USA > Pennsylvania > The Reformed Church in Pennsylvania : part IX of A narrative and critical history, prepared at the request of the Pennsylvania-German Society > Part 20
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240 John Williamson Nevin, D.D., LL.D., was born in Franklin County, Pa., Feb. 20, 1803. Graduated at Union College, 1821. Studied theology at Prince- ton, and was for two years assistant teacher there, during which time he wrote "Biblical Antiquities." Professor in the Seminary at Allegheny, 1829-39. Professor of Theology at Mercersburg, 1840-51, and President of Marshall College, 1841-53. President of Franklin and Marshall College, 1866-76. Sub- sequently lived in retirement at Caernarvon Place near Lancaster, where he died, June 6, 1886.
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peculiar interest. It was known that he had devoted some attention to the study of German theology, and this fact was greatly in his favor. All this, however, does not ade- quately account for the fact that he was unanimously chosen. It was suggested that the Presbyterian Church would not suffer him to withdraw from its communion, but Dr. Fisher replied : " If we can satisfy him that it is his duty to take charge of the professorship at Mercersburg, the whole Presbyterian Church combined cannot prevent him from doing so."241
Messrs. Schneck and Fisher were appointed a committee to present the call, and in the depth of winter they crossed the Alleghanies in a sleigh to perform their mission. To Dr. Nevin their visit was a great surprise and he naturally desired time for consideration. In reaching a decision he
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seems to have been greatly influenced by Dr. Archibald Alexander, of Princeton, who was deeply impressed with the importance of the work which he had been called to perform among the Germans of Pennsylvania. In his letter of acceptance dated March 5, 1841, after explaining his motives and relating in detail the difficulties which he had overcome, Dr. Nevin said : " Thus do I feel myself constrained to go into the German Reformed Church. Let it not be thought, however, that I go reluctantly or coldly into her communion, now that the duty is settled. I go, indeed, with fear and trembling ; but I carry with me
241 " Life and Work of John Williamson Nevin," by Theodore Appel, D.D., p· 95.
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my entire will. I give myself wholly to the German Re- formed Church, and find no difficulty in making her inter- ests my own. No church can boast of a better creed, or a better ecclesiastical framework. Her fathers rank high in the history of the Reformation. The spirit of a time- hallowed faith, such as could once make martyrs, older than the Presbyterianism of Scotland, is still enshrined in her articles and forms, and the German Church in this country has become a rising interest. No section of our American Zion is more important. None embraces vaster resources of power in proportion to its limits. None ex- hibits a richer intellectual ore, available in the same way for the purpose of religion. I find no lack of considera- tions here to enlist my sympathies or to stimulate my zeal. I can go heartily into such a church, and in this spirit I now accept the call of your synod to the professorship at Mercersburg." It is in this utterance that we find the secret of Dr. Nevin's subsequent success and influence. He identified himself so completely with German thought and life that the German Church accepted him with unre- served confidence. There have probably been few emi- nent men who have been less concerned to advance their personal interests. Personally he was dignified and re- served, and his courtesy never descended to familiarity. At first his pupils were inclined to fear him, though it was not long until they learned to appreciate the profound in- terest with which he regarded them.
When Dr. Nevin and his family arrived in Mercers- burg, in the spring of 1840, Dr. Rauch and his young wife received them with the utmost kindness. In disposition and manners the two professors were very unlike, but they immediately conceived for each other a warm personal affection. During the year which they spent together Dr.
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The Centenary.
Rauch was greatly concerned to direct the studies of his colleague in German theology and philosophy, and it ac- tually seemed as if he was unconsciously preparing the way for his successor.
Dr. Rauch gradually declined in strength, though no one supposed that he was suffering from serious illness. His death, which occurred on the 2d of March, 1841, ap- pears to have been due to a general physical collapse, brought on by incessant labor. He was buried at Mercers- burg, but his remains have since been brought to Lancas- ter where an appropriate monument has been erected to his memory.
The death of Dr. Rauch was a great blow to the edu- cational interests of the Reformed Church, but Dr. Nevin proved equal to the occasion. For three years he had sole charge of the theological seminary, assisted only by an instructor in Hebrew, and at the same time serving without salary as President of Marshall College. At the same time he studied Schleiermacher, insisting, however, that " his grand ideas could be separated from the rationalism of the times in which they were uttered." He also made himself familiar with the writings of Neander, Nitzsche, Rothe and other great German theologians.
In 1841 the Reformed Church held a centenary cele- bration in commemoration of its establishment in this country, though no particular event was selected as worthy of special honor. The celebration was not general, but within its limits it awakened the interest of the Church, and considerable additions were made to the endowment of the institutions. A centenary hymn beginning " Thou who art enthroned in Glory," was written by Mrs. Lydia Jane Peirson and set to music by Dr. Schneck. In it oc- cur the following stanzas :
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" We would celebrate the changes Which a hundred years have made, Since our fathers-poor and strangers- Sought the Western forest shade.
" From Helvetia's mighty mountains Came a little friendless band ; By the rich Rhine's infant fountains Others left their fatherland.
" Here the little vine, increasing, Spread its branches green and fair, Now, by thine especial blessing, See how wide thy vineyards are."
To this celebration Dr. Nevin contributed a series of articles on the history of the Heidelberg Catechism, which were subsequently rewritten and published in a small vol- ume. 242
When Dr. Nevin accepted the call to Mercersburg, his learning was fully acknowledged, but no one imagined that he would become a great controversialist. His con- troversies, however, were rarely personal. He seemed to care little for literary reputation, but when once aroused in behalf of some great principle he was absolutely destitute of fear. The writer once heard Dr. Schaff say : " Dr. Nevin's mind is like the Corliss engine-it takes a great deal of fuel to get it started, but when it works it works wonders."
The first of these controversies was induced by his con- stitutional opposition to religious fanaticism. The congre- gation at Mercersburg was about to call as its pastor an extreme representative of unchurchly pietism, but this act was prevented by Dr. Nevin's indignant protest. This led to the publication of his tract on " The Anxious Bench," which was extensively circulated in all denominations, and
242 "History and Genius of the Heidelberg Catechism," Chambersburg, 1847.
THE REFORMED CHURCH IN PENNSYLVANIA.
REV. J. W. NEVIN.
REV. PHILIP SCHOFF.
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Krummacher.
called forth no less than six replies. It was not, as has sometimes been supposed, an attack on revivals of religion ; but was rather intended to show that true revivals must grow out of the true life of the Church, and must not be arbitrarily imposed upon it from without, or accompanied by what the author called " Montanistic extravagancies." It is not too much to say that this little book changed the current of thought and life in the German churches of Pennsylvania.243
In January, 1843, a special meeting of the synod was convened at Lebanon, Pa., to elect a German professor and successor to Dr. Rauch. That a call was extended to the Rev. Dr. F. W. Krummacher, of Elberfeld, Prussia, is somewhat remarkable, for Krummacher was the fore- most preacher in Germany, holding a position which was much more prominent than the one to which he was called. It is, however, well known that there had been earlier cor- respondence, and that Krummacher was not disinclined to remove to America. The Rev. Drs. Benjamin S. Schneck 244 and Theodore L. Hoffeditz 245 were appointed commissioners "to convey the call to Dr. Krummacher and by all suitable representations to urge its acceptance."
The visit of the delegates to Germany, in the summer of 1843, naturally attracted much attention. Dr. Krum- macher was at first inclined to accept the call, but the church in Germany was greatly excited by the prospect of his removal, and the King of Prussia actually forbade it.
243 See Jacobs's "History of the Evangelical Lutheran Church," American Church History Series, Vol. IV., p. 418.
244 Benjamin S. Schneck, born near Reading, Pa., March 14, 1896 ; died at Chambersburg, Pa., April 14, 1874. Preceptor, Dr. F. Herman. First editor of the Messenger and Kirchenzeitung. Author of "The Burning of Chambers- burg," "Mercersburg Theology," etc.
245 Theodore L. Hoffeditz, born in Karlshaven, Germany, died at Nazareth, Pa., Aug. 10, 1858. An eminent and influential pastor.
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In a most affectionate letter of declination Dr. Krummacher said : " I stand before you, my soul deeply moved, tender- ing you my hand with the double assurance that I lay down the honor conferred upon me by your call at the feet of Him to whom all honor is due, and that in future I shall feel myself to be one of your number, and that as long as I breathe, I shall not cease to bear the interest of your beloved church with a praying heart before the throne of God."
Though this declination involved a great disappoint- ment to the American Church, it is not impossible that it was a blessing in disguise. Dr. Krummacher was at that time forty-seven years old, imperfectly acquainted with the English language, and accustomed to social conditions which in those days could hardly have been reproduced in America. In this country his magnificent German ser- mons would not have been fully appreciated, and he might have found it difficult to accommodate himself to the re- ligious order of a republic.
Unwilling to return to America without having in any
This Schiff
way accomplished the purpose of their mission, the com- missioners submitted the nomination of a candidate for the professorship to a number of the most eminent theologians of Germany, prominent among whom were Neander, Ju- lius Müller, Tholuck and Krummacher. These men finally agreed to nominate Dr. Philip Schaff 246 who was at
246 Philip Schaff was born at Chur, Switzerland, January 1, 1819; died in New York, October 20, 1893. Professor at Mercersburg, 1844-63. Secretary of New York Sabbath Committee, 1864-69, and after 1870 Professor of Sacred Literature in Union Theological Seminary, New York. Author and editor of more than fifty volumes.
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Philip Schaff.
that time a privat-docent in the University of Berlin. The name of Dr. J. A. Ebrard247 afterwards an eminent the- ologian-was also suggested-but Dr. Schaff was pre- ferred on the ground that he was " a republican Swiss," and might reasonably be expected to accommodate him- self more readily to new conditions. On this recommen- dation Dr. Schaff was elected professor of theology, at Winchester, Va., on the 19th of October, 1843.
Before leaving Germany the young professor preached a sermon at Elberfeld which subsequently gave him a good deal of trouble. In it he spoke with great freedom of the moral and religious character of a large part of the Ger- man emigration to America ; and as garbled extracts from this discourse were published in the German papers of this country, he had before his arrival become unpopular with many of his countrymen.
Dr. Schaff was admitted to membership in the Reformed Church in the United States at a meeting of Synod con- vened in Zion's Church, Allentown, Pa., October 17, 1844. The church, of which the father of the author was at that time pastor, had but recently been erected on the site of the old Reformed Church in which the Liberty Bell and the chimes of Christ Church, Philadelphia, were concealed during the Revolution.
At Reading, on the 25th of October, Dr. Schaff was installed in his professorship. On this occasion he de- livered an address entitled " The Principle of Protestant- ism," which was subsequently enlarged and published,
247 John Henry Augustus Ebrard was born January 18, 1818, at Erlangen, where his father was pastor of the French Reformed Church. He was suc- cessively professor at Zurich and Erlangen and was a voluminous author. His Christliche Dogmatik was for some years used as a text-book at Mercersburg. As a writer of religious fiction he became well known under the pseudonym of "Gottfried Flammberg." He died July 23, 1888.
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with an introduction by Dr. Nevin. In this publication both professors defended the doctrine of historical de- velopment, holding that Protestantism can be successfully defended as the organic development of all that has gone before; that it is, in fact, " the full ripe fruit of all the better tendencies of the middle ages."
All this may now appear trite and commonplace, but in those days it appeared new and startling. It so happened that the acknowledged leader of the Anti-Romanist party was a minister of the Reformed Church-a man who had always taught that everything connected with the medieval church was utterly and irremediably evil-and he could not suffer such utterances to pass unchallenged.
Dr. Joseph F. Berg was at that time pastor of the First Reformed Church of Philadelphia.248 He was a man of unusual ability and had been engaged in several public controversies which had attracted wide attention. Mainly through his influence the Classis of Philadelphia passed a series of resolutions condemning the " Principle of Prot- estantism," and directing the attention of Synod to the
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teachings of its professors. The consequence was an in- vestigation at the Synod of York, in 1845, which lasted four days, and finally resulted in the exoneration of the
248 Joseph F. Berg was born June 3, 1812, in Antigua, West Indies, where his parents were Moravian missionaries. Having entered the Reformed Church, he was for some time professor in Marshall College, and subsequently pastor in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Having entered the Reformed Dutch Church he was pastor in Philadelphia and professor at New Brunswick. Editor of the Protestant Quarterly ; author of "Christian Landmarks," etc. Died at New Brunswick, N. J., July 20, 1871.
THE REFORMED CHURCH IN PENNSYLVANIA.
MINISTERS OF THE REFORMED CHURCH.
PHILIP MILLEDOLER.
JOSEPH F. BERG.
J. H. A. BOMBERGER.
ELIAS HEINER.
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Literary Work.
professors from all the charges preferred. As Dr. Schaff was most directly concerned, it has been termed his trial for heresy, though it was not technically a trial. When all was over he made a speech in broken English express- ive of his delight at his deliverance. "If the result had been otherwise," he afterward said, " I would have gone right back to Berlin."
It is not our purpose to describe the Mercersburg contro- versies in all their successive stages. However interesting this might prove to the professional theologian, it would hardly prove attractive to the general reader. For the sake of completeness we may perhaps be permitted to say that in 1846 Dr. Nevin published his " Mystical Pres- ence : A Vindication of the Reformed or Calvinistic Doc- trine of the Holy Eucharist," a book which attracted wide attention and has been held to mark an epoch in the his- tory of American theology.
In 1848 the alumni of Marshall College undertook the publication of the Mercersburg Review, and Dr. Nevin was until 1853 its editor and chief contributor. In the same year Dr. Schaff began the publication of Der Kirchenfreund, a monthly magazine devoted to the inter- ests of the German churches of Pennsylvania. The establishment of these periodicals demanded courage and devotion, but they gradually attracted the attention and support of eminent men who stood outside of the denomi- nation with which their editors were immediately con- nected. In the Review most of Dr. Nevin's controversial articles appeared, and the Kirchenfreund was especially useful in giving the German churches of America a proper conception of the best thinking of the fatherland.
Dr. Nevin's literary work was mostly occasional, and much of it has passed away with the conditions that pro-
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duced it. In many instances his purpose was misunder- stood and this led to opposition that was not entirely de- served. Thus, for instance, his articles on " Cyprian " and " Early Christianity," which have been held to reveal a Romanizing tendency, were actually intended to oppose the Tractarian movement in England by showing that the peculiarities of Rome had existed at an earlier period than the Puseyites asserted.
It is difficult to treat on this subject without entering more deeply into theological questions than present con- ditions will permit; but it may be confidently asserted that there was little in these controversies which could properly be called denominational. They represented a movement in the life of the Church, rather than any pecu- liar system of faith. Dr. Nevin was a profound realistic philosopher, and naturally regarded the Church from his peculiar standpoint as a divine organism that is not de- pendent on earthly conditions for its origin or continued existence. Though the questions which he raised have never been definitely answered, they have for the time been superseded. Dr. Nevin published few volumes ; but he has left behind him traditions of his power which shaped and moulded the denomination with which he was connected. In the judgment of his successors the Re- formed Church in this country has had no greater teacher than John Williamson Nevin.
In literary work Dr. Schaff was much more active than his eminent colleague. At Mercersburg he wrote his " History of the Apostolic Church," which appeared in German in 1851, and was afterwards translated under the supervision of the author. He also published a German hymn-book (1859), "America " (1854), "Germany : Its Universities and Divines " (1857)," History of the Christian
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Institutions.
Church of the First Three Centuries " (1858), besides minor tracts and essays.
Influenced by the example of the professors many younger men engaged in literary pursuits. Dr. Henry Harbaugh continued the historical work of Dr. Mayer and published two volumes of his "Lives of the Fathers." Other authors of this period were J. H. A. Bomberger, E. V. Gerhart, Thomas C. Porter, George W. Williard and Jeremiah H. Good.
In 1851 Dr. Nevin resigned his professorship of theol- ogy, but Dr. Schaff remained in Mercersburg until 1865. Dr. Bernard C. Wolff 249 was professor of systematic theol- ogy from 1852 to 1864, when he was succeeded by Dr. Henry Harbaugh. Elnathan E. Higbee 250 was the suc-
E. E. HIGBEE.
cessor of Dr. Schaff. In 1857 a theological tutorship was established, partly on the basis of a fund invested in Ger-
249 Bernard C. Wolff, D.D., born at Martinsburg, W. Va., Dec. 11, 1794 ; died at Lancaster, Pa., Nov. 1, 1870.
250 Elnathan Elisha Higbee, D.D., LL.D., born near Burlington, Vermont, March 27, 1830 ; died, Lancaster, Pa., Dec. 13, 1889. Author of several beauti- ful hymns. At the time of his death he was Superintendent of Public Schools for the State of Pennsylvania.
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many, the gift of Baron Von Bethmann-Hollweg. This tutorship has since been raised to a full professorship.
In 1853-as already stated-Marshall College was re- moved to Lancaster and consolidated with Franklin under the title of Franklin and Marshall College. The Theo- logical Seminary remained in Mercersburg until 1871, when it was also removed to Lancaster, where both insti- tutions have since been successfully conducted. There are now larger faculties and finer buildings, but for their enthusiasm, energy and literary labor, the days of old Mercersburg are still affectionately remembered.251
That the Reformed Church suffered in some respects dur- ing the Mercersburg controversies is freely acknowledged. In the heat of controversy many imprudent things were said ; and it has been asserted that the Mercersburg move- ment suffered more from its friends than from its enemies. A few extremists left the Church and several important congregations were lost. Especially during the Liturgical controversy, which grew out of the theological conflicts of Mercersburg, the struggle sometimes assumed a personal form which was greatly to be regretted ; but with all this we must also recognize the fact that during this stormy period the Reformed Church in the United States grew more rapidly than it had ever done before. Though there were many discouragements, there was also much energy and enthusiasm ; and for earnest study and pro- ductive literary activity the Mercersburg period is un- equalled in the history of the Church.
251 The successive presidents of Franklin and Marshall College since its establishment in Lancaster have been the Rev. Drs. Emanuel V. Gerhart, John Williamson Nevin, Thomas G. Apple, and John S. Stahr. Dr. Thomas G. Apple (1829-1898) was at the same time president of the college and professor of Church History in the seminary. Rev. Dr. E. V. Gerhart is now the Presi- dent of the faculty of the theological seminary, and there are five professors.
CHAPTER XX.
EXPANSION.
The West and South-Missions-The Widows' Fund-Publications.
C HE decline of the Reformed Church had been mainly due to the lack of an educated ministry ; but now that educa- tional institutions had been estab- lished there was a prospect of brighter days. Dr. Rauch had suggested that the Reformed Church should declare its adher- ence to the Church Union of Prussia, turning over the western field in this country to the Kirchverein des Westens. There was, however, a Reformed Synod of Ohio, which had grown up independently, and now, when young men from the East connected themselves with it, there was a prospect of effective work beyond the western limits of Pennsylvania.
Beginning with the labors of Christman, La Rose, and others the scattered ministers of Ohio, as already stated, had in 1824 organized a synod. There was no actual disagreement on questions of doctrine and usage between
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the synods of the east and west, but for some years there was a certain lack of cooperation. The Ohio Synod was constrained to depend upon its own efforts, and several attempts were made to establish a theological institution. In 1838 the Rev. J. G. Buettner, Ph.D., a well-educated German, took charge of several congregations in the neighborhood of Canton, Ohio, and the synod appointed him professor of theology. He prepared several students for the ministry,252 and was regarded with the profoundest reverence. That he was a man of great ability there can
252 The following is an extract from a letter to the author from the late Rev. Dr. J. H. Good, dated March 11, 1885 : "Your reference to Dr. Buettner, in your sketch, reminds me of a funny anecdote which I recently heard. It is perfectly authentic, because it comes from one of his students.
"The ministers of the Ohio Synod then were all uneducated men ; had read six or twelve months privately with ministers and had no scholarly, theolog- ical attainments. After the two students of Dr. Buettner had studied with him for some time a meeting was appointed at Canton in order that they might be examined and licensed. But here a great difficulty arose : none of the min- isters would venture to examine them, and especially in the presence of the learned Dr. Buettner. So they pitched on the Rev. C. Z .- (an excellent prac- tical man) as chairman, and expected that he would conduct the examination. But he was just as badly scared at the prospect as the rest. On the day ap- pointed the committee, the students and Professor Buettner were assembled at Canton. No one would commence until the chairman arrived. The day wore away and towards evening Z. arrived from Canfield. He was astonished that the examination was not over ; said he was unexpectedly called to a funeral ; further he was so tired with his ride and preaching that he would adjourn the exam- ination until the next morning. Buettner lived at Osnaburg, some twelve miles away ; mounted his horse saying that he would return in the morning. The committee then cunningly fixed on a very early hour, hoping to get through before Buettner could ride over in the morning. Early in the morn- ing they were all assembled. Z. arose to ask the first question, when, happen- ing to look out of the front window, what was his consternation to see Dr. B. riding up to the palings of the fence, deliberately dismount, hitch and enter in his dignified way. Not a word would come from the lips of any of the com- mittee. Enter the professor and after greetings he said : 'Hat die Prüfung schon angefangen ?'
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