USA > New Jersey > Burlington County > Burlington > History of the church in Burlington, New Jersey : comprising the facts and incidents of nearly two hundred years, from original, contemporaneous sources > Part 36
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70
" To the Rt. Rev. George W. Doane, D. D., Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey.
"The memorials of the Wardens and Vestry of St. Mary's Church respectfully sheweth, that the house in which their fathers worshipped, and in which God's name has been honored, and the gospel of his Son proclaimed, for one hundred and thirty years, having been erected for a long period previous to the establishment of the Episcopacy in the United States of America, was never consecrated to the worship of Almighty God, according to the usages of the Protestant Episcopal Church ; and having now, at great expense, extended, repaired, and im- proved, and, in a manner, rebuilt it, for the better accommoda- tion of the congregation worshipping there, they present this their request to the Right Reverend the Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey, desiring him, at his earliest convenience, to set apart and consecrate the same to the service and worship of Almighty God, according to the order of the Protestant Epis- copal Church in the United States of America.
"Signed, by order of the Vestry, " WM. M'MURTRIE, " CHRISTIAN LARZELERE,
Wardens.
" Burlington, 7th December, 1834."
The sentence of consecration was then read by the Rev. George Y. Morehouse, Rector of St. Andrew's Church, Mount Holly, and is as follows :
" The ancient edifice of St. Mary's Church in the City of Bur- lington, which was erected, and had been occupied, eighty years before the introduction of the Episcopate into the United States of America, having never received consecration; and the Vestry of that parish, acting by the Wardens, having set forth in their memorial addressed to me, that it has lately been enlarged and much improved, and requested me to consecrate it in the usual form :
" Be it known, that on this 23d day of December, in the year
1
427
IN BURLINGTON.
of our Lord, 1834, with the rites and solemnities prescribed, I have consecrated and set apart the said house of worship, sep- arating it henceforth from all unhallowed, ordinary and common uses, and dedicating it to the service of Almighty God, for reading his holy word, for celebrating his holy sacraments, for offering to his glorious majesty the sacrifices of prayer and thanksgiving, for blessing the people in his name, and for the performance of all other holy offices, through Jesus Christ our blessed Lord and Saviour, and according to the rites and wor- ship of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the United States of America.
"In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Burlington, this 23d day of December, in the year of our Lord, 1834, and in the third year of my consecration.
"GEORGE W. DOANE, Bishop " of the Diocese of New Jersey."
EXTRACT FROM THE SERMON OF BISHOP DOANE, AT THE CONSECRATION OF ST. MARY'S CHURCH, DECEMBER 23, 1834.
" 1 SAMUEL vii. 12 .- Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. * * *
"From us, brethren of this congregation, the transaction of the day calls for a special tribute of gratitude and praise. Re- turning now from our brief exile to this venerable place, where, for a hundred and thirty years, prayers have been made, through Christ, to God,-assembled under circumstances, so much im- proved, of comfort to ourselves, and of accommodation to such as may desire to join us,-does it not become us, like the prophet, to set up here our stone of help, and to confess, with a loud voice and glowing heart, that 'hitherto the Lord hath helped us ?' To us this is a most eventful day-a day whose issues, grasping all the circuit of our lives, reach forth into eternity. Here, for a century and a quarter, the prayers and praises of the faithful have arisen to heaven, till even the ground on which we stand seems consecrated, and, to our awed and captivated spirits, 'all the air a solemn stillness holds.' Here have your feet, week after week, come up, 'with them that keep holy day;' and, in
428
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
your hearts, and in the hearts of all your children, it must be associated with what is best and happiest of the things and thoughts of earth, with what is brightest with the light, and fullest of the hopes of heaven. Here you have prayed that still your feet might come, while they should tread the paths of earth ; and that, when you were gone hence and were no more seen, your children, and your children's children, might fill the seats which you fill, imbibe the wisdom which has guided you through life, and catch the glorious hope which is to give you victory in death. Awakening reminiscences and prompting thoughts like these, is it not, brethren, a solemn and eventful hour? Sur- rounded by such circumstances, and such associations,-the memory and example of the beloved dead, the looks and voices of the beloved living, the deep and strong impression of His presence who has now accepted this to be His temple,-must we not feel that this indeed is 'holy ground?' While, then, the inspiration of the hour is on us, while we breathe for the first time the religion of the place, let us desire of Him from whom alone all good things do come, to make both profitable and per- manent the impressions which we now receive. This hour, this day, cannot return to us again. This place can no more be to us what it is this day, this hour. We stand upon an isthmus. The waves of time divide beneath our feet. We can look back on all the past. We can look forward to the distant, pregnant future. Let us not lose the golden opportunity. Let us look backward, and look forward. With fervent gratitude to Him who hitherto hath helped us, with lively confidence in the con- tinued exercise of His protecting care, we may present accepta- bly, through Jesus Christ, the free-will offering of a holy wor- ship, and win, through His most precious merits, for us and for our children, the blessing promised to the faithful, 'even life for evermore.'
" It is now more than one hundred and thirty years since the measures were adopted which led to the erection of the Church which, enlarged now for the fourth time, to meet the increasing disposition to entertain the doctrines here professed, and to unite in the worship here offered, has to-day, with due solemnities,
429
IN BURLINGTON.
been set apart for the service and glory of God. The early his- tory of these most laudable endeavours is full of interest ; and eloquent, at every step, from the year one thousand seven hun- dred and two until this present day, in illustrating and enforc- ing the sentiment of the text, 'Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.' 'The first English inhabitants of this country,' says an old and authentic writer, 'were Quakers and Anabaptists. In the year 1702, the Rev. Mr. Keith f and the Rev. Mr. Talbot were traveling preachers in these countries, from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts; and, as the sober Quakers of New Jersey agreed with many of their breth- ren at Philadelphia, in thinking that the written word of God, and the instituted means of grace ought to be more attended to, they were induced, by hearing some sermons from Mr. Keith and Mr. Talbot, to inquire what was the doctrine of the Church of England. In a little time a considerable congregation gathered themselves together, resolving to receive the Church of England worship. As the people had agreed to conform with the Church of England, their next care was to get a Minister. They had heard Mr. Keith and Mr. Talbot often preach, and the latter was particularly acceptable to many of them. Mr. Talbot was also desirous to employ his labours in this country, rather than in any other place. They invited him to stay with them, and sent over a request to the Bishop of London, and to the Society, desiring that he might be settled among them, which was granted.' 'The people soon began to set about building a Church. The Church of St. Mary,' (called in the first charter St. Ann's,) 'had its foundation stone laid in 1703, on the 25th of March,' (the festival of the Annunciation of the Blessed Vir- gin,) 'and was therefore named St. Mary's. The building was carried on with that zeal and vigour, that on Whitsunday in 1704, divine service was performed, and the sacrament admin- istered in it į to a large congregation.' Such was the first
+ An engraved likeness of Mr. Keith, was placed in the sacristy of the new St. Mary's Church, in 1869.
į "1704: the 4th of June being Whitsunday was the first time the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was Administered in St Ann's Church att Burlington By the Rev Mr John Talbott & Mr Sharp and the first Sermon
430
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
beginning of St. Mary's Church. In its material structure it must have been a building of the width of the old edifice, and nearly square. As a religious society, it had vigorous existence and a good degree of increase under its first Minister, who served before its altars five and twenty years, and is described by his contemporaries as a very zealous and industrious man.'
" In 1761, the Rev. Colin Campbell, then the Society's Mis- sionary at Burlington, and visiting occasionally Mt. Holly and Bristol, reports, in the three places, seventy-four baptisms and fifty communicants. His ministry in Burlington covered a period of nine and twenty years ; towards the close of which, in 1763, he reports no less than 115 baptisms, and in his three congregations 50 persons added to the communion ; and assures the Society that the people of his Mission are sincere, hearty, and religious, with whom he has always lived in the greatest harmony.
" In 1769, under the ministry of the Rev. Jonathan Odell, who was nine years in charge of the parish, the building was extended westward, with the addition of a gallery,-and this, although the town itself had increased but little, if at all ; 'on account,' as Mr. Campbell states in his report, in 1763, ' of some disadvantages in their situation in regard to trade, which oblige the young people to remove to other parts.'
"In 1811, under the ministry of its late beloved and la- mented Rector, the Church was enlarged, improved and beauti- fied, by an extension eastward, including the late chancel ; at which time also the pulpit was removed from the side to the east end.
"In 1821, there being still a call for pews, the sittings in the Church, and its general convenience were much increased by the removal of the door, then placed just where I stand, to the west end ; with other alterations, all eminently judicious.
" Finally, by the good hand of God upon us still, prospering with increase the blessed seed of His most holy Word, it was
preached in the Pulpit was on St Peters day the 29th of June 1704 .- 1704-5 the 18th febrary being the Sunday before Lent the Holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper was Administred here in Burlington the Second time by the Revrd Mr Talbott."-MS. Account Book.
431
1
IN BURLINGTON.
deemed necessary, in the month of September last, and then de- termined by the Vestry of this Church, to make such alterations. as should 'augment its revenues,' ' improve its appearance,' ' in- crease its convenience,' and 'extend its usefulness.' Of the result of this resolution, so far, at least, as increase of conve- nience is concerned, you, friends and brethren, are witnesses to- day. That, when completely finished, its appearance will be much improved, you can yourselves well judge. The exten- sion of its usefulness must be sought for by us of the Lord, who hitherto has helped us ; and will be found, if we are faithful to. our holy trust, in the results of His blessing upon our prayers, our efforts, and our sacrifices.
" Brethren of this congregation, does it not become us well to say that hitherto the Lord has helped us ? Run back in fancy to the second year of the last century. See the little band of faithful followers of Christ, consulting and contriving, day after day, and night after night, how they shall rear a temple. for the worship of their God and Saviour, in the way their un- derstanding has adopted, and their hearts approve. See them, with difficulty, and at great hazard, and with great self- sacrifice, compass the erection of a plain and humble edifice of thirty feet in breadth, by, perhaps, forty feet in length. Hear them commended by the historian of their labours, for their zeal and vigour in accomplishing, in fifteen months, a work of smaller moment than our eyes have seen effected in less than as many weeks. Behold them, on the joyous festival of Whit- Sunday, assembled in their simple house of prayer, and pouring out, from hearts that overflowed with gratitude and joy, the ex- ulting strains which still, taught by the Church, that holy season puts in all our mouths,-' Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised ; in the city of our God, even upon his holy hill. The hill of Sion is a fair place, and the joy of the whole earth ; upon the north side lieth the city of the great King. God is well known in her palaces for a sure refuge ...... Like as we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God; God upholdeth the same forever ...... Walk about Sion, and go round about her, and tell the towers thereof.
432
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
Mark well her bulwarks, set up her houses, that ye may tell them that come after. For this God is our God for ever; he shall be our guide unto death.' Follow their self-denying and laborious Missionary, ' on the verge of sixty, and greatly weak- ened by an inflammatory fever,' toiling his weary way from Burlington to Bristol, and from Bristol to Mount Holly, to tend and feed his Master's scattered sheep. Run down the lapse of years, and see the humble fold extending westward, and then eastward, and enlarged with all economy and skill, that it may meet the wants of anxious souls, and shelter from the howling storm the Saviour's flock. Rehearse the names of noble benefac- tors, who, in a far off land, gave freely of their gold, to nurse and cherish this remote and feeble congregation of God's people, -the Lady Catherine Bovey, the generous Thomas Leicester, the Bishops Frampton, of Gloucester, and Compton, of London, and her Royal Majesty, Queen Anne,-so that we may literally use the prophecy of Scripture, that a Queen has been its nursing mother. Observe the memorable fact that, of this eventful series of one hundred and thirty years, three pastors filled the space of ninety ; the last of whom, that humble, holy man, whose mortal part reposes just below this pulpit, over whose new tomb the tears of a whole sorrowing people were so lately shed, went in and out among you, day by day through seven and thirty winters,-fulfilling thus God's promise to his own loved Sion, ' I will deck her priests with health, and her saints shall rejoice and sing.' Ponder these things, my brethren : and then, in the possession and enjoyment of this holy and beau- tiful house, the result of so much watching and of so much toil, the subject of so many tears and prayers, on which the noblest impulses of Christian hearts have been so long and freely exer- cised, and which owes its last and best improvement to the mu- nificent bequest of him into whose pious labors I have entered, -- then, here, to-day, set up your stone of help, and say, with holy Samuel, ' Hitherto the Lord hath helped us!' Then, here, to-day, moved by these mercies of our God, present yourselves, your souls and bodies, a living sacrifice, devoted, to His service. Then, here, to-day, profess yourselves not only in name, but in
433
IN BURLINGTON.
deed and truth, the followers of the crucified Redeemer; and seek, by faith in Him, that cleansing unction of His blood, which can alone remove your sins. Then, here, to-day, and every day hereafter, make it your single effort and your ceaseless prayer so to be faithful unto death, that you may at last receive and wear for ever in heaven the crown of everlasting life.
"My Christian brethren, if the six score years and ten that have passed by this house of prayer, had each a tongue, what lessons would they teach us ! What evidence would they afford of the uncertain tenure of all earthly things! And with what eloquent earnestness would they commend to our affections those better things, laid up with Christ in God, which, being like Him invisible, are like Him eternal also! They would tell us of the joyous throngs who, week by week, came up in other years ' to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord ;' and point- ing then to the low graves in which those joyous throngs are gathered now, they would tell us that, of all they ever had on earth, their faith in Jesus Christ alone remains to them in un- impaired and ever-during worth. They would tell us of many a ransomed sinner, admitted here into the blessed family of Christ, listening here to the lively oracles of sacred truth, and celebrating here, as you to-day have celebrated, the praises of God and of the Lamb, now gone to sleep in Jesus, and with Him to rise and reign. And they would tell us,-must we not fear that they would tell us ?-- of holy resolutions never performed, of vows of obedience never fulfilled, of duties the most sacred and imperative time after time postponed, and at last by death precluded and cut off for ever. And they would warn us, by that warning of all others the most fearful, the expectation of the final judgment day, to do now what our hands find to do with our whole might, since there is neither knowledge, nor de- vice nor work, in the dark grave to which we hasten .- My brethren, the disclosures which these tongueless years cannot make audible to us, they have recorded in the book of God. There they stand, a registry of guilt, the sentence written under them of God's eternal justice, fearful to think of, and which no mortal man can look upon and live. There they stand, black
2 E
434
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
with the presage of our awful doom ; and if the blood of Jesus. wash them not away, we must sink down without a hope of rescue from the stern decree, and bear the inextinguishable pen- alty of everlasting death. Brethren, beloved, let it not be so ! Hear, while you may, the kind beseeching voice with which the. Saviour calls you to Himself. Accept in fervent faith the over- tures of that salvation which He purchased for you with His blood. With child-like and confiding love yield up your hearts to the control of that divine and Holy Spirit, which is freely given to all who ask it, helping all their infirmities, consoling- them in all their sorrows, and sanctifying their whole soul and body and spirit, that they may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Come to Him to-day, who for so many years, in the mercies of His providence and in the blessings of His grace, has richly come to you. Here, in this holy temple, newly consecrated to His glory who made, redeemed, and sanc- tified you, make new your consecration of yourselves to Him and to His service; that as He who has called you is holy, so may you also be holy in all manner of conversation and godli- ness. He will accept the offering through the interceding love of Jesus Christ. He will enable you, by the constraining gen- tleness of the eternal Spirit, to keep and do the holy covenant which He has written in your hearts. Here, in His holy house, which He has chosen for Himself to place His name in, He will hear the voice of all your prayer ; and when your earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, you shall possess, through the prevailing merits of your Saviour, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens .- Grant it, God of our salvation, for thy mercies' sake in Jesus Christ. Sustain us safely through the trials, troubles, and temptations of the world. And when our service here is done, receive us to Thyself, that gathered all to -. gether and united all with Thee, we may be thine throughout eternal ages of unmingled joy ! We ask it for His sake who died for sinners ; and to Him, with the Almighty Father and Eternal Spirit, shall be given all the praise."
435
IN BURLINGTON.
DIAGRAM OF THE CONSECRATED CHURCH.
The following is a very accurate representation of the interior arrangements of the Church, after its enlargement North and South :
1-
1
0
p
C
d
j
1-
L
7
a. Holy Table.
b. Credence.
c. Reading Desk.
d. Pulpit.
e. Steps to Pulpit.
f. Font.
g. Bishop's Chair.
h. Assistant's Chair.
i. Robing Room.
j. Vestibule and Parish Library.
k. South Door.
l. Staircase to Organ Gallery.
m. Staircase to West Gallery.
n. West Door and Porch.
o. Staircase to North Gallery.
p. North Door.
q. Benches for Parish School.
2
Of
€
436
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
THE CHURCH SPOKEN OF IN CONVENTION.
"On Tuesday, December 23d, 1834, on the representation of the Wardens and Vestry, that St. Mary's Church, Burlington, having been erected one hundred and thirty years ago, and eighty years before the introduction of the episcopate into the country, had never been consecrated according to the usages of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and on their request, that, being now, for the fourth time, enlarged, and greatly improved, it might be so set apart, I proceeded duly to consecrate it to the service and worship of Almighty God,-the Rev. Messrs. Cum- ing, (of New York,) Morehouse, Peters, and Starr being present and assisting. You will be gratified to learn that though the sittings in the Church are fully doubled, the pews are very nearly all disposed of. Of the increased convenience and beauty which the building and its appendages have received, your pres- ence here -- on which I again congratulate both myself and the con- gregation-renders it unnecessary that I should speak. While we thank God that he has bestowed on us so full a measure of temporal prosperity, may we remember that the true object of desire is a fuller measure of his holy Spirit, creating us anew 'in righteousness and true holiness,' and filling us with 'all joy and peace in believing.'"-Episcopal Address, 1835.
INCREASED PASTORAL LABOURS.
Bishop Doane appends to his report as Rector of St. Mary's Church, as follows :
"Since the last Convention, the Church has been doubled in size, being now in form a Latin Cross, of which the nave is 80 feet by 30, and the transept 60 feet by 30. There were before 34, and now are 60 pews, nearly all of which are occupied. The whole arrangement of the Church, including improve- ments of the ground, fixtures, furniture, &c., has cost about $4,500. About $800 were raised as a premium for the choice of pews. The frequent absence of the Rector, of necessity, interrupts his pastoral labours, and diminishes their effect. Since his sickness in the autumn, he has been aided, under the liberal provision of the Convention, by the acceptable services
437
IN BURLINGTON.
of the Rev. Mr. Peters. The Church is generally open, when the Rector is at home, on Sunday evenings, and always on Thursday evenings ; when. a Lecture is delivered, expository of the Scriptures, which is also the lesson for the Sunday school, on the Sunday following. This service has been peculiarly blessed to the spiritual edification of the people. An increasing interest in the best things, has been perceptible among them, and has lately resulted in several adult baptisms, and the con- firmation of twenty-six persons ; nearly all of whom, it is hoped, will present themselves at the table of the Lord. The children are catechized on the afternoon of the first Sunday in every month, after evening prayer, before the whole congregation. The exercise is acknowledged as profitable to all, and gives great satisfaction. The Rector has pursued, since February, with signal advantage, a systematic course of Pastoral Visitation and instruction, from house to house. The Offerings of the Church for eleven months, (from 1st of June to 1st of May,) are a little greater in amount, than for the twelve months of last year. They are collected on the morning of the first Sunday in each month, (when the Communion is always administered,) and are presented on the Lord's table, as the oblations of the people."
CATECHIZING THE CHILDREN.
" The catechizing of the children I have found productive of the best effects. Children, parents, pastors, and myself, by no means to the least extent, have been partakers in the pleasing, and, I trust in God, the profitable interest. It has brought forth that 'form of sound words,' which is 'to be learned by every person before he be brought to be confirmed by the Bishop,' from comparative obscurity, to its due prominence in the Church. It is the beginning, I fondly hope, of a course of efforts, by which, if God help us, the Church in this diocese will regain her proper hold upon her infant members, and be enabled, by divine grace, to 'bring them up in the nurture and admoni- tion of the Lord.' Parents are universally gratified with the arrangement. The children take delight in it. With my reverend brethren, no argument or influence is necessary to
438
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
insure their hearty zeal in feeding the Saviour's lambs. Hitherto the examination, with two or three exceptions, has been confined to the mere repeating of the words. Hereafter, it is my wish that the children be prepared for what is more properly a cate- chetical exercise, in being examined on the meaning of the words, the Scriptural authority for them, and their practical appli- cation ; and I design myself to take a part in it. A thorough trial of the experiment in my own parish, in which the children, once in a month, are catechized 'openly in the Church,' before the whole congregation, has thoroughly convinced me that no exercise can be more engaging to the children, more edifying to the people, or more profitable to the pastor."-Episcopal Address, 1835.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.