USA > New York > New York City > A history of the Brick Presbyterian Church in the city of New York > Part 14
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In 1825 musical matters were not considered to be in a satisfactory state. The trustees took measures "to make, if possible, some improvement in the sing- ing department of this congregation." Possibly as a result of their activity, a second musical society was formed in the next year, called the "Asaph Associa- tion," and a couple of years later we become aware of another innovation. The board of trustees at that time resolves "that Mr. Rolla and his daughters be engaged to fill the choir for one year." Besides the somewhat amusing form of this statement, the fact stated is worth noting, for it indicates that in 1828, other paid singers besides the chorister began to be
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employed. Mr. Cole, who succeeded Mr. Rolla, was assisted in like manner by a Miss Gould, and the con- siderable sums of money which soon after this were voted from time to time for "improvement of the choir" suggest that other singers not mentioned by name may have been employed.
In regard to the question of instrumental music our information is meagre. No mention of any such accompaniment to the singing appears in the records of this period until 1844, when we learn that Mr. Samuel Johnson was paid $25 a quarter to play the violoncello; and from that time on this appropriation continued to be made at regular intervals. But how are we to interpret the entire silence of the records in regard to instrumental music during the first thirty- four years of Dr. Spring's pastorate ?* Possibly the "orchestra" of which we heard in the days following the Revolution, had been discontinued, a stricter standard having been introduced, forgetful of the biblical warrant for the use in worship of trumpets, psalteries, and harps, stringed instruments, organs, and high-sounding cymbals. Or it may be that dur- ing the earlier part of the nineteenth century the players upon instruments had rendered their service without remuneration, so that the records of the trustees had no need to refer to them. The most that can be said with certainty is that the violoncello was a regular feature of the Brick Church music, from 1844 and until its place was taken by a more modern instrument .;
* Except that a small organ, evidently for use in rehearsals, was ad- mitted to the lecture room at the desire of the "Asaph Association."
t The General Assembly in 1845, in reply to an overture from the Synod of Cincinnati on the subject of instrumental music, adopted the fol-
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Without underestimating in the slightest degree the power of Dr. Spring's impressive eloquence to build up and maintain a faithful congregation, we need not doubt that the improved music and especially the opportunity to have a hand (or even a voice) in that improvement was a decided help. There were, how- ever, times when, it is plain, any such aid was ab- solutely unnecessary, times when services grew and multiplied as though of their own accord, and when the distinctly religious interest was so great that the problem was to control and apply rather than to create it.
From the year 1792, and still more strikingly after 1800, the American churches had experienced a remarkable series of religious awakenings. Hardly a month passed but some village, some city, or some college reported a "revival." Mr. Spring himself, as we have seen, had been greatly influenced by sharing in such an experience at Yale, and it was manifestly his great desire, as soon as he was settled in New York, that his own church should be visited by the revival spirit. His preaching, as we have seen, was carefully calculated to promote this end, and in- deed during his first three or four years there were several "seasons of deep reflection and fervent prayer," which, though of short duration, had made a deep impression upon many individuals.
lowing minute; "Whereas, By our constitution the whole internal arrange- ment of a church, as to worship and order, is committed to the minister and session; therefore, Resolved, That this Assembly do not feel themselves called and obliged to take any further order on this subject, but leave to each session the delicate and important matter of arranging and con- ducting the music as to them shall seem most for edification, recommend- ing great caution, prudence and forbearance in regard to it." "Assembly Digest," p. 197.
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During the summer of 1815,* there began a much more important and enduring movement. Pastor and people were moved alike by what seemed to be a new earnestness. Days of fasting and prayer were occasionally observed, and what was still more note- worthy, the younger men of the church organized a special weekly meeting for prayer which met at private houses on Saturday evenings. "Our Sab- baths," says Dr. Spring, "became deeply solemn and affecting. We watched for them like those who watch for the morning."t "What days of heaven upon earth!" exclaimed old Mr. Horace Holden, re- calling the services of this same period. "No tongue can describe them. . . . Every pew filled, the gal- leries crowded in every part with anxious and devout worshippers. ... What a beautiful and sublime spectacle to behold the vast assembly retiring after each service in profound silence, to meditate and pray. Amid these scenes of mercy it is delightful to
* Dr. Spring in his autobiography says "the summer of 1814," and states that the New Year's sermon (to be described presently) was preached on the last day of the same year. But December 31st, 1814, was a Saturday, so that the next day was both Sunday and New Year and the New Year's sermon would certainly have been preached on that day. Moreover, the sermon refers in the following terms to the peace which closed the War of 1812: "In the recent desolations of our land, we were not exempt from our portion of calamity. But the silver clarion of peace has again vibrated on our ears, and the rich blessings of peace have been again restored in unexampled profusion. Worldly prosperity has been flowing in upon us in deep, wide channels, and all classes of men have been growing rich." Now the peace of Ghent was signed on December 24th, 1814, and the news of it did not reach New York till February, 1815. Moreover, it is evident from the above quotation itself that months rather than days had already passed since the peace was declared. Dr. Spring, we must therefore conclude, had made a mistake of a year. The sermon was preached on Sunday, December 31st, 1815, and the summer of revival referred to was the summer of that year, instead of the year previous.
t "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 22.
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know that almost every member of the church was actively employed."*
On the last day of 1815, Mr. Spring put his whole soul into a New Year's sermon, to which later was given the appropriate title "Something Must Be Done."¡ The pastor, as we learn from this impor- tant discourse, was by no means content with the evidences of revival already existing among his people. He felt that as yet there had been no "general out-pouring of the Holy Spirit," and his aim was to secure for them, if possible, this supreme blessing. In spite of the interest already manifested, he felt that the love of riches and the comforts of a time of prosperity and peace,¿ were blinding the eyes of many, even of many Christians, to the higher inter- ests of religion. In view of all this, he declares that "something must be done." He calls upon his peo- ple to repent as a church, sincerely to desire a revival, to pray for it, to work for it, and not least, to expect it. If they so act, they will not, in his judgment, be disap- pointed. But if they neglect their duty in this matter, he cannot but warn them of their responsibility for those who, for the want of this revival, will be over- taken in their sins. This most solemn and fervent address seems to have been, under God, the means of achieving the end to which it so ardently looked. The effect, indeed, was almost instantaneous. The next Sunday, the first of the New Year, was marked by services especially solemn, and from that time, continuing through the winter and even longer, men
* "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 145.
t It was published and ran through four editions.
# The War of 1812 had recently been concluded. See note on preceding page.
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and women were continually seeking admission to the discipleship of Christ in a spirit which had not been known before.
It must not be supposed that the cruder methods of evangelistic appeal, which were perhaps more preva- lent at that time than at the present day, were ever adopted in the Brick Church. Dr. Spring had a very positive repugnance for "getting up" * a revival. He says expressly of the revivals in his church, that in them "there were no 'new measures,' no 'anxious seats,' and no public announcement of the names or the number of those who were striving to enter into the strait gate." The means used were simple. First "there was prayer," and upon this he lays chief emphasis. Then "there was solemn and earnest preaching," and "there were private circles for re- ligious conversation, and prayer, and praise, and these scarcely known beyond the individuals who composed them." He mentions particularly a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, which he shared with some thirty others of the church one Thursday of January, 1816. They met at a private house in Church Street, just in the rear of St. Paul's, " and such a day," he says, "I never saw before, and have never seen since."+
It is not possible to follow further the details of this memorable epoch in the church's life, or to describe other similar experiences in the course of the next twenty years; ¿ nor would it be accordant with the
* "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 219.
t Ibid, Vol. I, p. 166.
į Dr. Murray says: "That remarkable series of revivals seems to have ended in 1834. Then came the work of training in Christian knowledge those who had been converted to Christ by this ministry." "Memorial Discourse," p. 18.
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spirit by which the church was then controlled to record even now the number of converts or to give the names of those, afterward pillars of the church, who were thus claimed for the Master's service; but there is hardly need of further statement to prove that the Brick Church in the years which we are here studying, was a place where deep and genuine religion was effectively urged and earnestly accepted.
Besides its services and meetings the church em- ployed two other means of caring for the religious and moral needs of the people, namely, visitation and discipline. To the work of the pastor in carrying his message and influence into the homes of the people emphatic witness is given by one of his parishioners. He speaks, it will be noticed, with discrimination. Dr. Spring, he tells us, did not make frequent calls upon his people as a matter of routine, and it was well understood that he regarded his preaching, to- gether with the necessary preparation for it, as the most important part of his ministry. All the more impressive, therefore, is this testimony of the parish- ioner to the faithful pastor. The people of the Brick Church, he says, had been taught by their experience under Dr. Spring to esteem pastoral visitation a valuable means of grace. Especially in the memor- able seasons of unusual interest had their pastor made use of this method "going from family to family to guide enquiring souls, cheer the faint, comfort the feeble-minded. ... Not one weary heavy-laden sin- ner was overlooked. . .. I do not recollect," con- cludes this witness, who knew the church as few did, "I do not recollect to have heard of an instance in which a pastoral visit was neglected, if there was any
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real call for it, or the least prospect of doing any good."*
The sharing of this work of visitation in those days by the members of the session is a matter that needs to be brought to the attention of modern Presbyterians, who would probably be astonished to receive from the elders of their church such calls as were customary in the early nineteenth century. Dr. Samuel Miller, in a sermon on Ruling Elders, delivered in 1809, thus describes this particular function of the elders' office. "It is their duty to converse with and admonish in private those who appear to be growing careless, or falling into habits in any respect criminal, suspicious, or unpromising. It is their duty to visit and pray with the sick, as far as their circumstances admit, and to request the attendance of the pastor on the sick and dying, as may be judged desirable. It is their duty to visit the members of the church and their families; to converse with them; to instruct the igno- rant; to confirm the wavering; to caution the un- wary; to encourage the timid; and to excite and ani- mate all classes to a faithful and exemplary discharge of duty." ¡
That the elders of the Brick Church did not always live up to the height of this ideal, we may believe without seriously accusing them of lukewarmness in their service, but that they themselves held the ideal before their eyes is made evident on more than one page of their records. Mention may be made of one instance where they undertook "to digest a system of measures with the view to extending their official visita-
* Horace Holden in "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 141.
t "The Divine Appointment," etc., pp. 31 f.
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tions to the members of this congregation." And there is another minute which still more clearly indicates the seriousness with which they regarded their own participation in this ministry. In October, 1820, after a meeting "devoted to prayer and friendly conversa- tion on the present languishing state of this church," they appoint a committee to suggest, not merely what may be done in general, but what they themselves can personally do, to better the situation, and, of the four measures afterward adopted, one proposed to consider it "the duty of each individual of the session to converse with a given number of the congregation at least once a week, on the importance of personal piety, and that reports of such interviews be made to the session at each monthly meeting," while another provided "that in his pastoral visits the minister be associated with one of the elders, and that each elder perform this service in rotation."
In the administration of discipline for errors and offences, the final means of supervising and controlling the private life of the members, the elders played a still more prominent part, for this work was always carried on by the session as a whole, in which the pastor had only such superior authority as belonged to his position as moderator. The amount of time devoted to this work, the patience and system with which it was executed, and the conscientious adminis- tration of justice which it exhibits make this element of the church life an impressive one. That the record of it is not pleasant, need not be said. It is not agree- able to read here the record of old sins and follies and insincerities, to learn that in those days there were some black sheep in the fold. But, after all, we know
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well enough that the mere profession of Christianity does not at any time ensure a pure heart and an honest life, so that this record of discipline in the Brick Church of the early nineteenth century merely illustrates by concrete instances a well-known fact; and on the other hand, the courageous facing of the practical problem thus made manifest, the reclaiming of some, and the protection of the church from the accusation of indifference to the sins of its own mem- bers-all this serves to give the subject an honorable place in the church's history.
It will be instructive to present an abstract of the procedure in one specific case, as an illustration of the general method. Information having been received that Mr. C., a member of the church, is addicted to the habit of intemperance, a committee is appointed to expostulate with him. He acknowledges his offence, gives "some evidence of penitence" and promises to reform. The session then "consider it their duty to forbear with Mr. C. for a short period, . . . while at the same time they view themselves under obliga- tion to watch over their offending brother with re- doubled diligence." Four months later they perceive that he has not mended his ways and that a trial can- not be avoided. A committee is accordingly ap- pointed to obtain the necessary evidence. This, un- happily, is an easy matter, and furthermore there now appears to be ground for adding profanity to the orig- inal accusation. Finally, the day of trial is set, and Mr. C. is cited to appear. The trial is duly held and the examination, in which he is forced to acknowl-
* Had he failed to respond after three citations they would have pro- ceeded in his absence.
.
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edge the justice of the charge, is carefully recorded, with questions and answers given in full. As a result he is "suspended from sealing ordinances." A com- mittee informs him of this sentence and urges upon him repentance and reformation. Two years now pass, and it becomes necessary to inquire whether still more severe measures should not be adopted. Evidence is obtained that Mr. C. is now guilty of bigamy in addition to the original offences. The Presbytery is consulted. A second trial is held in which the accused makes a full confession, but with- out due evidence of sorrow. The Presbytery, again appealed to, counsels the imposition of the full pen- alty, and Mr. C. is accordingly "excommunicated." The sentence is publicly announced, and is recorded in the minutes of the session in the following terms: "Whereas Mr. C. hath been, by sufficient proof, con- victed of the sin of habitual intemperance, and also of the crime of bigamy, and after much admonition and prayer obstinately refuseth to hear the church, and hath manifested no evidence of repentance; there- fore in the name, and by the authority, of the Lord Jesus Christ we pronounce him to be excluded from the communion of the church."
The penalties imposed upon the unrepentant were, as we have just seen, either excommunication or sus- pension, which involved especially exclusion from the Lord's Supper, and which might be publicly announced or not, according to the circumstances. Those who declared themselves to be repentant were required to make reparation in case of injuries done to other persons, and commonly to make a public confession of their sin and of their sorrow for it. No
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clearer conception of the effect of this last expedient could be given than in the record of one pathetic instance which I shall venture to quote. It may seem, at first sight, to set forth the session of the church as a stern and awful court of judgment, but even in the formal record we can surely hear a deep note of pity and tenderness, by which the judges were really controlled, and which made even so hard a punishment as is here described not altogether un- bearable. "The moderator stated," say the minutes, "that information had been communicated, stating the very reproachful conduct of -, widow of -, one of the members of this church. . . The mod-
erator also stated that he had called on Mrs .. - in company with one of the session; that Mrs. - did not deny the fact; that she appeared penitent for her crime. . .. Mrs .- herself, being present [at the session meeting], begged the privilege of confessing her folly, and desired the forgiveness of God and the church. She stated . . . that she felt she had sinned greatly against God; that she felt . .. heartily sorry that she had brought reproach on the name of Christ, and that she was willing to humble herself in any shape and seek forgiveness. Whereupon, Resolved, after much deliberation and anxiety, that Mrs. - be required to make a public confession before the whole [church] this evening, at their quar- terly prayer-meeting, and be restored to Christian privileges. Resolved that the moderator publicly address Mrs. - , and read, and unite in singing the 51st Psalm at the close of the exercise, and finally close the whole with prayer." The purpose of mercy which prompted this judgment is evident, as
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has been already said, but certainly much love and tenderness in session and congregation were neces- sary in order to make the bearing of such public shame a true means of grace.
The transgressions that were dealt with by these faithful guardians of the flock were numerous. We may divide them into two separate classes: First, those which were distinctly offences against religion. These were violation of the Sabbath, neglect of prayer, neglect of public worship, neglect of the Lord's Supper, heresy (for example, "the crime of disbelieving in the inspiration of the Holy Scrip- tures") and infidelity or atheism. The second class consisted of offences against morals. Here intem- perance was the most common charge, and there were, besides, keeping bad company, profanity, un- chastity, dishonesty in various forms, card-playing and theatre-going. There were between thirty and forty cases of discipline in the forty years we are now studying.
It is a fact not unworthy of notice that discipline for what was regarded as worldly and un-Christian amusement was inconspicuous, showing that the session used its powers in no bitterly inquisitorial spirit. The charges of card-playing and theatre- going above referred to appear but three times in the records, and even then were merely additional to others of a more serious nature. Dr. Spring, it should be noted, held strict views in regard to the grave dan- gers inherent in "gay amusements and the various pursuits of the present scene." * He was "thor-
* Spring's "Essays," p. 191. See also for quotations which follow, "Hints to Parents," p. 24, and "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 128.
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oughly, and more and more, persuaded that the great mass of novels and plays exert a pernicious in- fluence, both on the intellectual and moral character." To dancing he was emphatically opposed. It dis- tressed him greatly that Christian parents would countenance it for their children, and was led by it to exclaim that "our mercurial youth live for folly and fun." "Balls and assemblies," to his mind, were the natural enemies of the Spirit of God. At the same time he perceived that "youth" (or as he pre- ferred to call it, "old Adam"), was a very real force in the world. "It is a foregone conclusion that our young people will dance," he said with a naïve sort of sadness; and he had to confess that in these mat- ters he had not been able effectually to stem the tide. Positive as he was in his own opinion, it was certainly a sign of moderation that he practically did not use at all the power of church discipline to enforce his view.
The control of the morals of Christians by the session acting in its judicatory capacity is now seldom attempted. In the more complex life of our great modern cities it would be almost impracticable in the absence of any legal power to summon witnesses. We have not the ready means of knowing the facts of the inner life of our neighbors as men did seventy- five or a hundred years ago. Perhaps, moreover, our repugnance for undertaking this painful work has something to do with our neglect of the old method. In this latter reason Dr. Spring would have had no sympathy with us. "Church discipline," he said, looking back upon the practice of the Brick Church in this matter, "is not less truly an ordinance of
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God than church Communion. No church can prosper that connives at heresy or immorality among its communicants. . . . It has often been at great sacrifice of feeling, and some of interest and influ- ence, that these acts of discipline have been per- formed; but, however reluctantly and cautiously, it is a work that has to be done."
It is unfortunate that there was no occasion for the session to inquire formally into the lives of its good and faithful members, whose record would re- mind us that the offenders, who were dealt with in the way described above, constituted a very small minority. No such authoritative records exist. But we will not admit that Antony in the play was right, and that only "the evil that men do lives after them." On the contrary, the good lived on, in other and better ways than on the pages of minute books; and even in books, though of the less formal sort, some happy memories of the individual members of the Brick Church between 1810 and 1850 have been preserved for us.
Two or three such passages may be quoted, in the hope that, at least, they will help the reader to see with his mind's eye the forms and faces of some of those whose memories are cherished by the church, and to feel that he has gained some personal acquaintance with these good people. The first passage is from an ad- dress by Horace Holden, already several times quoted* He is looking back, in memory, to the most faithful and beloved of those officers of the church who had died before the time at which he spoke. They had, all of them, served in the early years of Dr. Spring's
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