USA > New Jersey > The New Jersey coast in three centuries; history of the New Jersey coast with genealogical and historic-biographical appendix, Vol. I > Part 28
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One writer (the Rev. Morgan Edwards, in his "History of the Bap- tists of New Jersey"), is satisfied that John Bowne was the first minister and the donor of the first lot upon which the first meeting house was built, and upon this statement has been founded the assertion that this first 17
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meeting house was built by Baptists for their own use. This last propo- sition, however, has been called in question by a highly capable and careful local investigator and writer ( Mr. James Steen), who shows it to be doubt- ful, if not absolutely untenable.
Returning to the one uncontroverted fact that John Bowne was the first minister, it is to be remembered that the settlement at Middletown was made under the conditions imposed by Governor Nicolls, one of which was that "every township is obliged to pay their minister according to such agreement as they shall make with them and no man to refuse his propor- tion, the Minister being elected by the Major part of the Householders Inhabitants of the town." The liberality of this concession is remarkable, when it is remembered that the granting authority came from a servant. of that monarch who was at once King and Defender of the Faith-the faith being that of the Established Church of England.
In 1684 Peter Watson, a Scotchman living in Perth Amboy, wrote to a friend in Scotland, referring to the several towns in East Jersey: "There are very good, religious people, they go under the name of Independents, but are most like the Presbyterians. * The people meet together every Sabbath day and read and pray and sing psalms in their meeting- house."
At this time, Watson must have been familiar with the conditions at Middletown, for he was then negotiating for property in that township (at Matawan) and it is presumable that he had the Middletown meeting- house in mind. And so, from the evidence, and from what we know of the beginnings of a church in a new settlement, it would appear that the early Middletown meeting-house was what would be now called a Union Church, such as many Jerseymen yet living have aided in establishing in the western States-a church wherein people of all denominations assem- bled for worship, ministered to by clergymen of various denominations, until, as the community increased, there came to be a sufficient number of a particular faith to separate from their fellows and set up a church so- ciety of their own. And so it doubtless was with the Baptists, Presby- terians. Quakers and Puritans who met together in John Bowne's first meeting house. In all probability, at one time or other-for meetings were held irregularly-all were privileged to hear preachers of their own sect: Morgan, the Dutch dominie; Innes, the Scotch non-juring clergyman; Ashton. a Baptist, and others. Of the old meeting-house itself, it is to be said that, according to neighborhood tradition, it was primarily built for town purposes. It passed into decay, but the spiritual light kindled within its walls survived its fall, to illuminate other neighborhoods and other generations of worshippers.
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From out of the old meeting-house came those of all sects who in time erected houses of worship of their own. It is pleasant to know that tradition has faithfully preserved the description of those early church buildings, and of the manner of service which they witnessed.
The early church building was of the utmost plainness, for the people were plain in themselves and in all about them, and there was no market to provide luxuries and adornments. The plain board sides were destitute of paint, inside and out, and it was long before there was either fireplace or stove. For some years the Dutch churches were entirely without seats; in others there were benches of rough hewn planks. The Episcopalians set up a modest altar, which was afterward adorned as means and ma- terials would permit. These people, with a beautiful and time-honored ritual, engaged in the service to which they had been accustomed in the mother country, but with less elaboration for want of music, and that service is substantially the same to-day, saving the slight changes made necessary on account of the altered political conditions growing out of the Revolution. The Dutch were true to the traditions of their native land, and their mode of worship was what they had been accustomed to from their youth. The Quakers sat mute in their meetings until they were moved to speech by the Holy Ghost, and there are those now living who, in their youth, attended their gatherings Sunday after Sunday for weeks without hearing a spoken word.
The Presbyterian Church was impressive in a manner peculiar to itself. The pulpit stood high up, and in front of it was a low platform whereon were seated the elders. The worshippers came well prepared for their religious duties. With them the Sabbath was already well begun. The women devoted Saturday to cooking food for that sacred day whereon no avoidable labor was to be performed, and Saturday night had been given to religious meditation. At such an hour, too, some member of the family would read a chapter or two from the Scriptures, or from one of those volumes treasured in nearly every Presbyterian home-often the entire family library-Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," Baxter's "Saints' Everlasting Rest," Young's "Night Thoughts," or Doddridge's "Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul."
The Sabbath church service began with a solemn prayer which con- tinued for a quarter of an hour or more, and after this a chapter of the Bible was read and expounded. The singing was most impressive. Only the Psalms were used-it was before the days of hymns-and these were according to the quaint version of Rouse, of which the following ( Psalm xxii) is a beautiful example :
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"The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want, He makes me down to lie In pastures green ; he leadeth me The quiet waters by.
My soul he doth restore again And me to walk doth make Within the paths of righteousness Ev'n for his own name's sake.
Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale Yet will I fear none ill; For thou art with me, and thy rod And staff me comfort still.
My table thou hast furnished In presence of my foes ; My head thou dost with oil anoint And my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my life Shall surely follow me; And in God's house for ever more My dwelling-place shall be."
The Psalm was "given out" by the minister or an elder, two lines at a time. Musical instruments were not tolerated-they were too suggestive of prelatic worship or of sinful amusements-and the Psalms were sung slowly and heartily to some dear old tune brought from the land of Knox, after the home-country fashion, as told of by Burns :
"They chant their artless notes in simple guise, They tune their hearts, by far the nobler aim. Perhaps Dundee's wild warbling measures rise, Or plaintive Martyrs, worthy of the name, Or noble Elgin beats the heav'nward flame, The sweetest far of Scotia's holy lays."
The sermon was usually pronouncedly doctrinal, and was of considera- ble length, often exceeding an hour. In many churches an hour-glass stood upon the pulpit, and, on ordinary occasions, the preacher was expected to finish the "lastly" of his discourse with the running out of the sands, but there were instances when the glass was turned the second and even the third time before the conclusion was reached. If no minister were present, an elder would read a discourse from a volume of sermons by some noted divine of an earlier day, even so ancient a worthy as the martyred Latimer.
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After the sermon, another prayer was offered, and another Psalm was sung. On occasion a baptism took place, immediately after the regular service, and, once each month, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered in connection with the service. There was frequently an afternoon service, but very seldom was there one at night, and not then until the days of sconces and tallow dips.
Mrs. Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbilt has written of the mode of wor- ship in the early Dutch churches on Long Island, and families in Mon- mouth county, New Jersey, preserve similar traditions relating to the churches of their ancestors in the region wherein they now live. Mrs. Vanderbilt writes :
"A board, on which were placed the numbers of the Psalms to be sung during the service, was hung in a conspicuous position, for all the mem- bers of the congregation were expected to take part in the singing. These curious old Psalm books had silver corners and clasps. There were also small silver rings on them; through these were cords or long silver chains, by means of which they were hung on the backs of the chairs when chairs were used instead of pews. We look with interest at the quaint four-sided notes printed on the bars, for each Psalm was set to music, and we wonder how they sang in those days, slowly, of course, for there are no short notes. The New Testament and Psalms were bound together, and these were carried to church every Sunday.
"It is probable that many Dutch families own one or more of these books still. Some of them were published at Dordrecht, in 1758, others in Amsterdam, in 1728, and there may be others of a still earlier date. The title page is as follows:
"Het NIEUWE TESTAMENT ofte alle Boeken Des Nieuwen Verbondts ouzes HEEREN JESU CHRISTI door last van de H. M. Heeren Staten General der Vereenigde Nederlangen en volgens het besluit von de Sinode Nationale gehoudin in de Jaren 1618 en de 1619 tot Dordrecht 1758.
"Below the date of the copy from which the above was taken is a lion holding a sword, encircled with the motto "Een dracht maakt macht." A picture of a city facing the North Sea finishes the page. Most of the books which have been preserved in the families of the Dutch are of a religious character, and we cannot but feel that they were a religious
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people. Although the Psalms only were sung in the churches, they were fond of sacred poetry. In a time-stained book entitled 'Finding the Way to Heaven,' published at Nymegen, in 1752, which seems to have kept its place beside the Dutch Bible, we find an old hymn to which the well-worn volume opens at once, as if to some favorite page :
"Den Hemel zelf, Dat schoon gewelf, Daar't dag is zonder' nachten : Is't hoog vertrek darr't Engelen choor,
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Al zingend ous verwachten. O zalig! zalig Zinken ! O zalig to verdrinken! In't eenwig zalig ligt."
The Methodists reared their houses of worship somewhat later, but in their primitive temples in New Jersey was Methodism exhibited in all its pristine vigor. The oratory of their preachers was fervently exhorta- tory. Little stress was laid upon doctrine, but every faculty was called into play to arrest the attention of the sinner and turn him aside from the paths of iniquity. Startling stories are told of some of those early-day pul- piteers. On one occasion, at a meeting held in the woods, after Freeborn Garretson had delivered a fervent discourse, the Rev. Benjamin Abbott arose and, looking over the congregation with a penetrating gaze, pointed significantly at a man and exclaimed, "Lord, begin the work; Lord, begin the work now; Lord, begin the work just there!" And the one upon whom he looked and to whom he pointed "fell as suddenly as if he had been shot, and cried for mercy." It is said of the same noted divine that a terrific thunder-storm broke while he was preaching in a church building on the coast. His voice was wellnigh overwhelmed by the tremendous noises of nature, when he rose to a supreme effort, and exclaimed in stentorian tones, "Thunder outside, my Lord, while I thunder within!" And the annalist says that "men and women all through the house suddenly fell, as though a frigate had poured a broadside of shot into the congregation."
About 1827 Thomas G. Stewart was junior preacher on the Free- hold circuit. Of him it was said that he was a small man, but with such ponderous voice that "he thundered when he preached." His ser- mon would often affect his congregation to tears. At one time his fervor led him into a protracted exordium wherein he lost his thread of language, and he broke off abruptly with the exclamation "I would not give the grace of God for all the grammar in the world!" and then made a fresh beginning in his discourse. He would pray (as was said by one who heard
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him) "as if heaven and earth were coming together." At the conclusion, he would make an appeal to the unconverted, and then, not waiting to go down the pulpit stairs, would jump over the front of the pulpit and address himself personally to those who were without the pale of the church.
But the primitive house of worship has passed away and the old- time Christian ministers and laymen have left no descendants of their own kind. Each sect now rears such ornate temple as its means will permit. and frequently anticipates the future by incurring a great debt in its build- ing. In the conduct of worship only the staid Quakers maintain any sem- blance of the original simplicity, and even they have their regular preach- ing and their Sunday-school. The Presbyterians, who so abhorred any- thing at all imitative of what they regarded as Catholicism, repeat the Creed, chant the Gloria, read the Psalms antiphonally with the minister, and sing popular hymns led by a grand organ and a salaried choir. In only a few feeble congregations of Covenanters, well back in the remote hill regions, are the old traditions preserved. The followers of Wesley vie with their Presbyterian brethren in making their service elaborate, even to the introduction of vested choirs, and the old time revival and powerful exhortation remain only in story.
Not long after their coming the Scotch Presbyterians had developed sufficient numerical strength to enter upon the work of rearing a church of their own. A number of this people who had come to America, as previously narrated, had settled (about 1685) near the site of the present village of Matawan, and named their settlement New Aberdeen, but the larger part of the company went further and located about and near a well-timbered eminence, to which they gave the name of "Free Hill." about five miles northwest of the present town of Freehold. Here, under the leadership of Godly men, among whom was Walter Ker, an Elder in the Church of Scotland, who had been banished from his native land because of his religion, was founded (in 1692, as near as is ascertainable) the "Old Scots Church." For this the claim has been made that it was "the first one settled with the gospel ministry in East Jersey west (south) of the Raritan River." It is doubtful if this is entirely accurate, but it is scarcely to be questioned that it was the first recognized Presbyterian Church in that region, and "the small beginning of a great stream of or- ganized American Presbyterianism." Its organization is quaintly set forth in the court records of Monmouth county, as follows :
"The meeting House for Religious Worship belonging to the Protist- ant discenters Called ye Presbyterions of ye town of Freehold In ye County of Monmouth in ye Province of New Jersey is Scituate built lying & being
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at & upon a pece of Rising ground or little hill Commonly known & Called by the name of free hill In sd town.
"Mr. John Boyd . Minister of the sd Presbyterians of ye town of free- hold did also Parsonally appear & did desire that he might be admitted to qualify as the law directs in that behalf."
December 27, 1706, this piece of ground, destined to become historic for all time, was the scene of a memorable event, for then and there was held, so far as is established by record evidence, the first meeting of a Presbytery, and when occurred the first Presbyterian ordination in Amer- ica. The Rev. Francis Makemie, whose memory is revered as "Father of the American Presbyterian Church," was the moderator, and other cler- gymen present were the Rev. Jedediah Andrews and the Rev. John Hamp- ton, respectively the first pastors of the first Presbyterian Churches in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Snow Hill, Maryland. The occasion of this Presbyterial assembly was the examination and ordination of the first pastor of the "Old Scots Church," John Boyd, who had come from Glas- gow, Scotland, to enter upon the sacred office. It is presumable that, prior to his coming, services were conducted by Elder Ker, who has been previ- ously mentioned.
The memories attaching to the "Old Scots Church" are at once glori- ous and pathetic. Within little more than a half-century, it had fallen into disuse and decay. Father Boyd died about two years after entering upon his ministry, leaving behind him evidence of a permanent influence for good. He was buried under the eaves of the church, and upon his tomb was laid a brown sandstone slab bearing an inscription in Latin. Nearly one hundred and seventy-five years later (in 1883) the stone was cleansed of the dirt and lichens which covered it, and was planted upright at the head of the grave. This stone was subsequently committed to the custody of the Presbyterian Historical Society and placed in the Presbyterian Building in Philadelphia, and upon the spot whence it was taken the Synod of New Jersey erected a beautiful and enduring monument, rarely sig- nificant in conception and execution.
This beautiful structure is of granite brought from Scotland, Ireland and New England, thus commemorating the lands whence came the men who composed the Presbytery of 1706. The undressed base is of Vermont granite, and upon this is imposed second and third bases of fine Irish grey- stone. Reared upon these, of Scotch granite, are four cornered pillars bearing arches which support an ornate central shaft terminating in a thistle, the emblem of Scotland.
The various inscriptions are of great significance. Upon the base ap-
PIENTISSIMI DOMIN JO ANNIS BO DIJ CINERES ECCLESLAE HIVJVS VINI PASTOR HIC DEFODIHINTER SV M OPERM IVMVIS STERLI SOLDO CONSVNPTM NON PERDIDIT IVI ILLIM PERNOVERVNT ALIE VIRTVTIBUS INGENTIS ILLO TE NPORE DIGNITTEM EJVS EX PLORAVERVN LECTOR VESTIG IA ILLIVS PERSETIERE ET T E BETIM FORE SPERO MOR TEM OBIJT TRICESIMO DIE AIGUSTI MILLESIMO SEP TINGENESIMO OCTAVO ETTIS SULÆ VICESIMO NONO
FACSIMILE OF THE ORIGINAL EPITAPH
ERECTED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY IN 1899
TO RECOGNIZE THE GOOD PROVIDENCE OF GOD IN PLANTING THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THIS COUNTRY AND TO COMMEMORATE THE FIRST RECORDED ORDINATION BY A PRESBYTERY IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES
THE GENERAL PRESBYTERY ASSEMBLING IN THE OLD SCOTS MEETING HOUSE ON THIS GROUND. DECEMBER 29 1706 ORDAINED JOHN BOYD WHO DIED AUGUST 30 1708 AND WAS BURIED HERE
THE ASHES OF THE VERY PIOUS MASTER JOHN BOYD, PASTOR OF THIS CHURCH OF CALVIN, ARE BURIED HERE. HIS LABOR. ALTHOUGH EXPENDED ON BARREN GROUND, HE DID NOT LOSE. THOSE WHO KNEW HIM WELL ALSO PROVED HIS WORTH, AT THAT TIME DISTINGUISHED FOR HIS VIRTUES. READER. FOLLOW PERSEVERINGLY HIS FOOTSTEPS. AND I HOPE THOU WILT BE HAPPY. HE DIED THE THIRTIETH DAY OF AUGUST. ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND EIGHT. IN THE TWENTY-NINTH YEAR OF HIS AGE.
TABLETS OF BOYD MONUMENT.
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pears the words "Religious Liberty"-the legend of the Presbyterian Church of Monmouth county-and on the second base is the inscription :
"To the untiring efforts of the Rev. Allen Henry Brown, which led to the erection of this monument, this tablet is set as a memorial by the Synod of New Jersey."
Enclosed within the columns of the monument are four bronze tab- lets, one of which is as yet uninscribed. The one in front contains the ded- catory inscription, the one on the west side contains a fac-simile of the original epitaph upon the tombstone of Father Boyd, and that on the east side contains the English translation of the same. These are shown on an- other page.
Upon each of the four gables on the central column is a representation of one of four historic seals-the seal of the Presbyterian Church North, displaying an open Bible and a serpent upon a cross ; the seal of the Presby- terian Church of Monmouth county, displaying a tree, with the legend "Religious Liberty;" the seal of the Scotch-Irish Society of America -- an American flag upon which is imposed a shield bearing an open hand, with the legend, "Liberty and Law;" and the seal of the Presbyterian Church South-an anchor surmounted by the sacred letters "I H S" eni- closed in a sunburst, and the legend "Spes Nostra."
The monument was unveiled June 14, 1900, by Walter Kerr, of New York City, a lineal descendant of Walter Ker, the founder and first elder of the "Old Scots Church." Distinguished clergymen took part in the impressive ceremonies, and the historian of the Synod, in his account of the event, records that as the shaft appeared to public view for the first time amid great applause, "at the same instant the only rain during the ·exercises, a few large drops, fell and wet the monument, a token of heav- en's benediction upon the auspicious occasion, a Presbyterian baptism."
In the same burying ground are numerous ancient tombstones, sev- "eral of which bear Scotch names. There are also slight depressions in the ground which point to graves unmarked by memorial stones. The site of the "Old Scots Church" is identified by the outlines of the foundation of the old edifice, and the absence of graves.
After the death of Father Boyd, the Rev. Joseph Morgan became pas- tor of the "Old Scots Church" and he labored from 1709 to 1729. He was a man of considerable ability, but erratic. He ministered to the Dutch in their own language as well as to the English speaking Presbyterians, and he is more fully spoken of in connection with the Reformed Dutch Church.
In 1730 the Rev. John Tennent came to the pastorate of the "Old Scots Church," which he found in a deplorable condition. He lived only
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two years, but during this brief period he effected an excellent work in restoring the church to a condition of usefulness. He was a man of great evangelistic power, and, preceding Edwards, Whitefield and Wesley, he has been termed "the Morning Star of the Great Spiritual Awakening." In the first year of his coming the congregation built another house of worship on White Hill, five miles south of the parent edifice. An incident of its founding (given on the authority of the Rev. Frank R. Symmes, in his "History of the Old Tennent Church") is curiously indicative of the tenacity with which the sturdy Scotch people adhered to the literal mean- ing of the sacred word. At the laying of the corner-stone, those in charge. had fixed upon a low spot of ground for the edifice. Whereupon a Godly woman, Janet Rhea, exclaimed, "Wha ever heard o' ganging doon to the hoose o' the Lord, an' no o' ganging oop to the hoose o' the Lord?" And she picked up the stone, and climbed laboriously with it to the summit of the hill, where the building was erected.
Rev. John Tennent conducted services alternately in the two build- ings, as did his brother, William Tennent, Jr., who succeeded him. The latter named was a graduate of the school which was founded by his fa- ther-the "Log College," ever famous in the educational annals of Penn- sylvania and New Jersey. The junior William Tennent, a man of deep. piety and wonderful influence, left an ineffaceable mark upon the people of his time, and set in operation influences which are yet discernible. With his name are associated some of the most important events in religious development in the Colony. In 1749 (February 21st) Governor Belcher granted a charter to the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church of Mon- mouth county, these officers representing several contiguous congrega- tions, of which the Tennent Church was the head, and including those at Shrewsbury and Allentown. In 1760 was adopted a seal of rare signifi- cance-an eight-pointed star, upon which was borne a tree enclosed by the words "Religious Liberty"-and this has been declared the oldest known corporate seal of any Presbyterian Church in America. It had long been lost sight of, when it was discovered and re-adopted in 1897 as the seal of the First Presbyterian Church of Freehold, which grew out of the old Ten- nent Church in 1838.
The "Old Scots Church" had fallen into disuse and decay, and in 1753 the new church (now known as the "Old Tennent Church") was enlarged to forty by sixty feet, double its original size. The pulpit was midway of the building on the north side. The pews were after the fashion of the day, high and narrow, and would seat about five hundred people, while a spacious gallery would seat three hundred more.
In 1777 Mr. Tennent died, after an eminently useful pastorate of
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forty-four years, lacking three months, and his remains were buried within the church, under the central aisle. Little more than a year later, the battle of Monmouth raged near by the ground, and a cannon ball struck the parsonage, entering the room which long had been his study.
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