USA > New York > Kings County > Brooklyn > Lives of the clergy of New York and Brooklyn: embracing two hundred biographies of eminent living men in all denominations. Also, the history of each sect and congregation, Pt. 2 > Part 1
USA > New York > New York City > Lives of the clergy of New York and Brooklyn: embracing two hundred biographies of eminent living men in all denominations. Also, the history of each sect and congregation, Pt. 2 > Part 1
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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
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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOCY COLLECTION
FLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 01150 3155
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Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/livesofclergyofn02patt
2770
LIVES
OF THE
CLERGY OF NEW YORK
AND
BROOKLYN:
EMBRACING
Two Hundred Biographies of Eminent Living Men in all Denominations.
Pt. 2
ALSO, THE
HISTORY OF EACH SECT AND CONGREGATION.
BY J. ALEXANDER PATTEN.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PORTRAITS ON STEEL:
"LIGHTS OF THE WORLD, AND STARS OF HUMAN RACE."-Cowper.
NEW YORK: ATLANTIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1874.
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY CHICAGO
1851313
REV. G. FREDERICK KROTEL, D. D.
a satisfactory increase. The Sunday school has two hundred scholars.
Dr. Krotel received his degree of D. D. from the University of Pennsylvania about 1865. IIe is the author of a translation of the "Life of Philip Melancthon ;" of a volume on the " Beatitudes," and other smaller works.
He is slightly under the medium height, with a compact, well- proportioned figure. His head is of more than the average size, with large features. His complexion is light, with an inclination to sallow- ness. IIe has a prominent brow, clear intelligent eyes, and altogether one of those calm good faces which win regard. While his manners show a great deal of modesty, he is a man who maintains himself with dignity and propriety on all occasions. He is courteous, and has that fluent and happy power of conversation which renders him a most agreeable social companion. His mind is of the serious re- · flective kind, and he is always much absorbed in his studies; but at the same time there are few men who have more cheerfulness and geniality in personal intercourse. There is an invariable warmth in his greeting with all persons, and his friendship is tender and lasting.
Dr. Krotel is a very sedate, serious kind of preacher. It has never been the practice of his denomination to encourage or tolerate anything else. They go to their churches to worship, and not merely to "assist" at an ostentatious display of pulpit oratory. Their pastors are never vain persons, seeking the ends of personal ambition, but godly men, preaching Christ and Him crucified.
Dr. Krotel expounds the Scriptures with a thoroughness of learn- ing, and a keen and logical style of argument, which arrest undivided attention. His language is very plain and matter-of-fact, but it is completely to the point and full of force. His arguments cover the whole ground, and they are not only learned, but clear and fair ex- planations of the subject. He affords instruction at the same time that he touches the tender emotions and spurs the mind and heart to heavenly aspirations. In a word, he is a sound, reliable, pious man, who bends the whole energies of his nature and talents to the salva- tion of mankind.
Dr. Krotel considers the national distinctions, especially in regard to the preaching in the German language, which have prevailed in the Lutheran Church in the United States, as a fatal obstacle to its progress among the masses. Hence he is dirceting his labors to the removal of these barriers. He seeks to draw into his new organiza-
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tion not particularly the German, or the men or women of any par- ticular nationality, but all who are willing to accept the principles of faith of the Reformed church. It must not be supposed that his effort to Anglicize the Lutheran Church is willingly acquiesced in by all its preachers and people. On the contrary, it is strenuously re- sisted in many quarters by those who cling to the language of the fatherland.
Dr. Krotel has every requisite in talents and energy for his work. In the pulpit and out of it he has those characteristics which are always effective agents in securing popular favor. He is able not only to declaim but to teach ; and in all his personal relations he is one who practices his own precepts. His religious duties, and the welfare of those committed to his spiritual charge, form the chief subject of his thoughts. He is consistent, pious, and faithful, and is not less a guide to the people than an example to his professional brethren.
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REV. FRANCIS E. LAWRENCE, D. D.,
RECTOR OF THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY COMMUNION, (EPISCOPAL), NEW YORK.
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EV. DR. FRANCIS E. LAWRENCE was born in the village of Flushing, Long Island, May 12th, 1827. He was graduated at St. Paul's College, at that place, in 1848, and at the Episcopal General Theological Semin- ary, New York, in 1852. He was made a deacon of the Epis- copal Church at the Church of the Annunciation, New York, by Bishop Chase, of New Hampshire, in the same year, and priest at Trinity Church, by Bishop Wainright, in 1853. At the close of his seminary course he became assistant of Dr. William A. Muhlenberg, at the Church of the Holy Communion, afterward, associate rector, and on the retirement of Dr. Muhlenberg, in 1859, sole rector of the parish, and is still in charge. He received his degree of D. D. from Trinity College, in 1869.
The Free Church of the Holy Communion was founded by Dr. Muhlenberg in 1846. The buildings were erected by Mrs. A. C. Rogers, a sister of Dr. Muhlenberg, as a memorial of her deceased husband. The church was consecrated in December, 1846, by Bishop Ives, then of North Carolina, but later a proselyte to the Catholic faith. The site, on the corner of Sixth avenue and Twentieth street, is one of the most eligible in the city, and the whole property is now valued at almost cighty thousand dollars. Adjoining the church on Sixth avenue an edifice was erected by the liberality of John II. Swift, Esq., which is occupied as a free school for the poor of the church, and is under the charge of an Episcopal sisterhood, known as the "Sisters of the Holy Communion." This sisterhood was founded by Dr. Muhlenberg, and now consists of some twelve persons. They have also charge of St. Luke's Hospital, of which Dr. Muhlenberg is the superintendent and pastor. The church of the Holy Communion has about four hundred and fifty communicants, and the Sunday School has three hundred and fifty children. The day school has
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REV. FRANCIS E. LAWRENCE, D. D.
sixty children. Two religious services are held daily, and the com- munion is administered weekly. The parish is large, and is in a most prosperous condition.
Dr. Lawrence is under the medium height, well proportioned, and an active, energetic sort of person. He has a round head, sandy complexion, and a countenance which betokens intelligence and am- iable qualities of character. His manners are entirely plain and un- assuming, while characterized by a great deal of courtesy and kind- ness.
He has been brought up in a strict school of religious discipline, as a protege of the venerable and pious Muhlenberg. Devoting him- self to the church has been to abandon the world. With him, his induction into the holy offices of the church was that he should yield himself wholly to spiritual duties. He is a priest of the Most High, and always engaged in labors which belong to his spiritual position. His church is open twice every day, and he stands at its altar dis- pensing the word of the Lord. Works of daily charity, efforts in the cause of education and in the propagation of the faith of his church, are the duties to which he esteems himself called. He has no com- mission to meddle in secular matters, to expound on politics, or at- tack public measures or men. He might make a great deal more noise in the world, as others have done, if he changed his attitude in these particulars, but he will not do it. He will not do it, because he belongs, like his illustrious guide and example in the priesthood, to those who discipline themselves to the spiritual life as the only one proper in the clergyman.
Dr. Lawrence is a very good speaker, but not in any sense a showy one. He makes everything clear to the hearer. Ile argues his case closely, and at all times there is the most complete evidence of sin- cerity and a devout appreciation of his holy theme. He does not present himself as an orator, and he avoids every word, attitude, and gesture which can give any especial prominence to himself in the mind of the listener. Here again he shows how fully he has given himself to the spiritual character. His part in all the services of the sanctuary is performed as a pricst, inspired in and by the discharge of holy functions. He not only feels his responsibility, but the sacred dignity of the position. He shows that he considers the altar and the pulpit a more sacred place than the usual haunts of men, and he leads in the worship of fallen mortals offered to a forbearing God. It is not an easy task to describe this condition of mind or of
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REV. FRANCIS E. LAWRENCE, D. D.
scene. It is a matter which appeals more especially to the personal emotions. Hence, when you go to the Church of the Holy Com- munion you are likely to feel the wonderful impressiveness of this clergyman, who officiates with such a perfect understanding of the proprieties and dignity of religious services.
With his parishioners Dr. Lawrence is a most popular man. He is regarded as their friend and spiritual guide, with that trustfulness which is founded in mutual love. Ile has a vast experience in the qualities of the human heart, and he seldom fails in adopting the best mode to secure the respect and confidence of those with whom he comes in contact. With children he is equally successful ; indeed, with these, his amiable, cheerful traits win from them the most ardent response to his own friendship and love.
It is pleasant to turn to one who is so pre-eminently the humble- minded Christian in all his walks. Fame may not elevate him so speedily-and perhaps not at all-to one of her niches ; but he will always have the respect of the right-thinking and the inestimable re- ward of his own conscience.
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RIGIIT REV. A. N. LITTLEJOHN, D. D., BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF LONG ISLAND.
IGHT REV. A. N. LITTLEJOHN, D. D., Bishop of the Diocese of Long Island, was born in Mont- gomery County, New York, December 13th, 1824. He was graduated at Union College in 1845, and was ordained a Deacon of the Episcopal Church March 18th, 1848. He officiated at St. Ann's Church, Amsterdam, New York, and at St. Andrew's Church, Meriden, Connec- ticut, for a period of nearly two years, and was ordained to the priesthood in November, 1850, soon after entering upon the rector- ship of Christ Church, Springfield, Massachusetts. After a ministry there of a little more than one year, he was called to St. Paul's Church, New Haven ; and thence, after a service of nine years, to the rectorship of the Church of the Holy Trinity, corner of Clinton and Montague streets, Brooklyn. This is one of the largest and most important parishes of that city. Through the efforts of Dr. Littlejohn, a large amount of money was raised toward paying the debt of the Church. The contributions during the year 1863 were nearly twenty-seven thousand dollars. In January of the same year over twenty thousand dollars were laid upon the altar at one time for the reduction of the debt.
After a highly popular ministry of about eight years in this parish, Dr. Littlejohn was elected Bishop of the newly created diocese of Long Island. His consecration took place at the Church of the Holy Trinity, January 27th, 1869.
He is recognized as most efficient in the discharge of his duties and is justly admired and beloved throughout his diocese. The Episcopalians of Long Island Diocese report sixty-five resident ministers, eighty-two churches, 10,519 communicants, and 1,502 Sun- day-school teachers and 7,000 scholars.
In 1854, Dr. Littlejohn delivered, in Philadelphia, the first of a series of discourses by various bishops and clergymen on the
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A. N. LITTLEJOHN D. D.
"Evidences of Christianity." The series was subsequently pub- lished, with an able introduction by Bishop Potter, of Pennsyl- vania. Dr. Littlejohn's sermon was recognized as pre-eminently pow- erful in thought and logic, and obtained for him the degree of D. D. from the University of Pennsylvania, in 1856. For several years he performed the duties of lecturer on "Pastoral Theol- ogy " at the Berkely Divinity School, Middletown, Conn. He is prominently connected with the management of the Home Missions of the Episcopal Church. During his last rectorship he became a director of the "Society for the Increase of the Ministry," a member of the Ex- ecutive Committee of the "Sunday School Union and Church Book Society," and president of the " Home of the Aged and Orphans on the Church Charity Foundation." He was for many years a contrib- utor to the " American Quarterly Church Review." Among the articles most favorably known to the public are reviews of Sir James Stephens' "Lectures on the History of France," Cousin's " History of Modern Philosophy," the " Character and Writings of Coleridge," the "Poems of George Herbert," and Miss Beecher's " Bible and the People." He has likewise published many sermons.
We make the following eloquent selection from a sermon preached by Dr. Littlejohn, before the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Connecticut, June 12th, 1855 :
"To ascertain whether the preaching of to-day be what it might and ought to be, it is not needful to compare it with the preaching of other periods. Among the various forms through which it passed before, and through which it has passed since the Reformation, it may be better than some and worse than others. It may be better than the preaching of Origen, vitiated by all gories, or that of Nazianzen, overladen with affectations of rhetoric. It may be inferior, again, to the preaching of St. Basil and St. Chrysostom, whose fervid grandeur, impetuous energy, and scriptural simplicity redeemed the weakness of a preceding age, and made Con- stantinople and Antioch the classic grounds of Christian eloquence. It may be better than the medieval church, when with worship, doctrine, discipline, and priesthood, it suffered a common petrifaction. On the other hand, it may be worse, less bold, less trenchant, less a medium and a result of God's word, than the style of those standard-bearers of a newly reformed church, who were summoned from the silence of the altar and the constraints of an intricate ritualism, to participate in the excitements of free discussion and pulpit address. So, too, it may be inferior in wealth of erudition and elaborateness of finish to the preaching of the illustrious divines of the seventeenth century, while it is greatly in advance, in every essen- tial regard, of that which prevailed in the eighteenth, when, but too gen. rally, the prophets, evangelists, and apostles gave way to Tully, Epictetus, and Plato.
"Let such comparisons result as they may ; let us stand where we will in refer- ence to the styles and methods of by-gone ages ; it is agreed on all sides that the preaching of to-day does not adequately meet the exigencies of the timo. It is
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A. N. LITTLEJOHN D. D.
agreed that it does not speak with the authority, unction, and power to be expected from so divine a gift that, instead of ruling, it is ruled by the dominant tendencies of the secular thought ; that it fails to echo the virtues and inspirations of the word of God ; that it is neither great as an exhibition of Christian intellect, nor earnest as an organ of Christian spirituality; that men smile when it thunders, and sleep when it persuades ; that it addresses more Felixes who yawn than Felixes who tremble. And yet it is equally agreed by all fair observers that it is not lacking in many of the higher sources of influence-as sprightliness, culture, versatility, and occasional eloquence. Nor is it considered wanting in learning, in knowledge of the Gospel theory, or of human nature, nor in ready command of the fruits and appliances of intellectual activity. Nor, again, so far as the church pulpit is concerned, can it be urged as a cause of the present debility and stagnation, that it has forsaken its legitimate topics for the curious novelties of the hour, or has condescended to humor the caprices of the fickle multitude.
"Where, then, is this defect ? Where is the seat of the paralysis of so mighty a gift ? What is needed to redeem it from this pious weakness and decent mediocrity ? How shall it regain its lost dominion over the sources of public sentiment, and inspire the world with a due reverence for its claims as one of the instrumentalities of God for the redemption of man? Brethren, we who have been ordained to this holy function, there is but one way back to the heights of power, and we must each, in our places, begin to travel it. We must look anew into our commission. With purged sight, let us try to see in it the very handwriting of the church's Head, and the baptism of the Pentecostal fire ; let us lay hold upon the gift as it is rooted in the grace and sanctum of the living God ; let us use it as a thing fed by the eternal Spirit, and as a constituted part of a supernatural order ; let us grasp it in its spiritual aspects, and on the side lying next the unseen world. Spiritual in its origin, spiritual in its nature, spiritual in its object, preaching, to the great, must be the work of the spiritual mind. A profound spirituality of private experience, an experience of the death that is in us, and the life that is in Christ-a trial of the griefs and joys, the pains and consolations springing from the conflict of the death of nature and the life of grace : it is this that conditions and measures the power of preaching. It was this that made Paul, in spite of slowness of speech and mean- ness of stature, the mightiest of Christian orators. It was this likeness unto the ministry of his Master, this actual bearing about within his soul of the blood and the agony of Calvary, and the glory and the triumph of the risen Jesus that silenced Athens, Ephesus, and Corinth, when presuming to compare him with some inferior name."
Dr. Littlejohn is above the medium height, with a well-formed, stately person. His head is large, the face is wide, and the features are molded into marked expressiveness, though they lack in regu- larity. The mouth, for instance, is disproportionately large, while the prominent, curved under lip gives a scornful expression to the countenance. His hair, which is of a light color, is worn combed behind the ears; and the broad, high, strikingly intellectual fore head is presented in uninterrupted view. Here the eye of the observer lingers pleasantly, for the characteristics are those of the most exalted degree of mental power. The severity and scornful. 324
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A. N. LITTLEJOHN D. D.
ness of the lower portion of the face here melts into the light and beauty of intellectuality, speaking especially in the full, clear cyes. With considerable reserve of manners, he has so much high-toned, thoughtful courtesy, and is such an agrecable conversationalist that intercourse with him is not less unrestrained than pleasant. He never himself loses sight of his reverend character, nor will he suffer you to do so, but his inclination to sociableness is quite evident. His deportment, in all respects, is that most becoming to one holding a religious and scholarly position like his own, and, with his language, is at once an example and an incentive to all with whom he comes in contact.
Dr. Littlejohn is one of the ablest preachers in the Episcopal pulpit. His sermons are thorough in the masterly exposition of the theme, and equally able in polish and effectiveness of diction. There is no stiltedness and no hesitancy in the argument; no dimness and no mystification in the expressions ; all stand out powerful and manifest, convincing and brilliant. On subjects of learned rescarch, on points of church doctrine, and in moral discussions, he shows equal ability, and reaches the convictions of his hcarers by the one road of intelligent, eloquent reasoning. His style of delivery is subducd, and exceedingly well disciplincd. His words, rather than himself, are impassioned. Whatever strength his thoughts may gain from their mode of delivery, it never arises from anything like excitement in himself, but altogether from a distinct, firm voice, and a manner which is almost that of authority. His sentences rise into the grander conception of logic, and they grow touching with pious seriousness ; he startles the minds and stirs the hearts of others ; but he remains calm and emotionless himself. In fact, he belongs to that school of preachers who have an ever present consciousness of the responsible position in which their sacred calling has placed them, and who appeal to reason, and through it to feeling. They stand in the pulpit clothed with all dignity, and their cloquence con- sists in the graces of scholarship, and not in boisterous declamation. Pre-eminent among this learned and honored class, Dr. Littlejohn has his appropriate place. Avoiding cvery tendency to render the preacher conspicuous, he only sccks to make the sermon a fitting part of man's intelligent worship in the house of the ever-living God.
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·
REV. ROBERT LOWRY,
LATE PASTOR OF TIIE IIANSON PLACE BAP- TIST CHURCHI, BROOKLYN.
EV. ROBERT LOWRY was born in Philadelphia, March 26th, 1826. After a course of carlier instruction in his native city, he entered the University of Pennsylvania, where he was graduated, subsequently perfecting his theo- logical investigations by the use of a series of lectures, deliv- ered at Newton Theological Seminary. He graduated with the highest honors of the University, delivering the valedictory address. While at the University he conducted a protracted meeting at a place in the vicinity, which ultimately led to the founding of a church, of which he took charge until his graduation. He was ordained in 1854, and at once settled over the First Baptist Church, West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he remained about four years. He next became pastor of the Bloomingdale Baptist Church, New York city, and in May, 1861, commenced pastoral relations with the Hanson Place Baptist Church, Brooklyn. Mr. Lowry has published va- rious sermons and addresses, and a number of hymns and songs. His poetical compositions are to be found in the " Athenaeum Collection," "Sunday School Bell," "Children's Choir," "Young Reaper," a Sunday school periodical, and some in sheet music. The hymns are chiefly for Sunday school services, and in many instances Mr. Lowry is the composer of the music as well as the author of the words. During the Presidential campaign of 1856 he edited a Republican paper, called the Independent, at West Chester.
.
After a ministry of some years at Hanson Place Church, Mr. Lowry became Professor of Rhetoric in the University at Lewisburg, Pa., where he still remains. He is also pastor of the Baptist church there.
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REV. ROBERT LOWRY.
Mr. Lowry is slightly above the medium height, with a fairly proportioned figure. His head is of the long kind, physically speak- ing, with the face well filled out, healthful looking, and moderately intellectual. He has quiet, pleasant eyes, and generally an amiable, attractive countenance. In his maimers he is unrestrained and cordial. To the casual observer he looks like an easy-going, tract- able, impressible character, but really is exactly the reverse. He is a man of strong, impassioned convictions, and you have only to touch the spring of feeling. when your lamb is transformed into a lion. That which he believes, he believes with the strength of his whole nature, and that which he hates, he hates with the bitterness of abhorrence and rage. He is most sensitive to all that effects these opinions. His heart is often on fire when his lips move not, and he turns from those who have no sympathy with him only to renew the vow of his own steadfastness. The depth of his feelings, the warmth of his eulogy, and the intensity of his denunciation are best seen in his writings. Here the heart seems to break forth in unchecked out-pourings, and its agitation and surgings are shown in words of great earnestness. He writes with a self-evident purpose, and effect- ually to the point, and his pen is not only fluent, but he has command of that kind of sledge-hammer language which is very apt to crumble opposite theories into powder. He always exhibits much com- prehensiveness in regard to the subject of his disquisitions, argues his own side in a terse, epigrammatic, eloquent way, and assaults the other with sneers, sarcasm, and blunt, bitter epithet. His ordinary sermons have not the power of his occasional sermons and addresses. The former are delivered extempore, from brief notes, while the latter are more thoughtful, scholarly productions. Ile speaks with con- siderable fluency, but with much less than he exercises in writing, and there is wanting that graphicness and vigor which impart so much to the interest of his literary efforts. As a preacher, he is effective, without being brilliant, while in his writings he may justly be regarded as both. He has an agreeable voice, and at times be- comes quite animated, generally closing his sermons with some mov- ing appeal. 327
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