USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > History of the Newark Baptist City Mission : from its origin in 1851 to its seventeenth anniversary in 1868 > Part 5
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New Jersey Baptist State Convention ; December, New Jersey Baptist Education Society, and the Ministers' and Widows' Fund."
November 2, 1853, the Church was called to bear their first trial. Dr. Hague, their esteemed pastor, after a pastorate of about three and a half years, resigned his charge.
The Church was supplied with preaching by Rev. D. T. Morrill, until March 12, 1854, when a call was extended to Rev. O. S. Stearns, of Southbridge, Mass. Mr. S. en- tered upon his duties May 7, 1854, on which occasion public services of welcome were held, in which several ministers of the city and vicinity participated.
This second pastorate, which was so sat- isfactory to the Church, was destined to be of short duration.
December 17, 1854, by permission of the Church, Rev. Dr. Sears presented himself as a messenger from the Baptist Church at Newton Centre, Mass., and described the · need of the Church there, and made an urgent appeal that the South Church would
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relinquish their claims upon their pastor, and consent to his accepting the call which had been made by the Church he repre- sented.
The South Church, through a committee, addressed a letter to the Church at Newton Centre, declining to comply with their re- quest. The pastor, yielding to the warm expressions of affection and of earnest wishes that he would not sunder the ties which bound them together, publicly an- nounced, January 14, 1855, that he would remain with them.
Efforts, however, continued to be made by the Church at Newton Centre, to induce Mr. Stearns to accept their invitation. These efforts at last succeeded. August 29, 1855, after a pastorate of about fifteen months, Mr. Stearns resigned his charge.
Rev. J. L. Hodge, D. D., was called to the pastoral charge of the Church, October 3, 1855. He accepted the invitation, and in November entered upon his labors.
During the pastorate of Dr. Hodge, many
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were converted, and a large number of per- sons, who from indifference had lost their membership in other places, having been induced to renew their vows, were received by the Church on experience. Dr. Hodge resigned November 8, 1857, after serving . the Church just two years.
Rev. J. H. Walden supplied the Church for three months.
In June, 1858, the present pastor, on his way to fulfill an engagement with an es- teemed brother in the ministry in a neigh- boring city, was induced to stop at Newark and supply the pulpit of the South Church one Sabbath. He preached from Col. i. 19. " That in all things He might have the pre- eminence." God gave him such favor in the eyes of the people that, although he left the city early the next morning, measures were immediately taken to have him return and preach for them again. In July, he complied with their request. This second visit resulted in the Church extending to him a call to become their pastor.
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It was not for some time after that the call was accepted. The relationship which bound him to his people in Philadelphia had been of fourteen years existence. It was his first and only pastorate. Nearly the entire membership had been baptized by him, and only a high sense of duty and the prospect of greater usefulness, could prevail on him to accept the call to the Church at Newark.
On the first of October, 1858, he entered upon his duties here. The Church and congregation had become much discouraged and weakened by the frequent changes in the pastoral office. But soon the blessing of God attended the ministrations of his ser- vant, and frequent additions by baptism, and an increase of attendance on the means of grace imparted hope and encouragement to all.
In 1859 a large and elegant organ was introduced, by the aid of which, with the change in the hymn book, the service of song in the house of the Lord was much improved.
,
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In 1860 there were constant tokens of the Divine favor, and conversions were re- ported every month. In the midst of this success, however, the pastor was suddenly prostrated by an alarming illness, which laid him aside for nearly three months. In answer to the earnest and loving prayers of the Church, the Lord was pleased to permit him to resume his labors among them.
In 1862 the exterior of the church edifice was repaired and greatly improved. The front was faced with brown stone, which gave to it a substantial and neat appearance.
In 1863, through the efforts of the pastor and the liberality of the Church and con- gregation, the interior of the sanctuary was remodeled and beautified. The plans and the execution of the work are highly credit- able to the architect, Mr. David S. Gendell, of Philadelphia, and to the decorator, Mr. John Gibson.
During the winter and spring of 1864 the Church enjoyed a precious " season of refreshing from the presence of the Lord."
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Sixty-eight were baptized and received into fellowship.
Again, in 1866, the Lord poured out His Holy Spirit and the Church was greatly revived. Nearly one hundred souls were baptized, and the membership reached al- most five hundred, being the largest, except one, of any Baptist Church in New Jersey.
· In 1868, the Pilgrim Baptist Church, in the Tenth Ward, was organized. This Church grew from the mission planted there eight years ago, by members of the Fifth Church. The principal support, however, has always been derived from the South Church. The ground on which the chapel stands, as well as most of the cost of erect- ing the same, were liberally donated by Mr. H. M. Baldwin, of the South Church, " whose praise is in all the churches ; " while nearly the entire constituent mem- bership went forth from this Church, with its blessings and its prayers accompanying them.
According to the statistics of the Church,
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the total number of additions has been as follows : Number of constituent members,
forty-five. During the pastorate of Dr. Hague, from April, 1851, to November, 1853, three years and a half, by baptism, ninety-one ; by letter, one hundred and four- teen ; by experience, three ; total number, two hundred and eight.
During the vacancy in the pastoral office, from November, 1853, to May, 1854, by baptism, twelve ; by letter, two; total num- ber, fourteen.
During the pastorate of Dr. Stearns, from May, 1854, to August, 1855, fifteen months, by baptism, twenty-five; by letter, thirty- eight ; by experience, one ; total number, sixty-four.
During the pastorate of Dr. Hodge, from November, 1855, to November, 1857, two years, by baptism, forty-eight ; by letter, fifty; by experience, sixteen ; total num- ber, one hundred and fourteen.
During the vacancy, from November, 1857, to October, 1858, by baptism, fifteen ;
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by letter, fourteen ; total number, twenty- nine.
During the ten years of Dr. Levy's pas- torate, by baptism, two hundred and fifty- two ; by letter, one hundred and seventy- three ; by experience, thirteen ; total num- ber, four hundred and thirty-eight.
The entire number received from all sources since the Church was formed, is nine hundred and twenty-four. Three hun- dred and forty-seven persons have been dis- missed by letter, forty-six have been ex- cluded from the fellowship of the Church, and sixty-four have " fallen asleep."
The first named, we may charitably hope, are now useful and consistent members of sister churches; the second, the excluded, awaken many painful thoughts and excite the prayer that they may, through the abun- dant mercy of God, be restored to repent- ance and good works. £ The last, those who have fallen asleep, lead us to say, " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord !" How precious is the memory of Samuel Baldwin,
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Ann L. Johnston, James Hague, Edwin R. Parsil, Edward Doughty, David Jones, Mary Jones, Mary Baldwin, and many others of whom " we cannot now speak particularly."
" With us their names shall live Through long succeeding years, Embalmed with all our hearts can give, - Our praises and our tears."
Part Debenth.
GROWTH FROM EFFORT.
PERIOD of seventeen years has thus elapsed since the Newark Baptist City Mission Board was organized. In conlusion, let us survey the field and sum up the work.
As before stated, in December, 1851, several members of the First and South churches met for consultation and resolved to organize for the prosecution of City Mis- sion work.
In April, 1852, the first missionary em- ployed by the Board entered upon his du- ties. Two places for worship and for Sab- bath-school instruction were opened, one in the North and the other in the Fifth Ward.
In 1853 the first chapel, erected for the Mission, was dedicated to religious worship in the North Ward.
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In the same year a reinforcement to the working force of the Mission was made by the appointment of another missionary, who was assigned to the Fifth Ward.
July 26, 1854, the North Ward Mission was organized into a Church, with a mem- bership of forty-nine, composed mostly of such persons as had been converted through the instrumentality of the Mission.
In 1855 the Mission in the Fifth Ward was organized into a Church with fifty-six constituent members.
April 21, 1858, the new edifice of the Fifth Church was dedicated.
In May, 1859, the Fairmount chapel was purchased by the Board, and opened for worship ; the pastors, in their turn, preach- ing every Sabbath afternoon. A Sunday- school was also established. October 6, the Board engaged Rev. C. W. Clark to labor here as a missionary.
January 3, 1860, the debt on the Fifth Church was paid through the efforts of the Board, and the Church henceforth became a self-supporting body.
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June 29, 1860, the Fairmount Mission was organized into a regular Baptist Church.
February 5, 1861, a house of worship was purchased for the use of the German Bap- tist Church, the members of which ex- hibited great liberality and Christian zeal in the accomplishment of this long desired object.
July, 1864, the chapel in the Tenth Ward was completed, paid for, and opened for the use of the Mission. A German missionary was also engaged, who preached there in the morning, and in the afternoon at Hamburg Place, where a German mission had been established.
About this time the Board also engaged the services of a German colporteur.
November, 1866, the Mount Pleasant Mission was organized. A neat chapel was opened for religious services.
February, 1867, Rev. C. E. Wilson, Jr., was engaged by the Board, and entered upon his work in the Mount Pleasant field.
May 19, 1867, the lecture-room of the Fairmount Baptist Church was dedicated.
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During this year (1867) a missionary was engaged by the Board for the Tenth Ward Mission.
March 8, 1868, the Pilgrim Baptist Church was constituted in the Tenth Ward.
Thus in seventeen years the Board have planted six missions, employed nine mis- sionaries and one colporteur. They have aided in the organization of five churches, assisted in the building of three substan- tial houses of worship, and four chapels. Through the advice and liberality of the same, the Germans have secured their house of worship, besides a commodious chapel, and have the services of an efficient mis- sionary.
Through the direct influence of these missions, and the faithful labors of the mis- sionaries, one thousand and fifty-four per- sons have been baptized and added to the churches. There has been expended for the support of the missions twenty-nine thousand four hundred and eight dollars, besides the large outlay in building church
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edifices proper for the Fifth, the North, and Fairmount churches, and much of the cost of the chapels for other posts, which has not been included in the above estimate, and of which no account has been preserved.
Without the moral and material assist- ance thus afforded by the Board, some of these churches would never have been es- tablished ; or if they had, their existence would, in all probability, have been feeble and of brief duration. Without this, the church edifices and chapels which now dot the different sections of the city, diffusing light and love, joy and gladness throughout the community, would never have been erected, and the missionaries, who have been preaching the gospel, and laboring for the salvation of souls, would not have been sustained. Those thousands of dollars, so productive of good and great results, could not otherwise have been raised, concen- trated, and made conducive to the glory of God in the enlargement of Zion.
While these results have been accom-
·
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plished through the instrumentality of the Board, the inquiry arises, How has all this expenditure of strength affected the two churches that originated this mission enter- prise ? Has the bestowment on others of their best gifts, weakened their own work- ing force? Has the money which they have annually raised and liberally expended made them poorer ? Far from it. At the organization of the Mission, in 1851, the two churches, as we have seen, had an ag- gregate membership of five hundred and six. At the present time, the membership of those two churches is one thousand two hundred and eighty-seven; and in the city, about twenty-five hundred. In 1851, their contributions for benevolent objects amounted, in the aggregate, to $2,117.36. In 1868 the sum reported was $20,766.84.
How forcibly do the above facts and fig- ures illustrate these scriptures : "There is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." " The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall
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be watered also himself." " Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over."
" Give with no faltering hand, Give with no grudging heart ; The cause is holy, - help it on, - You lend to the Christian's Lord."
The blessed results of this enterprise in the erection of churches, in establishing Sabbath-schools, in fostering the grace of Christian charity, in the conversion of souls, and in extending Baptist principles, should encourage the Baptists of Newark to go forward in their great and beneficent work. Much remains to be done. The city con- tains a population of over one hundred thousand. These six Baptist churches and three chapels, - what are they among so many? And the population is rapidly in- creasing. The advantageous location of the city, its broad and beautiful streets, its well regulated police, its commodious dwellings, its proximity to New York, and
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its railroad facilities, are attracting the attention of capitalists and manufacturers, and inviting families to make their homes where they may live better and cheaper than in New York. It is estimated that in twenty-five years there will be, with- in the limits of the city of Newark, two hundred and fifty thousand souls. Now it will not do to wait until these come. It is the part of prudence and piety to make ready for their coming. It would be no more than wise and provident to build one chapel every year. This would give the de- nomination the advantage of preoccupation. There need be no fear of these not being filled. It is astonishing how soon houses of worship gather congregations from the mass of those who are non-church-goers. When God calls ministers to preach the gospel, He will call the people to hear, and when Christians build houses for His wor- ship, He will provide the means to fill them.
The duty, then, is imperative, to be on the watch for opportunities to extend the
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cords as well as to strengthen the stakes of our Zion. We are sacredly called upon to gird ourselves anew for the accumulating work we find at our very doors.
And we have every encouragment to be thus faithful. Our principles are gaining fa- vor every year, and must continue to do so, as the community advances in intelligence and in freedom of thought. As men learn to think for themselves, to read the Bible for them- selves, to repent of sins for themselves, to believe for themselves, and to obey Christ for themselves, they will seek the churches which have for ages "resisted even unto blood " the assumptions of civil and ecclesi- astical tyranny, and which, discarding all the traditions of men, and fearlessly braving the sneers and misrepresentations of the world, have simply and earnestly required of all who may have sought admission into the kingdom of Christ, personal faith and obe- dience.
Surely, when we consider what has already been wrought by our denomination, we are
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compelled to acknowledge the hand of God, and to believe that He will continue to smile upon our efforts to advance His kingdom, and to maintain the honor of His word and the purity of His ordinances.
" What though the gates of hell withstood, Yet must this building rise : 'Tis thine own work, almighty God, And wondrous in our eyes."
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