USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > New Brunswick > Historical discourse delivered at the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the First Reformed Dutch Church, New Brunswick, N.J., October 1, 1867 > Part 12
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Pardon this personal digression. Do not weigh in the bal- ances of cold propriety words forced from the lips by the gushing memories of the past, those "happy, golden days," when even the sky seemed brighter and the earth greener
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after the reviving showers of the Holy Spirit. Who can for- get a revival, when associated with the memories of his early Christian life and love? Who can forget the communion Sab- baths that dawned so beautiful and bright? I recall one of them. It was a lovely September morning, in 1837. Memory brings back the crowded congregation ; the tremulous voice of Elder Stothoff, as it rose from this platform and mingled with the swelling volume of song that filled the sanctuary with the fragrant incense of praise ; the earnest prayer ; the rich gospel sermon ; the old sacramental form, so redolent of Calvary and Gethsemane ; the long list of names of those welcomed for the first time to the table, and mine among them ; and then the bread and wine touched with trembling hands and quivering lips ; the words of exhortation ; and the hymn of thanksgiving. My vision of that sacramental Sabbath would not be complete without the tall form of gray-haired Cæsar leading the large number of colored communicants from the gallery up the aisle to the table, where our pastor welcomed them with the same invitation to the gospel feast. And I used to think he some- times kept his best thoughts for them, and his words were so simple and touching as he spoke of the dear Saviour who pro- mised that all his people should drink with him
" The grape's first juice, Fresh from the deathless vine that blooms in heaven."
But I must close. Let me leave as a theme for reflection, The self-perpetuating power of the church through the ministry which she is raising up. You remember the incident of the conversion of a Hessian drummer-boy, under a sermon of Dr. Livingston, in a barn at Poughkeepsie during the Revolution. That boy was Christian Bork, under whose ministry John Scudder was converted, the father of our beloved missionaries in India. Let the church remember the promises of enlarge- ment and triumph which Christ has left her, and never forget his command to " pray the Lord of the harvest that he would send forth laborers into his harvest."
" He who slumbereth not nor sleepeth, His ancient watch around us keepeth ;
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Still sent from his creating hand, New witnesses for truth shall stand- New instruments to sound abroad The Gospel of a risen Lord."
ADDRESS OF REV. D. D. DEMAREST, D.D.
I feel honored in having been selected to present on this occasion the salutations of the churches that have been organ- ized chiefly with members from this venerable congregation. The daughters come with hearty and joyous greetings to their mother, and on this her one hundred and fiftieth birthday anniversary compliment her on her continued freshness and beauty, and the proofs she is giving of undiminished vitality and energy. They come with prayers that God will bless her as she has never been blessed before, and that in the time to come many daughters may be born to her who shall rise up and call her blessed.
A little band of three sisters appears to-day. 1. Spotswood, organized about the year 1820, and so approaching the close of her first half-century. A church that, owing to the force of circumstances beyond human control, has never reached a point that entitled her to be called a strong and influential church. Yet she has been a steadily shining light. Through all these years she has perseveringly maintained the public worship of God, and furnished healing, rest, and a home for many a sick and burdened and wandering soul. The little band of disciples there are to-day proving the reality of their spiritual life by zealous and self-denying efforts in the erection of a new house of worship.
2. Middlebush, organized about thirty-three years ago, and which has given the ordinances to a generation. Faithfully have all who have there worshiped been instructed and warned, and well have the young there been trained in the doctrines of godliness and in the spirit and forms of devotion. Nobly has the church of Middlebush done according to her ability for the work of church extension by her regular and liberal contributions to the cause of missions. She is now re- pairing and beautifying her house of prayer.
3. Second New-Brunswick, organized carly in 1843, and
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consequently within a few months of the end of the first quar- ter-century of her life. Of the feeble beginnings of this church, of her early struggles, of the devotion and perseverance of her founders, I would love to speak if it were proper. Yet I can not allow the occasion to pass without bearing testimony to the purity of the motives of those who went forth from this church to form that new organization. They loved their old home none the less because of their attachment to the new. I would also love to indulge the feelings stirred up by memories and associations connected with the most interesting portion of my own early ministry. Surely I may to-day mention with gratitude that for eight and a half years I was permitted to labor in cordial cooperation with the faithful servant of God who so long ministered at these altars, and who, having fin- ished his public work, is now waiting for his crown. We re- gret his bodily absence to-day. We thank God that he is present in spirit. We call to remembrance the former times, and we all rejoice together in the prosperity of that young and vigorous church. From her contracted tabernacle, dear to some of us as the place where the few were wont to meet, she has gone forth into her spacious and beautiful edifice, in which we hope that many will, through many generations, be born into the kingdom.
I wish that I could speak in behalf of a larger band of sis- ters. But it is not for me, and on a day like this, even to hint that there should have been a larger family. It is not for me to intimate that within the limits of the territory originally solely occupied by this church there is room for more of her order, or that Providence has clearly indicated a path of duty that has been shunned. On the contrary, I believe that there are laws that govern the multiplication of churches in this land that carry themselves into effect. We have no State authority to regulate this matter, no geographical division into parishes fixed by law. We usually do not even look to ecclesiastical bodies to take the initiative. Wherever and whenever Christian people feel that there is a time and place for a new church, they will move in the matter, asking only the countenance and authority of those who are over them in
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the Lord, and the sympathy and prayers and Christian help of those from among whom they go.
I will go further, and utter an earnest protest against the heedless and unreasonable censures that are often brought against our fathers for having been so slow to extend the de- nomination and organize new churches, and for suffering the ground to be occupied by others. Ignorance is the most
charitable excuse for such censures. Let any one study the history of the struggles of our church for more than one hun- dred and fifty years to maintain an existence in this country in the face of tremendous and overwhelming difficulties, and he will admire the perseverance and rejoice in the success of the fathers. Extension ! Progress ! Formation of new churches ! Why, the question was one of life, not of growth ; of holding fast, not branching out. Let any one but consider the specdy passing away of the Dutch authority from New-Netherland and the check to immigration, the obstinate adherence to the Dutch language, ecclesiastical dependence on the mother coun- try, difficulty of obtaining ministers, troubles of Coetus and Conferentie, and he will prate no more about the slow and deliberate movements of the fathers. And how can any one, in view of these hindrances, say that it is disgraceful that the Reformed Dutch Church is not now the leading church among nearly a million of people in the city of New-York, because two hundred years ago she stood alone in New-Amsterdam a Dutch village of 1500 inhabitants, one tenth the present size of our little. city of New-Brunswick ?
Besides, it is the glory of our land that no denomination has the right of preemption or preoccupancy to any part of the soil. We have religious liberty. A church long established may not forbid one of another order to spring up by its side. There is room, it is true, for Christian courtesy and charity, especially among those essentially alike, which should prevent an unnecessary multiplication of feeble churches. But how can it be otherwise than that in places of importance all the leading denominations should be represented, no matter which was first on the ground ? A church should look after the members of its own household; but how can it expect to bring under its care those whose preferences are in other direc-
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tions ? I for one say, let us rejoice in the dwelling together of Presbyterians, Baptists, Episcopalians, Methodists, Reformed Dutch, and give thanks for the practical proof that there can be unity of spirit and aim where there is diversity of form. If our own church be small among these divisions of the sac- ramental host, let us remember that an eloquent Methodist brother, now in glory, has called us the heavy artillery, which part of an army is always small in numbers in proportion to the weight of metal thrown by it into the ranks of the enemy.
But the time for progress and extension has come, and there is a wide field before us. Instead of blaming the fathers, let us ask ourselves what are we doing. As the spokesman for new churches, I am here the representative of progress. Our doctrines and order should spread among the American peo- ple. We have a work to do for Christ. We must not sell our birthright. We must improve it. Growth is essential now to life. This church is sound in the faith on that point. Her sons are at work in heathen lands and in our western domain. Shall she not also look nearer home ? Shall she not ask, What could be a more fitting memorial of these one hundred and fifty years than a church rising in some portion of our city where needed, where the members of our own household, sent forth with our blessing and help, may worship God according to the customs of the fathers ?
During the exercises Prof. David Murray read the following poem, which he contributed to the occasion :
"THE OLDEN TIME." 'Tis good for our pride To throw things aside- The business and pleasures to which we are tied, The burdens we carry, the hobbies we ride,
The projects we form, and the plans we have tried- And linger an hour, or even a day,
O'er the records of things which have passed away ;
Bring out the old papers and family scraps,
Overhaul the old boxes, and bureaus, and traps, And if you can bear it, Poke round in the garret,
Bring down the old love-letters, in which long ago Our sainted old grandmothers conclusively show
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That they used to make love in that earlier day Very much, after all, in the modern way. Then while you are at it, go empty the barrel Which holds some Dutch ancestor's best Sunday apparci ; And trig yourself out in his coat and his hat, And his best Sunday waistcoat, be careful of that ; 'Tis not to be sneezed at, although, like enough, It may still hold a scent of the old fellow's snuff. Be sure try his breeches Of a length that just reaches Adown to the knee, whence a stocking so neat Completes the remainder down to the feet. And then, if you choose, You may try on his shoes, And have them well polished before put in use, And rub up the buckles with the least bit of leather, For copper will tarnish in this sort of weather. Then he wore down behind a long, slender cue, Tied up in an eelskin with ribbon of blue, Which looked all the world, folks have profanely said, Like a frying-pan handle stuck on his head. Go look in the glass in this fancy old rig, And if you are not a conceited young prig, I am sure you will own that old Diedrich then Was not such a bad-looking specimen.
Now when we've begun, Why, under the sun, Can't we go a bit further, and just make a run On our grandmother's bandbox and presses, And bring out from thence a few of her dresses? By the by, she was noted a belle in her day, And quite turned the heads of the men, they say ; And even Lord Howe, the British commander, Is said to have sat by her side and fanned her. But good Dame Katrina quite stirred up his dander By marrying Diedrich, whom he thought a gander. Let one of these damsels I hold in my eye Be pleased just for once these dresses to try, And show us Katrina in Sunday attire All ready to walk to the church with our sire. This lilac brocade, With bright silver braid, Ah! this will become you now to a shade, A little bit faded, but what of that ? A little too full, for Dutch dames were fat ; 11
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But a very good dress, notwithstanding that, And fit to adorn the queen who sat At Solomon's feet to hear him chat. You will see it is short, and meant for the street, And did not quite cover Dame Katrina's feet ; For who so cruel would try to hide Those bright silver buckles, Katrina's pride ? Now try on this bonnet, And depend upon it, You will cut a figure when you once don it. But first you must add a few inches more To the height your waterfall had before ; And one " heart-breaker" must hang down behind, To be played with and tossed by the wanton wind. Then put on the powder, and do not spare, For Katrina was proud of her golden hair. Now on with this "coal-scuttle," large and wide, With good broad ribbons securely tied. Why, bless your heart, there's enough of that, If only the stuff were spread out flat, To make a good dozen, as large as the mat Which ladies now wear, and call a hat.
Good Diedrich, he was grave and stout, And his wife was nowise thin ; And a dimpled smile kept playing about The good little woman's chin. And on Sunday morn, when the church-bell rang, They always started when they heard its clang; And walked to church like a godly pair, While bright little Volkert, their son and heir, Went trotting before, and always were there A good many minutes before the first prayer. Good Diedrich took, in the winter weather, A foot-stove of tin, well-soldered together, And filled with water at a boiling heat, To protect from the cold their freezing feet. On very cold days, as a very great treat, It served little Volkert as a nice warm seat, Where the boy might be broiled like a piece of meat. For, remember, that no one ever hears Of a stove in a church back a hundred years, Still less of a furnace, or as it would seem, Of even a patent for heating by steam.
The church was old, the church was queer ; Would you like to look in on the Sabbath-day,
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And witness their strange, old-fashioned gear,
And gather a hint of the ancient way ? The walls were plain, the roof was square, The carpets-ah! well, they were not there ; And the pews-of course, they were better bare, For cushions were deemed a carnal affair. In the centre aisle the bell-rope hung, Where the sexton stood, when he puffed and rung ; And the people said he was cross as a bear If any one jostled against him there. And the boys in the pews had a wholesome fear Of Johannes's anger, when he was near. At the pulpit-front the vorsinger stood- His nose was large and his voice was good- And he pitched his tune as he pitched his hay, To the right and left in a frantic way. And the old Dutch psalms made the welkin ring, For Dutchmen are strong when they come to sing.
But the pride of the church, the glory of all,
Was the pulpit which towered against the wall. 'Twas set so high, said the wits of the town, For the preaching was heavy, and would settle down. Like an egg-cup it stood on a narrow base, While the good old dominie held the place Of the spoon in the empty shell, To stir in the pepper and salt, and he stirred them well. Over his head a sounding-board hung, Like a vast extinguisher, above him swung, Ready to fall and put out his light, As candles are quenched at dead of night. Will somebody put a contrivance so neat Directly over each congressional seat, So that Colfax then by pulling a string Might the noisy men to silence bring ? Well to the front the deacons sat, All in a goodly row,
Grave and sober, and generally fat, With linen as white as snow. Gravely they sat till the sermon was done, Then gravely they rose for their task, one by one; And taking the bags from where they had been, Passed them to gather the pennies in. Each bag was hung to the end of a pole, And a little bell swung beneath the whole, Whose tinkling might serve the sleepers to wake From the nice little naps they sometimes take.
1
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There, look for a moment and admire the style Of him who is gathering the middle aisle. Hear the tinkling bell and his creaking shoes, As he passes along among the pews. Back in his garden, yesterday night, You might have seen him, while it was light, Practicing over his work for to-day,
Rehearsing the part he would have to play. Armed with an oven-swab, there he goes, Passing it up and down the rows, Giving to each big cabbage-head there An equal chance to deposit his share. Do you wonder now at the exquisite style Of the deacon doing the middle aisle ? We commend the example to others, too; Have you a task that is hard to do ? Into the garden-plat haste to repair, And try it first on the cabbage-heads there.
Time can strengthen, time can kill; Things will last, though men will die ; While the house is lasting still, Graves about it scattered lie.
Generations here grow gray ; Others flourish in their stead;
Pastors perish, people lay Here their kindred dead.
But the church in faith holds on, Stronger with its growing age ; Proud to point to records gone, Eager yet to add a page.
Let another fifty years go by ; What shall then its record be ? Call a meeting then and try, And may we be there to see.
Brief addresses were also delivered by Rev. B. C. Taylor, D.D., Rev. David Cole, D.D., Rev. W. H. Ten Eyck, and Rev. P. D. Oakey.
On motion of Rev. Dr. Cole, it was resolved that the meet- ing deeply appreciate the excellent Historical Discourse deliv- ered by Rev. Dr. Steele this morning, and that the Consistory
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of this church be requested to secure the same for publica- tion.
Prayer was offered by Rev. Peter D. Oakey, and after sing- ing the Doxology the benediction was pronounced by Rev. Dr. Taylor, of Bergen.
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The evening exercises were opened with a voluntary by the choir, after which the forty-eighth Psalm was read, and prayer offered by Rev. Prof. Joseph F. Berg, D.D.
The congregation then united in singing the following hymn, written for the occasion by Rev. John B. Steele :
"THE THIRD JUBILEE."
TUNE-"Harvey's Chant."
1. The silver trump of jubilee The pastors thrice have blown, Since first a royal priesthood laid Our Zion's corner-stone.
2. The pillar, on the rocky base Our fathers reared of old, Has wide displayed the truths of God - The purest, finest gold.
3. From year to year the altar's fires "Have never ceased to shine ; And men of God have ever stood Within our holy shrine.
4. The Saviour here has gathered gems- His jewels rich and pure, To shine in His celestial crown, Forever to endure.
5. A cloud by day, a fire by night, Our covenant God has given : Beneath the folds of light and shade We journey on to heaven.
6. On this good day, with grateful hearts, We set our symbol stone ; And look to God, in faith and hope, For help in years to come.
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Rev. Isaac Ferris, D.D., the senior ex-pastor of the church, then delivered the following address :
ADDRESS OF REV. ISAAC FERRIS, D.D.
MY RESPECTED FRIENDS : It is now about forty-six and one half years since a young man, twenty-two and one half years old and about ten months from the Seminary, assumed the pasto- ral charge of this church and congregation, then embracing three hundred families, and these dispersed over an area five miles square ; and having in his audience three professors, and some twenty-seven theological students, earnest young men with cultivated minds. It was a most responsible position for such an one to occupy, and it was in some degree realized, and would not have been assumed but from the conviction that the finger of God was clearly in the call, which came as unanimous from a people who had been distracted for years by a dividing question, in whose discussion very unhappy feelings had min- gled.
The relation continued for three years and eight months, and was broken up by the renewal of the old dividing ques- tion. It may not be amiss to state it briefly, as it is a thing of the past. This congregation embraced a city and a coun- try population. In the settlement of a minister it had been the usage, from the founding of the church, to have the second service on the Sabbath, during the summer, occur after an in- termission of one hour. In the process of time the city popu- lation grew so large as to make it desirable and even important to have the service fixed at an hour convenient to the city congregation, and as were the services of other churches. Strong feeling and parties arose, each claiming what they sought as a right. The discussion had caused the resignation of Rev. Jesse Fonda. Dr. John Ludlow did not encounter it, as his pastoral relation continued only a little over a year. As I now look back on the merits of the case-indeed, as I then thought-the right was with the country people, but the policy was with the city, until the question was settled in the call of the pastor. In the call of my successor the matter was put forever at rest. The subsequent course of things has
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proved the wisdom of this final action. The increase of pop- ulation to any important extent, as was expected would be, has- been in town. The growing families here have been pre- served to the original fold. And now, on this ground, you have two large, vigorous churches, while an outgrowth at Mid- dlebush has constituted a blessed church-home to the more distant families. I rejoice in the prosperity and the expand- ing usefulness and power of my first charge. To come back to this spot has always been to me a pleasure, and to meet, as I have always done, the warm greeting and cordial good wishes of those to whom I had ministered, both the fathers and the children, in the greenness of my ministry, is among my most pleasant memories. The fathers have gone, and the children have mostly gone, and now I have before me the children's children, and to them I submit my remarks on what occurred in their fathers' fathers' day.
A ministry of three years and eight months will ordinarily furnish few events of special moment, and their tale is soon told. But I feel I may take a wider range, that I may submit some statements concerning the honored dead, and thus pay my tribute to those whom I shall never again see in the flesh. My thoughts have taken this direction as I have anticipated this interesting occasion : that I would first notice some spe- cial points during my ministry, and then speak of my hearers and my co-laborers.
As to the particular events referred to, let me speak first of the additions to the church. It pleased God to give me early seals to my ministry. His word was made effectual, and I was permitted to hear from one and another the earnest inqui- ry, " What shall I do to be saved?" Some of the most precious cases occurred in connection with pastoral visitations and spe- cial interviews with those who offered their children for bap- tism before they had given their own hearts to Christ.
Among the early accessions was that of David Abeel, the devoted missionary. With his religious inquiries I had nothing to do; he had obtained Christian hope in the winter of my settlement, and found Dr. Livingston his faithful and tender counselor. But we were brought closely together in his early Christian life, and it was my privilege to advise him concerning
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his public consecration and to receive him to the fellowship of the family of Christ. Our walk together was very pleasant, and through his whole life we were dear friends and coopera- tors in Christ's work. Very pleasant was it, in the second and third summers of my settlement, as I had invited those who felt an interest in the matter to come together every Sabbath morning, at six o'clock, for prayer for one hour, in the old Lancaster school-house-very pleasant was it to see David, with his excellent mother and sisters, coming over the hills from their rural home to the place of meeting; and very animating and invigorating were those meetings, for the Master crowned them with his presence and blessing. They are bright spots in memory.
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