USA > New York > Ecclesiastical records, state of New York, Volume VI > Part 82
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REPRINTING OF THE WORD OF GOD.
The Rev. Prof. Livingston presented at the table of this Rev. Body a resolution, with an accompanying friendly letter from a certain committee of ministers of the associated churches of the State of Massachusetts, desiring us with them, by writ or otherwise, to request the Congress of the United States of this country, that, seeing the Holy Bible is beginning to be reprinted in America in the English lan- guage, it may please Congress, by the employment of the most suitable means, to provide that such printing of the word of God be executed with all fidelity and care, and under proper oversight. The Rev. Synod thereupon ordained to appoint a committee to ascertain whether the Rev. Brethren of the two Synods in corre- spondence with us have received a like letter, in order, provided the same have received and acceded to the request therein contained, to cooperate with them on the subject at all events, the Rev. Professor is requested in the most friendly and speedy manner to answer said letter. The ministers in New York are furthermore named as a committee on the subject .*
CHURCH ORDER.
The report of the Rev. Committee upon this subject was presented:
1. That the distinct translations of the articles of Church Order of the Rev. Synod of Dordrecht in the years 1618 and 1619, and of the Plan of Union adopted 1772, both made in England by Drs. Dirck Romeyn and Eil. Westerlo, be referred to a committee, who shall carefully compare the same with the original Dutch, and alter and amend all such English words and phrases as either are not pure, or do not actually and appropriately express the true and literal meaning.
2. That the same committee likewise prepare some observations upon the articles of Church Order, to be incorporated among them, in which the proper sense and
*Soon after the Revolution, the several Denominations began to issue books bear- ing on their own peculiar tenets, or of a more strictly religious character, and the duty of reprinting the Bible in English, in America, was necessarily considered. Matthew Carey, editor of a Magazine styled "The American Museum," announced therein on Jan. 26, 1789, that he intended to publish the Douai Bible therein, in serial numbers. This was actually begun on Dec. 12, 1789, but soon abandoned, and Chal- loner's Revision of 1763-4, of the Douai version was issued in two volumes, quarto, on Dec. 1, 1790, by Carey, Stewart and Co., of Philadelphia. The Douai Bible printed in that city in 1805, had long been considered the first edition until Mr. Shea brought these facts to light. See Shea's "Life of Archbishop Carroll," page 374 .- O'Calla- ghan's "List of Editions of the Holy Scriptures, etc., printed in America," Albany, 1861, pp. xxiv-xxviii .- Shea : "A Bibliographical Account of Catholic Bibles," New York, 1859 .- Finotti : "Bibliographica Catholica Americana," New York, 1782 .- Sabin : "Dictionary of Books Relating to America," Vol. 2, under "Bibles."-Editions of the Bible, King James's Version, began to multiply from 1791.
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meaning of them, if necessary, shall be brieflly declared, or sufficient reasons be assigned why some articles are not inserted, or cannot be carried out in our American churches.
3. That the Rev. Ministers of the congregation of New York, as residing in close proximity to each other, and most conveniently situated readily to confer together, be appointed a committee on the subject by this Synod.
4. That in the coming spring, an extra Synod be convoked in order to revise said Plan of Union, and with common consent enlarge it, by inserting or adding some further rules, made in subsequent General Convenings or Synods, and thus, upon previous investigation, approving Synodaliter the foresaid translation and observations.
5. That if necessary, the following autumn, a General Ecclesiastical Meeting be solicited, calmly to weigh the whole subject, and determine finaliter, whether the same shall be issued in full or in part, and in what language, or whether both in Dutch and English, for the special benefit of our congregations.
ADDRESS TO THE MAGISTRACY.
The committee reported that a respectful address had been presented by them in the name of the Rev. Synod to the President of the United States, which was received with much satisfaction, and honored with an affectionate and friendly reply by the President.
ENGLISH PSALMODY.
The Rev. Synod perceive with much satisfaction that the English Psalms, together with the selection of Hymns formerly approved by Synodical decrees, have been happily committed to the press, and are printed and already in use in many congregations; and the present Synod cannot on this occasion omit publicly to render thanks in the name of the Church to the gentlemen composing the com- mittee on this subject, and especially to the Rev. Prof. Livingston, who particu- larly has lent his hand and help. They observe, likewise, in addition, that the Dutch churches are not restricted to the versification by Petrus Dathenus, as recently a new translation and versification of the Psalms has been introduced into the Netherlands churches; and that, according to the intention of the Synod of Dordrecht, hymns which have been approved by a Synod should not be excluded from the churches.
DEATH OF REV .. EILARDUS WESTERLO, OF ALBANY, DEC. 26, 1790.
This divine was born in the province of Groeningen, Holland, in 1738, and received a thorough university education. It was stili a custom with the American churches to send to Holland for ministers to supply their pulpits; and in answer to the requisition of the church of Albany for a pastor, Mr. Westerlo, who was then at the University of Groeningen, was induced to accept the call. He arrived here in 1760, and entered upon the pastoral charge in October of that year, having been previously installed in Holland. He proved to be a man of great powers of mind, extensive erudition, and became one of the most eminent ministers of the Dutch church in America. He possessed caution and prudence, and great dignity of manners, yet was affable and courteous to all. His pastoral duties were dis- charged with exemplary fidelity over a field unusually extensive. He took a con- spicuous part in severing the church from its dependence upon the mother country, and its reorganization upon the present plan. During the war of the American revolution, he took strong grounds in the cause of the people, and at a most critical time, when Burgoyne was advancing on the city from the north, he animated and Inspired the people by having church open every day for the purpose of prayer and address. He died on the 26th of December, 1790, at a time of life when age
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had scarcely begun to impair his frame, and was buried in the family vault of Stephen Van Rensselaer, his funeral obsequies being attended by a large concourse from the city and neighborhood. Amid the arduous cares of his ministry, he found time to prepare a Hebrew and a Greek Lexicon, in Two Vols., folio, which remain in manuscript, in the possession of his son, Rensselaer Westerlo, Esq .- Munsell's Annals, Vol. i. pp. 118, 119.
From Albany Gazette, December 26, 1790 .- Rev. Filardus Westerlo, senior pastor of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, died aged fifty three, in the thirty first year of his ministry. He was greatly respected for his piety and learning, and his funeral was attended by a large concourse of the people of the city and neighboring towns, who followed his remains to the vault of the Van Rensselaer family, where he was interred .- Munsell's Annals of Albany, Vol. iii. p. 145.
SYNOD OF THE REFORMED DUTCH CHURCHES IN NORTH AMERICA, MAY 4-7, 1791.
Extracts.
PROFESSORSHIP.
The Rev. Body, taking this weighty subject into further earnest consideration, and being desirous that as soon as possible something decisive may be done for the promotion of the same, have seen fit to appoint a committee to devise a plan subservient to that end, and make a report, stante Synodo. The Rev. Messrs. Dirck Romeyn, Sol. Froligh, and Elias Van Bunschoten, with the Elders, Messrs. Christopher Hoagland, Peter Tappen, and Thomas Post, were appointed the committee.
These gentlemen of the committee presented the following report, viz: That the Rev. Synod should first, and above all, devise means to form a fund for the main- tenance of the Professorship; to which end they take the freedom to propose the following, viz: That a subscription be taken through all our congregations, and that the moneys pledged be paid at the end of each half year, and to continue for three consecutive years ; that the sums collected, immediately upon the reception of them, be employed to negotiate a capital, to be deposited in the Bank of the State of New York, or in the National Bank, and that the interest thereof shall be dis- posed of in the same manner, until the fund be found sufficient. This report being read, was approved, and made a Synodical resolution. The Rev. Synod further judge, that said subscription and the collections in the different congregations be made in such manner as the respective Consistories of those congregations shall deem most suitable; and that the moneys, immediately upon their reception, shall be transmitted to the highly respected Mr. Peter Wilson, of New York, who, as agent of this Rev. Body, shall, upon request from the Rev. President, faithfully employ them to negotiate a capital, which he shall deliver to the corporation of the congregation in New York, who shall further dispose of the same in accordance with the determination of the Synod, provided these honored gentlemen be, as the Rev. Body trust, willing to assume this burden.
FUNDS.
The Rev. Body, being convinced that something definite should in the speediest manner be done in reference to Queens College, appointed a committee to deliber- ate upon the subject and lay their advice before the Synod. The Rev. J. H. Liv- ingston, Henricus Schoonmaker, Joannes Duryee, with the Elders, Messrs. Abram Schuyler and Christopher Hoagland, were the committee. These gentlemen brought in the following report, viz. That agreeably to the determination of the General Body convened at Kingston, in the year 1773, as well as various subse- quent resolutions, especially that passed in the Synod held in October last, it appears that the Dutch churches in this country have adopted said institution, and regard the same as a seminary under their patronage; further, that the funds formerly collected for said institution have become so depreciated through the war
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and other causes, that, unless they be increased, the institution will not be able to answer the intention of the churches. Notwithstanding these things, it seems to be at present in a somewhat prosperous state, being furnished with competent instructors, and containing a larger number of students than ever before. The committee therefore request the liberty to advise, that the Rev. Synod seek to assure the honorable gentlemen, the Trustees of Queens College, of the favorable disposition of the Dutch churches, by the encouraging of subscriptions by means of said gentlemen, the Trustees, in our respective congregations; and that this Synod stimulate and encourage the respective Consistories of the congregations where the subscriptions are made, to be herein assistants to the said gentlemen the Trustees, by their ready counsel and aid; which report, being considered and approved, was made a Synodical decree.
CHURCH ORDER.
The gentlemen appointed a committee to specify the subjects to be included in the Constitution of the Reformed Dutch churches of America, to be issued in accordance with the intentions of Synod, report, that after mature deliberation, it appears to them that such publication should be entirely restricted to what con- stitutes the Doctrine, Liturgy, and Government of said churches, that it may not only not form an unnecessarily large volume, but also not perplex the English reader, by the introduction of any thing that does not essentially pertain to our ecclesiastical regulations; that therefore, all that relates to the Church in the Netherlands, and especially to the agency of the magistrate in ecclesiastical matters in that country, is not properly included in the regulations which are the basis of the government of our churches in America. The committee further remark, that the PROCEEDINGS of the National Synod, held at Dordrecht, are the basis of the government of all Reformed Dutch churches throughout the world, and that all charters which have been given to the Dutch churches in the States of New York and New Jersey are also founded thereon ; that yet, since in these proceedings many things occur which have particular reference to the Netherlands, the Dutch churches in other portions of the world have been necessitated to adapt them to their particular circumstances, as was also done by our churches in America in the general meetings held in New York in the year 1771 and 1772, when a Plan of Church Government was formed and adopted, which was also approved by the Rev. Classis of Amsterdam, as appointed for that purpose, by the Supreme Synod of North Holland, and this plan has been enlarged and amended by subsequent Synodical Acts. The committee, therefore, judge it advisable that the Rev. Synod further direct and authorize their committee upon this subject to frame out of said proceedings a suitable plan which shall constitute the whole ecclesiastical discipline and government of the Dutch Reformed churches in America, as now situated, and which shall be the only rule by which said churches are directed to abide, and by which they shall be known and distinguished as Dutch churches. This, in our estimation, will answer the expectations of the public, satisfy the desires of the civil government, and serve for the direction of all the members of our Church; since it will likewise appear from this plan, that the proceedings of the National Synod of Dordrecht are the basis of the government of the Dutch churches in America, cordially received and carefully adapted to its particular circumstances in this country; and that thus, the different charters may be ratified, and the attachment of the members of said churches to the Reformed Dutch churches in the Netherlands may be fully confirmed.
The Rev. Synod, having deliberated upon this report, resolved, that the com- mittee be requested to frame a draft of Church Government and Discipline, agree- ably to the principles stated in the report, and lay an accurate copy, if practicable, before the Rev. Synod, at their next meeting. In order, however, also to secure the counsel and assistance of all their members in this weighty matter, it is like- wise ordained, that the President of this Synod communicate to each of the respective Classes the request of this Synod, that each and every minister, with an elder, (besides those who are appointed by the Rev. Classes as delegates to Synod,) please to appear at the meeting in New York, on the first Wednesday in
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the ensuing October, so that the Synod may be able to avail themselves of the presence and counsel of the whole body of ministers and elders in issuing their Ecclesiastical Constitution, as also in relation to the Professorship and other weighty matters.
CLASSIS OF AMSTERDAM.
1791, July 18th. Synodalia. Art. 46 ad 45. The Committee ad res Exteras give information that they have received the Acts of (the Synod of) New York and New Jersey for the years 1789 and 1790; and they (the Americans) earnestly desire henceforth to receive our Acts-(those of the Synod of North Holland.) xvi. 115.
SYNOD OF NORTH HOLLAND, HELD AT HOORN, JULY 26-AUG. 5, 1791.
ARTICLE 43 .- NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY.
The Classis of Amsterdam brought upon the table-
I. A letter from there, signed Dirick Romeyn and Solomon Froeligh, Deputies of the Synod, dated Oct. 8, 1890. In this there were
1. A copy is sent us of a letter, sent two years ago which, it was feared did not reach us at all, or came too late to hand.
2. Excuse is asked for their not forwarding the Acts of their former meeting. Joy is expressed over a continuance of the correspondence, and an urgent request is made that the same be maintained also with a yearly transmission of the North Holland Acts. The letter concludes with congratulations.
II. The letter mentioned here is dated New York, Oct. 5, 1787, and is as such already touched upon in the Acts of our Synod of 1788, although at that time it could not be brought up for action. After a thankful acknowledgement of the receipt of the Acts and an agreeable report concerning the many young Nazarites who are hopefully consecrating themselves to the sacred ministry there, an elaborate statement is made concerning the correspond- ence of their Dutch Synod with the different Synods of the Presbyterian and Scotch brethren, and concerning the incorpora- tion of their churches.
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1. In regard to the first they say: From the Minutes of our meetings recently held, from 1785 to 1787, when they shall have come to hand, your Revs. will be pleased to understand that, neither we, nor our churches, have united ourselves in one church body with either of the aforesaid churches or Synods of those brethren ; but have rather kept ourselves distinct and by ourselves. Our aim was merely to establish a fraternal correspondence, to the end that, as neighboring brethren, we might dwell together in unity, watch over one another in love, take counsel together, yea, assist one another in preserving the purified Gospel Doctrine and in the more successfully carrying out the rules of Church Dis- cipline in our different, but closely adjoining churches. How far we have therein advanced, the Acts of this our meeting will abundantly show; however, this matter has not yet been brought to a conclusion. Our heartfelt desire is that our fraternal deal- ings with one another in peace, love and confidence may long be maintained and in every way blest to the end above mentioned.
2. In regard to the incorporation of our churches in general: your Revs. will please to notice that our respective authorities in both States, under our New Government, have passed a special Act or Law, whereby each (individual) church of all the different denominations in these States-for not any particular church is established here-is given liberty, according to a certain definite method, to incorporate itself, by the election and appointment of Trustees as guardians of the properties and incomes of the churches. These Trustees, every few years will be voted for by each person belonging to the congregation-even by those who are not communicants ; and will probably, for the most part, be different men from the standing Consistories. Until the present, however, these consistories have always and everywhere in our churches, (besides their ecclesiastical duties), been at the same time guardians or managers of the church properties; and, in some of our largest churches, especially where the services are in English as well as in Dutch-that being (now) considered all the same, among us-they have been confirmed in these their rights, by Charters granted under the former government of the country ;
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and these Charters are, in relation to the thus incorporated con- gregations, still indeed in full force under the present excellent government.
But our Synod desired that all our churches should be placed on the same footing, in the matter of ownership and management of church properties. For that reason, as also to prevent differ- ences between Consistories and Trustees as well as between the electors of the last named, we have petitioned the Government, by way of an Appendix to the aforesaid Act, or by a new Act, to grant our Dutch Churches the liberty and right to incorporate themselves, but in such a way that the standing Consistories and their successors be and remain the Trustees or guardians of the church properties by virtue of their election and appointment as Consistories. And we are not without a well-founded hope that this just request of our united churches will be granted by our Christian Government and confirmed by the law of the land.
Further this letter closes with the request that letters be here- after addressed to the Assembly under the name of the Rev. Synod of the Reformed Dutch Churches in the States of New York and New Jersey. It closes with congratulations, and is signed by
Hermanus Meyer and Eilardus Westerlo.
III. This consists of an abstract of the Acts of the American Synod for October, 1789 and October, 1790, covering three very large pages.
SALE OF LOTS BY THE DUTCH CHURCH OF ALBANY, 1791.
In 1791 the consistory directed "the ground commonly distinguished as the church pasture," to be laid out into lots. They lay on the west side of Court street, leading from the ferry to the town." At this time a gate swung across the way a little above Lydius street, and a common road from thence to the ferry lay along the bank of the river through the pasture. Although the names of some of the streets in that region have been changed within a few years, several of them still bear the names of the ministers. The area which they intersect was once the property of the church, and when sold produced less than a hundred dollars a lot. These have since been filled in to a considerable extent and rendered valuable. There were comparatively but a few lots built upon south of Lydius street, between Pearl and Broadway, so late as twenty years ago, though now teeming with a dense population .- Munsell's Annals, Vol i. p. 121.
The consistory of the Dutch Church laid out into lots a part of the tract com- monly termed the church pasture. These lots lay on the west side of Court street now Broadway, below Lydius, described as being on the road "leading from the
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ferry to the town. They were sold at auction. It is believed that the difficulty between the Rev. Mr. Bassett and his church grew out of or was aggravated by some transactions in these lots.
September, 1791 .- The Rev. Mr. Bassett published a collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, for the use of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in North America .- Munsell's Annals of Albany, Vol. iii. p. 149.
GENERAL CONVENTION OF REFORMED DUTCH CHURCHES IN NORTH AMERICA, OCTOBER 4-8, 1791.
Extracts.
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE CHURCH OF HOLLAND.
The Deputatus reports, that agreeably to the resolution of the last Ordinary Meeting, a letter was sent to the Rev. Classis of Amsterdam, to which no answer has yet been received. The Rev. Body therefore continue to entertain expectations of a favorable reply.
INVITED AND PRESENT MINISTERS AND ELDERS.
The Rev. Brethren, ministers and elders, who were invited, to the end that the Rev. Body might enjoy their counsel and assistance in regard to Church Order, etc., arrived, and according to credentials, there were found to be present:
From the Rev. Classis of New York .- The Rev. Mr. Joannes H. Livingston, S. S. Theol. Doct. et Prof .; the Rev. Mr. Linn, S. S. Theol. Doct .; Dr. Peter Stryker, with his Elder, Henry Gerretse; Dr. Petrus Low, and Dr. M. Schoonmaker.
From the Rev. Classis of New Brunswick .- Dr. Benjamin Du Bois, with his Elder, Tobias Polhemus; Dr. Joannes Duryee, with his Elder, Joannes Van Voor- heesen ; Dr. Joannes M. Van Harlingen, with his Elder, Christopher Hoogland.
From the Rev. Classis of Hackensack .- Dr. Warmoldus Kuypers, with his Elder, Isaac Van Der Beek ; Dr. Nicolas Lansing, with his Elder, Isaac Blanch.
From the Rev. Classis of Kingston .- Dr. Petrus De Witt, with his Elder, David Van Ness; Dr. Moses Froligh, and Dr. Abram Van Horn, with his Elder, John De Puy.
From the Rev. Classis of Albany .- Dr. Dirck Romeyn, S. S. Theol. Doct., with his Elder, Abr. Oothoud ; Dr. John Basset, with his Elder, David Groesbeck ; Dr. Samuel Smith, with his Elder, James Brisbin; Dr. D. Christr. And. Pick, with his Elder, Frederick Getman; Dr. John Demarest, with his Elder, Seth Veder.
FUNDS.
A request was presented at the table of this Rev. Body from the respected Trus- tees of Queens College, in substance as follows, viz.
1. That the Rev. Body be pleased to devise means, and in connection with the respected Trustees, labor to increase the funds of that Seminary.
2. That thereupon, this Rev. Synod will recommend to the honorable gentlemen, the Trustees, a competent person whom they may call upon a sufficient salary, both as professor in Sacred Theology and as President of the institution, in agreement with the resolution of this Supreme Body, passed in the year 1773. The Rev. Body having noticed what each of the Rev. Classes have in Actis on this subject, perceive that those of New Brunswick and Hackensack are in perfect agreement respecting the union of the Theological Professorship and the Presidency. The Rev. Body having received the counsel of the Rev. Brethren, and maturely considered the sub- Ject, ordain at present as follows:
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