USA > New Jersey > Somerset County > Raritan > Forty years at Raritan : eight memorial sermons with notes for a history of the Reformed Dutch churches in Somerset County, N.J. > Part 14
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These are but examples (the graver and the more cheerful) of thousands of memories that cling to the minds of the people, and connect the pastor with his flock. Smiles and tears, lights and sha- dows, the darker and the brighter hues, all woven together, side by side, in the warp and the woof of life ! What a strange ex- istence is ours! Coming into time from the past, going on in ceaseless march under this great archway of heaven toward the gates of the endless future, how mysterious and even awful our very being is ! But how much more so would it be, did we not know that Christ, the glorious Son of God, has swept aside the darkening vail, and brought life and immortality to light !
And here it is that we can turn from our memories, dear as they are, to our hopes, which are still dearer. What is all the past, but preparation ? We have the memory of it, indeed, but we have also the hope of seeing its gladdening fruits hereafter. The farmer sows his seed, and he remembers it. For days and weeks together his thoughts turn back to the past. But at length there 10
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comes a time when their tendency is toward the future. Then it is expectation, hope rising in the breast, and looking for the re- sults of the past in the waving golden harvest. So it is here. We have the memories, it is true, but our hopes also anticipate the results in the future. And what blessed results they will be ! The membership of this church through forty years all gathered home at last to heaven! Husbands and wives, parents and chil- dren, brothers and sisters, kindred and friends, pastor and people, all re-united there !
" There, parted friends again shall meet In union holy, calm and sweet, And light shall glance on every crown From suns that never more go down."
We come with full hearts to celebrate this anniversary to-day. But, oh ! a fairer scene, a deeper enjoyment, a more glowing breast, and songs more soaring and triumphant, are just before us in the future. It is the day when this pastor shall stand before the Redeemer's throne, and, pointing to us, shall say, "Here am I, and the children whom thou hast given me !"
We have had the past. We wait for the future. If the expe- rience of the one, and the promise of the other, do not inspire us with loving gratitude to God, then surely nothing can. Let us go to our homes with three words graven deeply on our hearts : Memory, Hope, Thanksgiving.
The opportunity was here afforded for short addresses by min- isters and friends present, especially those who had gone forth from the communion of this church to preach the everlasting Gospel of Christ.
REV. MR. QUICK'S ADDRESS.
The Rev. A. Messler Quick, one of the children of the church, named after the present pastor, and baptized by him, addressed the andience as follows :
"My friends, although I would not prolong these already pro- tracted, though exceedingly interesting exercises by any lengthy words of mine, still I will give vent to some of the rising emotions of my heart that the present occasion inspires. We, who a few years ago went forth from this paternal roof to preaeli the un- searchable riches of Christ, have come home to-day to exchange friendly greetings, and say, How do you do, father? how do you do, brethren and friends ?
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" As we gather in this family circle, let us recall the past, when we used to sit within these consecrated walls, before we went forth to proclaim those truths which were first instilled in and impressed upon our hearts in this sanctuary, by this our beloved and honored pastor. This is our natural and spiritual birthplace, and, consequently, hallowed and blessed memories cluster here. From this centre our lives have radiated forth into the respective fields where the Lord has placed us, to promulgate those truths which here first inflamed our souls. Among the many honored sons who have gone forth from this church to preach the ever- lasting Gospel of Christ, I stand before you as the youngest. among my brethren, and the only one who bears the honored name of our pastor; and I believe I am the only one of them who can boast of having received upon my brow the water of holy baptism from his hand. Here my mother brought me to conse- crate me to the Lord, and upon this spot I received the seal of the washing away of sin by the blood and spirit of Christ; and I hope and trust it was not in vain. I feel that it is but due my pastor, when I say that I owe more, under God, to him than any one else for leading me to the position I now occupy in the vine- yard of my Master, andI doubtless my brethren can bear the same testimony. Here in our childhood and youthful days we listened regularly on the Sabbath to the faithful presentation of the Gos- pel from the lips of him who now' for forty years has broken unto this people the bread of life. Gradually those truths became in- stilled into our minds, and finally impressed our hearts. We were thus led to embrace Christ, and afterward constrained to proclaim a crucified Redeemer to a perishing race. That system also of regular and faithful catechetical instruction which was then the custom of our pastor, was of incalculable benefit to us, giving us clear views of the plan of salvation and method of grace, and indoctrinating us in that system of revealed truth which is in accordance with our Reformed faith. By the value we thus received we learned the importance of catechetical in- struction among the children of our own congregations, and are better qualified to interpret these truths. But not only for the faithful ineulcation of divine truth from this pulpit, and by cate- chetical instruction, do we feel deeply indebted to our pastor, but also for his valuable and timely counsels during our course of study. We ever felt that we had in him a safe counselor, and that trust was never betrayed. I recollect when I first thought of entering the ministry, I first breathed the matter in his ear.
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Ile took me in his study, and I shall never forget his words of counsel to me upon that occasion. 'My son,' said he, ' I am glad you are thinking of the matter, but you must weigh it well before you decide. While it is a noble work, and there are many plea- sant considerations in connection with it, still you will meet with many disappointments, many difficulties, much of hard work, and much to discourage and perplex.' He showed me the dark as well as the bright side of the picture, and it was a long time after that before I could feel willing to undertake so responsible and arduous a work. And now these my brethren in the ministry, as well as myself, after years of service in the holy office, are ready to bear testimony to the weight and truth of these words of coun- sel and sound wisdom.
" And now, my friends, as we come to engage with you, in this old mother-church, in the ceremonies of this anniversary day, we bless the invisible hand that hath led you all through these years, and given you so many evidences of his Spirit's presence and power. We congratulate you for the uninterrupted, faithful, and able preaching of the Word, which it has been your privilege to enjoy. We rejoice with you in the continued harmony and pros- perity of this church, and invoke the continuance of God's Spirit with you, rejoicing your hearts and building you up in the word of ilis grace. And it gives us pleasure to greet and congratulate you, loved and honored pastor, upon the fulfilment of your forty years over this people-fulfilled with such marked success, with such wonderful displays of the goodness of the Lord, and with such abundant seals of the cooperation of his Spirit. We bless God for what you have been instrumental in doing for us, and for what you have been spared so long to accomplish for this people, and pray that in the future decade of years the vigor of your manhood may not abate, nor your strength fail, but that the coming period may be marked with still greater results. .
" And now, my brethren, encouraged by what has here been ac- complished for this people by the faithful presentation of the truth, let us go forward and be diligent, and faithful in our own fields of labor, in holding up the standard of the cross before all men, and in preaching a crucified Redeemer unto a lost race, so that when we have served the Lord thus long in the ministry of reconciliation, if it be his will we may be able to recall the years of the past with no little satisfaction, and with the recorded evi- dences that 'the Lord our God hath led us these forty years.'"
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Elders Ralph Voorhees, of Middlebush, and Peter A. Voor- hees, of Six-Mile Run, embraced the opportunity of attesting the interest they felt in the exercises of the day, and their desire that they would exert an abiding influence upon the minds of all pre- sent.
The Rev. A. F. Todd, the youngest, save one, of those who have entered the ministry from this' church, was the last speaker. He said :
" We have to-day been considering the past. Our memories have been refreshed ; seenes and incidents that were, have been brought before us. We have been interested, instructed, moved. We have been reminded of what forty years have done, and they have done much. They have wrought great changes here and everywhere. They have witnessed sad seenes and joyous scenes. They have made their mark on our venerated friend and pastor; they have made their mark on us all.
" Among the incidents brought to mind to-day, is one in which I chanced to be an interested party. More than a score of years ago I was sitting, one Sabbath morning, in yonder gallery, where I had been endeavoring to do my share of the singing. It was the day for announcing the newly-elected officers of consistory. I listened with attentive interest and curiosity to know who they were to be, when, to my astonishment, my own name was an- nounced as deacon. The effect was electric-perspiration was speedy and profuse.
" But the past is passed. Now what about the future ? WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE ? What is to be its character ? What of blessing is it to bring to you ? What would you have it bring ? What will it bring of blessing and of comfort to the heart and home of our respected friend and pastor ? What will you have it bring to him, dear friends ? He is your pastor still. He closes to-day his first forty years among yon, and in which were spent the strength and prime of his manhood, and enters upon his second forty, or that portion of it which God in his providence shall see fit to give. You enter with him on this new and last period of solemn, blessed relationship. Remember, Christian brethren, that he needs your sympathies and prayers in every sense that a pastor can need them, just as much now as he ever did, aye, and more. Age is upon him, and to you, as his true and tried friends, he looks for sympathy, comfort, and support, and all that kindly bearing which will promote his happiness, and
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make the closing labors of his life a mutual blessing to you all. This is the thought, briefly spoken, that I would impress upon your minds, dear friends. God grant that you may all discern the responsibilities of a relationship that he has greatly blessed, and the issues of which are so closely linked with the interests of eternity."
Rev. George J. Van Neste remarked that the sermon and ad- dresses of the day exhibited in a striking manner the formative power of the ministry. Time did not suffice for the development of this thought, and it was necessary to bring these exercises to a close.
The Rev. Nathaniel Conkling then offered the concluding prayer, in the following words :
"O Lord! what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him! Thou madest him a little lower than the angels and erownedst him with glory and honor, but the gold has become dimmed, and the fine gold changed, and woe unto us that we have sinned ! We own the sentence just that dooms us to everlasting pains, and would come with peni- tence and faith to plead the dying love, and that alone, of thy dear Son, our Saviour, for pardon and eternal life. For who is Paul, Apollos, or Cephas ? Is Christ divided ? Was Paul crucified for us ? Lo, then, neither is he that planteth any thing, neither is he that watereth any thing, but God that giveth the increase. At thy feet, therefore, blessed Saviour, wouldl we come, and lay the aets and issues of this pastorate of forty years ; praying the application of thy blood, that every thing amiss may be washed away, and the good that has been wrought may be given unre- servedly to thee, the ever-gracious giver. We bless thee, great Saviour, that, through the instrumentality of earthen vessels, the excellency of thy power is revealed, that no flesh may glory in thy presence. We thank thee that thou hast made this our be- loved pastor, and father in the ministry, the vehicle of so much of blessing to the church here, and, through those who have gone forth from under his faithful ministry as ministers or laymen, to the church elsewhere. And we come now, blessed Lord, to pray for the continuance and increase of these divine influences upon himself, his family, and the church, through all these chan- nels, multiplying and remultiplying them until the end comes, when all the results shall be gathered up and laid at Jesus' feet, with the shout of Worthy is the Lamb ! We thank thee, O Lord ! for the fellowship of this commemorative occasion, and that thy
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servant stands so approved of God and man, as an able and faith- ful minister of the everlasting Gospel of the grace of God. And now, Lord, we pray thee that his bow may abide in strength, and his hand may be made strong by the arm of the mighty God of Jacob, for the remainder of his life work, and until he shall be called up higher, to receive the award of the faithful. And may the people of his charge likewise be faithful and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; fulfilling their part of this covenant relationship more fully and freely than ever be- fore. And now may the God of peace, who wrought again," ete.
The audience at the close united in singing the grand old doxo logy,
"Praise God, from whom all blessings flow," etc.
The benediction was pronounced by the Rev. John Garretson, D.D., and thus ended the interesting publie exercises of this memorial day-a day to live for many years in the memory of the people of the church of Raritan and of all their friends who were present to participate in them. The clergy and friends from abroad were invited to the house of Dr. Messler, where they par- took of a bountiful collation spread by the pastor for his intimate friends. While refreshing the outer man, a pleasant opportunity was afforded for renewing old friendships and social ties. In genial intercourse the hours passed pleasantly, until the waning day warned those from a distance of the necessity of their bid- ding adieu to this scene with its pleasant associations.
The evening was devoted by the people of the church to the pleasant work of honoring their revered pastor, and partaking of the good things he had provided for them. They came in great numbers to testify their esteem and tender him their congratula- tions. They mingled with one another in pleasant social groups, and thus made a cheerful and agreeable use of the occasion. While thus testifying their intelligent and hearty appreciation of this memorial day, they showed a true appreciation of the bene- fits of the relation which has so long subsisted between them and their pastor, by giving him not only pleasant words and kind compliments, but also substantial tokens of their esteem, tending to smoothe the deelivity of life, and eement the ties which have so long bound them to one another. Before taking their departure they presented him with a handsome purse amounting to more than $500, and thus afforded him additional evidenees of their friendship and love in this renewed expression of their kind es- teem, and desire to promote his welfare and comfort.
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An interesting incident connected with the exercises of the day was the presentation of the following note to Rev. Dr. Messler, by the gentlemen whose names are appended.
- " BLOOMINGBURG, N. Y., Nov. 22, 1872.
" REV. DR. MESSLER : DEAR FRIEND AND PASTOR : Inclosed you will please find a check drawn to your order, which paper we shall make bold to call a purse. It is presented by those whom you are pleased to designate as your 'young men' or, in other words, those who have entered the ministry from the church of which you are the honored pastor.
" We are well aware that the amount is not large, seareely worth a mention, nevertheless beg you to accept it as a slight expression of our high regard for one whose name and memory we cherish as that of friend and pastor.
" We congratulate you on your having been spared and permit- ted to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of your settlement as minister of the First Reformed Church of Raritan ; to which ven- crable 'elect lady' we have the honor to claim a near and spiritual relationship. Long may your love abide in strength, and the truths you utter be 'as a two-edged sword.' May the blessing of our covenant God and Saviour be upon you and yours, and upon the church you have served ' these forty years.'
" Very truly yours in the gospel of a blessed Saviour.
GEORGE J. VAN NESTE, N. CONKLIN,
ABER T. STEWART, Jon GASTON,
. JOHN STEELE, JOHN A. TODD,
A. MESSLER QUICK,
AUG. F. TODD."
HISTORICAL NOTES
OF THE
REFORMED DUTCH CHURCHES OF THE
COUNTY OF SOMERSET, N. J.
THE CHURCH OF RARITAN.
THERE were no permanent inhabitants in Somerset County earlier than 1681 ; and there is no record of any eeelesiastieal or- ganization before March 9th, 1699, when elders and deacons were chosen at Raritan, and ordained by the Rev. Guliam Bartholf, of Hackensack. The country was originally almost entirely covered by a primitive forest. The lowlands along the Raritan, above Bound Brook, were, in some places, destitute of trees, and had been used by the Indians to raise corn, beans, and pumpkins. This open meadow, abounding in grass, and fit at onee for the plow, formed one of the principal attractions to the first inhabi- tants. Cornelius Van Tienhoven, Secretary of New-Netherlands, in his traet in relation to taking up lands in 1650, says, "The dis- trict inhabited by a nation ealled Raritangs is situated on a fresh water river, that flows through the centre of a lowland which the Indians cultivated. This vacant territory lies between two . high mountains far distant the one from the other. This is the handsomest and pleasantest country that mas can behold. It furnished the Indians with abundance of maize, beans, pumpkins, and other fruits. This district was abandoned by the natives for two reasons : The first and principal is that, finding themselves unable to resist the southern Indians, they migrated further in- land. The second, because this country was flooded every spring, like Rensselaer's colony, frequently spoiling and destroying their supply of maize, stored in holes under ground.
" Through this valley pass large numbers of all sorts of tribes on their way north or east. This land is, therefore, not only adapted for raising grain and rearing all descriptions of cattle, but also very convenient for trade with the Indians."-Doc. History, vol. 4, page 29.
When the settlement of the country commeneed, a few families came from New-York, as White, Codrington, Royce, and possibly others, and settled on the lands they had purchased. Then Cor- nelius and John Tunison and Peter and Jerome Van Nest emi-
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grated from Long Island and located on the Raritan, near So- merville, about 1683. John Inians, a merchant of New-York, pur- chased, November 10th, 1681, a traet of land on the Raritan, em- bracing the territory on which the city of New-Brunswick was afterward built, and others soon bought up nearly the whole space subsequently included in the Three-Mile Run and Six-Mile Run congregations. Inians fixed his residence on his land near the river, and established a ferry near what is now the foot of Albany street. A road or bridle-path had been opened at an early day from Eliza- beth to Trenton, on an old Indian trail, which crossed the river at the place where Inians's ferry was located. We have a notice of the existence of this path as early as 1677, when William Edmundson, a preacher among the Quakers in England, attempted to pass between these two points with an Indian guide, and lost his way ten miles west of New-Brunswick, and was a whole day occupied in retraeing his steps, camping out during the night by a fire in the wilderness. This path became the first public tho- roughfare across the State, and exists still in "the old road " between New-Brunswick and Trenton. The importance of it as a means of communication by land, between New-Amsterdam and Virginia, was so great that Inians obtained a grant for his "ferry " December 2d, 1697, by promising to pay an annual rent of five shillings sterling. On this " old road " the first settlements were made west of New-Brunswick. When the upper parts of the Raritan began to be visited, another path first, and then a road, branched off on the east side of the " fordy," and following mainly the river bank on the north side, reached Bound Brook, and gra- dually penetrated westward to the forks of the north and south branches. By this road the first settlers abont Somerville must have come, or else they made their way up the river in small boats or canoes, from Inians's ferry and Amboy.
Soon after the Tunisons and Van Nests settled, Cornelius Vroom, Michael Hansson, Andries Aullyn, Derick Middagh, Michael Van Veghten came and joined them. Frederick Gar- retson, William Morrison, John Oatman Wortman, Jacob Sebring, Isaac Bodyn, Edward Drinkwater, Reuben Jonsen, Johannes Dameld, Gabriel Lebertstein, Hendrick Reyniersen, John Roelof- son, Thomas Posselle, Folkerd Hendricksen, Pieter Dumont, John Hanse Hoeverden, Josias Merlett, Cornelius Powelsen, William Claessen, and others soon found their way to Raritan.
In the vicinity of Three-Mile Run the earliest names derived from the church records are Roelef Sebring, Hendrick Bries,
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HISTORICAL NOTES.
Roelf Lucas Van Voorlices, Aart Artsen, Isaac Van Dyke, Johannes Folkersen, Jan Aten, Laurens Williams, Jacob Ouke, Roelef Nevius, Charles Fonteyn, Hans Stoothoff, and Thomas Bowman .*
Contemporary with these names we have, in the year 1703, a list of persons at Three-Mile Run subscribing for the expense of pro- . curing a minister from Holland, namely, Dolis Hegeman, Tunis Quick, Hendrick Emans, Thomas Cort, Jacob Probasco, Nicholas Wyckoff, Aaron L. Draver, Michael L. Moore, John Schedeman, Nicholas Van Dyke, John Van Houten, William Bennet, Fol- kerd Van Nostrand, Isaac Bennet, Hendrick Fanger, Abraham Bennet, Cornelius Peterson, Philip Folkersen, George Anderson, Stophel Probasco, Isaac La Priere, Simon Van Winkle, Cobes Benat, Garrit Oatman, Lncas Coevert, Brogun Coevert, William Van Duyn, John Folkerson, Jost Benat.
These names embrace the nucleus out of which the churches of Three-Mile Run and Six-Mile Run were subsequently organized. They were here before Theodorus J. Frelinghuysen was called to labor in this part of New-Jersey. Others were in time added to them by emigration, as the country improved. We find, for in- stance, in the records of Raritan the following : Derich Volkerse, Garret Bolmer, Jan Lavor, Simon Wickkoff, William Claesse, Pieter Hoff, Garret Dorlandt, Andries Boert, Jan Broka, James Fonteyn, Adrian Molenar, Jacob Rappelyea, Joris Hael, Jan Lacten, William Lambers, Pieter Kinne, Jab Stoll, Hendrick Traphagen, Luykes Schermerhorn, Jan Hendricksen, Joris Van . Middleswaert, Johannes Fisher, Jeremias Field, Luyekas Wessels, . Jacob Koersen, Nicholas Hayman, Cornelis Van Ouwegen, An- dries Ten Eyck, William Dey, Manuel Van Allen, Abraham Elemeteren, Johannes Siegeler, Cornelis Van Ondeyen, Wilem Herrise, Jurijen Remer, and others. Some of these names are yet borne by persons among us, honored in church and. state; but how many have ceased to have any living representatives! "One generation passeth away and another followeth," and in the wrecks of time the proudest names perish. It is a necessity grow- ng out of our transitory existence, and the reign of death.
The earliest record of an ecclesiastical character which has been preserved, relating to the churches of Somerset County, is dated March 9th, 1699, and being translated reads as follows : "The follow- ing persons were chosen, (meaning as a consistory,) namely, John Tuynesen as elder, and Pieter Van Nest as deacon, and were in-
* We give the spelling in the record.
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stalled before the congregation by Guliam Bertholff. At the same time the ordinance of the holy sacrament was administered to the communicants by the above named person." This is all the record we have in reference to the organization of our church, the first organized religions society in the county ; and there are no docu- ments and no traditions pointing out where these services were held, or of any building for religious worship in our vicinity prior . to 1721. It is hardly credible that some place had not been pro- vided before this. There is reference to a church building at Three-Mile Run as early as 1703, and such a building was erected at Six-Mile Run in 1717, and at North-Branch in 1719. It is hardly probable that the people of Raritan were the last to move in such an important matter; but if they had any building, where was it? We are inclined to the opinion that all their meetings were at some private house, perhaps in a bain belonging to John Tunison or Peter Van Nest. Rev. Guliam Betholf, the actor in this important transaction, was originally a schoolmaster and "voorleser, " or clerk, in the church at Hackensack. He was sent by the congregation to Holland in 1693 to be licensed and or- dained, and seems to have commended himself to the classis of Amsterdam, for they cheerfully granted the request of the people of Hackensack, and sent him back to them as an ordained minis- ter. He is said to have been the second person who went from New-Netherland to Holland for this important purpose. On his return he preached at Hackensack and Acquackanonk statedly, and was for fifteen years the only settled preacher in New-Jersey. Ile had, in consequence, a general supervision of all the churches in the colony, and may be said to have been a domestic mission- ary at large, and very much on his own charges at the same time. Tappan, Tarrytown, and Staten Island as well as Raritan in their records show evidence of his presence and of his labors. It is also known that he officiated at Ponds, Pompton, Bellville, and other places from time to time. He is said to have possessed " a mild and placid eloquence which persuaded by its gentleness, and attracted by the sweetness which it distilled, and the holy savor of piety which it diffused around." His hand was largegin " the beginnings" of several of our Dutch churches, and if all the other hands had been guided by such a kindly spirit as he breathed, the "beginnings" would have taken hold faster, and their progress would certainly have been more effectual in promoting godliness.
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