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 18
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the room, and was soon able to return to her father's house. The circumstance was so striking, that it became the means of awaken- ing and converting the unbelieving physician, for he felt that the hand of God must have been in it.
One of the most remarkable features of her diary is the pleasure which she habitually expresses in the public worship of God. Several individuals whose preaching she heard are named, but she styles Dominie Temmink her dear and heart-loved father in the Gospel. She seems to have been peculiarly sensitive to the influence of the reli- gious affeetions-a very woman with a heart gushing with feeling and sensibility-a poetess in fact, not only in sentiment, but in practice. Many of her poetic effusions were in existence among her descendants long after her decease. A manuscript is spoken of as containing poems which she composed after each of the visits which she received from Mr. Frelinghuysen, before her marriage to him, with many others, breathing out her religious affections, and commemorating the various dealings of God with her soul. But the crowning virtne of her character was the deeply spiritual nature of her piety. She drank copiously at the fountain of love, and delighted to bask in the sun- shine of the divine favor! To the close of her life, she was eminently devotional, and habitually made the most ordinary occurrences of life an occasion of pious discourse. In the fields, every tree and shrub and flower afforded an emblem of some gospel truth. In the spring, the first flowers were affectionately sent to her by her intimate friends, and in the summer she seldom sat down with her needle, without having first gathered and placed before her a vase of flow- ers ; and then she would gaze upon them, drink in their fragrance, spiritualize their beauties, and seem to be filled with an endless and boundless admiration of their forms, their tints, and their aroma.
With such endowments of mind, and such rich experiences of the influence of the Gospel, it is not strange that she should have been regarded by the pions as a safe counselor in their various trials, and that she should have been resorted to by so many for direction and advice. It is sail that Dr. Condit, during the time that she resided in New-Brunswick, after the death of Dr. Hardenbergh, seldom en- , tered his pulpit on a Sabbath morning withont pausing for a. mo- ment at the pew of this excellent woman, to listen to a remark of en- couragement or comfort, which she was sure to have in store for him ! She was, indeed, a woman eminent in her knowledge of experi- mental godliness, and wise in spiritual things. Like Mary, she de- lighted to sit at the feet of Jesus. Like Hannah, she devoted all that
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she had to the Lord. Like Harriet Newell, she forsook her home, her native land, the refinements of polished society, the pleasure of literary culture, the fellowship of her church and her Christian com- panions, and the instruction and care of her heart-loved, spiritual father, and went forth as a missionary, the wife of a missionary, into a distant, uncultivated, almost uncivilized land, never again to see the faces of those she loved, or to feast her eyes with the beauty of those pleasant faces upon which her heart dwelt with unmingled rap- ture, or to commune with familiar friends, or repose under the shelter of parental love. Noble woman ! Noble resolution, that could at- tempt so much ! Noble piety, that could make such sacrifices for the love of souls ! Nor did she, when they were made, repine in secret at the experience of the painful reality. Her courage never forsook her, her confidence in God never failed; nor did she, in her exile, ever " cast one longing, lingering look behind." She lived for the cause which-she had chosen, and died in the land of her adoption.
Now, have I not justified the opinion already expressed, that Dr. Hardenbergh owed much of his success as a minister, and of the emi- nence and usefulness to which he attained, to his wife. With such a companion to counsel and stimulate him to activity, it was hardly possible that he should be only an ordinary man.
In person, Dr. Hardenbergh was slender, but his appearance was grave and dignified. His habit was consumptive, and he finally fell a victim to a pulmonary affection. Says one of his contemporaries : ' His mind was not only strong, but distinguished by the power of nice discrimination. He was thoroughly read in theology, and pos- sessed, besides, a large stock of general learning for the times ; and, to crown the whole, he was distinguished for his piety. Wherever he went a blessing attended his labors. As might be expected from such endowments, he maintained a high standing in the ministry. Large confidence was reposed in him, and his influence in the church seemed scarcely to have a limit." The following tribute to Dr. Har- denbergh is from an address delivered by Dr. Livingston at the com- mencement of Queen's College, in September, 1810: " At the close of the Revolutionary War, the trustees made some efforts to revive it, (Queen's College,) and called the Rev. Dr. Hardenbergh to be the president. That great and good man, in his zeal for religion and attachment to the Dutch Church, accepted the invitation. He devot- ed his distinguished talents and precious life to the arduous task of bringing the institution, still destitute of patronage, into the public notice and successful operation. But the task was too severe. Un-
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der the additional weight of parochial duties, which at the same time he sustained to this church, (New-Brunswick,) he gradually wasted his strength, and sank under a burden too heavy for one man, however fortified with genius or industry, to sustain."
On his tomb, in the city of New-Brunswick, the following inscrip- tion has been placed: " Here lies the body of J. R. Hardenbergh, D.D., late Pastor of this Church, who departed this life the 30th day of October, 1790, aged 52 years - months -days. He was a zealons Preacher of the Gospel, and his life and conversation afforded, from his earliest days, to all who knew him, a bright example of piety. He was a steadfast Patriot, and in his public and private conduct he manifested himself to be the enemy of tyranny and oppression, the lover of freedom, and the friend of his country. Ile has gone to his Lord and Redeemer, in whose atonement he confidently trusted. He is gone to receive the fruits of his labors and the reward of a well- spent life. Reader, while you lament the loss of society and his friends, go walk in his virtuous footsteps, and when you have finished the work assigned you, you shall rest with him in eternal peace."
After the decease of her husband, Mrs. Hardenbergh made the house of her youngest son her home, and her widowhood was pro- tracted for seventeen years. A part of this time she spent at Raritan, amid the scenes of her early life, and the people who first welcomed her when she came as a stranger in a strange land, and who always cherished a deep respect for her character, and her many excellent qualities ! Finally; however, she returned again to the city of New- Brunswick, and died in 1807, and her remains repose amid the honor- ed dust in the crowded cemetery of the Reformed Dutch Church. The monument dedicated to her memory contains the following in- scription : "This monument is erected to the memory of Dinah Har- denbergh, relict of the Rev. J. R. Hardenbergh, D.D., S.T.P. Of high attainments here in grace, now resting in glory. Died the 26th day of March, 1807, aged 81 years.
" Tell how she climbed the everlasting hills, Surveying all the realms above ; Borne on a strong-winged faith, and on The fiery wheels of an immortal love."
The church of Raritan was vacant after the resignation of Dr. Ilar- denbergh, in 1781, for the space of two and a half years, until the Rev. Theodore Frelinghuysen Romeyn, the only child of Rev. Thomas Romeyn and Margaretta Frelinghuysen, was called and took charge of it in 1784. He was born on Long Island, in 1760, studied under
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Dr. Livingston, and was licensed by a convention of ministers and elders in 1783. He was a young man of talents, amiability, and great promise-a warm-hearted, earnest preacher, and the impression which he mal_ _ pon the people of his charge remained long after his death. We have a perfect recollection of more than one among the aged wlio professed to have imbibed their first serious impressions from his ser- mons; but his labors were brief, being included in a space of only ten months. He died of fever, in August, 1785, and his remains were deposited in the graveyard around the old church, on the banks of the Raritan. But, in 1826, they were disinterred, together with those of John Frelinghuysen, and deposited in the same tomb in which John S. Vredenburgh had been buried. The monument is in good preservation, and is known as "The Ministers' Tomb." The inscrip- tion is in the following words : "This monument, erected by the Ra- ritan congregation, to the memory of their three deceased pastors, whose-remains are here deposited." It then recites the inscription given of John Frelinghuysen, and then proceeds, "The Rev. Theo- dorus Frelinghuysen Romeyn departed this life in August, 1785, aged 25 years. A short but faithful ministry ; mysterions providence, that one so useful, so filled with love to God and man, should be so early taken ! It is the Lord." With him, the last descendant of Theodo- rus J. Frelinghuysen, who devoted himself to the work of preaching the Gospel, was no more. The picty of their great ancestor seems to continue, but there is no one to take up the work since Romeyn laid it down.
Almost immediately after the death of Rev. T. F. Romeyn, the churches of Raritan and Bedminster called the Rev. John Duryea to be their pastor. He was born on Long Island, in 1760, and received his academical education at Hackensack, under Dr. Peter Wilson. He studied theology under Dr. Livingston, and was licensed by the General Synod, at an extra session, on May 18th, 1784, in New-York, and accepted the call from Raritan, which had been given him, as the minutes state, October 14th, 1785. The first minute of consistory after his settlement is dated March 3d, 1786, and he continued to serre the church until 1799, when he resigned his charge.
We have in our possession the original subscription which was cir- culated by consistory to raise a salary for him, and we copy it as a remnant of former times, certainly not unsuggestive : "We, the sub- scribers, members and others belonging to the Ref. 'Dutch Church' of Raritan, in order to obtain the privilege of having the Gospel preach- ed among us, do promise to pay, or cause to be paid, unto the elders
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and deacons of the church, or their successors in office, the sum an- nexed to our respective names, at the expiration of every six months, as a salary for Rev. Johannes Duryea, in case he shall accept the joint call of this congregation and the congregation of Bedminster, and by which call he shall be bound to perform two thirds of his ser- vice at Raritan, and one third at Bedminster-and one-half of his ser- vice in the Dutch, and the other half in the English language-the salary to commenee on his accepting the call; as witness our hands this 16th day of October, 1785. Signed, Richard Van Veghten, 7s. 6d. ; Fred. Ver Muel, 5s :; Corn's Ver Muel, 5s. ; Edes Ver Muel, 5s. ; Andries Cadmus, 3s. 9d. ; John Sebring, 3s. 9d .; John Sebring, Jr., 5s. ; George Sebring, 3s. 9d. ; Michael Field, 3s. 9d. ; Abraham Sebring, 3s. Od .; Pebe Freman, 3s. ; Whitehead Leonard, 3s. 9d. ; Garret Tunison, 7s. 6d. ; Henry Blackwell, 1s. 10d. ; Archibald Campbell, 1s. ; Thomas Arrosmith, Ss. 9d .; George Romer, 1s. 6d. ; Ab'm Tunison, 6s. ; Mary Auten, 1s. 10d. ; Daniel Waldron, 1s. 10d. ; Peter Harpending, 3s. 9d. ; Leonard Smoek, 3s. 10d .; Matthew Harrison, 5s .; Tobias Van Orden, Gs. ; Peter Van Norden, 1s. 10d. ; Michael Van Norden, 1s. 10d. ; John IIutchins, 3s." This list does not embrace the names of the principal families, or the wealthier portion of the congregation. Their sub- scriptions must have been much more liberal to secure the object and pay the stipend.
Upon the settlement of Mr. Duryea, the congregation immediately ordered the repair of the parsonage, and then proceeded to provide a house in which they might worship. On the 15th of June, 1784, at a public meeting, it was resolved that we immediately proceed to build a house for the public worship of Almighty God. On the 15th of August following, it was reported that £195 0s. 6d., was subscribed in order to have the church built at Somerset Court-House; £177 7s. 6d. to have it at Van Veghten's Bridge; and £4 18s. 6d., without designat- ing any place. It was, therefore, resolved that the church be built at Somerset Court-House; and Isaac Davis, Andreas Ten Eyck, Robert Bolmer, Jacobus Winterstein, Peter Harpending, and Samnel Beekman were appointed to collect the subscriptions taken, and pay them into the hands of Peter D. Vroom, the treasurer. Subsequently,. Andreas Ten Eyck was appointed manager, and Rynier Veghte, Ab'm Van Neste, Peter D. Vroom, John Hardenbergh, Robert Bol- mer, and Jacobus Winterstein, a committee to superintend and assist. The building erected was of brick, 40 feet by 60, with a small cupola and bell; probably the most commodious and expensive church in the County of Somerset at that time. It was no little praise for Mr.
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Duryea, that he had been able to succeed in accomplishing such an object so s a after his settlement.
Ilis ministry at Raritan was blessed in the beginning of it very much. The church increased from time to time by members on confession and by certificate. But, in 1799, Mr. Duryea resigned his charge. Dissatisfaction had grown up. He was never a student, and was accustomed to preach without writing his sermons; and did not satisfy the more intelligent portion of his people. But he was a good man-loved to preach, and did preach, even in his old age. He had his work in providence, and did it like a godly man.
The final arrangements with Mr. Duryea were effected on the 22d of October, 1798. The consistory agreed to pay up all arrearages, · and allow him his salary until the 4th day of January, with the use of the parsonage until May, 1799. He continued to serve the church of Bedminster for another year, and also preached occasionally in the vicinity of White House and Potters Town, in Hunterdon County. Finally, he received a call from Fairfield, in Essex County, where he resided for many years, until he died finally at the Noteh, not far from Little Falls, Essex County, in 1836. His remains rest in the cemetery attached to the Presbyterian Church at Caldwell, Essex County, by the side of his daughter, Mrs. Crane. He married late in life, and left a widow surviving him. He had been without a pastoral charge for many years, had given all his property to his children, and was himself often in straitened circumstances, but never in want. The Lord provided for him.
From May, 1799, until November, the church of Raritan was with- out a pastor. On the 11th of that month, however, the congregation met and resolved to offer a call to the Rev. John S. Vredenburgh. On the 6th of February, 1800, it was executed and signed. This call , Mr. Vredenburgh accepted, and he was ordained in the church of Raritan, on the last Sabbath in June ; and he continued in his charge until October 4th, 1821, dying suddenly in a fit of epilepsy.
John Schureman Vredenburgh, son of Peter Vredenburgh and Mar- garet Sehureman, was born in the city of New-Brunswick, on the 20th March, 1776. Hle obtained his early education in his native city, and graduated in Queens (now Rutgers) College in the class of 1794. He served one year as clerk in a store. During this year his views and feelings experienced an entire change, and he became, as he ever hope- fully believed, a true Christian. Almost immediately he resolved to devote himself to the work of preaching the Gospel, and soon com- menced the study of divinity under Dr. Livingston. On the comple-
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tion of his course, he received licensure from the classis of New-Bruns- wick, at their spring session in 1800. Ile soon attracted the atten- tion of the chu ch at Raritan, and after preaching for them received their call. In this connection he was happy and useful, leaving an impression which survives in some freshness even until to-day. He was a truly excellent man, devoted to his work, though retired and unob- trusive. Every year witnessed to his faithfulness and success, by those who, under his persuasions, renounced the world and made confession of their faith. Ile succeeded in gathering into his church a large body of excellent and eminent men, such as seldom are found in any com- munity ; and the impression of his life and labors was extensive-in- deed, almost all-pervading in the whole community.
We quote from a notice prepared by his daughter, Mrs. Woodward, for Dr. Spragne : " About six years before his death, he was induced to add to his other labors the superintendence of the Somerville Academy ; but this proved too great a tax upon his constitution, which was naturally not very strong ; and very soon he was overtaken by that fearful disease-epilepsy. The fits occurred at intervals of fron three to six weeks, till within a year of his death ; and though the dis- ease produced no visible effect upon his mind, yet it had so far redneed his bodily strength and his ability to labor, that he felt constrained to resign his pastoral charge. So strongly were his congregation at- tached to him, however, and so highly did they prize his ministrations, that they declined to accept hisresignation, preferring that he should remain with them, and perform only as much service as his enfeebled health would permit. During the last year of his life, the malady from which he had been suffering was suspended, and, he had hoped, en- tirely broken ; in consequence of which, he was enabled to prosecute his labors more vigorously than he had done in several preceding years. lle had been engaged for three successive days, in company with one of his elders, in visiting his flock; and his heart had been greatly cheered, by finding not a few among them who were deeply concerned in respect to their immortal interests; and this proved to be the commencement of a revival of great power, which, however, he was not permitted to witness, unless it were from heaven. Returning home much fatigued at the close of the third day, some apprehension was expressed that he might have overtasked his strength; but he replied with emphasis, that he was exceedingly anxious to finish his visitation on that day ; from which it was inferred, by some, that he had a presentiment of his approaching departure. After taking leave of a foreign missionary (Rev. Mr. Harris) and his wife, (Miss
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Laturette,) whom he had married a short time before, he concluded his family devotions, and then retired to rest. Just after he had fallen asleep, his epileptic fits returned upon him with unusual violence, and by one o'clock the next morning he had breathed his last. Ilis death occurred on the 4th of October, 1821. The tidings took his congregation by surprise, and overwhelmed them with sorrow. His funeral sermon was preached to an immense congregation, by the Rev. John Ludlow," one of the professors in the Theological Semi- nary at New-Brunswick.
The wife of Mr. Vredenburgh was Sarah Caldwell, daughter of the Rev. James Caldwell, of Elizabeth, of Revolutionary fame, and they were married on the 23d of April, 1800. Mrs. Vredenburgh survived her husband five years, and died in the city of New-Brunswick. She was a woman of fine culture, eminent endowments, and a most sincere and active Christian. They had eleven children, two sons and nine daughters. The sons died young. The daughters married: one Rev. Dr. Paynter, another Mr. Montgomery, another R. Van Pelt, another Rev. Edgar Freeman, and perished with her husband in the Sepoy war in India, another Mr. Woodward, another Mr. Van Pelt, and two died in their early womanhood in New-Brunswick.
To the above tribute of a daughter's affection we add part of a letter from Dr. Ferris, of New-York, who in early life was an associate · of Mr. Vredenburgh as pastor in the same classis : " Mr. Vredenburgh was rather below than above the medium stature, and firmly and compactly built. You could not call him a handsome man, and yet the expression of his countenance was both intellectual and benevo- lent; it was a mirror that reflected at once the sound, vigorous mind, and the generous and confiding heart. And his character was just what you could infer from his external appearance. His mind was acute and discriminating, patient in its investigations, and careful in its conclusions. Though he could not be called an eminent scholar, his general acquirements were very respectable, and in theology he was deeply and thoroughly read, as was evident from the manner in which he conducted the examinations of students who were candi- dates for licensure. Ile possessed great kindliness of spirit; and while he manifested this in all his intercourse, it was especially apparent in his manner of treating young men. Such was the confidence which our students reposed, not only in his kindness but his wisdom, that it was not uncommon for them, when they were in difficulty, to go out to Somerville to solicit his counsel and aid ; and whatever it was in his power to do for them, they were sure would be done. He was re-
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markable for his thoughtful regard for the interests of others. I be- lieve he never lost an opportunity of doing good.
" As a preacher, he held deservedly a high rank. His discourses were full of well-digested evangelical thought, expressed in a simple, per- spicuous, and correct style, but without any attempt of artificial orna- ment. His manner was animated and earnest, though it varied in this respect not a little with the changes in his physical condition. His preaching, without being of the most popular cast, was always ac- ceptable ; and was most highly appreciated by the most intellectual and pious portion of his hearers. It was rather of a revival cast, and was very faithful in its dealings with the consciences of sinners.
" He was distinguished by a profound knowledge of the principles and workings of human nature; and yet, while he made good use of his knowledge in both his public and private relations, it was accom- panied with that perfect transparency and guilelessness of spirit that always kept it from being suspected of any purposes of a doubtful nature. This peculiar quality was constantly manifested in his inter- course with his consistory; he had the faculty, without seeming to exert any influence over them, to make them carry out his wishes to the letter. This, too, was one of the qualities that made him a most valuable member of a church court; his influence in classis and synod was scarcely exceeded by that of any of his contemporaries. He was also one of the best pastors; his devotion to the interests of his flock was untiring, and their attachment to him and confidenec in him scarcely knew a limit.
"Mr. Vredenburgh's ministry had, literally, closed before its most blessed results had begun to develop themselves. Shortly after his decease, a revival of religion took place among his people, which might be considered the joint product of his life and his death. I visited the congregation during this period, and conversed with many of the anxious inquirers, and was struck with the fact that, while they had received their impressions under his ministry, they had been deepen- ed and matured and developed by his death. Upward of three hundred (344) made a public profession of their faith during that re- vival, most of whom, no doubt, may be reckoned as gems in his crown of rejoicing.
"My duty would not be complete did I not call attention to the fact that my excellent friend was blessed with a wife whose admi- rable qualities aided him unusually in his work. Suffering, as he did, from occasional attacks of illness, which for weeks would interrupt his work, it was her habit to mingle much with the sick, the poor, and the
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afflicted, and by counsel and prayer to make up for the want of his services. For this she was remarkably qualified by education and piety." She had a martyred mother; and was a babe in her arms when she was shot by a British soldier, after the battle of Springfield, in a private house, remote from the scene of strife and without any justification whatever-in gratification of a deep feeling of malice with which, for interested reasons, the troops had been inspired.
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