Christians seemed greatly revived.
* There is a vote of the Trustees, bear- purpose of lecturing, prayer meetings, &c., ing date April 16, which thus refers to the resolved that this Board aid and assist in the same." proposition : "The Sessions being desir- ous of having a large room erected for the
288
REVIVALS.
Some souls, he records, have been awakened, and others have found joy and peace in believing. The next day intelligence came that, both in the Second Church and in the Church at Elizabethtown, a similar manifestation of God's presence had been enjoyed. The coincidence seemed to predict the happiest results. An extract from the same journal, under date of Feb- ruary 6th, shows the power and progress of the Heav- enly influence. "More than seventy persons appear now under serious impressions, and asking the way to Zion. About fifteen are entertaining hopes of being converted, several of the cases striking, and affording a delightful prospect." On the 28th of February, twelve persons were propounded as candidates for church membership; and at the communion in March following, thirteen were admitted on profession of their faith. At the same time, about the same number are spoken of as indulging the hope that they had recently been born again, and about ninety as still under strong religious impressions. The means of describing this and other similar spiritual harvests, which were enjoyed about this period, are, unhappily, exceedingly scanty. There was one, more remarkable than any of its pre- decessors, between the years 1816 and 1817, among the fruits of which, sixty-nine were added to the Church at one time ; and the number received during nine months amounted to one hundred and thirty-five. When Dr. Richards first took the charge of the con- gregation, the number of communicants was about 530, and, in the course of fourteen years, 556 were added to it-332 by profession, and 227 by certificates
289
PREVALENCE OF INTEMPERANCE.
from other churches-making, in all, 1086 to whom, in the course of that period, he statedly administered the sacred ordinances. During his ministry, the Church contained the largest number of communicants that ever belonged to it at one time, viz., about seven hun- dred, and that, notwithstanding the dismission of the large colony that united in the formation of the Second Church. It is said to have been, at the time referred to, viz., about the year 1817, the largest Presbyterian Church in the United States, except the First Church in Philadelphia. Six young men connected with it were, during Dr. Richards's ministry, licensed to preach the gospel.
But, even this bright picture of spiritual success, has its reverse. The occasions for church discipline, during the ministry of Dr. Richards, were very numerous. About thirty cases stand on record, as having occurred within the first seven years-chiefly for the sin of in- temperance. That desolating pestilence, which spread so fearfully among the people of our country about that period, and seemed to threaten the destruction both of social order and the Church of God, diffused its noxious influences into this favored communion. But nobly did the pastor and Session meet the demands of the alarming exigency. A very considerable por- tion of their time, for several years, must have been taken up in attending to cases of this sort. About forty persons were, during Dr. Richards's ministry, sol- emnly deprived of church privileges for unchristian conduct ; and death and removals in various ways, had
19
290
DISCOURAGING APPEARANCES.
reduced the number, at the time when he resigned his charge, to about five hundred and twenty.
The latter part of this period appears to have been a season of unusual discouragement and religious de- clension. According to a statement of Dr. Richards himself, during the two years which preceded his dis- mission, only seven persons were received into the Church ; and, during five years, although the congrega- tion was so large, only thirty made profession of their faith, and many of these were but the gleanings of former revivals." He speaks of the Church, in an ad- dress delivered at a church meeting on the 23d of July, 1823, as having had already " an awful sifting ;" " while the train seems to be laid," he continues, "to sift it still more. It is distressing to look within the precincts of the Church, and let the eye pass round from one to another. It is dark as night to look with- out, and notice the state of the congregation and the town." The address to which I have referred, appears to have been designed to stir the consciences of the congregation, by presenting the dark side of the pic- ture in its darkest shades. But Dr. Richards was not a man to exaggerate facts, even for the sake of doing good ; though his sorrowful remembrance of the brighter days, and keen desire for their return, might make the present seem darker, comparatively, in his eye, than it would have seemed to a less interested ob- server.
But Providence had now other work for him to per-
* From the same statement I learn that received into the Second Church. within the same period only ten had been
291
REMOVAL OF DR. RICHARDS.
form, in another and still more responsible station. By his constant devotion to study, he had made large attainments in theological knowledge; and by his care- ful and discreet management of affairs entrusted to him, public and private, he had acquired a reputation which marked him as one of the first men in the Church, in respect to qualifications for the head of a theological institution. Accordingly, in the autumn of 1823, having been a second time solicited to take the professorship of theology in Auburn Theological Seminary, he accepted the appointment, and having resigned his charge here, was inaugurated to that office October 29th, 1823; having served this congrega- tion in the ministry a little more than fourteen years, and just commenced the fifty-seventh year of his age.
It does not belong to us to trace his life and services after he left Newark. He took the charge of the Sem- inary when under great embarrassment. He left it strong and prosperous. Having fully answered the expectations of its most sanguine friends, and attained a rank second to none among theological teachers, he died in his 76th year, full of honors, August 2, 1843.
The character of Dr. Richards, as well as that of Dr. Griffin, has been drawn with skill and discrimina- tion, by those who knew him well, and had access to the best means of judging." It will not be necessary for me to do more than glance at some of its most ob- vious features. His most distinguishing traits were EN- ERGY, SAGACITY and PIETY. His early youth illustrates
* See "Biographical Sketch" by Rev. indebted in compiling the above account Samuel H. Gridley, to which I am largely of Dr. R.'s ministry.
292
CHARACTER OF DR. RICHARDS.
well the quiet and indomitable perseverance with which he pursued an object on which he had deliberately fixed his purpose. But for this feature of his character, he would never have emerged from the farm or mechanic's shop, much less have surmounted all the obstacles which hedged up his way to the attainment of a liberal education. The same quality was displayed in all his theological studies, and in all his public and private enterprises. His reputation for sagacity is well under- stood by those who remember his ministry here. He seldom, if ever, made a serious mistake in judgment, in respect either to characters or events. Hence, he was often resorted to for counsel, not only by his own people, but by his brethren in the ministry, and all classes of his acquaintance. To the combination of these two traits of character may be referred the firm- ness which always distinguished him in trying cir- cumstances. His sagacity made him clear and con- fident in his judgments. He saw the right way early, and had no occasion therefore either to waver or re- cede. His energy made him fearless of opposition, and determined to carry out his convictions, whatever difficulties might betide him. Hence the justness of the observation said to have been made of him by an intimate acquaintance : "To a steady opposition, he was the most impracticable man I ever knew." And hence the confidence expressed on one occasion, and doubtless felt on many, when he was known to have enlisted in an enterprise, "Then it will go! It will go !" Dr. Richards was never a party man, never an extreme man; and yet, with all his moderation, he
293
PARALLEL BETWEEN RICHARDS AND GRIFFIN.
was pre-eminently a decided man. Violent combatants sometimes murmured, that they could not fix him upon either side; yet he could fix himself, and knew his own position ; and neither the one or the other found it easy to push him to the wall. The piety of Dr. Richards was ardent, constant, unpretending, and emi- nently sincere. He walked with God, and amidst all the agitations and enticements of the world, had his heart above it.
The names of Richards and Griffin both fill a high place on the records of the Church. Both were, in their day, among the greatest lights of the Christian ministry. And yet it would be difficult to find two such illustrious peers, occupying the same ground and conversant with the same scenes and events, in whom, with so many points of beautiful resemblance, there are so many others of striking and as beautiful con- trast. Look only at their countenances-their per- sons ; they are princes, both of them-tall, stately, majestic-yet how very different seems the style of their majesty. In the characteristics of their minds and courses of action, we find the same combined har- mony and diversity. Both were eminent as preachers. Richards, says Frelinghuysen, was sound, practical, in- structive, often eloquent. Griffin, we may rejoin, was always eloquent, and when instruction was his special aim, eminently instructive. From the one, you would be likely to receive the most deep and soul-thrilling impressions of truth; from the other, the most precise and accurate explanations of its nature and bearings.
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294 PARALLEL BETWEEN RICHARDS AND GRIFFIN.
Griffin used language rhetorically, and of course some- times loosely. Richards was anxious to express his exact thought and shade of thought, whatever else he might sacrifice. Griffin's style was sometimes too
ornate ; Richards's occasionally too homely. Both wrote and re-wrote their best productions ; Richards with reference to being understood, and Griffin in or- der to produce a better and stronger effect. In respect to the excellence of their performances, Richards might be said to occupy a high table-land, where he expatiated with the stride of a giant,-never soaring, never descending. Griffin ascended peaks not reached by ordinary mortals, yet sometimes slumbered in the vales, distinguished only by the still lingering glow caught above in his more favored moments. In accom- plishing the object of their efforts, both were eminently successful ; the one carried the garrison by storm, the other could maintain a long siege and starve the enemy out of his strong-holds. In their intercourse with mankind, Griffin was simple-hearted and unsuspecting ; Richards wary, far-reaching, and on the alert. The one was easily circumvented by the arts of the hostile ; the other never committed himself to any man, and always saw and could defeat the most cunning strata- gem. To use his own expression, as related to me by an acquaintance, he cut the cords by which they man- aged their machines so far off, that they could not tell where to find the ends, and so could not tie them again. The memory of both these men will long be cherished in the community where they ministered,
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