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 7
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An effort was made to settle Rev. John Bassett in October, 1792, then pastor of the church of Albany, but without success. So urgent was the congregation that the effort was renewed, with the promise of a large ad- dition to the salary, but with a similar result. The pulpit remained vacant until quite late in the year 1793. In the early part of the summer of that year, a man in the prime of life preached in the Presbyterian church, with whom our people were so well pleased that they invited him to remain and supply their pulpit
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the following Sabbath. The result was a unanimous call, August 24th, 1793, to the fourth pastor,
REV. IRA CONDICT, D.D.
He was born at Orange, Essex county, February 21st, 1764. He received his academic instruction under Dr. McWhorter, of Newark, and became a student of Princeton College. He became a subject of grace while a member of college, and immediately devoted himself to the gospel ministry. It is said that he cherished a desire for the ministry from his youth, and was accus- tomed to view every Providence as pointing toward the sacred office. While a member of college, he took a very high stand as a scholar, and was particularly distinguished for his accuracy in the classics. He gra- duated from that institution in the year 1784, under the presidency of the celebrated Dr. John Witherspoon. His theological studies he pursued under the direction of Dr. Woodhull, of Monmouth, and was licensed by the Presbytery of New-Brunswick in 1786. April 20th, 1787, he was called to the united congregations of Newtown and Hardwick, in Sussex county, and imme- diately entered upon the field of his labors. Here he found a wide and destitute region, demanding great energy of character and powers of endurance. Within the compass of his old pastoral charge now exist several flourishing Presbyterian churches, as also of other de- nominations. His ministry continued at this place for six years, and he left there the impress of his noble character. He was aided and encouraged by a most excellent wife, whom many of you will remember as " highly gifted in intellectual and spiritual graces," and whose mind retained all of its vigor in the midst of protracted sufferings.
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In Dr. Condict's call it is stipulated that the services are to be conducted in the English language, and that he should preach two sermons in summer and one during the winter months. He was also to hold regu- lar services " on the instituted feast-days of Christmas, New-Year, Easter, Whitsunday, and Ascension day, ac- cording to the custom of the church." The salary pro- mised was £180, and a comfortable dwelling-house. The names of the following officers are attached to the call : John Schureman, John Van Neste, William Van Deursen, Garret Voorhees, elders; Fredrick Outcalt, John Thompson, Denice Vanliew, and John Bice, dea- cons. The original subscription-paper is still preserved, headed by the name of John Schureman, the son of the school-master. On the list we find, in a large bold hand, the signature of Dinah Hardenbergh, a ruling power in the church, as we have seen; as also that of John Neilson, a Presbyterian, whose wife, Catharine Voorhees, always retained her connection with the Dutch Church.
Dr. Condict did not commence his regular duties as the pastor of the church until the first of November. The extent of the congregation at the commencement of his ministry will give some idea of the amount of labor that he performed. In addition to the town charge, the families extended north to Boundbrook, and on the ·opposite side of the Raritan to New-Market, south along George's road five miles, and down to South river, and west two miles beyond the present site of the Middlebush church.
The first act of the Consistory was to procure a suit- able residence for the minister. For a few months Mr. Condict lived in Neilson street, now number eight, in a house rented of William Lawson, at the rate of £37
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10s. per annum. When the churches of New-Bruns- wick and Six Mile Run were in connection, they owned a parsonage at Three Mile Run. On the death of Mr. Leydt, this property was sold to Mr. Jacob Skillman, and the portion that fell to the share of this church, £195 8s. 4d., was appropriated to the purchase of seven- teen acres of land on George's road, now in possession of Mr. Edwin Allen, at a cost of £200, and also a house and lot in Church street, now number sixty-two, of John Bray. The building was in an unfinished state, and cost, with the repairs, made under the direction of the Consistory, £475 11s. 6d. Here Dr. Condict resided until his removal, in 1798, to a farm of one hundred and thirteen acres, near Milltown, now the property of Mr. Henry H. Booram, but which is still known as the Condict farm .* The situation was distant and incon- venient; but that the church did not suffer in conse- quence of his residence so far from the centre is evident from its steady growth, demanding additional church accommodations, which was accomplished in 1803 by the erection of commodious galleries, and by the ad- vance of his salary from £180 to £280, in connection with a commodious parsonage.
While there does not seem to have been any remark- able season of revival under his ministry, yet there was a gradual increase to the membership of the church,
* Dr. Condict purchased a property in Church street, number seventy- four, to which he removed in the spring of 1794, and resided there until the parsonage was completed. This house was sold by his widow a few years after his death. The parsonage remained in the hands of the Consistory until 1809, when it was sold to Mr. Henry Van Arsdalen. The seventeen acres in George's road were sold about the same time, and a property of four or five acres purchased on Somerset and Hamilton streets, known in subsequent transactions of Consistory as "the parsonage lot." In the speculation in city lots which prevailed in this town in the year 1814, a part of this ground was surveyed, laid out into squares, and sold at high prices ; but parties who purchased failed, and very little was ever realized for a property which is now of great value.
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and it is a gratifying record that no communion season passed without the addition of some new members." Among this number there were three young men who subsequently entered the gospel ministry, and occupied distinguished positions in the church, John Schureman, John S. Vredenbergh, and Robert Bronk.
Dr. Condict was one of the most efficient pastors whom this church has enjoyed. While he was practical and earnest as a preacher, and always came into the pulpit with a well-prepared discourse, among the fami- lies of his charge he excelled. In catechising, pastoral visitation, and labors among the poor he had not his superior. He was remarkably punctual in all his en- gagements, and in his most distant preaching places he was found at the hour ready to commence the services. While he has left behind him a character for remarka- ble gravity in his deportment, and was subject to occa- sional moods of despondency, yet he was gifted with fine conversational powers, and frequently, in social intercourse with his people, he would throw off all re- serve and exhibit a mind full of vivacity. As a mem- ber of church judicatories he was active, and always took a prominent part in debate. The General Synod of our church elected him their President at their meet- ing in Albany, in June, 1800. It is said that his assist- ance was greatly sought after by congregations who were vacant, and his judicious counsels often led to the amicable adjustment of difficulties which were be- ginning to assume formidable proportions.
He gained a very just popularity for his learning, and while he was laborious as a pastor he did not neglect his study. The minute of Classis, referred to by Mr.
* For a list of church members made at the commencement of his minis- try, see Appendix IV.
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Corwin, in reference to the necessary suspension of the strict examination of students on the removal of Dr. Condict by death, while "not very complimentary to the survivors," at the same time exhibits the estimation in which he was held as a scholar.
Intimately connected with the history of our church, at the period now under review, are connected the re- moval of the Theological Seminary to this city and the reorganization of the College. In addition to his labors as the pastor of the church, Dr. Condict took a deep interest in these institutions, and, as a trustee of Queen's College, by his personal exertions was mainly instru- mental in its partial revival in 1807. An endowment of twenty thousand dollars was secured, and when it again went into operation, after having been suspended for twelve years, he was chosen Vice-President and Professor of Moral Philosophy. The building in which the exercises were held stood near the site of the Sec- ond Presbyterian Church, afterward removed to Schure- man street, and is now known as the Lancasterian School. The college owned two acres of land lying west of our old burying-ground, which property was afterward sold and the funds invested in the erection of the present edifice, the foundation of which was laid in 1809. Dr. Condict had removed about the year 1805 from Milltown, and resided during the remainder of his pastorate at No. 32 Water street. The number of students was very encouraging, and for the measure of success which this institution then enjoyed it is in- debted largely to the personal labor and sacrifice of the pastor of this church. When the history of this insti- tution shall be written, it will be found that to him more than to any other man is she indebted for this noble building, standing in its beautiful location as an
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ornament to our city. He was mainly instrumental in securing from Mr. James Parker, by gift, the lot on which it stands. The first subscription paper for the edifice was drawn up by his own hand, and by great perseverance he overcame all the obstacles thrown in his way, and some time before his death he had the satisfaction of seeing the building rise in its fine pro- portions, and his efforts crowned with complete success. The first commencement, under this new impulse, was held in October, 1809, in the old stone church; and in the class of five graduates three were young men of this congregation-Cornelius L. Hardenbergh, the grand- son of the former pastor, J. M. Van Harlingen, and the valedictorian of the day, Dr. William Van Deursen, who is present with us on this occasion with a memory reaching back to the college scenes of fifty-eight years ago.
Connected with the revival of the College, and as a part of the plan, was the removal of the Theological Seminary to this city, in the year 1810, at which time that distinguished professor, Dr. John H. Livingston, took up his residence here, assuming at the same time the Presidency of the College. It is to the honor of our denomination that she organized the first Theologi- cal Institution in our land, Dr. Livingston receiving his appointment as early as 1784. But it was not until the year 1810 that the Seminary, on its permanent es- tablishment in this city, started on a career of prosper- ity which has made it a fountain of life for the church and the world. The institution prospered greatly un- der the labors of that venerable man, whom the church delighted to honor. One hundred and twenty young men enjoyed the benefit of his instructions in their pre- paration for the ministry. And it would hardly be
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possible to set boundaries to the sphere of his influence. The Seminary in his day had its discouragements and trials; but it has passed through them all, and with the advance of years it is more than ever imbedded in the affections of the whole church.
Dr. Condict was greatly favored during the whole period of his ministry in the character of those who labored with him in the Gospel, both in the city and surrounding country. In the Presbyterian church he was associated with Dr. Joseph Clark, (1797 to 1813,) a man of eminent ability, remarkably dignified in his appearance, and greatly esteemed by the people. His sudden death created a great sensation through the town. The text for his Sabbath morning discourse was, "The time is short," and on the following Tues- day, retiring to rest with ordinary health, he was ar- rested by the hand of death some time before the dawn of morning. In the Episcopal church we find the Rev. John Croes, (1801 to 1832,) afterward the Bishop of New-Jersey, characterized as "the watchful pastor, the instructive preacher, the thoughtful writer, the sound, well-read divine." Of the ministers of our own denom- ination, in the churches surrounding New-Brunswick, we have, at Six Mile Run and Hillsborough, (1796 to 1807,) a young man of great promise, and afterward of great distinction, Rev. James S. Cannon. At the old church of Mr. Frelinghuysen, at North-Branch, Rev. Dr. Peter Studiford (1787 to 1826) labored with all his strength until God called him home. At Raritan we have Rev. John S. Vredenbergh, (1800 to 1821,) one of the gifted young men of our own church, the son of a prominent elder, whom Dr. Condict had him- self received into her communion, and whom he re- joiced over as his spiritual offspring. And Rev. William
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R. Smith, (1794 to 1817,) with his colleague, Rev. Henry Polhemus, at Neshanic and Harlingen, fills up the catalogue of those who labored with him in the Gospel throughout this region.
Under the efficient labors of Dr. Condict the church steadily increased in strength, and with the growth of the population enlarged accommodations were again demanded. For two years the question was agitated of enlarging the old building, or of constructing a new edifice. After discussing various plans, the project of a new building was finally adopted with great harmony. An efficient building committee was appointed March 11th, 1811, consisting of Matthew Egerton, Staats Van Deursen, John Clark, John D. Van Liew, and Michael Garrish. The arrangements were all completed, con- tracts were entered into with builders, and the work was going forward in a spirit of harmony which sel- dom marks such undertakings, when a sudden cloud rested upon the whole enterprise in the unexpected death of the beloved Condict.
The old stone church in which your fathers wor- shiped for nearly fifty years, and which, though un- adorned, had connected with it so many precious associa- tions, was to be occupied for the last time on Sabbath, May 20th. On the following morning the work of demolition was to commence preparatory to rebuilding. In the Providence of God this was also to be the last sermon which Dr. Condict was to preach previous to his departure. As if in anticipation of what was to take place, he took for his text this striking passage of Serip- ture from Deut. 4: 22, 23: "But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan : but ye shall go over, and possess that good land. Take heed unto your- selves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your
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God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee." He dwelt with particular emphasis upon keeping God's covenant, and the touch. ing allusions which he made to the old sanctuary made the house a scene of weeping.
On Monday the workmen commenced ; the bell was taken down from the tower and the pews removed, when on Friday the word was circulated that Dr. Con- dict was confined to his house by sickness. The Sab- bath came, and he was unable to meet his people. During the early part of the week there were hopes of his recovery, but all expectation was removed as early as Wednesday, when the announcement was made that he would not probably recover. Dr. Thomas De Witt, who was residing in his family pursuing his studies in the Seminary, has left us in manuscript a record of the closing scene.
The disease which terminated in his death was very violent from its commencement, and Dr. Condict him- self thought that it would prove fatal. While he mani- fested the greatest resignation during the whole of his sickness, toward the close his faith amounted to rapture. Dr. Livingston visited him daily, and these two godly men, the one on the bed of death, the other in the ripe experience of age, held such conversation as we may suppose that the saints in glory enjoy. In the early stages of the disease, he was exposed to great spiritual conflicts and distress. To the venerable professor he remarked: "I have been much harassed and disturbed ; still I hope." When the reply was made that it was a precious exercise of faith simply to wait upon the Lord and leave the event with him, he answered : "It is so, but Jesus must give the grace." And that grace the
IX.
S.W.OTT
REFORMED DUTCH CHURCH, NEW-BRUNSWICK, N. J. ERECTED 1767. TAKEN DOWN 1811.
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Saviour did bestow. On Wednesday, (he died on Saturday after suffering great bodily pain,) he said : " How good is the Lord to me in the midst of affliction. I can say, I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord; it is a precious salvation."
On Thursday evening, as if in profound meditation, he used this language : "I know Christ died for, I know he can keep, and will keep what I have com- mitted to him. It is done, it is all sealed." Observing some one at his bed-side, he added: "Ah! I am talk- ing."
During the whole of Friday night his death was an- ticipated at any moment. At one o'clock he arose in his bed and spoke in these words: "The main question with us all is, whether we are willing and ready to die. It is now ascertained to a certainty that I must die. I trust that I am sincerely willing to die. Heavenly Father ! into thy hands I commit my spirit, and I pray for that grace for which I have often prayed to support me in the trials and agonies which now await me." After a few minutes of rest, he called around him his family for the farewell blessing. The scene was like that of Jacob parting with his children. To his son Harrison, a young man of great promise who soon fol- lowed his father, he said : "My son, I must leave you. Hitherto I have been your teacher, at best an imperfect one. You shall no more have my instructions ; but there is the word of God, which has an abundance of know- ledge and grace. The Lord has given to you reason, and the capacity for knowing and loving him. Let that word be your instructor, and you will experience riches of grace." "Fear not," he said to his wife ; " you have special promises. As for our children, you know I have often committed them to God." To one of the
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elders of the church he spoke words of counsel and en- couragement, and sent to his flock a message of great tenderness, pointing them to the heavenly Shepherd now as they were to be left destitute. He is now at the closing moment ; his work is done, and he is wait- ing for the Lord to call him.
Just before his departure occurred a most remarka- ble scene, equaling any thing in the experience of God's people. Dr. Thomas De Witt has given us this record : " When to all appearance he was near his end, to our wonder and satisfaction he arose in his bed, observed the great necessity of prayer, and that finding the house of death a solemn one, requested those who were present to join with him. He then made a most pow- erful, solemn, and connected prayer of about four min- utes. What appeared surprising was that in his fee- ble condition he was enabled to speak so long without interruption. It appeared as if the Lord had given him special strength."
He died on Saturday, June 1st, 1811, at eleven o'clock. Thus departed, in the triumph of faith, the beloved Con- dict. The next Sabbath was a gloomy one in the city. Many of the people from the country came, expecting to hear him preach, and were startled with the intelli- gence of his death. His funeral was attended from his residence in Water street, Dr. Livingston making the address, and the clergy of the city acting as pall-bear- ers. The bell of the Episcopal church was tolled during the services, and all the places of business in the city were closed. When arrived at the grave, it seemed as if the whole population of New-Brunswick and surrounding country was crowded into the inclo- sure. A few words were again spoken by the venera- ble Professor to the weeping people, and beneath the
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walls of the old church in which he had preached for seventeen years, now in process of demolition, he was buried. To the left of the pulpit, not far from the grave of his predecessor, Dr. Jacob R. Hardenbergh, will be seen the monument erected by the congregation to the memory of one of their most devoted ministers.
He is represented to have been a tall, muscular man, with black hair, of prominent features, very grave in his deportment, and a man of undoubted piety. It is not probable that in the whole list of pastors there was one more affectionately regarded than the man whom every one esteemed as the "beloved Condict." He seemed to walk these streets as a stranger, and any one who saw him would be impressed with his striking countenance and demeanor. Some of you will remem- ber his sedateness of appearance, and not one who ever heard him in prayer will forget the unction and spiritu- ality of his devotions. In social intercourse he was affable, cheerful, and gave to every one the impression that he had a warm and affectionate heart. He was honored and welcomed beyond the limits of his own extensive charge. Other societies recognized in him a true-hearted minister of Christ, and among the people in city and country he had hosts of friends. With Dr. Clark he was on terms of particular intimacy, frequently exchanging pulpits and visits, and forming united plans for systematic labor. In his arrangements he was exact, and had for every department of labor a fixed time and method. No man could have accomplished more than he did, and the secret of his efficiency lay in the wisdom of his plans. Public institutions honored themselves by placing his name on their catalogues. The corpora- tion of Princeton College elected him a member of their
7
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board in 1804, having previously bestowed upon him the title of Doctor of Divinity.
As a preacher he was always excellent, dwelling with particular emphasis upon God's covenant. In- deed, this was his life-work, for he felt that God had set him apart in order that he might preach the Gospel. Although the hand of death has removed almost the entire number of those who sat under his ministry, yet I am happy to have rescued sufficient facts to recall, in part at least, a just portrait of the man. He wore in the pulpit the gown and cassock, and his very appear- ance was dignified and solemn; not a solemnity that repelled, but which was becoming in a minister of the Gospel. He distrusted very much his own abilities, and was occasionally depressed in mind to such a degree that he felt scarcely fitted to enter the pulpit. He would often stop, on his way up the aisle of the church, at the pew of Jufvrow Hardenbergh, for a word of com- fort or encouragement, which she was always sure to have ready for him. It would not be correct to affirm of him that he was gifted with the power of oratory, for this he did not possess; nor with any singular original- ity of thought or forms of expression, for this he did not cultivate or covet; nor with any brilliancy of imagina- tion and vivid paintings of truth, for he was too intent upon the single purpose of preaching Christ to be led away by any outward display. His strength lay rather in his powerful conviction of the truth which he preached; in his intense earnestness of soul, driving him on as if he had a great work to do for his Master; in his deep sympathy with his hearers, which wrought within all souls the conviction that he sought their good ; in a life so consistent that he had not to over- come any unfavorable prejudice, for they felt that he
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was speaking out of an honest heart; and in a single- ness of aim which held him in close contact with the cross. The death of a lovely daughter, Ruth, in the opening flower of her beauty, struck all hearts with great surprise and sorrow, affected him very deeply, and it is said that he went into the pulpit on the fol- lowing Sabbath and delivered a most tender, earnest, and powerful message from God to the young, and ever afterward his soul more than ever seemed to be given to the cause of Christ.
He had a great aversion to appear in print, and although he was frequently requested to give his ser- mons to the Consistory for publication, yet he uni- formly declined so doing. The only production of his pen that I have seen is a sermon preached before our citizens on the occasion of the death of George Wash- ington, by the invitation of the Mayor and Common Council, and published under their direction. If this is a specimen of his pulpit abilities, we can readily account for his extensive popularity. I am pleased to add a few sentences from the short obituary notice which appeared in the Guardian, or New-Brunswick Advertiser, the week succeeding his death: "He was learned and pious, with a discriminating mind and sound judgment. He believed the doctrines of grace, and preached them with precision and zeal. Amiable in his temper, humble, prudent, and without guile in his conversation, he gained the love and possessed the confidence of all who knew him. His time and talents were devoted to the cause of the Divine Redeemer, and his exertions in preaching, visiting, and catechising, throughout his extensive parochial districts, were ar- duous and unremitted. Dr. Condict was also Vice- President of Queen's College, and had, besides other
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