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DEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02263 5335
.
MANUAL
OF
BROOKLYN,
NEW YORK.
182 4.
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY CHICAGO
Daily Union Print.
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Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/manualofplymouth00plym_1
MANUAL
1
Plymouth Church,
BROOKLYN. N. Y.
HENRY WARD BEECHER, Pastor.
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY CHICAGO
Fifth Edition. PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE CHURCH Is. the Year of our Lord 1874.
BROOKLYN. 1874.
1
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.
PLYMOUTH CHURCH PROPERTY.
Tue ground upon which Plymouth Church now stands, comprising seven lots, running through from Cranberry to Orange Streets, was pur- chased in 1823, of John and Jacob M. Hicks, for the erection of an edifice for the use of " The First Presbyterian Church." The Pastors who labored on this ground were Rev. Joseph Sanford, from 1823 to 1829, Rev. Daniel L. Carroll, D. D., from 1829 to 1835, and Rev. Sam- uel H. Cox, D. D., from 1837 to 1847, when the Presbyterian Society built their present house of worship upon Henry Street.
The original Church was 2 feet in length ; it was afterwards en larged by the addition of 18 feet, making it 90 feet in depth by 56 in width. The Lecture Room was 26 feet by 50 feet.
THE PURCHASE.
In 1846, John T. Howard, then a member of the Church of the Pil- grims, in Brooklyn, learning that the premises were for sale, obtained the refusal of them from the trustees, at the price of $20,000, and con- sulted with David Hale, of the Tabernacle Church, New York, as to the expedieney of establishing a new Ofngregational Church at this loca- tion. Encouraged by the promised support of Mr. Hale, Mr. Howard completed the contract of purchase on June 11, 1846. The purchase money was paid on September 9, 1846. Possession was given on the 16th of May, 1847. The final conveyance to the trustees of Plymouth Church was made on June 1, 1848, for the actual cost and interest.
OPENING OF THE CHURCH.
The first meeting of those interested in the establishment of the new Church was held at the house of Henry C. Bowen, on Saturday evening, May, 1847. Present : David Hale, of New York ; Jira Payne, John T. Howard, Charles Rowland, David Griffin and Henry C. Bowen, of Brooklyn.
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH MANUAL.
The meeting was opened by prayer ; after which David Hale, in be- half of himself and the other owners, offered the use of the property for purposes of religious worship. Whereupon it was resolved, that te- ligious services should be commenced on the 16th of May, -that being the first Sunday after the house was to be vacated.
On Sunday morning, May 16, 1847, notice having been given in the newspapers, the church was opened for religious worship.
HENRY WARD BEECHER, who was then pastor of the Second Presby- terian Church, at Indianapolis, had visited New York at this time, at the request of the American Home Missionary Society, to make a public address at its anniversary. He made other addresses of a similar nature during the second week in May, and had thus become well known to the public. He was invited to preach at the opening of this church, and accordingly preached both in the morning and evening, to andien- ces which crowded every part of the building. Rev: Mr. Eggleston, of Ellington, Conn., preached in the afternoon.
At the close of the services, public notice was given that the first of a permanent series of weekly prayer meetings would be held in the Lec- ture Room (which was then on Orange Street), on the next Friday even- ing. On that evening, about thirty persons attended. Jira Payne con- dueted the exercises, which consisted mainly in prayers for the Divine blessing upon the new enterprise.
ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH.
At the close of the prayer meeting last mentioned; held on May 21, 1847, a business meeting was held, at which, on motion of David Hale, a committee, consisting of Henry C. Bowen, Richard Hale, John T. Howard, Charles Rowland and JJira Payne, was appointed to make ar- rangements for the formation of a church, and to draw up its rules, articles of faith, &c.
By Friday evening, June 11, twenty-one persons had signified their desire to unite in the formation of the new Church ; and on that evening, the committee reported a set of rules, articles of faith, covenant, form of admission, and manual for business, which, after some amend- ment, were adopted.
On Saturday evening, June 12, 1847, a council of ministers and delegates convened at the house of John T. Howard, No. 150 (now 174) Hicks Street, by invitation of the committee. The council consisted of Revs. R. S. Storrs, Jr., S. N. Sprague, Joseph P. Thompson, D. C. Lansing and Henry Ward Beecher ; and Bros. Chandler Starr, A. B. Davenport, David Hale and Seymour Whiting. Rev. D. C. Lansing Was chosen Moderator, and Rev. I. N. Sprague, Scribe.
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH MANUAL.
The committee submitted to the council the articles of faith, cove- nant, and rules of discipline adopted, and the credentials of twenty-one persons desiring to be organized into a church ; in which organization the council were requested to assist. The council approved of what had been done, and accepted the invitation.
On Sunday evening, June 13, 1847, the church was publicly organ- ized ; the sermon for the occasion being preached by Rev. Richard S. Storrs, Jr., of the Church of the Pilgrims.
LIST OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH AT ITS ORGANIZATION.
1. John T. Howard,
11. Benjamin Burgess,
2. Henry C. Bowen,
12. Mary Burgess,
3. Lucy Maria Bowen,
13. Charles Rowland,
4. Jira Payne,
14. Maria Rowland,
5. Eliza Payne,
15. John Webb,
6. Rachel Knight,
16. Martha Webb,
7. Richard Hale,
17. Eli C. Blake,
8. Julia Hale, 18. John F. Morse,
9. Alpheus R. Turner,
19. Rebecca Morse,
10. Louisa Turner, 20. Mary Cannon,
21. David Griffin.
ORGANIZATION OF THE SOCIETY.
A meeting was held, in accordance with the laws of the State, on Monday evening, June 14, 1847, in the Lecture Room of the Church, for the purpose of organizing a religious society. Twenty persons gave in their names as members, as follows: Henry C. Bowen, John T. How- ard, Eli C. Blake, Charles Rowland, Jira Payne, Alpheus R. Turner, David Griffin, Horatio G. Abbey, Alexander Studwell, Richard Hale, John P. Montgomery, Daniel Burgess, Henry A. Chittenden, Benjamin S. Burgess, Andrew Ayres, Cornelius S. Smith, John P. Angen, Rufus Claggett, James M. Duffield, and J. Wilson Green. Jira Payne was ap- pointed chairman, and J. Wilson Green secretary, both of whom were appointed inspectors of election for trustees.
Henry C. Bowen, John T. Howard, and Daniel Burgess were elected trustees, who subsequently were divided by lot to serve, each in the order above, for the term of one, two, and three years. "The Plymouth Church " was adopted, upon deliberation, as the corporate name of the society.
The certificate of incorporation was recorded in the Clerk's Office of Kings County, on September 27, 1847.
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH MANUAL.
On May 29, 1848, the number of Trustees was, by vote of the so- ciety, increased to nine. As the statute, at that time, did not anthor- ize an increase of the number, the vote was ratified at the annual meet- ing, held January 6, 1870, in conformity with law.
CALL AND INSTALLATION OF PASTOR.
On Monday evening, June 14, 1847, the church met to choose a pastor. Only male members being then allowed to vote, eight ballots were cast, all of which were for Henry Ward Beccher; and a committee was appointed to act with the society in presenting the call. The so- ciety met for the same purpose on the same evening. Twenty members were present, all of whom voted for the same pastor.
During the summer the church was opened for religious worship three times each Sunday. Various clergymen, mostly from New Eng- land, were invited to supply the pulpit.
After some two months' delay, Henry Ward Beccher, who had re- turned to his charge in Indianapolis, accepted the call of the church in the following letter:
INDIANAPOLIS, AUGUST 19, 1847.
DEAR BROTHERS:
I desire to convey through you to the Plymouth Church and Con- gregation my acceptance of the call to the pastoral office tendered by them to me.
I cannot regard the responsibilities' of this important field without. the most serious diffidence; and I wholly put my trust in that Savionr who I am to preach in your midst. I can heartily adopt the language of Panl: " Brethren pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified."
It will be necessary for me to remain yet for some time in this place; but I hope to arrive in Brooklyn in the middle of October, or at far- thest by the first of November.
I am in Christian love, Most truly yours, H. W. BEECHER.
JNO. T. HOWARD, H. C. BOWEN, CHAS. ROWLAND, and others.
On Sunday, October 10, 1847, he commenced his labors; and on Thursday, November 11, he was publicly installed as pastor of the church and congregation, by a council called for that purpose, of which Rev. Nathaniel Hewitt, D. D., was chosen moderator, and Rev. S. W. S. Dutton, seribe.
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH MANUAL.
The services of Installation were as follows:
Invocation and Reading of the Scriptures-by Rev. Heman Hun- phrey, D. D.
Sermon-by Rev. Edward Beecher, D. D.
Installing Prayer -- by Rev. N. Hewit, D. D.
Charge to the Pastor-by Rev. D. C. Lansing, D. D.
The Fellowship of the Churches-by, Rev. R. S. Storrs, Jr.
Address to the People-by Rev. J. P. Thompson.
Concluding Prayer-by Rev. II. Bushnell, D. D.
PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH.
On the very first Sunday (October 10, 1847) upon which the pas- tor occupied the pulpit, the church was about three-fourths full in the morning, and entirely full in the evening. This continued to be the case for about four months ; after which the building was generally crowded both morning and evening. At this time an interesting revi- val of religious feeling spread through the congregation, in the course of which about seventy persons were led to hope that they had given their hearts to Christ ; about fifty of whom joined this church. Most of the others united themselves with other evangelical churches.
The church has been blessed with a frequent recurrence of revivals, particularly in the years 1849, 1852, 1855, 1857, 1858, 1862, 1865 and 1866. Of these, the revival of 1858 was attended with the most de- cided results, 335 persons having made a profession of faith under its influence. The revival of 1852 was, relatively to the previous member- ship of the church, the next in interest, 91 persons having joined upon profession during its progress. In the revival of 1866, 93 persons joined in like manner.
These revivals have been singularly free from idue excitement ; the means used in them having been such as were common at all times in the history of the church. No additional evening meetings were held before 1866, when extra meetings were appointed for Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. In every spring, from 1848 umtil 1852, inclusive, a daily morning prayer meeting was held under the conduet of the pas- tor, and this meeting was revived in 1857, 1858 and 1862, with most beneficial results. In 1870, 1871 and 1872, although no special meet- ings were held, the number joining on profession was greater than ever before, except in 1858-averaging 140 in each year.
In 1848 a social meeting was established, which was held once a fortnight, on Tuesday evenings, during every winter season until 1856. At this gathering an opportunity was afforded for making the ac-
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH MANUAL.
quaintance of the pastor, and for the promotion of friendly feeling among members of the church. The effect of these "social circles" was extremely happy ; the harmony and mutual regard of members being promoted thereby in a remarkable degree. But, for obvious reasons, the management of such meetings required very great judg- ment and care, imposing no small labor upon the pastor ; and having accomplished their design, and helped to give the church a tone of Christian sociability which, it is believed, is still maintained, their con- tinnance was deemed unnecessary.
In March, 1849, the pastor was taken with a severe illness, which confined him to the house for two months, and disabled him from preaching until September, nor did he recover his full strength until the winter. In June, 1850, the society, of its own accord, gave him leave of absence to visit Europe, and he did not return until Septem- ber. In 1856, the society, at the request of a number of eminent cler- . gymen and others, voted him leave of absence to traverse the country on behalf of the cause of liberty, then felt to be in peril. In June, 1863, the society requested him to revisit Europe for his health, which he did, returning in November. With these exceptions, the pastor has labored steadily at his post, at all times other than his regular summer vacation.
THE CHURCH BUILDINGS.
The original buildings, as already stated, consisted of a church fronting on Cranberry street, and a lecture room fronting on Orange street. These rooms were, from the first, inadequate to the wants of the congregation ; and the subject of rebuilding was already under consid- eration, when, on January 13, 1849, the structure was so seriously damaged by fire as to settle the question ; the society being unani- mously of opinion, after examination, that the church should be entire- ly rebuilt, rather than repaired.
No sooner had the congregation been deprived of their place of worship by fire than invitations were extended by ahnost all the neigh- boring churches to use their respective buildings for worship, which kindness was gratefully accepted for a period of nearly two months. Sunday-evening services were held during this time in the Church of the Pilgrims. As it was found to be impossible to conserve the inter- ests of the church and congregation while they were in such an unset- tled and migratory state, they at once decided to erect a temporary place of worship upon grounds in Pierrepont street, generously offered by Lewis Tappan. A building, 100 feet by 80, was erected in the
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH MANUAL.
brief space of thirty days ; and in this the congregation worshipped, with great pleasure and profit, until the first Sunday in January, 1850. The whole expense of the " Tabernacle," including a small study, was $2,800. The sale of the building, together with the Sunday collec- tions taken during its occupancy, more than reimbursed the original cost ; and the rents of pews were amply sufficient to meet current ex- penses. *
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A committee was appointed by the society to devise plans for the new building, of which committee Sherman Day was chairman. A rough plan of the Church, as it now exists, was drawn up by Mr. Day, in con- sultation with the pastor, who insisted upon the necessity of accommo- dating at least 2,000 persons-a number deemed by some extravagant. The committee also prepared a sketch of the other parts of the building ; and the whole was then reduced to exact proportions by J. C. Wells, the architect under whose direction the building was erected. The mason work was done by Solomon Conklin, and the carpenter work by Tappan Reeve. The corner-stone was laid May 29, 1849; and the building was completed so as to be occupied by the congregation on the first Sun- day of January, 1850, the very day specified by the contract.
The church building is 105 feet long, 80 feet broad, and 43 feet from floor to ceiling ; seating in the pews and choir gallery about 2, 100 per- sons, while with the seats by the walls and in the aisles, it accommo- dates about 2,800. There has never been the least cause for regret that the building was made so large.
Until 1857, visitors were provided with ordinary chairs or stools in the aisles. But in that year the present fixed aisle seats, attached to the pews, were invented and introduced into the church.
The lecture room, built at the same time, was 80 by 50 feet on the outside ; with a school-room above it, 64 by 24 feet, and parlors of the same size for the social circle. In 1859 these parlors were added to the school room ; but, even then, the accommodations were so deficient that in 1862 an entirely new lecture room and school-room were erected, of which more will be said in another place.
A new organ was purchased for the church in 1866, at an expense of $22,000 : it was manufactured by Messrs. Hook & Co., of Boston, and is the largest church organ in the United States.
* It may be interesting to state that the pews and doors used in the construction of this tabernacle were taken out of the old church ; that the entire structure was shipped to California on speculation, in 1850, and there recognized by Sherman Day (formerly of Plymouth Church), who purchased it for the use of a church in San Jose, where it is still occupied for public worship.
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH MANUAL.
CHURCH FINANCES.
The original buildings, when occupied by the First Presbyterian Church, were subject to a mortgage of $10,500. The remainder of the purchase money ($9,500) was raised by loans, upon the personal respon- sibility of Messrs. David Hale, John T. Howard, Henry C. Bowen, and Seth B. Hont.
The buildings erected in 1849 were paid for mainly by a subscription of $31,127, raised upon serip bearing interest payable in pew rents, the principal payable from the surplus revenue of the church. Twenty per cent. of this serip was paid off in 1865, and the remainder in 1866. The entire cost of the buildings was about $36,000. To provide for the orig. inal mortgage, and the floating debt, the property was mortgaged for $16,000. All incumbrances on the property were, however, long since paid off, and the church is now entirely free from debt.
The new lecture-room and school-room were provided for by dona- tions to the amount of $10,800, and furnished partly by means of festi- vals held by the Sunday-school for that purpose, and partly out of the current income of the society from pew rents. Their entire cost was about $13,000.
The pew rents, for such years as records have been kept, were as follows:
1853.
$11,157
1860. $28,682
$49,000
1854.
11,729
1861
28,750
1868. 50,335
1855 12,053
1862 18,100
1869. 54,970
1856 12,505
1863. 23,896
1870. 57,840
1857 14,340
1864 31,000
1871. 56,744
1858
16,300
1865. 39,042
1872 60,318
1859
26,052
1866 42,782
1878. 59,114
Out of the pew rents of the last five years alone, the sum of $78,950 has been applied to strictly mission purposes, exclusive of all expendi- ture upon the church or its own Sunday-school.
The collections of the church for benevolent objects of all kinds (exclusioc of pew rents, but including contributions in the schools), so far as any records remain, have been as follows:
1850
$1,873
1858. $ 5,148
1866 $20,743
1851
2,863
1859.
6,340
1867.
18,564
18.59 1,815
1860 9,584
1868. 39,712
1853
4,339
1861. 11,980
1869. 11,520
1854
5,116
1862 18,106
1870 18,938
1855. 6,008
1863. no record.
1871. 27,030
1856
no record.
1864. 11,144
1872 19,788
1857. 6,306
1865 14,572
1873 38,221
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH MANUAL.
These figures do not include any contributions not taken under the immediate supervision of officers of the church or society, and represent only a very small part of the donations of the congregation. Recently, an effort was made to ascertain the contributions of members outside of the church collections; and it was found that over $300,000 had been given in one year, for charitable purposes, by the public subscriptions of a small portion of the members. Concerning the private charities of these members, and the general donations of all the rest of the church, no trustworthy estimate can be made.
PLYMOUTH SUNDAY SCHOOL.
A Sunday School was opened on September 5, 1847, with an attend- ance of 10 teachers and 28 scholars. In May, 1848, it numbered 25 teachers and 140 scholars, with an average attendance of 140 in all. In December, 1850, the attendance was 174; in December, 1855, 159; in December, 1860, 380; in 1861, 480 ; in 1862, 580 ; and has ever since ranged from 700 to 750 ; while the whole number of teachers and pu- pils attending with more or less regularity is now nearly 1,000. The ac- tual attendance on the first Sunday in January, 1874, was 721.
The Superintendents of the school have been as follows :
Henry C. Bowen, from September, 1847, to January, 1848. Luther Eames, from January 1, 1848, to Jan. 1, 1849. Edward Corning, from January 1, 1849, to January 1, 1851. Henry E. Morrill, from Jan. 1, 1851, to Jan. 1, 1861.
George A. Bell, from January 1, 1861, to January 1, 1866.
Rositter W. Raymond, from January 1, 1866, to January 1, 1870.
Charles C. Duncan, from January 1, 1870, to January 1, 1874. Robert R. Raymond, from Jan. 1, 1874, to the present time.
The expenses of the school were defrayed, in part, by the teachers, and in part by subscriptions and collections in the church, until January, 1860, when they were assumed by the Society, which has ever since pro- vided for them out of its current receipts.
The school has always met in a room above the lecture room. When the church was rebuilt in 1849, a room 64 feet long, by 24 feet wide, was assigned to the school ; but the Bible classes were held in separate rooms. In 1859, the Social Circle Parlors were annexed to the schoo !- room, thus doubling its capacity. But even this space was found en- tirely insufficient to accommodate the children of the congregation, large numbers of whom were obliged to attend other Sunday schools.
In the spring of 1862, therefore, a subscription of $10,800 was raised for the erection of the present convenient and pleasant building, in which
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH MANUAL.
are situated the school-room, lecture-room, and parlors for the sewing circle. An organ of moderate size, but excellent quality, was provided for the school, at an expense of $1,050, the gift of a few members of the society. The new building was opened for religious services on No- vember 16, 1862. A gallery for the use of visitors and Bible Classes was added in 1864.
The contributions of the Sunday school for benevolent purposes, so far as any records rentain, have been as follows :
1851
$ 86
1860
$351
1867 $1,200
1854.
141
1861
300
1868. 697
1855
113
1862
606
1869. 819
1856.
174
1863.
880
1870. 785
1857
256
1861
1,514
1871. 3,872
1858
201
1865
3,717
1872
840
1859.
241
1866.
1,211
1873.
about 1,000
PHE BETHEL MISSION.
The Bethel Mission Sunday School was established in 1841, on Main Street near the Catharine Ferry, and is the oldest mission in Brooklyn. For many years a large proportion of the teachers were from Plymonth Church, though the school was not specially connected with this church, until June 1, 1866. At that time the mission occupied rooms at Nos. 42 and 44 Fulton Street. Its superintendents had been, successively, Messrs. Wadsworth, JJohn P. Elwell, Albert Woodruff, J. J. Judson, Sumner R. Stone, Martius T. Lynde, Andrew A. Smith and Robert S. Bussing. Since its connection with Mymouth Church, its Superintendents have been George A. Bell (from February, 1867, to February, 1872), Thomas II. Bird (from February to May, 1822), and Thomas J. Tilney, (since May, 1872). On June 1, 1866, the church unanimously voted to adopt the school as one of its regular institutions. This offer was accepted by the school, and the action of the church was formally ratified by the society at its ammal meeting, Jannary 10, 1862. In February, 1867, steps were taken to provide a suitable building for the mission. $20,000 were obtained by subscriptions, and $6,250 by a fair held in Plymouth Church. These sums were placed in the hands of the Trustees of the ehmreh, and the present building was erected by them at a total cost (including $15,000 for the land) of $75,000. About $50,000 of this sum was derived from the surplus of the pew rents. The new building was first occupied in October, 1868. It is entirely free from incum- brance.
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PLYMOUTH CHURCH MANUAL.
The work of this mission has taken a wide scope. It has a fine read- ing room, well supplied with the leading papers and magazines, and an excellent library of some 2,000 volumes, which are open every even- ing except on Sunday. These rooms are constantly resorted to by numerous mechanies and other laboring men. Popular Lectures, Con- certs and other entertainments are given during the winter. The school has had a steady growth ever since it came under the care of the church. It has an enrollment of over 1,200 teachers and scholars.
The actual attendance on the first Sunday in January, 1874, was 799, which is about the usual number present. In 1868 a Mothers' Bible class was formed, which has now about 100 members, with an attendance of about 70. In 1870 a Married Men's class was formed, which has reached a membership of some 250, with an average attendance of about 125. In 1869 Mr. Charles M. Morton was engaged as a missionary for the Bethel, and his labors have been greatly blessed. The married men's class has been under his care since its organization.
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