USA > New York > New York City > A history of the Brick Presbyterian Church in the city of New York > Part 2
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William R. Richards
478
Choir rehearsal at the Covenant 482
Children's room and kitchen, Christ Church Memorial House 484
Christ Church Memorial Buildings 486
Interior of the present Christ Church 488
Kindergarten at Church House door 490
Bowling alleys and library
492
418
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PART I IN THE OLDEN TIME
CHAPTER I THE PRESBYTERIANS ON WALL STREET: 1706-1765
"And from thence [we came] to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days." -- The Acts 16 : 12.
" When we came to York,* we had not the least intention or design of preaching, but stopped at York purely to pay our respects to the Governor, which we did; but being afterward called and invited to preach, as I am a minister of the gospel I durst not deny preaching, nor I hope I never shall, where it is wanting and desired." -REV. FRANCIS MAKEMIE, 1 1707, "Memoirs of John Rodgers," p. 139, note.
O N a Sunday morning toward the end of the year 1765, George III. being King of Eng- land, and Sir Henry Moore being Gov- ernor of His Majesty's Province of New York, the people of the First Presbyterian Church in New York City were assembled as usual in their place of worship on Wall Street, waiting for the service to begin. Their new minister, the Rev. John Rodgers, had now been with them for some weeks, so that the first curiosity regarding him was beginning to sub- side, and on this occasion no one was expecting that anything of special interest would occur, except that the new minister's sermons were found to be always interesting. But Mr. Rodgers had barely entered the church when attention was riveted upon him, for instead of proceeding to the clerk's desk below the
* New York.
t The first minister to conduct an English Presbyterian service in New York City.
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pulpit, and there offering the introductory prayer, reading the Scriptures, and giving out the first Psalm, as had been the custom until this time, the minister was seen to mount to his pulpit at once and begin the service there.
In spite of the severe decorum which prevailed in the congregations of that period, some slight commo- tion was evident-silk dresses faintly rustled, glances were swiftly exchanged,-for this matter of the proper place in which to open the service was one that had long been a subject of dispute. The major- ity of the congregation clung firmly to the old way, but some others had for many years urged this very change, which Mr. Rodgers, without consulting a single person, whether member or officer, had now suddenly introduced.
Was it possible that in a state of absent-minded- ness he had unintentionally reverted to a custom made familiar to him in his former parish ? No, the firmness and composure with which he met the evi- dent surprise of the congregation at once dispelled that theory. It was plain that what he had done he had fully intended to do, and it is safe to assume that during the rest of that service not a few of the people were guilty of a certain inattention, through reflect- ing upon the probable consequences of Mr. Rodgers' action. Would the majority of the members, or the session whose wishes in the matter had not even been asked, require a return to the old custom, and gently but firmly counsel the minister to act in a less head- strong manner in the future? Such a result seemed not unlikely.
But as a matter of fact, nothing of the sort hap-
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pened. The subject was not even broached in ses- sion meeting, and the majority in the congregation could find no one inclined to voice their protest. Mr. Rodgers, in short, had correctly read the situa- tion. Regarding with distinct disapproval the con- ducting of the service from two places (probably because this savored of conformity to the Church of England usage), but perceiving at the same time that to stir up a church quarrel on such a matter of detail would be almost unpardonable, he decided that the bold method was the safest, and cut the Gordian knot at a stroke. His plan succeeded. There was dissatisfaction, of course. Some leading members privately expressed with considerable emphasis their disapproval of what Mr. Rodgers had presumed to do, "but such were the popularity and success of his ministrations," says the narrator of this incident, "and such his influence among the people, that the unpleasant feelings expressed on this occasion by these individuals were but little regarded by the body of the congregation, and soon entirely ceased to be manifested."*
The somewhat picturesque glimpse which this anecdote gives us of the Wall Street minister at the beginning of his New York pastorate, introduces us in an appropriate way to the history of what is now known as "The Brick Church," for the origin of that church was directly connected with the settlement of Mr. Rodgers over the Wall Street congregation. We have but to follow through a few months more his work among the New York Presbyterians, in order to reach the definite beginning of the history which is
* "Rodgers Mem.," p. 179 f.
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to be related in this volume. But in order to under- stand what is to follow, we must first glance back- ward for a moment at the earlier history of the Pres- byterian Church in New York City and of John Rodgers, the minister who was to guide its destinies for nearly half a century.
Presbyterianism in New York began in 1706 with the gathering in private houses of a few persons who desired to worship in the Presbyterian manner. In January of the following year the Rev. Francis Makemie passed through the city on his way from Virginia to Boston, and at the request of the few Presbyterians preached at the house of one William Jackson on Pearl Street. Lord Cornbury, the Gov- ernor, a bigoted High-churchman, endeavored by the use of force to put an end to this activity of dissent- ers, and Mr. Makemie was arrested and sent to jail. On the morrow he was examined, the following being a portion of the proceedings:
"Lord Cornbury. How dare you take upon you to preach in my government without license ?
"Mr. Makemie. We have liberty from an act of Parliament, made the first year of the reign of Wil- liam and Mary, which gave us liberty, with which law we complied.
"Lord C. None shall preach in my government without my license.
"Mr. M. If the law of liberty, my lord, had di- rected us to any particular persons in authority for license, we would readily have obtained the same; but we cannot find any directions in said act of Par- liament, therefore we could not take any notice thereof.
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"Lord C. That law does not extend to the Ameri- can plantations, but only to England.
"Mr. M. My lord, I humbly conceive it is not a limited or local act; and am well assured it extends to other plantations, which is evident from certificates of record of Virginia and Maryland, certifying we have complied with said law.
"Lord C. The courts which have qualified these men are in error, and I will check them for it. You shall not spread your pernicious doctrines here."*
Mr. Makemie, who was kept in jail for nearly two months, was at length tried by jury, and, to the cha- grin of the authorities, acquitted. Such was the be- ginning of New York Presbyterianism, uncomforta- ble, but on the whole, not inauspicious.
After this there was, for a while, no settled pastor, but from time to time the ministrations of some travelling Presbyterian clergyman were enjoyed, and occasionally services were held in the Dutch church on Garden Street (now Exchange Place); but there was little enough of outward permanence about the movement until 1716, when the Presby- terians called the Rev. James Anderson to settle per- manently among them.
A letter written by Mr. Anderson to Principal Ster- ling of Glasgow, on December 3d, 1717, gives us an interesting view of the situation at that time. "This place, the city of New York, where I now am," he says, "is a place of considerable moment, and very populous, consisting, as I am informed, of about three thousand families or householders. It is a place of as great trade or business (if not more now)
* Quoted in "The Presbyterian Magazine" for January, 1851, p. 30.
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as any in America. In it are two ministers of the Church of England, two Dutch ministers, one French minister, a Lutheran minister, an Anabaptist, and also a Quaker meeting. . . . Endeavors were used again and again by the famous Mr. Francis Makemie, Mr. McNish, and others toward the settlement of a Scots church in this city, but by the arbitrary man- agement and influence of a wicked high-flying gov- ernor, who preceded his excellency Brigadier Hunt- er, our present governor (may the Lord bless and long preserve him), that business has been hitherto im- peded, and could never be brought in a likely way to bear.
"The last summer, I, being providentially here, and being obliged to stay here about business the matter of a month, at the desire of a few, especially Scots people, preached each Sabbath. Though there were pretty many hearers, yet these were not able and willing to do anything toward the setting for- ward such a work. A few there were willing to do their utmost, but so few that I had small grounds to suppose that anything effectual could be done. Some time before our last Synod, this small handful, with some few others that had joined them, came to the Presbytery of Newcastle [Delaware], desiring a transportation of me from Newcastle to New York, which the Presbytery referred to the Synod, then soon to meet. The Synod transported me hither.
"The people here who are favorers of our Church. and persuasion, as I've told you, are but few, and none of the richest, yet for all I am not without hopes that with God's blessing they shall in a little
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time increase. Some are already come to live in the city, and more are expected, whose language would not allow them to join with the Dutch or French churches, and whose conscience would not allow them to join in the service of the English Church. The chief thing now wanting, in all appearance, with God's blessing, is a large convenient church to con- gregate in." *
After two or three years, during which the Pres- byterians worshipped in the City Hall on the corner of Wall and Nassau streets, they succeeded in erect- ing a church building for themselves on the north side of Wall Street between Nassau and Broadway.
The second pastor was the Rev. Ebenezer Pem- berton. ¡ During his term the celebrated George Whitefield visited New York, and we read of his preaching in the Presbyterian church on Sunday evening, having in the afternoon preached "in the fields." This visit quickened and increased the congregation. They found it necessary to enlarge their church; and in 1750 they called a second min- ister, Mr. Alexander Cummings, to be colleague of Mr. Pemberton.
The way of progress, however, was by no means altogether easy. Soon after this an obstinate dispute arose on the question of psalmody: Should Watts's imitation of the Psalms ¿ be substituted for Rouse's, or, as it was commonly called, the "Old Scotch,"
* This letter was first printed in "The Presbyterian Magazine" for October, 1851 (pp. 480 ff.), having been copied from the original, preserved among the Wodson Manuscripts in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh .
t He served from 1727 till 1754.
į Some desired the version of Tate and Brady. See "Rodgers Mem.," p. 149 .. '
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Version ? * Before this burning question was set- tled, in the affirmative, both pastors had resigned, the church had spent two years in a vain attempt to find successors for them, and a part of the member- ship had seceded to form a separate church on Cedar Street.t 3 Under the Rev. David Bostwick į peace and quiet were gradually restored. A few years later the Rev. Joseph Treat was made associate minister, § and after the death of Mr. Bostwick he continued to serve the church as colleague of the new pastor, who was the Rev. Mr. Rodgers, named at the beginning of this chapter.
The generally auspicious outlook for the church at this time is described in one of the letters writ- ten in connection with Mr. Rodgers' call. "This
* As late as 1789 some Presbyterians continued to be greatly exercised on this matter. In that year a Mr. Adam Rankin, of the Presbytery of Transylvania, addressed to the General Assembly a "Quere" whether it had not been "a great and pernicious error for the late Synod of New York and Philadelphia to permit the disuse of Rouse's Version and the substitution of that of Watts." The comment of the Assembly was as follows: "The General Assembly, having heard Mr. Rankin at great length, and endeavored to relieve his mind from the difficulty he appears to labor under, are sorry to find that all their efforts have been in vain; and there- fore only recommend to him that exercise of Christian charity toward those who differ from him in their views of this matter, which is exercised toward himself; and that he be carefully guarded against disturbing the peace of the Church on this head." (" Assembly Digest," p. 209.)
The Scotch Presbyterian Church now at Central Park West and Ninety-sixth Street.
# Installed in 1755; died in 1764.
§ The following information is contained in Sprague's "Annals" (Vol. III, p. 132, note): "Joseph Treat was graduated at the College of New Jersey in 1757; was a tutor in the college from 1758 to 1760; was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New Brunswick in 1760; and retained his connection as pastor with the Presbyterian Church in New York till 1784, when, in pursuance of an application by the congregation, it was dissolved. In 1785 the Presbytery of New York report that they had, during the preceding year, dismissed Mr. Treat to the Presbytery of New Brunswick; but I find no further trace of him."
ist
From "Harper's Magazine," Copyright, 1908, Harper & Brothers THE OLD WALL STREET CHURCH
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church," the session writes, "from small and de- spised beginnings has mightily increased in a few years by the kindness of God, and [is] now in the happiest union, though the members thereof are a collection from Scotland, Ireland, and many places in America, people of various education and circum- stances." The writers go on to express the fear that any disappointment of their desire to secure Mr. Rodgers might endanger this hard-won prosperity .*
The man upon whom so much was thought to depend was at this time thirty-eight years of age.t His parents had in 1721 come from Londonderry, in Ireland, to Boston, where he was born, but when he was but a little over a year old they had again moved, to Philadelphia, and he was reared in that city. He appears to have been by nature a precocious child and was early concerned with the matter of religion. The rather sombre and ponderous narrative in which this part of his experience is described by his pious biographer would be oppressive to modern readers, but in it an anecdote has been preserved which more pleasantly, and yet quite as truly, reveals the boy's early religious development.
It appears that, like the church which he was later to serve, he had come under the strong influence of George Whitefield. Many times, when this moving preacher spoke in Philadelphia, little John Rodgers was among his hearers and greatly impressed by the message that he heard. On one occasion, when
* For period 1706-1765, see "Manuscript Hist.," pp. 1 ff; "Presb. N. Y.," pp. 3 ff .; "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 8; "Handbook of N. Y. Presby- tery," 1903-1904, pp. 13 f .; "Disosway," pp. 131 ff.
t He was born August 5th, 1727. For the facts of his life, see "Rodgers Mem." :
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Whitefield was preaching, as he often did, from the Court House steps in Market Street, the boy, in his eagerness to hear, had pressed his way through the crowd until he stood directly beside the speaker, and as it happened was entrusted with the holding of a lantern for Mr. Whitefield's accommodation. "Soon after the sermon began," says the story, "he became so absorbed in the subject, and at length so deeply impressed and strongly agitated, that he was scarcely able to stand; the lantern fell from his hand and was dashed in pieces; and that part of the audience in the immediate vicinity of the speaker's station were not a little interested, and for a few moments dis- composed by the occurrence." *
It was not long after this time, we are told, and when he was but a little more than twelve years of age, that he came, as he hoped, to "a saving knowledge and acceptance of Jesus Christ," and entered upon the Master's service with devotion. He very early formed the purpose of entering the Christian minis- try and set about the definite task of preparing him- self for that work. He prosecuted his studies under various masters with great diligence, and in October, 1747, in his twentieth year, he took his examinations for licensure, which he passed with more than usual approbation.
Not until over a year later was he ordained and
* "Rodgers Mem.," p. 14. Sprague, in his "Annals of the American Pulpit " (Vol. III, p. 154), adds: "Some time after he was settled in the ministry, Whitefield being on a visit to his house, Mr. Rodgers alluded to this incident and asked him if he recollected it. 'Oh, yes,' replied White- field, 'I remember it well, and have often thought I would give almost anything in my power to know who that little boy was and what had become of him.' Mr. Rodgers replied with a smile, 'I am that little boy.'"
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settled in a church, but that year was by no means a barren one. Obstacles which he experienced in Vir- ginia, due to the intolerance of the established clergy there, served only to increase his determination, while a few months spent in Maryland, which might have been passed in idle waiting, he turned to such good account that he afterward referred to these months as perhaps the most useful of his life. One incident at this time may serve to illustrate his strength of will and the determination with which he had entered upon his work. He was preaching one Sunday to a large congregation in the open air, when in the midst of the sermon he suddenly swooned, apparently without any warn- ing, and fell lifeless to the ground. Whatever the cause of this alarming experience, it was more than an ordinary fainting-turn, for his friends, when they had gathered around him, supposed him to be dead, and were amazed, when, after some time, he returned to consciousness. "He arose with a little assistance," says his biographer, "walked into an adjoining wood, and in about half an hour returned and finished his discourse, resuming it, as his audience remarked, with the very word which was on his lips when he fell." His conduct is the more remarkable in that on the following Sunday the same thing happened and was met by him with the same indomitable spirit. Strangely enough, and most happily, the second occurrence was also the last .*
On March 16th, 1749, he was ordained and in- stalled pastor of the Presbyterian Church at St. George's, Delaware. He had received calls from
* " Rodgers Mem.," pp. 62-64.
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four different churches. The one at St. George's was the smallest and feeblest, but having been assured that its very existence depended on his coming, he determined to make that church his choice. His ministry there, which lasted sixteen years, was blessed in every possible way. The church began at once to increase in membership and soon the building required to be enlarged. At a later time the people of the neighborhood so crowded to hear him that the church of another denomination was literally deserted.
He was not only admired as a preacher, but re- spected and beloved as a pastor. When we read the description of his annual calls upon the families of his church, we cannot but admire the thoroughness of his method, and still more their patience in sub- mitting to it. There are times when one is content, it must be confessed, to live in a less heroic age. On these occasions, we are told, "he called upon every member of the family to repeat a part of the Assem- bly's Catechism; asked them a number of extempore questions on doctrinal and practical subjects in re- ligion; prayed with them; and gave a warm and pathetic exhortation." *
His own people were not the only ones who valued him. He soon won the confidence and esteem of his brother clergymen round about, and was more and more sought to give counsel and to aid in the per- formance of important tasks. It was no wonder that, when in 1765 the Presbyterian Church of New York was seeking a colleague for Mr. Treat, the name of Mr. Rodgers should be mentioned. Indeed, ten years before this they had sought to bring him to
* "Rodgers Mem.," pp. 88 ff.
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New York without success. This time their call was more effective, though for a while the result was in doubt. The people of St. George's were most re- luctant to part with him. He himself was deeply at- tached to them and to his work in that place. His Presbytery, before whom the call was laid, refused to decide, and referred the question to the Synod of New York and Philadelphia. It was only "after a full and patient hearing of all parties for near three days"* that a conclusion was reached by the Synod in favor of Mr. Rodgers' acceptance of the call to New York.t
He and his family į were settled in their new home by July, 1765, and he was installed as pas-
* "Rodgers Mem," p. 120.
+ Sprague, in his "Annals of the American Pulpit " (Vol. III, p. 157), says of Mr. Rodgers: "In the early part of the year 1765, he received two calls, one from the congregation in New York, then just vacated by the death of the Rev. David Bostwick, and another from a large and important Congregational Church in Charlestown, S. C. Mr. Whitefield, who hap- pened to visit him about that time, gave it as his decided opinion that the indications of Providence were in favor of his removal, but was doubtful in which direction he ought to go. The question . . . was finally referred to the Synod. . . . His installation as pastor of the church in New York took place in September following. The installation sermon was preached by the Rev. James Caldwell of Elizabethtown."
į He married September 19th, 1752, Elizabeth Bayard, who died January 20th, 1763. On August 15th, 1764, he married Mrs. Mary Grant, a widow. Interesting evidence of the manner in which he had made pro- vision for his wife, in the event of his own death, is provided by a docu- ment still in existence, having been handed down in his family to his great-grandson, Mr. Robertson Rodgers, who presented it to the author of this volume. This is a bond given by John Rodgers to the "Corporation for the Relief of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers, and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers," for the annual payment of seven pounds sterling during his natural life, in return for which his widow or surviving children were to receive "an annuity of thirty-five pounds current money." One of the conditions agreed to by him was, "That on the second marriage of the said John Rodgers and on every subsequent marriage of the said John Rodgers, he shall or will pay. . . the sum of seven pounds over and above the annual rate." To the bond are
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tor * on September 4th following. He was cordially received by the Presbyterians of New York City and was soon hard at work with an ardor and devotion which began at once to show good results. Not many months had passed after his installation when a decided revival of religious interest was apparent. The church was crowded with worshippers; many were making serious inquiry about their religious obligations; and it could not be doubted that the Spirit of God was at work in the hearts of the people. As we now look back at that time from a distance of nearly a hundred and fifty years, we can know but little of what took place in the experience of the in- dividuals who were then led into the ways of the Christian life-their very names are now unknown to us,-but that revival has left behind it one tangible memorial which in itself has proved to be not the least of the spiritual blessings of the city of New York. The thronging congregations which were gathered by Mr. Rodgers' ministry, were soon too large by far to be accommodated in the church on Wall Street. At the same time the enthusiasm that had increased the numbers of the Presbyterians had also increased their courage and their readiness to assume enlarged responsibilities. They determined that they must at once build a new church.
attached receipts from the treasurer, the earliest of which is for the year 1775; and at the end of the document are a number of notes in Dr. Rod- gers' own hand, of which the following are the earliest: "N. B. May 22d, 1793, I, this day paid my annual subscription to the Widow's fund as ap- pears by the Treasurer's Rect and the Entry in his Books. John Rodgers." -"This I have done yearly & every year since the Year 1763 when I be- came a Contributor-and I also paid the sum of Seven Pounds extraordinary on my marriage to my present Wife. John Rodgers."
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