USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > A history of the Goshenhoppen Reformed charge, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (1727-1819) > Part 7
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81 Records of Presbyterian Church, Vol. I, p. 99.
82 Hazard's Register, Vol. XV, p. 201.
83 Hazard's Register, Vol. XVI, p. 254.
78
History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
As concerning our transactions during that long term of our residence at Ephrata, I wish I could satisfy thine curiosity. I have published a Chronicon Ephratense, of which I could make thee a present, if thou art master of the German language. However I will do something to satisfy thee. In August 1730, I arrived at Philadelphia, and was there at the end of said year upon order of the Scotch Synod, ordained, in the old meeting house by three emi- nent ministers, Tenant, Andrews and Boyd.
Peter Miller served the congregations, Skippack, Ger- mantown and Philadelphia, according to Boehm's letter of November 12, 1730, till the fall of 1731. On Septem- ber 21, 1731, the Rev. John Bartholomew Rieger arrived at Philadelphia, who became Miller's successor in these congregations.
Lancaster filtrovent stv. gehoorsamme Joh: Barthol: Rieger Marias 3
On November 22, 1731, the Reformed congregation of Philadelphia wrote to the Rev. Dr. Wilhelmius of Rot- terdam :84
In order that the minister's chair might not remain vacant, since Mr. Weis has left us, we have, sometime ago, elected and accepted as our teacher the newly arrived Candidate Rieger, to whose plant- ing and watering among us the Lord may grant his blessing from on high.
As a result we find Miller turning to the interior Ger- man settlements. He first appears at Goshenhoppen. In 84 The original is in the Hague archives, 74, I, 10.
79
Miller at Goshenhoppen
his report of 1739, Mr. Boehm locates him definitely at Goshenhoppen :85
Of this congregation [Goshenhoppen] I know little, for it never wanted to be under our church-order, but desired to be its own master. When Do. Weiss, as stated above, came into the country and caused great confusion, they faithfully adhered to him. When he traveled to Holland in order to obtain the well known moneys collected there, they immediately clung to Miller, who, assisted by another person, continued to serve Goshenhoppen. By their serv- ices at Skippack, they kept the congregation there in a state of con- tinued restlessness, which had been begun by Weiss. All my peti- tions, entreaties and warnings were in vain.
In course of time Miller extended his activity. In 1733 we find him ministering to the Reformed people in the Conestoga valley, Lancaster County, and in the Tulpe- hocken valley, Berks County.
On March 4, 1733, Rev. John B. Rieger and the Phila- delphia physician, Dr. John Jacob Diemer, write in a letter to the Synodical Deputies :86
The church at Conestoga and vicinity has a preacher by the name of Joh. Petrus Müller, who was ordained in the Presbyterian church here. He administers divine services there [at Conestoga]. The churches at Schippach, Germantown and Philadelphia have a preacher who came over a year and a half ago, Bartholomeus Rieger, who has taken the place of Do. Wys. He preaches one Sunday at Schippach, the second at Germantown and the third at Philadelphia.
We learn still more about the activity of Miller in the Conestoga valley from a very important letter of Conrad Tempelman, who did for the Conestoga valley what Mr. Boehm did for the Perkiomen valley. He began the first
85 Minutes of Coetus, p. 9.
86 The original is at the Hague, archives 74, I, 15.
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History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
Reformed services in that region. In this letter Tempel- man writes to the Synods of North and South Holland under date February 13, 1733:87
LETTER OF CONRAD TEMPELMAN REGARDING THE REFORMED CHURCH IN CONESTOGA, FEBRUARY 13, 1733.
The church at Chanastoka took it, origin in the year 1725, with a small gathering in houses here and there, with the reading of a sermon and with song and prayer, according to their High German church order, upon all Sundays and Holidays, but, on account of the lack of a minister, without the administration of Baptism and of the Lord's Supper.
Thereafter Dominie Böhm served them, at first [1727] volun- tarily at the request of the people, later, after being fully ordained, he administered baptism and communion to them for the space of two years [1730-1731], upon a yearly call, although he lived a distance of 21 hours [about 63 miles] away from them, being sat- isfied with their small, voluntary gifts. He also subsequently established a church-order [constitution] among them and the con- gregation chose elders and he himself exercised a strict and careful supervision, so that things went on in good order in this congre- gation.
Further the writer reports that the congregation, on account of its enlargement and the great distances between the members, has divided itself into six meeting-places in Chanastoka, whereof three places are served by a Reformed minister, Johan Peter Müller, by name, by whom also another strong congregation is served about seven hours [21 miles] distant, called Dalbenhacken [Tulpehocken].
But that they now, by reason of the division of the congregation, cannot any longer be served by Do. Boehm, as also not by the afore- said Müller, both by reason of the great distance of the localities and because of the manifold occupations and heavy labor wherewith he is overburdened. .
87 Only an abstract of Tempelmann's letter in Dutch has been preserved at the Hague, archives 74, I, 14.
8I
Letter of Tempelman
The entire north side, 20 hours [60 miles] distant from Phila- delphia, named Chanastoka (which is no town, but a tract of land so named after a certain creek) is settled by Germans and English. There are three of the meeting places of the Reformed people, cov- ering an area 7 hours [21 miles] long and 7 hours [21 miles] wide. But they say further, that they can give no report to the Rev. Christian Synods of the 3 places, ministered unto by Do. Müller. Nevertheless they hope that the said preacher will make known his own needs (inasmuch as he cannot well subsist by the free-will gifts of his people) as well as the condition of his congre- gation and his elders. .
Regarding the three first named meeting places they give further report to the Rev. Christian Synods [Classis] of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, concerning the members and elders belonging to them, with the autograph signatures of the latter.
It is signed
CONRAD TEMPELMAN Reader of the Congregation
(N.B. He seems to be the writer of the letter.)
Members 55, Elders: Rudolf Heller (L.S.)
Michel Albert (L.S.)
Andries M .
(L.S.)
At the second meeting place there are the following number of members and elders:
Members 51, Elders: Hans Georg Swab (L.S.) Johannes Göhr (L.S.)
Conrad Werns (L.S.)
At the third meeting place there are the following members and elders :
Members 30, Elders: Johann Jacob Hook (L.S.)
Andries Halsbrun (L.S.)
Nicolaus
(L.S.)
7
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History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
The fact that Tempelman has given us the names of the elders of these congregations enables us to identify them.
The first of these preaching places is now represented by Heller's church in Upper Leacock township.88 The second is the Cocalico church near Ephrata, and the third is the Lancaster church. Its elder, John Jacob Hock, was elected the first pastor of the Lancaster church in 1736.
As to the congregations served by Miller, we can only speak with some degree of probability. One was prob- ably Muddy Creek, for in the Lutheran Muddy Creek record two children are recorded as having been baptized by Peter Miller, one on January 20, 1730[31], the other on February 3, 1733.89 The second congregation seems to have been Reyer's Church (now at Brickerville), Eliza- beth township, where Tempelman made entries in an old church record, beginning with the year 1735. The third was most likely Zeltenreich, near New Holland, where a Reformed Church was in existence in 1744, ministered to by Jacob Lischy.
Sometime during this period ( 1730-1734), probably before the division into six preaching places had occurred, Miller also preached at Cocalico, near Ephrata, for in a list of pastors of that congregation, drawn up in 1766 by the Rev. John George Wittner, the name Peter Miller occurs. As this important list has never been published, it may be well to insert it here in full, with some comments :
S8 A full discussion of the evidence was given by the writer in the Reformed Church Messenger of January 4, 1900; also by Prof. Jos. H. Dubbs, D.D., in the "Earliest Church in Lancaster County," a paper read before the Lancaster County Historical Society, Proceedings, Vol. V (1900), No. 1. See also Life and Letters of Boehm, p. 64.
89 A photographic reproduction of that page is given by Dr. Sachse in his German Sectarians in Pennsylvania, Vol. I, p. 237.
83
Pastors at Cocalico
LIST OF ALL THE TEACHERS AND PASTORS WHO FROM THE FIRST BEGINNING HAVE OFFICIATED IN THE CONGREGATION AT THE COCALICO, OR THE SO-CALLED KELLER'S CHURCH.
[I] Böhm [John Philip].
[2] Bechtold [otherwise unknown].
[3] Hoock [John Jacob, of Lancaster].
[4] Tempelmann [John Conrad].
[5] Wieser [otherwise unknown, unless it be George Michael Weiss].
[6] Rieger, post et Med. D. [John B. Rieger, afterwards Doctor of Medicine ].
[7] Fock [Lewis Ferdinand Vock].
[8] Peter Miller, in Ephrata Jaibetz.89a
[9] Löscher [unknown, unless it be Jacob Lischy, who preached at Cocalico].
[10] Joh. Waldschmidt [1752-1762].
[11] Deckert [John Henry Decker; 1762-1763].
[12] Friz Müller [Frederick Casimir Müller; 1763-1765].
[13] Berger from Reading, supplied the congregation for two years.
[14] J. G. Wittner [1766-1770].
[15] Joh. Christoph Gobrecht [1770-1779].
[16] Anthony Hautz [1786-1790, September].
The first part of the list up to the fourteenth minister is in the handwriting of Rev. Mr. Wittner, by whom the record was begun. With regard to the earlier entries (Nos. 1-9) it should be noted that they are not in strict chronological order. Hence from the position of Peter Miller after Vock, who was pastor in 1750, it should not be inferred that Peter Miller served the congregation after that time, when he was Prior of the convent at Ephrata. The Reformed people would never have per- mitted that. The only safe inference to make is that Peter Miller was one of the early pastors of the congre- gation, while other evidence makes it certain that Mr. Wittner did not insert him in his proper chronological
89a In Ephrata Peter Miller adopted the name Jabez, based on I. Chroni- cles 4: 9. It is there explained as meaning "Borne with sorrow." It refers no doubt to his remarkable conversion. The words "in Ephrata Jaibetz " were added about 1786 by Anthony Hautz.
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History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
place. This applies equally to all the other early minis- ters from the first to the ninth.
In the light of all the available evidence, I offer the fol- lowing chronological list of the earlier pastorates :
1725 .- Origin of the German Reformed Church in the Conestoga valley. 1725-1727 .- Religious meetings in private houses conducted by Conrad Tempelman.
1727, October 15 .- First Reformed Communion service in the Conestoga valley. Brief ministry of Rev. John Philip Boehm.
1728-1729 .- Ministry of George Michael Weiss.
1730, May 30 .- Formal organization of the Conestoga Congregation, now Heller's in Upper Leacock township.
1730-1732 .- Origin of the Reformed congregations at Lancaster and Co- calico, and probably also at Muddy Creek, Reyer's and Seltenreich.
1733, February 13 .- Six Reformed preaching places in existence in the Con- estoga valley.
REFORMED MINISTERS AT COCALICO, NOW BETHANY, NEAR EPHRATA.90
I. Ministry of John Philip Boehm, 1730-1731.
2. Ministry of John Peter Miller, 1731-1734.
Miller's conversion, 1735, May.
Visit of Boehm to Conestoga, 1735, May II.
3. Ministry of Bechtold, 1735-1736.
The ministry of Peter Miller at Tulpehocken has left its traces in several documents.
Miller himself, in the Ephrata Chronicle (Engl. Ed., p. 70), gives the following account :
At that time the region of Dulpehakin was settled entirely by Protestants. These had agreed among themselves not to suffer among them any who were differently minded; so that many who were of like persuasion came to them. But shrewdly as they con- trived it, God yet at last set up his candle on a candlestick in that then dark region, as will soon be narrated. These now had called the afore-mentioned P.M. [Peter Miller] to be their teacher,
90 A history of the Cocalico congregation was given by the writer in the Reformed Church Messenger, January 4-18, 1900, and continued in the Reformed Church Record, February 15-March 1, 1900.
85
Miller at Tulpehocken
which office he served among them and in other places during four years.
The Moravian church record of Tulpehocken, now pre- served in the archives at Bethlehem, tells the following story of the origin of the Lutheran congregation there and Peter Miller's ministry among them :91
In the year 1723 Tulpehocken was first settled and inhabited by people who had dwelt in Schocheri. Most of them were brought under conviction and made restless in their hearts while still resid- ing in Schocheri [Schoharie] through Bernhard von Thieren, who was their pastor there, and who had promised these people also to move to Tulpehocken and continue to be their minister. But he made only occasional visits, administered the Lord's Supper at various times, baptized also the children and then went back again to Schocheri. There came also at times a preacher named Henckel from Falkner Swamp to visit us and administered occasionally the Lord's Supper. He advised us to build a church, which was done in 1727. Peter Müller a Reformed preacher also came to us and preached sermons for almost two years. Afterward he went among the Seventh Day people [Siebentäger].
It was during the ministry of Peter Miller at Goshen- hoppen that the three Reformed congregations in the Goshenhoppen district first come into view.
Old Goshenhoppen appears first in the year 1730. On November 12, 1730, Rev. John Philip Boehm wrote to the Classis of Amsterdam :92
91 The claim of the writer, in the Reformed Church Record and in the Reformed Church Messenger, to have " discovered " this record in the Bethlehem archives has been questioned (History of the Lutheran Church in Pennsylvania, p. 447, note 520). The facts in the case are as follows: In the summer of 1902 the writer spent five weeks in the archives of the Moravian Church at Bethlehem and found there among other documents this church record. It was spoken of as a discovery (in the articles men- tioned above), because it was at that time unknown to Reformed historians. 92 Journal of P. H. S., Vol. VII, p. 43 f. Life and Letters of Boehm, p. 204.
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History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
The same action [namely a request for organization] was taken in another small congregation, of about fifteen families, with the same humble request to the Reverend Classis. It is situated about ten miles from here. The place has as yet no definite name, but it is called after the river on which it lies Bergjamen [Perkiomen].
As there is no other Reformed congregation along the Perkiomen Creek, about ten miles from Boehm's home in Whitpain township, than Old Goshenhoppen, we have little hesitation in identifying the two names. This identi- fication is indirectly corroborated by the fact that, accord- ing to the Old Goshenhoppen Lutheran record, "in the year 1732 a warrant was taken up jointly by the Lutherans and the Reformed. In the fall of that year a union schoolhouse was built upon this land." In this school- house, the first of its kind in the charge, the religious serv- ices of the congregation were no doubt held.
In 1734 the congregation at Great Swamp appears for the first time. On December 12, 1734, Rev. John Martin Boltzius, a Lutheran minister at Ebenezer, Georgia, wrote to Dr. G. A. Francke, head of the Institutions at Halle, Germany :93
In the above mentioned Great Swamp there is also a small Re- formed congregation, which has its own pastor.
In a preceding reference to Great Swamp the writer remarked :
Not far from Oley is the Great Swamp, where the Evangelical [Lutheran] congregation has a preacher named Kaspar Steber [Stoever], whom the Rev. Schultze had ordained before his de- parture. This Steber is at present involved in a quarrel with his congregation, because they do not want to give him the salary that was promised to him. They are said to promise often something,
93 Quoted in Mühlenberg's Selbstbiographie, Allentown, 1881, p. 213.
87
Baptisms by Miller
but when the minister preaches and applies the truth too strongly, they become rude and refuse to pay the minister's salary.
The Reformed pastor in Great Swamp in 1734 can hardly be any one else than Peter Miller. This is cor- roborated by a letter of Boehm, who in a report to the Holland Synod, dated October 18, 1734, refers distinctly to Peter Miller's activity in the Goshenhoppen district. He writes :94
Nevertheless one of them is still in this country, namely, Peter Miller. When this man could not bring the people over to his opinion, he quitted the ministry altogether and he is now an oil- miller. But what he was after, and thought of persuading the people to do, is plainly to be seen from this, overlooking everything else: About two years ago he went with one of his elders, whom he had installed in the congregation at Goshenhoppen into the house of a Seventh Day "Tumpler " [Dunker], and there they allowed themselves to be called brethren and to have their feet washed by him; and this is the truth, whereupon followed his complete apostasy.
The two references of Mr. Boehm to Peter Miller's activity in Goshenhoppen, the one made in 1734 and the other in 1739 (already quoted above), definitely settle the fact that from 1731 to 1734 Peter Miller was the Re- formed pastor in Goshenhoppen. This is corroborated by the New Goshenhoppen church record, in which 69 baptisms were entered by one hand from June, 1731, till July, 1734. At one of these baptisms, on April 16, 1732, " Johann Peter Müller" acted as sponsor. This is no doubt the pastor. As these are the only baptisms which Peter Miller most likely entered himself, we reproduce the page bearing his name in facsimile.
Miller's inclination toward the Ephrata Community
94 Coetus Minutes, p. 2 f.
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History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
began in 1732. Two years later it led to the surrender of his ministerial functions. But it was not till May, 1735, that Miller actually joined the Seventh Day Dunk- ers by public immersion. This act of Miller threw the Reformed people into consternation, as can be seen clearly from the accounts of Boehm, describing this remarkable and important event. On January 14, 1739, Mr. Boehm wrote as follows to Holland, regarding the Conestoga congregation :95
Then Do. Weiss slandered me in this congregation by a very abusive letter, which I have in my possession. He thereby misled them and drew the congregation to himself. But soon afterwards he again left them, whereupon Miller went there to carry on the work of Weiss. At that time Miller drew also Tulpehocken to himself. I warned them frequently against this false spirit, but the misguided and simple-minded people clung to him, until finally the deception, with regard to which I had warned them so faith- fully came to light, and this Miller publicly went over to the wicked sect of the Seventh Day "Tumpler " [Dunkers] and was baptized in Dunker fashion at Conestoga in the month of April 1735.95a He took with him about ten families, Lutheran and Reformed, from the congregation of Dolpihacken [Tulpehocken] who fol- lowed his example.
This caused a great alarm among the congregations. Those that were kept by God sent therefore again messengers and letters to me and once more asked for help, which I did not dare to refuse. Hence I again went to them, and there were on May 11, 1735, in the above mentioned first congregation or Hill church, at Cones- toga, 92 communicants.
It is interesting to place alongside of these statements
95 Coetus Minutes, p. 8.
95a Miller himself stated repeatedly that this baptism took place in May, 1735. See Ephrata Chronicle, Engl. Transl., p. 73; also Miller's letter of December 5, 1790, quoted below, p. 92.
89
Conversion of Miller
of John Philip Boehm the well known account of Peter Miller himself in the Ephrata Chronicle :96
The Superintendent [Conrad Beissel] soon after found occasion to make a visit to Tulpehocken with several of his disciples, where he was received by the teacher [Peter Miller] and elders with the consideration due to him as an ambassador of God. While on his return the teacher and C.W. [Conrad Weiser], an elder, accom- panied him over the mountains for six miles. The result of their visit in Tulpehocken was that the teacher, the elders and several others withdrew from the church; whereupon a venerable Pietist, by the name of Casper Leibbecker, took the teacher's place in the church. Among these seceders was C.W., an elder of the Lutheran faith, a man who had received from God remarkable natural gifts and sound judgment. . . .
Accordingly they were baptized together under the water, after the teaching of Christ; which was done on a Sabbath in May of the year 1735. Thus the teacher, the schoolmaster, three elders, besides various other households, went over from the Protestants to this new awakening.
These same events are briefly reviewed and an excellent description of Peter Miller, as he appeared to his contem- poraries, is given by the Rev. Israel Acrelius, Provost of the Swedish Churches in America and Rector of the Old Swedes Church, Wilmington, Deleware. In his well- known "History of New Sweden," he gives a description of his visit to Ephrata, which he made on September 7, 1753, in company with his friend, George Ross. After describing the cloister and the religious life fostered there, he draws the following pen-sketch of Peter Miller him- self :97
96 See English edition, pp. 71, 73.
97 Acrelius, History of New Sweden (Memoirs of the Hist. Society of Pa., Vol. XI), Philadelphia, 1876, p. 374.
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History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
There was also a brother named Jabez, who, before his rebap- tism was called Peter Müller. He had been a German Calvinistic Minister, came into the country, according to their custom, as a candidate for the Ministry of the Reformed Church of the coun- try, was afterwards ordained by the Presbyterian Minister, Mr. Andrew, in Philadelphia, and for a long time preached in the vari- ous parts of the country among the Germans before that, eighteen years since [1735], he betook himself to Ephrata. He is a learned man, understands the Oriental languages, speaks Latin, discusses theological controversies as well as other sciences; although, in his present condition he has forgotten much. He is of a good stature, with a friendly face and friendly manners, on which account strangers always get introduced to him, and seek his society. He is open-hearted toward those to whom he takes a liking, and is modest and genial. The brethren have great respect for him, and not without reason, for he is a prudent man, upon whom their order chiefly depends, although he gives himself no higher name than that of a single brother. In their Public Worship he reads the Scriptures and also baptizes when so directed by Father Friedsam.
Another remarkable incident in connection with this con- version of Miller is told by Mr. Boehm in his now ex- tremely rare book, which he published in 1742 against the Moravians. It was the dramatic burning of Reformed and Lutheran devotional books by the new converts. Thus far we had only traditional accounts about this event, which are now superseded by this contemporaneous account of Mr. Boehm.
Criticizing especially the conduct of Conrad Weiser, Boehm writes :98
08 Boehm's Getreuer Warnungsbrief, Philadelphia, 1742, p. 29. The only known copy of this now exceedingly rare book is in the possession of Rev. Dr. J. I. Good, who bought it at the sale of late Governor Penny- packer's library.
91
Burning of Devotional Books
But whether we can entertain any hope with regard to him, let every Evangelical Christian think what kind of a man he is. Will he help to establish the honor of the gospel of Jesus Christ? For when Peter Miller, the former pretended Reformed minister of Dolpihaken, became a regular disgrace to our Reformed Church by letting himself be baptized in Dunker fashion as a member of the Seventh Day Tumpler [Dunker] sect, together with several others, this Conrad Weiser was one of them. (He was indeed a Lu- theran and at that time an elder of the Lutheran congregation at Dolpihacken.)99 Moreover, when four Seventh Day Tumpler [Dunkers], namely Peter Miller (above mentioned) Michel Mil- ler, Conrad Weiser (above mentioned) and Gottfried Fidler, burnt with fire the Reformed Heidelberg Catechism, the Lutheran Catechism, the Psalms of David, the " Paradeys-Gärtlein " and the " Exercise of Piety" [Übung der Gottseligkeit], in all 36 books in derision and in disparagement, in the house of Gottfried Fidler, he was one of them. Nor has it become known that since that time he has turned from them in repentance and has again betaken him- self to his former Lutheran religion.
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