USA > New York > A history of the purchase and settlement of western New York : and of the rise, progress and present state of the Presbyterian Church in that section > Part 26
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Pursuant to a provision in the Act of Incorporation, the Boards of Trustees and Commissioners of the Seminary met in the village of Auburn, on Wednesday the twelfth day of July, 1820, and after having organized, proceeded to business. The Board of Trustees was composed of the individuals named in the Charter, and was organized by the election of Rev. Henry Davis. D.D., President of Hamilton College, as its President. The Board of Commissioners consisted of the persons whose names follow, viz.
Of the Presbytery of Oneida :- Rev. Israel Brainard, Rev. John Frost.
Of the Presbytery of Onondaga :- Rev. Caleb Alexander, Rev. Daniel C. Hopkins.
Of the Presbytery of Cayuga :- Rev. Samuel Parker. Col. Samuel Bellamy.
Of the Presbytery of Geneva :- Rev. Evan Johns, Rev. Stephen Porter, Thomas Mumford, Esq.
Of the Presbytery of Bath :- Rev. James H. Hotchkin, Hon. Robert Porter.
Of the Presbytery of Ontario :- Rev. Julius Steele, Rev. Ezekiel J. Chapman.
Of the Presbytery of Rochester :- Rev. Chauncy Cook, Rev. Alanson Darwin.
Of the Presbytery of Genesee :- Rev. Calvin Cotton.
The Board was organized by electing Rev. Caleb Alexander President, for the year ensuing.
The Prudential Committee, who, under the appointment of the Synod, had hitherto had the direction of the concerns of the Insti- tution, reported to the Board of Trustees their proceedings up to the time of the meeting, the then present state of the edifice, the sources from which funds had been derived, the amount unexpend- ed, with the liabilities of the Institution. The Trustees were authorized to complete the Seminary edifice on the plan specified in the Report of the Prudential Committee. Fifteen thousand dol- lars were appropriated for the building, and fifteen hundred for contingent expenses. The Board of Trustees made the necessary provisions for completing the edifice, and adopted measures for in-
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creasing the funds, and providing a library. In view of the state of the funds, the progress of the edifice, and the prospects of the Institution, the Board of Commissioners deemed it both expedient and important to adopt such measures as should put the Seminary into operation as soon as possible. With this view it was deter- mined to proceed to the choice of a Professor of Theology. Af- ter mature deliberation on the subject, the members were called on to vote for a Professor, by ballot, when it appeared that Rev. James Richards, D.D., of Newark (N. J.), was unanimously elected to fill the chair. A resolution was then sent down to the Board of Trustees, informing them of the result, and inviting them to unite with the Board of Commissioners in giving thanks to Almighty God for the unanimity and harmony which had characterized their proceedings in the choice of a Professor ; to which the Trustees replied, in the following resolution : " Resolved, unanimously, that the Board of Trustees of the Theological Seminary approve of the resolution of the Board of Commissioners, appointing Rev. Doctor Richards a Professor of Theology in this Institution, and that they cheerful- ly comply with their request, and will forthwith unite with them in returning thanks to the Almighty God for the unanimity of their proceedings, and in imploring the Divine blessing upon the future operations of the Institution." A joint meeting of the two Boards was held, and a solemn and appropriate prayer was addressed to the throne of grace by Rev. Evan Johns, a member of the Board of Commissioners.
In view of the election of Dr. Richards, and the expectation of his acceptance of the chair of Theology in the Seminary, the hopes of the patrons and friends of the Institution were highly raised. They were, however, not to be gratified in their wishes at this time. Dr. Richards, after deliberation, declined the appoint- ment. In consequence of his declination, the Board of Commis- sioners were convened at Auburn, May 2d, 1821, and took the sub- ject of the election of Professors into serious consideration, and as the result, Rev. Henry Mills, of Woodbridge (N. J.), was elected Professor of Biblical Criticism and Oriental Languages ; Rev. Matthew La Rue Perrine, D.D., of the city of New York, was elected Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Polity, and to perform the duties of Professor of Didactic Theology, until that department shall be otherwise provided for; and Rev. Dirck C. Lansing, of Auburn, was elected Professor of Sacred Rhetoric. Mr. Lansing was Pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Auburn. It was not contemplated that he should resign his pastoral charge, but appropriate as much time as should be consistent with his pas- toral duties, to the duties of the professorship. Dr. Perrine, who was at the time in the village of Auburn, being notified of his ap- pointment, declared his acceptance. Mr. Lansing also gave notice of his acceptance, accompanied with a declaration that his ser-
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vices should be without charge to the Institution. Mr. Mills, who was at the time in New Jersey, on being notified of his appoint- ment, in proper time transmitted a notice of his acceptance. At the same meeting the Board resolved, that the Institution should be opened for the reception of students, on the second Wednesday of October following.
On the ninth day of October, 1821, the Board of Commissioners met at Auburn, and on the next day the Professors elect were in- ducted into office. The exercises on the occasion were in the fol- lowing order :- After the reading of the Scriptures, singing, and prayer, Rev. Caleb Alexander gave a history of the rise, progress, and present state of the Seminary, with its prospects for the fu- ture ; Rev. James H. Hotchkin, who was at that time President of the Board of Commissioners, announced the object of the meeting, received from the Professors elect the public declaration of their acceptance of the office of Professor in the Seminary, and read to them, in the hearing of the audience, the Formula for their assent and subscription in the following words, viz.
" In presence of the omniscient and heart-searching God, I do solemnly and sincerely affirm and declare, that I believe the Scrip- tures of the Old and New Testaments to be the word of God, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice-that I do receive and adopt the Confession of Faith, and the Catechisms of the Presby- terian Church in the United States of America, as containing the system of doctrines taught in the Holy Scriptures-that I do ap- prove of the government and discipline of the Presbyterian Church, as prescribed in the 'Form of Government' and 'Discipline' of the Presbyterian Church in these United States-and I do solemnly promise to maintain with zeal and fidelity the truths of the Gospel, and to be faithful and diligent in all such duties as may devolve on me as a Professor in this Seminary, according to the best of my knowledge and abilities."
To this Formula the Professors severally gave their assent, and subscribed their names ; an appropriate prayer was offered by Rev. Evan Johns ; a charge to the newly inducted Professors was de- livered by Rev. Dr. Fitch; after which the Professors severally delivered their Inaugural Addresses, and the exercises of the oc- casion closed.
At the same meeting Ordinances for the government of the Seminary were adopted, to be in force until the next meeting of the Board, at which time they were revised, and finally adopted and published. By these Ordinances, every Professor in the Insti- tution must be "an ordained minister of the Presbyterian or Congregational Church, and must sustain the character of a learn- ed, judicious, and orthodox divine, and a devout Christian ;" and before entering upon the duties of his office, he must assent to and subscribe the preceding Formula. Every student applying for ad-
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mission, must " produce satisfactory testimonials that he possesses good natural talents, and is of a prudent and discreet deportment ; that he is of a good moral character; that he has passed through a regular course of Academical study, or wanting this, submit to an examination in regard to the branches of literature taught in such a course." The regular course of study comprises three years, corresponding with which the classes are three, and are re- spectively denominated, the Junior, the Middle, and the Senior Class. Students may enter the Seminary and enjoy the course of instruction for a shorter time than three years. The course of studies prescribed is as follows : Junior year .- Hebrew Language ; Critical Reading of the New Testament ; Principles of Interpre- tation ; Biblical Geography and Chronology ; Biblical History and Antiquities ; Mental and Moral Philosophy. Middle year .- Na- tural and Revealed Theology ; Canon of Scripture ; Hebrew and Greek Exegesis continued ; Principles of Sermonizing. Senior year .- Sermonizing ; Preaching; Pastoral Duty; Ecclesiastical History ; Church Polity ; The Jewish Theocracy ; and the Princi- ples of the Old Dispensation. Exercises in Composition and Declamation take place through the whole course. An annual ex- amination of the classes is held, commencing on the Friday next preceding the Anniversary. This examination is conducted by the Professors, in the presence of the Committees of the Boards of Trustees and Commissioners, and such other persons as may be disposed to attend. The examination occupies three days, and is highly interesting. The Anniversary of the Seminary is a period of deep interest, and uniformly draws together a large collection of ministers and others from an extensive region, together with the inhabitants of the city of Auburn. On the day preceding is the annual meeting of the Boards of Trustees and Commissioners. On the same day is the meeting of the Society of Alumni, and a ser- mon is preached in one of the Presbyterian churches by a member of the Society appointed at the preceding annual meeting. In the evening of the same day there is public speaking by students repre- senting the several Societies existing among them for literary and religious purposes. The speakers on this occasion are designated by the respective Societies. The public exercises on the day of the Anniversary consist of Dissertations or Addresses from the members of the graduating class on subjects assigned them by the Faculty. These exercises uniformly call together as large a con- course as can be accommodated in a very large church. In the evening of the anniversary, the annual meeting of the Western Education Society is held, on which occasion the audience is ad- dressed by individuals selected for the occasion. The Anniversary of the Theological Seminary of Auburn has been justly considered as the great annual Religious Festival of Western New York, and nas been rich in the entertainments which it has furnished. This
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anniversary has been held on the third Wednesday in August, in times past ; but was, in 1815, appointed to be held on the third Wednesday in June, in time to come. The hospitality of the good people of Auburn has been tested in the most satisfactory manner, by their gratuitous entertainment of the members of the Boards of Trustees and Commissioners, and other visitors during the exer- cises connected with the anniversary. There have been, previous to the anniversary in 1845, two vacations in each year, amounting to twelve weeks in the whole. In future there is to be but one vacation in the year, to commence on the day of the anniversary, and to continue twelve weeks. No charge is made against the students for instruction, the use of rooms and furniture, or the benefit of the library. With most of the students the cost of board does not exceed one dollar and twelve and a half cents a week. The privileges of the Institution are available to students of all evangelical denominations.
On the second Wednesday of October, 1821. the course of instruc- tion in the Seminary commenced. The number of students during the first year was eleven. At the commencement of the year 1845, when the Seminary had been twenty-three years in operation, the number of students who had been connected with it, besides its then present members, was 515; of these thirty-seven had deceased, and between twenty and twenty-five had, from want of health or other causes, failed to pursue the work of the gospel ministry ; more than twenty had gone to raise the standard of the cross among the perishing heathen tribes; eighty had located themselves in the great valley of the Mississippi ; and a still larger number were laboring in the Northern and Western parts of the State of New York. About 480 were statedly preaching the gospel of salvation to their dying fellow-men.
Dr. Perrine, in addition to the duties of Professor of Ecclesi- astical History and Church Polity, imparted instruction in theology for about two years, when he was relieved from the duties of the latter department and confined himself wholly to those of the former. On the 15th day of August, 1823, 15,000 dollars were contributed by Arthur Tappan, Esq., of the city of New York, as an endowment for a professorship of Christian Theology. This very liberal con- tribution was accompanied with the following declaration :- " The Founder of the Professorship of Christian Theology in the Seminary of Auburn, in the State of New York, being induced to endow this professorship from a sense of the importance, not only of a pious, but of a well-educated ministry for the edification of the church, the spread of the gospel, and the conversion and salvation of men from a conviction of the expediency and utility of institutions devoted to the education of pious young men for the gospel ministry ; and from the belief that this Seminary in its plan and location is well calculated to answer the beneficent purposes of such an insti-
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tution, and that its prospects of success depend upon the immediate establishment of this professorship upon the basis of a permanent fund ; and humbly aiming in this transaction to promote in the church the glory of God, he does hereby give, assign, and set over unto the Trustees of the Theological Seminary of Auburn, in the State of New York, the sum of 15,000 dollars in trust, as a capital fund for the purpose of maintaining a Professor of Christian Theo- logy in the said Seminary for ever. And he declares it to be his intention and design in granting the said sum, that it should be sacredly held and preserved for the purpose aforesaid, and kept separate and distinct from all other funds and property of the said Trustees, and be vested in sure and permanent funds, or put out at interest on good security ; and that the interest or income of said Capital Fund should be annually applied to the support of a Professor of Christian Theology, possessing the qualifications, and holding the Theological sentiments and faith which are required by the Ordi- nances of the Seminary now in force ; and he declares it to be an express condition upon which he grants this Fund, that no Profes- sor shall ever be placed or suffered to continue on this Foundation, who does not hold the System of Faith which the Ordinances of the Seminary at present require every Professor to hold ; and if at any time hereafter any Professor on this Foundation shall in any important article differ from the said System of Faith, and espe- cially if such Professor shall not fully believe and teach the true and proper divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the personality of the Holy Spirit, the total depravity of man in his natural state, and the eternal punishment of the wicked, then the Founder of this Pro- fessorship reserves to himself, his heirs, executors, and assigns, the right to reclaim and receive back the Capital Fund hereby granted ; and he requires that this right should be fully recognised and agreed to by the Trustees of the Seminary on their receiving and accept- ing the said Fund, and that it should be acknowledged upon their records ; and he likewise reserves to himself, during his natural life, the right of prefixing such name or appellation to this Profes- sorship as he may think proper, and also the right of making any additional regulations respecting this Foundation, provided such regulations be not prejudicial to the true design of the Foundation, nor inconsistent with the Ordinances of the Seminary." At a subse- quent period this Professorship was named, " The Richards' Pro- fessorship of Christian Theology." At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Seminary, September 10th, 1823, this Fund was accepted in the form and with the conditions specified in the decla- ration of the Founder, the Board of Commissioners having given their consent. On the same day in which this Fund was accepted, the Board of Commissioners, by a unanimous vote, elected Rev. James Richards, D.D., Professor of Christian Theology. Dr. Richards accepted the appointment, removed his family to Auburn,
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and on the 29th of October, 1823, was inducted into office by the Board of Commissioners with the usual forms, and delivered on the occasion an inaugural address. The high estimation in which Dr. Richards was held by the Christian public, together with the con- sideration that the Faculty of the Seminary was now complete in number, with other circumstances, contributed greatly to the pros- perity of the institution, and from this period the number of students rapidly increased.
At the annual meeting of the Board of Commissioners held Au- gust 16th, 1826, Professor Lansing tendered to the Board his resig- nation of his office as Professor of Sacred Rhetoric in the Seminary, giving at length his reasons for the act. In view of this procedure, the Board passed the following Resolutions, viz.
" 1st. Resolved,-That the resignation of Professor Lansing be, and it hereby is, accepted.
"2d. Resolved,-That the services of Mr. Lansing in the duties of his office in the Seminary, especially as they have been rendered without the expectation or reception of any pecuniary reward, have conferred upon this Board and the patrons of the Institution an obligation which is promptly and gratefully acknowledged.
" 3d. Resolved,-That the thanks of this Board be, and they hereby are, presented to the church and congregation under the pastoral care of Mr. Lansing, for their Christian feeling, liberal views, and patient generosity in submitting so cheerfully to those privations they must have sustained in the labors of their Pastor, so far as they have been devoted to the interests of the Seminary.
" 4th. Resolved -- That this Board, in behalf of this Christian community, and in their own behalf, do, in the exercise of Christian affection and respectful gratitude, record the name of D. C. Lan- sing among the Founders of this Seminary, and as one of the prime and most efficient agents in measures which have led to its estab- lishment, and its present pleasing and flourishing condition, and they devoutly implore for him on his retirement the blessing of heaven, as well as the sublime satisfaction of witnessing the rising reputation and the expanding influence of an institution which has hitherto taken so deep hold upon his heart, and which has been so eminently blessed by his efforts."
After the resignation of Mr. Lansing the Professorship of Sacred Rhetoric remained vacant almost nine years, in consequence of the low state of the finances of the Institution. In the meantime the duties of the Professorship were fulfilled by the other Professors. In the year 1829, Col. Samuel Bellamy of Auburn, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Seminary, deceased, leaving a large share of his property after the decease of his wife to endow a Pro- fessorship of Sacred Rhetoric. The amount of this property was estimated between five and six thousand dollars. By the death of Mrs. Bellamy this property has become available for the support of
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the Professorship. In 1832, Thaddeus Edwards, Esq., of Skene- atoles, a member of the Board of Trustees, departed this life, leav- ing to the Seminary a legacy of $1,000. This legacy was added to that of Col. Bellamy, and appropriated as a permanent endow- ment of a Professorship to be denominated, "The Bellamy and Edwards Professorship of Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Theology." Provision being made for the support of a Professor, on the third day of December, 1834, Rev. Samuel H. Cox, D.D., of the city of New York, was elected to fill the place, and on the sixteenth day of June of the following year was inducted into office in the usual manner, and delivered an inaugural speech on the occasion.
By the induction of Dr. Cox into the office of Professor of Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Theology, the Faculty of the Seminary was made complete, but it was not destined long to continue in this state. The health of Dr. Perrine had been for some time declining, and on the eleventh day of February, 1836, he departed this life in the enjoyment of an assured hope of a blessed immortality. The Board of Commissioners at their annual meeting in August follow- ing, in view of this afflicting event, recorded on their Minutes as follows, viz .- " During the past year the friends of this Institution have been called to mourn the decease of its oldest Professor, the Rev. Matthew La Rue Perrine, D.D., Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Polity. The Board, in view of this afflictive bereavement, feel called upon to record the high estimation in which Dr. Perrine was held, and the faithfulness and ability with which he discharged the duties of his office. Possessing talents of a high order, clear and discriminating in his views, meek and retiring in his manners, mild and affectionate in his disposition, and the whole sanctified by a devout and spiritual mind, he was ever the friend and counsellor of his pupils, as well as their able instructor. To him, under God, is this Seminary deeply indebted for its prosperity and usefulness, especially during the early period of its history, when for two years he was called upon, in addition to his appropri- ate duties, to discharge those of the Professor of Theology. But while we mourn our loss in that he has been called to his reward by his blessed Lord, we would render unfeigned thanks that he was permitted so long and so ably to employ the powers of his discriminating mind and the sympathies of his warm heart in the service of this beloved Institution."
In consequence of the vacancy caused by the decease of Dr. Perrine, the Board of Commissioners, at a meeting held on the ninth day of November, 1836, elected Rev. Luther Halsey, D.D., to fill the vacancy. Dr. Halsey at the time of his election sustain- ed the office of Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government in the Western Theological Seminary located at Alle- ghanytown, adjacent to Pittsburgh. He resigned the office which he held in the Western Seminary, accepted the call to Auburn,
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removed his family thither, and on the fourteenth day of August, 1837, was installed Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Polity in the Seminary of Auburn, with the usual solemnities, and delivered an inaugural address upon the occasion. At the same meeting of the Board of Commissioners, Dr. Cox tendered his re- signation of the office of Professor of Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Theology in the Seminary, in consequence of some embarrassment in his temporal circumstances. The Board accepted his resigna- tion, and placed the subjoined Minutes on their Records, viz .- " The Board very highly appreciate the services rendered by Dr. Cox in the department to which he was appointed, as also his very benevolent and efficient exertions in sustaining for a considerable time the responsible duties of a co-ordinate department, besides devoting the vacations to the interests of the Seminary in soliciting funds in various parts of the country. In accepting his resigna- tion the Board would acknowledge their great obligations to him for his faithfulness and zeal, and express their deep regret for the necessity that constrained him to resign, while we pray that the great Head of the church may abundantly bless his labors in preach- ing the gospel to the conversion and edification of many souls."
To fill the Professorship made vacant by the resignation of Dr. Cox. Rev. Baxter Dickinson, D.D., of Cincinnati, was elected by the Board of Commissioners on the twentieth day of August, 1839. Dr. Dickinson at the time of his election filled the chair of Sacred Rhetoric in the Lane Theological Seminary at Cincinnati, in the State of Ohio. On being informed of his appointment he resigned his office in the Lane Seminary, accepted the call to Auburn, re- moved his family, and on the nineteenth day of August, 1840, was with the usual exercises inducted into the station of Professor of Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Theology. As is usual on the occa- sion, he delivered an maugural address.
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