n. HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE SYNOD OFixEW-JEPtSEY. A. S E H ]\1 O N PREACHED AT THE ©icitiitg of tlje %noir at lottsbille, '^lu, OCTOBER 15th 1661, BY RAVAUD K.^ODGERS, D. D. PASTOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, BOUITID BE-OOJS:, 2sr. J-. AND MODERATOR OF THE SYNOD. PUBLISHED BY REQUEST OF THE SYNOD. TERHUNE & VAN ANGLEN'S PRESS, ALBANY ST. SERIVLON "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee." — Deut. viii : 2. It is Avell to think on mercies past — to look back upon the way in which the Lord our God has led us — to call to mind the various blessings of a spiritual and temporal nature with which the Most High has been pleased to crown our years, and to contemplate his dealings with us under all the circumstances, in which, in his holy Providence we have been placed. Such a review with reference to ourselves or those in whom we may have been or are interested is often- times calculated to inspire us with confidence in God, and to lead us the more to cast our cares on him. If we are tlie professing followers of Jesus Christ, or are ambassadors of the Cross, and those circumstances have a bearing upon the church which he has estab- lished in our fallen world, and more especially upon that department of it with which we have the happi- ness to be connected, we shall find in them, the more that we ponder upon them, increasing reasons why we should make the Lord our trust. It was with the view of shewing the people of Israel what God had done for them, as well as for the purpose of keeping them in mind of the obligations which rested upon them, arising from the many benefits which God had kindly conferred, that the law-giver of Israel ad- dressed them as he did in the words of the text. The Israelites were, as it is well known, the peculiar people of God — assurances of a very decided, and we may add, of a very cheering character had been given to the flithers that the blessings of the Most High should not be withheld from the children, and so long as there Avas a compliance on their part, with the precepts of God's holy law, Vv'e find that light was made to shine around them and deliverances ofttimes of a remarkable character were wrought out on their behalf With all the circumstances of their going down into Egypt^of their oppressions there — of their wanderings in the wilderness, and of their being about to be put in possession of the land which God had promised to Abraham that his seed should inherit it, you are all well acquainted. And it was meet that they should remember with devout grati- tude the mercies which had been so profusely scat- tered all along the path in which they had been led. But the people of Israel w^ere not the only people for whom the charge in the text was intended. True, it was primarily addressed to them, but it is to be con- sidered as addressed through them to us; and not to notice the voice of the Most High, which is uttered here, betrays an indifference in regard to great inter- ests, and manifests a degree of ingratitude, with which it is apprehended no one of us would be wil- ling to be charged. What have we that we have not received ? In asking your attention then, Fathers And Brethren of the ministry and eldership to the charge in the text, on this occasion, it is my purpose to present some statements in connection with the history of the Synod with which we are more imme- diately connected, and from them we shall see how the Lord our God has led this Judicatory of our church, and that portion of Zion embraced in its limits. It has been, as we shall find, in many re- spects, a highly favored part of the heritage of Jacob, and it becomes us to remember what God has done for it, and for us, as belonging to it. The Synod of New Jersey was originally a part of the Synod of New York and New Jersey, the first arrangements for the erection of which, were made by the Synod of New York and Philadelphia in the year 1786.* In 1787, the matter was again brought up and " the Synod agreed that the arrangement of the Presbyteries under four Synods should for the present remain as determined last year."f There the whole matter rested under a resolution that the division of the Synod, which it would seem had not been fully perfected, be postponed until next year, and that the Synod be then divided.;]; In the year 1788, a resolution was passed that the Synod be divided agreeably to an act made and provided for that purpose in the year 1786, and that the division should commence upon the dissolution of the Synod then in session. § Tlie four Synods iuto which the original body was divided, were the Synods oi Pliila- delphia^ New York and Neiv Jersey^ Virginia and the * Keoi.nls ot llie PresKylcriuu Churjli— page 524. + Do. page 541. X Kucoids — page 541. § Do. p;i^'C 54S. Carolinas, and these embraced the whole Presby- teriaD church. Previous to the year 1823, in which year the Synod of New Jerseij was organized, the Synods of Ftitsburgh^ Kentucky^ Albany, South Caro- lina and Ohio had been erected. || In 1823 the origi- nal Synod of New York and New Jersey hav ing been divided, this Judicatory took its place among its sis- ter Synods, and has now been in existence for a period of thirty-eight years. Its first meeting was held in the First Presbyterian Church in the City of Newark, N. J., in October, 1823, and was opened with a sermon by the venerable and Rev. Dr. John Woodhull, of Freehold : the Rev. Dr. Alexander of blessed memory, was the first Moderator. The Synod then consiste 1 of the Presbyteries of New Brunsivick, Jersey, Neivton and Susquehanna- — those of Hudson, North River, Long Island and New York remaining to constitute the Synod of New York. The Presbytery of New Brunswick the oldest of those set olF, to aid in the constitution of this Synod, was organized in New Brunswick on the 8th of August, 1738, in accordance with the direction of the Synod of Philadelphia, on the 26th of May of that year. The order of the Synod was, that "all to the northward and eastward of Maidenhead and Hope- well unto the Raritan river, including also Staten Island" with several congregations which are named and which still belong to the Presbytery of New Brunswick, should be erected into a Presbytery, "and that the said Presbytery be distinguished by II Pittsbiiivh ovgjuiizeil in 1802; Keulucky do. 1802; Albany do. 1S03; South Carolina do. 1813 ; Ohio do. 1814. the name of the Presbytery of New Brunswick" : as such, it remains with us to this day. At the meeting of the Synod of New York and New Jersey, in October, 1809, and of course a num- ber of years previous to the erection of this Synod, the Presbytery of New York was divided, and that part of the Presbytery lying in the State of New Jersey, was thereafter to be known as the Presbytery of Jersey; and so continued until the year 1824, when as we shall presently see, it was divided into the Presbyteries of Newark and Elizabethtown. The Presbytery of Newion^ the third of those stated as set off for the purpose of constituting this Synod, was formed from the Presbytery of New Brunswick, in October, 1817, and was "composed of those members and congregations of the Presby- tery of New Brunswick which lie north and west of a line drawn from the Delaware river so as to include the congregations of Amwell, Flemington, Laming- ton and Baskingridge." This Presbytery held its first meeting at Mansfield, on the 18th day of November, 1817, when it was duly organized, and agreeably to its first report, consisted of fifteen members, with twenty-five con- gregations. The Presbytery of Susquehanna^ the last remaining original Presbytery of the Synod of New Jersey, was received under the care of the Synod of New York and New Jersey in the month of October, 1821.* This Presbytery had been known as the Luzerne As- sociation^ but, having unanimously adopted the con- * Miuuies of Synod, vol. 1, page 510. fessioii of faith and book of discipline of the Presby- terian Church in the United States, requested to be received under the care of this Synod, provided that such of their churches as chose to do so, might be allowed to manage their own concerns in the congre- gational manner ; and they were received under the plan of union of 1801, and such was the original constitution of the Synod of New Jersey. The whole number of ministers in connection with it, when erected, was eighty -tliree,^ and the whole num- ber of churches one hundred aiid four. Of these eighty-three ministers, but fourteen are now living, so far as we can learn — six of them retainins; their membership with this body — and these are all that are left with us, to tell us from actual experience, how the Lord our God has led the Synod of New Jersey. Verily, when we contemplate such a change as has taken place in the membership of this body, during the thirty-eight years of its existence, we are con- strained to ask, " Our fathers, where are they ? And the prophets, do tliey live forever ?"f The six who yet remain are the Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick, who may well be regarded as the patriarch of the Synod, he having been engaged in the work of the ministry more than half a century, the- Eev. Dr. Perkins, the * Ministers. Churches. New Brunswick, - 24------ 16 Newton, -- 17 ----- 28 Jersey, --- 32 ------ 34 Susquehanna, --10 ----- 26 83 104 + Dr. Kirkpatrick, orrlained Juno 20th, 1810; Pr. Perkins, (\o. Dec. 6th, 1820-. Dr. Mngic, do. April 24tli, 1821; Mr. Williamson, do. Nov. 6th, 1-821; Dr.' Hodge and Dr. Studdiford, do. Nov.'SSth, l*f31. . .« Rev. Dr. Magie, the Rev. Dr. Hodge, the Rev. Dr. Studdiford and the Rev. Mr. Abraham Williamson. As the thirty-eight years of the Synod's existence have been passing along, the Synod has increased from four to eleven Presbyteries — besides having had under its care still others to which reference will presently be made — from eir/Jdy-three to one hundred and eighty five ministers, and from one hundred and four churches to one hundred and ninety-four ; so that if every minister should be in attendance and each church should be represented, as each church ought to be, we should have an assembly of three hundred and seventy-nine ministers and elders, to take part in the deliberations of the body. The number of ministers and churches thus stated is irrespective of those connected with the Presbytery of Corisco in Africa, that Presbytery not having made, when received under the care of the Synod, any report in regard to its number of ministers and churches, though we have since learned that they had four ministers and one church. But here it is our mourn- ful duty to say that that small number of four has been diminished by the departure from life of the beloved missionary Ogdex, whom the Master has called to his home on high ! As it respects the in- crease of members in the churches we cannot speak with any degree of accuracy, the reports of churches beiug from year to year, in many cases very defective. The reports of the Presbyteries to the last General Assembly make the number in connection with our churches to be twenty-three thousand eight hundred and twenty-three. By the reports of the several 10 Presbyteries to the Synod at the last stated meeting, there appear to be twenty-seven licentiates and twenty three candidates under their care. We have stated that in the year 1824, the Presby- tery of Jersey was divided into the Presbyteries of Newark and Elizahethtown. The Presbytery of Newark remained as one of the Presbyteries of this Synod until the year 1839, when it was disowned by the Synod and declared to be no longer in connec- tion with it in consequence of its having declared its adherence to the body which went off from the Gen- eral Assembly of 1838 and held its sessions in the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and which claimed to be, in the face of all law and order, the true General Assembly. The Presbytery of Eliza- hethtown remains with us to this day. In the year 1832 the Presbytery of Montrose was erected, having been taken from the Presbytery of Susquehanna. It continued to be one of the Presby- teries of the Synod until the year 1838, when it was declared to be no longer in connection with it, it having by its own measures placed itself in an eccle- siastical connection inconsistent with any longer rela- tion to this Synod. The Presbytery of Caledonia^ next in order of age, was erected in the year 1838. It was originally a part of the Presbytery of Susquehanna. This latter body occupying a territory of more than two hundred miles in extent, it was considered advisable that it should be divided. In accordance with the request of the Presbytery, five ministers and five churches were detached from it, and constituted into a Presby- 11 tery to be known as that of Caledonia. This Presby- tery remained in connection with the Synod until the year 1843, constantly increasing in numbers and effi- ciency. Their last report was made in 1842, when they reported fifteen ministers and fourteen churches with one licentiate and two candidates under their care- At the meeting of the Synod in 1842, this Presby- tery preferred a request, in view of the extent of their territory and the fact that some ministers and churches from the disowned Synods in the State of New York had cast in their lot with them, for a divi- sion, and the two Presbyteries of Steuben and Wyo- ming were constituted — the name of Caledonia being dropped. In the month of May, 1843, the General Assembly erected the Synod of Buffalo, in accordance with the enactment of the Assembly of 1838, and attached these newly erected Presbyteries to that Synod,* the Presbytery of Ogdensburgh, before con- nected with the Synod of Albany, being detached from that Synod for the purpose of making up the number necessary for the formation of the new Synod, Next in order is the Presbytery of Raritan, which was erected by this Synod in October, 1839, and organized on the 5th of November of that year. This Presbytery was taken, for the most part, from the Presbytery of Newton, and consisted at the outset of nine ministers and twelve churches from that Presbytery, and one minister and two churches from the Presbytery of New-Brunswick; and has since its organization, though among the smallest of our Pres- byteries, been zealously engaged in founding churches * Minutes of Assembly for 1843 — page 174. 12 — repairing the waste places, and extending the interests of the Redeemer's Kingdom within its borders. In the year 1843, the Presbytery of Luzerne was formed by the General Assembly,"^ the Committee of Bills and Overtm^es, having presented an overture to that effect. Two ministers and four churches were detached from the Presbytery of Susquehanna ; two ministers and four churches from the Presbytery of Newton ; one church from the Presbytery of Northum- berland, and one from the Presbytery of Philadelphia. This Presbytery so constituted by the supreme judi- catory of our church, was attached to this Synod. It was duly organized at Wilkesbarre, on the 19th of September of the same year. This Presbytery has had from the beginning, a very important missionary field within its borders, and by the blessing of the Head of the church upon the labors of those connec- ted with it, has 'become one of the largest in our body — having reported at the last stated meeting twenty-four ministers and twenty-eight churches, with four licentiates and one candidate under their care. At the same meeting of the General Assembly at which the Presbytery of Luzerne was constituted, the Presbytery of ^¥est Jersey.-^ which was organized in 1839, having been erected from the Presbytery of Philadelphia, was, in compliance with the petition of the Presbytery, set oft' from the Synod of Philadel- # Minutes of At>eniL]y, 1843— page 195. t Minutes of Assembly, 1843— page 174:. 13 phia, and attached to this Synod, and is now with ns, laboring zealously in that part of the State of New Jersey, falling within its bounds, nor, if we are to judge of the results, have the smiles of the Master been withheld from the efforts they have made to advance the interests of his kingdom. Their number of ministers has increased from twelve to seventeen^ and their churches from fifteen to twenty two, d.u'ing the time of their connection with us, and that too, when ministers and churches have been taken from them to aid in the constitution of another Presbytery. In the year 1849, the Presbytery of Burlington was formed from the Presbyteries of New-Brunswick and West Jersey, three ministers and three churches being taken from the former and two ministers and three churches from the latter. At the stated meet- ing of the Synod in 1851, with the view of strength- ening this Presbytery, the church of Allentown, with its pastor, the Rev. Mr. (now Dr.) Perkins was trans- ferred from the Presbytery of New-Brunswick to that of Burlington, and at the stated meeting in 1859, at the instance of the lamentel Van Rensselair, who took, as all well know, a deep interest in everything connected with the affiiirs of our church, the territory of the Presbytery of Burlington was extended so as to include within its bounds the city of Camden and the townships of Newton, Union, Centre and Dela- ware in the County of Camden, N. J. By this action of the Synod, the Rev. Dr. Stewart and the church of Camden, (for at that time there was but one Pres- byterian Church in that city,) were "detached from the Presbytery of West Jersey and set over to the 14 Presbytery of Burlington, This Presbytery, has, as is the case with others in our bounds, a large jnission- ary field committed to its care, and very earnest efforts are being made to remove the obstacles in the way of the growth of that kingdom which is not of this world, and who that loves to pray " thy kingdom come," will not ask that that which is done for the upbuilding of Zion's cause within the borders of Bur- lington Presbytery, may be crowned with abundant success ! The Presbytery next to be noticed as connected with this Synod is that of Passaic. At the meeting of the Synod in 1852, a memorial was presented by the Presbytery of Elizabethtown for a division of that Presbytery. The Committee of Bills and Over- tures having reported favorably to the measure, the Presbytery was divided, and a wqw Presbytery was formed, to be known as the Presbytery of Passaic. The Presbytery thus erected was duly organized at Paterson, N. J., on the 10th of November of 1852, and may be said to have commenced its existence under very favorable auspices, having at the outset, seventeen ministers and fourteen churches, and among these are some of the largest, and most able and influential in the Synod. The Presbytery of Monmouth, the last constituted by the Synod, was erected at the meeting of the Synod, in the year 1859, and was organized at the Tennent Church on the 11th of January, 1860. It was taken wholly from the Presbytery of New-Brunswick, and consisted at its organization of tivelve ministers and thirteen churches. This Presbytery has an important 15 missionary field commonly known as the Pines within its bounds, and the manner in which the members of this new organization have commenced tlieir work, furnishes ground for the hope that ere long the wilderness, which it hfis fallen to their lot to cultivate, may become a fruitful field, and their whole ecclesias- tical enclosure as the garden of the Lord. The only remaining Presbytery to be noticed as in connection with this Synod is that of Corisco in Africa, which was organized in the month of May, I860,'* and taken under the care of the Synod of New Jersey, at their own request in October, 1860, in accordance with the rule of the General Assembly in such cases. One of the membersf of that Presby- tery being present, took his seat as a member of the Synod. The organization of a Presbytery in that far off and benighted land, is as a light shining in a dark place and leads to the indulgence of the hope that by the blessing of God upon the labors of the band of self-denying and devoted missionaries who are connected with that infant Presbytery, Ethiopia will soon stretch forth her hands unto God! Already they have reason to rejoice in a church of fifty-seven members — God speed the day when their little one shall become a thousand and their small one a strong nation— a nation of believers, scattering the light of grace on all around. Thus we see that there have been under the care of the Synod, since its erection in 1823, seventeen, * Minnies of Assembly of 1838— page 42; and BairJ's Digest, edition of 185$ — page 365. t Kev. Mr. Mackey. 16 Presbyteries,* of which eleven remain with iis to this day ; and who is there not prepared to say, when we compare the present condition of the Synod in point of Presbyteries and ministers and churches and mem- bers, with its Estate at its commencement, that the Lord onr God has led us in a way of great mercy. During the period to which we have been making allusion, to wit, from 1823 to 18G0 inclusive, (for the reports of the year just closed, are yet to be made,) there have been, in the several Presbyteries while connected with the Synod, two hundred and seventy- three ordinations to the work of the ministry, the greater part of which were with a view to the pas- toral office; two hundred and thirty-six installations of ministers who had been previously ordained. There have been three hundred and eighty dismissions of ministers from their respective Presbyteries to other Presbyteries or ecclesiastical bodies not imme- diately connected Avith our own church ; two hun- * Presbyteries. Cokstitoted. New-Bi uuswick, 1738. Jersey, _ - - - - 181)9. DiviJed in 1824. Kewton, _ _ - - 1M7. SiisqiK'lianna, _ - - - 1821. < !Ne\V!ii-k, - - - - 18'24. Disowned in 1839. Elizubcllitown, - - - - ^ 1:^24. Montrose, _ - - - 1832. Disowned in 1838. Calcdnuia, . - _ - 1838. I>ividcd in 1842. Steiibuii, . _ - - - 1842 AttiicliC'l to liie Synod of W\oinii){^, - - _ - 1842. . Butfitlo, in 1813. Eiiritiin, _ _ - - - 1839. LiizcMie, _ _ - . 1843. West Jersey, - - - - 1839. Burlington, _ _ - - 1849. I'assiiic, . - - - - 18-)2. Monmouth, - 1859. Corisco, - - - 1860. 17 dred and sixty -seven dissolutions of the pastoral rela- tion have taken place; four hundred and seventy persons have been licensed to preach the everlasting- Gospel ; one hundred and twenty-six churches have been organized, and sixty-nine of the clerical mem- bers of the Synod, without including those whom it has pleased God to take away from among us during the past year, have been removed by death, and of this number, as all who have been acquainted with the members of this Synod well know, were many who might well be termed burning and shining lights in our beloved Zion. We mourn to-day, in an especial manner, the absence by reason of death, of four of our members, three of whom while with us, were prominent members of this body, and were in attendance in the enjoyment of their usual health, at the last stated meeting of the Synod. I allude to the Rev. Dr. Isaac V. Brown,* of the Presbytery of New-Brunswick, one of the oldest members of the Synod, having been set apart to the work of the ministry in the month of June, 1807. Dr. Brown was the pastor of the church of Lawrence for twenty- one years, and for a large part of that time, a success- ful teacher of youth. His relation to the church he served, was dissolved in December, 1828, since which time to the date of his death, he lived in comparative retirement. The Rev. Dr. Murray, the second of those to whom I have referred, as taken from us by death during the year, was suddenly removed, in February * The Rev. Dr. Brown Hied at Tre)iton on ilie Ifltli of April, 1R«1, in tlin 7fth ye«r of his ag«. 18 last, after a highly successful pastorate in the 1st Church of Elizabethtown, for the period of nearly twenty-eight years, he having been, previous to his settlement among that people, the pastor of the church in Wilkesbarre, where he was ordained and installed in November, 1829. He removed from Wilkesbarre to Elizabethtown in 1833, end was installed as pastor of the 1st Church in the latter place in July, 1833.* The name of Nicholas Murray is recorded as present at every meeting of the Synod of New Jersey from the meeting in 1830, the first held after his ordination, to 1860, and such a record cannot be made of any other individual so long connected with this body. In this, our departed brother has set an example which many would do well to follow. And here, I am happy in being allowed to bear my testimony in his behalf, in the language of his bereaved and mourning co-presbyters, who knew him well, and knew how to estimate his character and worth ; " llis name, his character and his works are already on record, wide as the limits of the church at home and abroad." "A willing worker, devising liberal things, fraternally genial, decided in the faith and order of our church, but no bigot nor sympathi er with the exclusive." I regai*ded it my privilege to be with those who accompanied his remains to their resting-place in the midst of the great congregation * Dr. Murray died ou tlie 4th of February, ISfil. Dr. Murray was I'censfd to preach tho Gospel by tlie I're-I)yievy of rhil.-idelphia, in April, 1829. F^r a more cxtenlcd noiieo of his lilo iind hibors, see the sennoii, preaciied on tlio ocoiision of his dcalli, by the Hev. Dr. Sprairue of Albany, on Mibbuth, Fv;b. 10th, 1861. TUesoriubu was preached at Elizabethtowii, the Sabbath alter Dr. Murray died. 19 sleeping by the side of the Sanctuary where he so • long ministered. Very pleasant was he to me! Sweet be his sleep on his pillow of dust ! The third stated to hav^e been present at the last meeting of the Synod, and removed from toil on earth to reward on high, is the Rev. Dr. John DoRRANCE,* for iflany years a member of the Presby- tery within the bounds of which we are now assem- bled, a brother greatly beloved. We do not wonder that brethren with whom he had been long associated and who knew him best, should deplore his loss, as that of a devoted friend, a wise and able counsellor, whose comprehensive mind and catholic spirit em- braced the whole church, and whose constant exer- tions for more than a quarter of a century were devoted to the spiritual interests of the large mission- ary field within the bounds of the Presbytery with wliich he was connected. And his too was the privi- lege of enjoying a longer pastorate than usually falls to the lot, in these days of too frequent ministerial changes. He was installed the pastor of the church of Wilkesbarre on the 22ad of August, 1833. The church to which he so long ministered was happy in obtaining the services of one to go in and out before them, whose heart was in his work, so soon after the departure from among them of the lamented Murray, for their vacancy was scarcely of two months dura- tion. But we shall see these brethren no more among us. The Master has done serving himself of them here, and they have gone away at his bidding to receive the welcome of the Judge, and the reward * Dr. Dorrance died on the Ibth of April, 1861. 20 of the good and faithful servant. The fourth spoken of as removed by death since our last meeting, is one in whom many fond hopes were centered, and in regard to whom, hope was entertained that he might be the instrument of great good to the benighted in Africa, among whom as a foreign missionary he had cast his lot. Thomas Spencer Ogien, a son of one who was long a member of this Synod, was set apart to the work of the ministry as a missionary to the heatlien, by the Presbytery of New-Brunswick, on. the 18th of August, 1857, and was appointed by our Foreign Board to labor in Corisco in Africa. ■^^* He had begun his work with the pleasant prospect of usefulness, but He, who seeth not as man seeth, was pleased to call him to an higher sphere at a time when to human view it was necessary for him to abide in the flesh. He died on the 12th of May last, with an abiding trust in Him who had called him to his work. " In whom else can we trust," said the youth- ful missionary, in his dying hour, when asked by one who stood by his couch, if he found comfort in trust- ing in Christ ? The removal from the Synod during the thirty-eight years of its existence of seventy-three of its members by death, is a loud and solemn call to us who survive, to be preparing for the season when the Master shall be pleased to call us away from our loved work in his church below. But four of these thirty-eight years have gone by without report having been made that death had entered the Sanctuary of God, and summoned hence the ambassador of the * Mr. Ocr.len Uft New York ..n tlii; fitli of Oct..biT, 1S57, iHid vcnclicd Corisco on tliu 14.1 h of Jainuiry, 1858, and entered ut onee upon his work iiuil that with I) zeul vvhifh nhew'ed that he wuB in earnest. 21 cross. The highest number called away in any one year was seven and that was from October 1859 to October 1860 ; of these four were taken from the VvQ^hyiQvy o^ New- Brunswick, and one from each of the Presbyteries of West Jersey, Luzerne and Buriimjton. But, my brethren, while the Most High has been going forth among us in the judgments of his hands, and doing his strange work, he has been leading us as a body in ways of great mercy. This Synod has been a highly favored part of the heritage of the Lord. Very many of the churches under our care have reason to speak forth the praise of the Lord. They have not been without manifest tokens of the Divine presence. We do not know of a single year of the Synod's existence having passed away in which there has not been reference to the gracious dealings of God in the way of revivals in some part of our field. At one time, the grace of the Master has been like the gentle dew diffusing its tender influence and causing the plants of grace to grow and thrive. At another, it has been like the copious rain watering the dry and thirsty ridges of Zion, and making it to appear beyond all controversy that she is a field which the Lord has blessed. Yes, brethren, during tliese thirty-eight years precious revivals have been experienced, and thousands, through their holy and benign influence have begun their eternal song; and other thousands brought into the kingdom of God, as the result of the outpouring of the spirit and laboring to extend his interests in the world, are waiting with patience the Master's call to come away from earth and unite with those who have gone be- 22 fore them in singing the praises of redeeming love, beside the throne ou high. Who then that is called of God to the work of the ministry, and to whom has been committed the care of precious souls will not regard it his sweet privilege to labor for the descent of the Spirit upon and among those to whom he is called to break the bread of life. The remem- brance of jDH-st revivals with their rich results, should encourage us to pray. Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee ? As it respects this matter, the Lord our God has led the churches of this Synod in a way of great mercy — for there are very few of them, that may not look back upon some period of their existence and call to mind the rich exhibitions of Divine power and grace in the upbuilding of Zion — in the strengthening the faith of believers and in the conversion of sinners unto God. We have referred to the missionary field withhi the bounds of this Synod, the one usually known as the Pines in the State of New Jersey, stretching along its Atlantic shore, and within the bounds of the Presbyteries of Monmouth^ Burlington and West Jersey ; and the other embracing what are commonly called the Coal Fields in the State of Pennsylvania, under the care of the Presbyteries of Luzerne and Susquehanna. The Board of Domestic Missions in their last report state that forty-six* missionaries or * M ISSIONAUY I'ASTORS. Kew-Brnnswick, - - 2 Ijizcriie, - - - 13 Elizuhutlilowu, - - - 2 VV.st. .lurscy, - - ■ - 9 ra>siiic, - - 1 Biiriiiiyi on, - - - 3 >v1 TO 1886. A DISCOURSE DELIVERED IN THE First Presbyterian Church of Camden, N. J., AT THE OPENING OF THE SYNOD, OCTOBER 18th, 1886, BY THE MODERATOR, Rev. ALLEN H. BROWN. I'UBXjISHEI? B"H" I^EC^TJEST of the S"^lsrOID. PHILADELPHIA: THE JAS. B. EODGERS PRINTING CO., 52 and 54 North Sixth Street. 1888. HISTORIOAJ. DISCOURSE. Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. — 1 Samuel 7 : 12. Tlie Prophet Samuel called upon the people of Israel, to put away their strange gods, and they obeyed his voice, and put aM'ay Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. As they assembled at Mizpeh to worship by sacrifice and prayer, with confession of sin, the armies of the Philistines attacked them : but the Lord thundered upon their enemies and discomfited them. Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer (the stone of help), saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. History often repeats itself. Profitable it might be to illustrate how God chastens and humbles His people when they depart from Him, and how He delivers them when they return and confess their sins : but we must upon this occasion hasten to another application of the text. Often when we take a retrospect of our owai personal expe- rience, or of the history of the Church of Christ, we are called again and again to raise a monument to God's mercy, and to inscribe upon it, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us;" and so will we do this day. In 1874, or twelve years ago, the Synod of New Jersey, in session in tiiis same First Church of the City of Camden, accepted the resignation of its Stated Clerk and Treasurer, the Rev. Ravaud K. Rodgers, D. D., with emphatic recognition of this remarkable fact, that for thirty-six years he had held the office, and discharged the duties of Stated Clerk and 5 6 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF Treasurer to the entire satisfaction of Synod, and that for more than forty years he had been a member of this body, and during all that time had never failed to be present, from the opening to the close of every meeting, though often meet- ing in distant places. * At Pottsville, Pa., the same Doctor Rodgers, as Moderator, preached the opening sermon, from the text, Deuteronomy 8 : 2, "Thou shalt remember all the way, which the Lord thy God hath led thee," and presented a historical sketch of the Synod of New Jersey, from its organization in 1823 to that date, October 15th, 1861. Concurrent and co-incident events suggest to your Mode- rator, about to retire, that it is timely, as he is filling out the fortieth year of labor in your missionary field, to take up the narrative and to give an outline of the history of the Synod of New Jersey for another quarter of a century, from 1861 to 1886, or at least to furnish additional materials for some later historian to finish the work ; believing that again and again in our experience as a Synod, we shall have occasion to apply the words of the text, and to say, " Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." Accepting as correct the data and conclusions which Doctor Rodgers gave us in 1861, and limiting oiir investigation to the subsequent twenty-five years, it is nevertheless expedient to recall some well-known facts of antecedent history, e. g., that the First Presbytery was organized in 1705 or 6 ; that the Synod of Philadelphia began in 1717, and was divided in 1741 into two Synods; that these two Synods were reunited in 1758 under the name of the Synod of New York and Philadelphia; and that the first General Assembly met on the third Thursday of May 1789, when the whole Presby- terian Church comprised four Synods, viz.. The Synod of Philadelphia; The Synod of New York and New Jersey; The Synod of Virginia, and The Synod of the Carolinas. From the second of those four Synods, i. e., from the Synod * See the Minutes of -Synod, 1874, pp. 21 and 22. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. I of New York and New Jersey was the Synod of New Jersey- organized in 1823, when it included four Presbyteries, viz., New Brunswick, Jersey, Newton, and Susquehanna. Its first meeting was hekl in the First Presliyterian Cliurch, of Newark, in October, 182;^>. It was opened with a sermon by Doctor John WoodhuU, of FreehokL Doctor Archibald Alexander was the first ^Moderator. Doctor Rodgers gives a list of seventeen* Presbyteries, which had been under the care of the Synod of New Jersey. Six of the seventeen, viz., Jersey, Caledonia, Steuben, Wyo- ming, INlontrose and Newark, were not on the roll of the Synod of New Jersey in 1861, Because: The Presbytery of Jersey had been divided in 1824 into the Presbyteries of Newark and Elizabethtown, and the name Jersey had been dropped from the roll. Caledonia was divided in 1842 into the two Presbyteries of Steuben and Wyoming, and the name Caledonia was also dropped. In 1843 the General Assembly attached these two Presbyteries, Steuben and Wyoming, to the Synod of Buffido. t Montrose Presbytery was removed from the Synod of New Jersey by the division of 1838, and Newark, also, until 1870. * Seventeen Presbyteries under the care of Synod. NAMES. WUKN CONSTITUTED. New Brunswick, l"i'38 Jersey, 1809 Divided in 1824. Newton, 1817 Susquehanna, 1821 Newark, 1824 Elizaliethlown, . . 1824 Montrose 1832 Caledonia 1838 Divided in 1842. Steuben, 1S42 1 Attached to Synod of Wyoming, 1842 J Buffalo in 1S43. Raritan, 1839 Luzerne, 1843 West Jer.sey v • 1839 Burlington, 1849 Passaic, 1852 Monmouth, 1859 Coriseo 18C0 t Minutes of General .Vssembly, 1S43, p. 174. 8 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF Therefore, the names Jersey, Caledonia, Steuben and Wyoming, Montrose and Newark (for the present), are dis- missed from our inquiry, because no one of them was on our roll in 1861, and the territory of most of them belongs to the State and Synod of Pennsylvania. The remainins" eleven Presbyteries in connection with the Synod of New Jersey in 1861 were Susquehanna, Luzerne, New Brunswick, Elizabethtown, Raritan, West Jersey, Burlington, Passaic, Monmouth, and Corisco. ^ewtoll. The Presbytery of Susquehanna, previously known as the Luzerne Association, was received under the care of the Synod of New York and New Jersey in 1821. Largely from its territory the Presbytery of Luzerne was constituted in 1843. Now, since the territory of both Susquehanna and Luzerne lies wholly in Pennsylvania, further notice of these must be relegated to the future historian of the Synod of Pennsylvania, while we restrict our present inquiry to the territory which the Synod of New Jersey now occupies, although the boundaries and the names of the constituent Presbyteries have been greatly changed. Therefore, having dismissed with brief mention eight of the seventeen Presbyteries, the nine others connected with the Synod twenty-five years ago, viz. : New Brunswick, Newton, Elizabethtown, Paritan, West Jersey, Burlington, Passaic, Monmouth and Corisco together with the changes resultant from the reunion of 1870 claim our immediate and special attention. PRESBYTERY OF NEW BRUNSWICK,' INCLUDING RARITAN. First and foremost, stands the old historic Presbytery of New Brunswick. Upon a supplication from some members of the Presbytery of New York to be erected into a distinct Presbytery with some of the members of the Presbytery of Philadelphia overtured that their petition be granted, &c.* The original order of the Synod of Philadelphia f made * Records Pres. Ch., p. 136. f Records, Pres. Ch., p. 136. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. y the bounds of the Presbytery of New Brunswick to be : All to the Northward and Eastward of IMaidenhead (now Lawrcnceville) and Hopewell (now Pennington) unto Raritan River, including Staten Island, Piscatua, Amboy, Bound Brook, Basking Ridge, Turkey, (now New Provi- dence), Rocksiticus (now Mcndham), Minisinks, Pequally, and Crosswicks, to be designated by the name of New Brunswick, to meet on the second Tuesday of August, 1738, at New Brunswick. Gilbert Tennent, John Cross, Eleazcr Wales, William Tennent, Samuel Blair were the original members from the Presbytery of New York.* At an earlier session of the same meeting of Synod in 1738, the Presbytery of New York had been constituted by the union of the members of East Jersey Presbytery with those of Long Island Presbytery. f The Presbytery of New York at its organization in 1738 included in New Jersey the churches of Woodbridge, Han- over, Elizabethtown, Westfield, Newark and Connecticut Farms.;}: The Presbytery of New Brunswick encircling the College and Seminary of Princeton, and holding them as its peculiar treasure has always occupied a central and commanding position, and as in 18G1, so it is now, the largest among the Presbyteries of Synod in the number of ministers. Its present territory includes ^Mercer county, with portions of INIiddlesex, and Hunterdon. In two more years this, the oldest Presbytery in the State, will have existed a century and a half, and then the 150th anniversary of its birth will be worthy of an appro- priate commemoration. Presbytery of Raritan. — In 1870 the Presbytery of Raritan was merged in the Presbytery of New Brunswick and New Brunswick became the legal successor to Raritan. The Presbytery of Raritan was organized in 1839 with nine min- * See Dr. Hall's History of the Presbyterian Church of Trenton, p. 452. t See Pr. Hall's History ,'p. 49, and Records of Pres. Church, pp. 104, 134, 136. t See History of the Presbytery of New York, p. 9, by S. D. Alexander, D. D. 10 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF isters and fourteen churches, largely from the Presbytery of Newton.* The names of some of its prominent ministers and churches will help to identify its position. Among its Pas- tors were Kirkpatrick, Studdiford, Olmstead, Campbell, and H. W. Hunt, and among its churches, Amwell United First, Amwell Second, Lambertville, Flemington, Pleasant Grove. During the thirty years of its existence its ministers increased from nine to nineteen : its churches from fourteen to eighteen and the number of its communicants M^as nearly doubled. PRESBYTERY OF NEWTON. The Presbytery of Newton, next to New Brunswick the oldest in the State, was composed of those members and con- gregations of the Presbytery of New Brunswick, which lie north and west of a line drawn from the Delaware River so as to include the congregations of Amwell, Flemington, Lam- ington and Basking Ridge, and extended also into Pennsyl- vania. It included originally some of the territory which was subsequently transferred to the Presbytery of Raritan. It now comprises the counties of Sussex and Warren and a small portion of Hunterdon County. In 1867 the Presbytery of Newton celebrated its semi- centennial, when the Rev. D. X. Junkin gave an exhaustive history, which was published in a pamphlet of one hundred and six pages. From a review of statistics and narratives the conclusion is irresistible that the Presbytery of Newton, nestled amid her beautiful hills and lovely valleys, with an endowed institution for the education of her sons and daughters, is in proportion to population better supplied with Presby- terian Church accommodations than any other equal portion of the State and, in comparison with other Presbyteries, has in unwonted degree, enjoyed the dews of Divine Grace and large accessions to its roll of communicants. *D. X. Junkin's History of Newton Presbytery, pp. 16 and 17. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 11 PRESBYTERY OF ELIZABETHTOWN, INCLUDING ELIZABETH. By the division of the old Presbytery of Jersey into the Presbyteries of Elizabethtown and Newark the Presbytery of Elizabethtown was constituted in 1824. The names of some churches will indicate the extent and influence of the Presbytery of Elizabethtown. In 18G1 it had on its roll of churches, Elizabethtown Eirst, Railway First, Kahway Second, Woodbridge First, Basking Ridge, Plainfield First, Metuchen First. In 1870 it had only one more church than in 1825. A reason for its apparently small increase will appear hereafter in a notice of the organization of the Presbytery of Passaic* The Presbytery of Elizabeth in 1870 became the legal successor to the Presbytery of Elizabethtown. Its territory is now mainly in Union and Somerset Counties and a portion of Hunterdon along the line of the New Jersey Central Rail- road. A knowledge of its historic churches may be obtained from Doctor Hatfield's exhaustive history of Elizabethtown. PRESBYTERY OF WEST JERSEY. The Presbytery of West Jersey organized in 1839 is already preparing to commemorate its semi-centennial. Some of the members of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, desirous of a separate organization, on several occasions brought the subject before the Synod of Philadelphia, but that body declined at each time to entertain the proi^osal. At length, they de- termined to present their case by a petition to the General Assembly of 1839. This petition having been placed in the hands of the Committee on Overtures, they declined reporting the subject to the General Assembly on the ground that the constitutional course would be, first, to lay the case before the Synod of Philadelphia for their action upon it. Accordingly, the substance of the petition was again brought before the Synod of Philadelphia in October, 1839. After discussion and opposition it was resolved to grant the request. On the *See pp. IGaiid 17. 12 HISTOEICAL SKETCH OF 5th of November, 1839, the Presbytery of West Jersey was organized with ten ministers and thirteen churches.* The Synod of Philadelphia refused to concur in an appli- cation to the General Assembly, to transfer the Presbytery to the Synod of New Jersey, but the General Assembly of 1843 granted the petition of the Presbytery of West Jersey to be set oiF from the Synod of Philadelphia and attached to the Synod of New Jersey, f Since 1870 its territory has been limited to the six southern counties of the State, or all south of Burlington county. Notwithstanding a diminution of territory and consequent surrender of some churches, the Presbytery has increased since its organization three and one-half fold, thus proving the wisdom of its separation from, metropolitan oversight. PRESBYTERY OF MONMOUTH, INCLUDING BURLINGTON. The next in order of organization among extant Presbyteries is Monmouth, which dates from 1859. It became in 1870 the legal successor to the Presbytery of Burlington and absorbed its territory. The two Presbyteries are not identical, yet their history is closely identified. Monmouth Presbytery was formed wholly from New Bruns- wick Presbytery in 1859, with twelve ministers and twelve or thirteen churches. It now comprises the counties of Mon- mouth, Ocean and Burlington, with some churches on the line of the Camden and Amboy Railroad in Middlesex and Mercer Counties. By reconstruction and active missionary effort it has increased nearly four-fold in twenty-five years. It has a large missionary field which it has diligently cultivated, thus justifying the design for which it was originally constituted. The Presbytery of Burlington was formed in 1849 from the Presbyteries of New Brunswick and West Jersey. It was strengthened in 1851 by the addition of Allentown and in 1859 by adding the city of Camden. Doctor Cortland * Pres. West Jersey Records, Vol. 1, pp. 1-7. t Min. G. A. 18«, p. 174. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 13 Van Kcnsselacr was the father of this Presbytery. Being a small body, it was able to visit its small ehurclies. In the twenty-one years of its existence the ministers of Burlington Presbytery increased from six to eleven ; its churches from eight to fourteen and its communicants from 199 to 1190. Its more complete history is worthy of preparation and pres- ervation. In 1870 the greater part of its territory was transferred to the Presbytery of INIonmouth. PRESBYTERY OF CORISCO. The one other Presbytery which was on the roll of Synod twenty-five years ago is Corisco. In the statistical tables of the General Assembly the Presbytery of Corisco appears for the first time in the Minutes of 1861. Doctor Nassau in his Historical Sketch says that it was organized about 1859. Doctor Rodgers says in INIay, 1860, and that it was taken under the care of the Synod of New Jersey at their 0A\n re- quest in October, 1860. (He refers to the Minutes of General Assembly, 1838, p. 42 and to Baird's Digest of 1856, p. 365.) A mission had been established on the island of Corisco by our Presbyterian Board in 1850 and was successfully extended northward. Eight years previously (in 1842) a mission had been located in the estuary of Gaboon, under the American Board of Commissioners, which after many reverses was finally in 1870 formally transferred to the Presbyterian Board for Foreign Missions and incorporated with the Corisco Mission, whose official name Avas then changed to the Gaboon and Corisco Mission. That Mission of the American Board in the Gaboon District in 1842 was really a transfer of a Mission begun eight years before at Cape Pal mas, where Messrs. Wil- son, Walker, and Bushnell had labored. Manifestly, there is an unwritten history of toil, suffering and sacrifice, during another quarter of a century from 1834 to 1860, antedating and preparing the way for the Presbytery of Corisco, which now supervises all the churches in our Mission on the West coast of Africa, near the equator. 14 HISTORICAL, SKETCH OF Ogove district was occupied in 1874 and progress has been made along the Ogove River into the interior. So many sons and daughters have gone from beloved homes in New Jersey : so many have sacrificed their lives for the re- demption of Africa : so many bound to you by the tenderest ties of kindred and affection are now enduring the greatest trials, as your special representativ^es to the heathen in that far distant land, that Corisco, the smallest and the weakest among the sisterhood of Presbyteries, must not be forgotten. Surely she has not been placed under the care of this Synod merely as a formal ecclesiastical convenience, but rather to claim our sjjecial sympathy and protection. The regularity of its Presbyterial reports to the Synod and to the Assembly, and the columns in its statistical tables often well filled with contributions to all the Boards of the Church in this country, are worthy of notice and praise. Labors ex- pended under great privation have not been in vain as the Narratives of Synod year by year attest, e. g. In 1868,* thirty new members were reported to have joined the cate- chumen class in one church. Again in 1872f in one of the churches there had been a continued revived state among the Christians and a deep religious interest among the heathen and as the result^ twenty-five converts were added to the Lord. At the same time Presbytery reported as under its care five Candidates for the ministry. Again the Narrative of 1876 said one-sixth of the entire membership belonging to the Pres- bytery of Corisco has been added on confession of faith during the past year and mentions many other tokens of encourage- ment. J Your Narrative of 1879 said, the far away Presby- tery of Corisco sends the most encouraging report of all the Presbyteries of this Synod. || In recent years the w'ork has been prosecuted under peculiar difficulties, due largely to the obstructions placed in the way *See Minutes of Synod, 1868, p. 10. tJbirf. 1872, p. 31. ' . JJ&irf. 1876, pp. 38, 39. Ij Ibid. 1879, p. 48. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 1^ by the French rulers of tlie coast. Verily, Corisco claims our more abundant sympathy and more earnest prayers that those obstacles may be removed and that a highway may be opened for the Gospel along the Ogove River to the very heart of Africa. Although a broad ocean rolls between us, the names Corisco, Benita, Baraka, Ogove, Kangwe, Tala- guga, send a thrill of joy, or a pang of sorrow to many hearts and homes in the Synod of New Jersey. * CHANGES BY EECX)NSTRUCTION. In 1870 reconstruction revolutionized the Synod. A large portion of its territory was transferred to the Synod of Penn- sylvania and an important accession was gained by the coming in of Newark and Rockaway, and two entirely new Presby- teries were formed. The one was Jersey City and the other was Morris and Orange, the latter including the previously existing Presbyteries Passaic and Rockaway. PRESBYTERY OF NEYv^ARK. As already stated, Newark Presbytery was constituted with its twin sister Elizabethtown by the division of the old Pres- bytery of Jersey in 1824, and is therefore only one year younger than the Synod itself. The Presbytery of Newark has been a part of the Synod of New Jersey with the exception of the period from 1838 to ] 870, during which it belonged to the Synod of New York and New Jersey. Its territory was large as the names of some of its churches will indicate. The strength which it added to the Synod of New Jersey will more fully appear by a glance at its roll in 1870 when it reported fifty-eight ministers;, thirty-five churches, 8,104 communicants who gave for congregational purposes $138,444. It then had in the city of Newark nine churches, including two German and one colored church, besides Madison, Orange First and Second ; *See also Dr. Aikman's Report in Minutes of Synod 1883, pp, 37 and 39. 16 - HISTORICAL SKETCH OF Soutli Orange ; Morristown South Street ; Paterson Second ; Caldwell, Plainfield, Elizabeth Third, and Montclair, each with a membership of from 200 to 510, and these twenty churches reporting 6,667 members, or an average of 333 members each. Now, with a smaller and compact territory Newark Presbytery exerts an influence inferior to none. PRESBYTERY OF JERSEY CITY. The Presbytery of Jersey City, constituted in 1870, com- prises the counties of Bergen, Passaic, and Hudson. It has thirty-eight ministers and twenty-nine churches. Its strongest churches are in Englewood, Paterson and Jersey City. In- cluding these places and Hoboken it has a large field, with a large German element, and it has] very diligently prosecuted the work of church extension. PRESBYTERY OF MORRIS AND ORANGE, INCLUDING PASSAIC AND ROCKAWAY. Last upon our present roll and not least among our Pres- byterial tribes is Morris and Orange. Beautiful for situation, this Presbytery enjoys and combines the wealth and refinement of the city with the pleasures and virtues of country life. In 1881, the beloved Dr. David Irving reviewed the progress of this Presbytery in a decennial discourse, which was published. At its organization in 1870 the Presbytery of Morris and Orange became the legal successor to^ the two Presbyteries, Passaic and Rockaway, which must now be noticed. The Presbytery of Passaic was formed out of the Pres- bytery of Elizabethtown by the Synod of New Jersey in 1852, and was organized in Paterson, November 10th of that year. It began with seventeen ministers and fourteen churches- Some of these Avere among the largest of the parent Presbytery, such as Elizabethtown Second, Newark Third, Morristown First, Morristown Second, Paterson First, and Connecticut Farms. These six churches had 1959' members, or an THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 17 average of 326 each. This Presbytery reported in 1870 twenty-nine ministers and nineteen churches and 3G62 mem- bers. One should add the statistics of this Passaic Presbytery in 1870 to those of Elizabeth in order to estimate the growth of the parent Presbytery, Elizabethtown, in the previous eighteen years. Presby^tery of Rookaway. — By the General Assembly meeting in the First Church of Philadelphia in 1839, it was ordered to divide the Presbytery of Newark, and to erect the Presbytery of Rockaway to meet at Parsippany on the third Tuesday of June, to be o})ened by Rev. Barnabas King. It was also ordered that with these two Presbyteries and the Presbytery of Montrose the SYNOD OF NEWARK. be erected to meet on the third Tuesday of October, and to be opened with a sermon by Asa Hillyer, T>. J). The Presbytery of Rockaway had at its organization, chiefly in Sussex and Morris Counties, sixteen ministers and fifleen churches and brought into the Presbytery of INIorris and Orange at reunion eighteen ministers, twenty churches and 2230 communicants. The chief churches of Rockaway Pres- bytery in 1870 were Rockaway, Harmony First, Boonton, Wantage Second, Dover, and Mendham Second. The Synod of New York and New Jersey was formed by the union of the Synod of Newark and the Synod of New York in 1840.* REUNION. In the survey of twenty-five years it seemed needful to sketch in close connection the Presbyteries of both th^ Old and the Reconstructed Synods, Now let us turn to 1870 and notice the Reunion which made reconstruction possible, A comparison of the territory of the old and of the new Synod and the relative condition of the churches will help us * See Minutes G. A. (N. S.) 1840, p. 18. 18 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF to understand the effects of the Reunion. When the means of communication between the two great cities New York and Philadelphia were slow and tedious it was natural that those cities should be the ecclesiastical as well as the commer- cial centres for a large scope of surrounding country. Thus the churches of West or South Jersey were attached to the Presbytery and Synod of Philadelphia until convinced that this provincial dependence was not advantageous, when they in- dependently and boldly undertook to manage their own affairs. In like manner, the chui'ches of East Jersey gravitated towards New York, expecting advantage from their metropolitan re- lations. Since communication through and throughout the State has become rapid, and since the different sections are bound more closely together with bands of steel, the tendency has been to Home-Rule in the Church as well as in the State. In 1861 the Synod extended hundreds of miles into Penn- sylvania * and while in New Jersey it covered nominally the State with the exception of the Presbyteries of Newark and Rockaway, yet it had not exclusive Presbyterial jurisdiction over the territory which it occupied. CHURCHES OF EXTERNAL. PRESBYTERIES. The Presbytery of Brooklyn led by Doctor Samuel H. Cox established a foreign mission in the Pines of New Jersey at Manchester in 1842. At some time during the period from 1840 to 1870 The Presbytery of Netv York had two churches in Jersey City, the First and the Scotch, and oncin Weehawken ; The Presbytery of New York Second had a church at Tenafly ; The Presbytery of New York Third had two churches in Jersey City, the Second and Bergen First, and two in Hobo- ken, the First and the West ; The Presbytery of New York Fourth had a church at Englewood. * See Doctor Rodgers' Discourse, page 10. . THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 19 The Presbytery of Philadelphia Fourth had churches at Bethlehem, Belvidere Second, Alexandria First, Beverly, Fairview, Atco, Vineland, Bridgeton Second, Fairfield and Cedarville. Thus six Presbyteries which were foreign to the State had twenty churches upon the soil of New Jersey. In the larger towns and cities, side by side were churches under ditferent Presbyteries of the State. Presbyteries were interlocked, with conflict of jurisdiction and jealousies, so that it was diffi- cult for some holding the same standards to dwell together in cordial sympathy, if in apparent peace. Verily, there was occasion to reiterate our Saviour's prayer for unity,' "That they all maybe one, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." Some deplored the evils and the difficulty; but how to accomplish a remedy was the super- human problem. Here we raise the monumental inscription, " Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." This is the Lord's doing ; it is marvellous in our eyes. Reunion came, followed by Reconstruction: order sprang out of confusion : harmony out of discord. As in the Church at large so in New Jersey the way was prepared gradually. In October, 1868, the Synod of New Jersey met in the Third Presbyterian Church of Newark and the Synod of New York and Now Jersey met in the First Presbyterian church of the same city. The committees on religious exercises of each Synod held a conference together and upon their joint recommendation the two Synods unital, first in a meeting for prayer and conference in the Third Church, on Tuesday even- ing, presided over by the two Moderators, and on the next day the'synod of New Jersey adjourned to meet with the Synod of New York and New Jersey for the purpose of celebrating the Lord's Supper at the First Presbyterian Church in the afternoon. In the morning of that day and before the coranunuon, the following resolution, offered by Doctor J. H. Mcllvaine, was adopted by the Synod of New Jersey : FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, NEWARK, N.J. Corner Stone laid September, 1787. Opened for worship .January 1, 1791. Chapel Dedicated June, 1873. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 21 Resolved, That in the judgmont of this Syncxl, such an ao-recment in doctrine and such a degree of mutual confidence and k.ve now exist between the Old and the New School Branches of the Presbyterian Church as are contemplated in the following resolution of the General Assembly of 1866. " Resolved, That the Assembly expresses its fraternal affec- tion for the other Branch of the Presbyterian Church and its earnest desire for reunion at the earliest time consistent with agreement in doctrine, order and polity on the basis of our common standards and the prevalence of mutual confidence and love, which are necessary to a happy union and^ to the permanent peace and prosperity of the United Church." And, consequently that the reunion between the two bodies ought in the judgment of this Synod to be consummated without unnecessary delay * In the next year, 1869 it was Resolved, That the Synod of New Jersey in session 'at Rahway send fraternal greetings to the Synod of New York and New Jersey in session at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and re- joice in the coming closer union spiritually and ecclesiastically. The telegraph on the next day brought the following response : The Synod of New York and New Jersey in session at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., cordially respond to the Fraternal Greetings of the Synod of New Jersey in session at Rahway, N. J., looping and believing that the coming union will prove that we are one in Christ Jesus, f At Elizabeth in 1870 all parts of the two Synods dwelling in New Jersey blended into one Synod and now, like those who are embarked upon a reconstructed ship, sailing towards the open sea— borne onward by prosperous winds, no one of us can tell from the deep blue of the commingled waves • Minutes of Synod 1868, p. 8. t ■^f'''*- 1869, pp. 8 and 16. 22 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF whether these came from the Raritan or those from the Passaic. As we bend our gaze to the voyage which is beyond, let us raise aloft our banner and inscribe upon it — Hitherto hath the Lord helped us — and looking backward upon our course during a quarter of a century notice the progress in educa- tion; in systematic beneficence; in church extension, and in spiritual results. EDUCATION AND SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. It is no new thing for the Presbyterian Church to give attention to the young. In Sunday-schools there has been progress. In 1861 and 1862 a committee of this Synod urged a revision of the Directory for Worship, so as to recognize the true relation of the Session and Pastor to the Sunday-school, and was instructed to address an overture to the General Assembly on this topic* The Narratives notice how public services for children ; stated preaching to them ; catechetical instruction ; greater care in selecting libraries; also Sunday-school Institutes, all indicate correct views of the relation of the Sunday-school to the Church and a growing interest in the work.f It should therefore fill us with gratitude rather than with surprise when we hear of fruit gathered from our Sunday-schools and that of twenty-two added to one church, twenty were from the Sunday-school, | and of another that all the scholars above twelve years of age are in the communion of the church. 1 1 So again do we quote with approval the saying, that the lambs of the flock have a right to be marked with the name of the Shepherd who owns them : and repeat the Ger- man proverb, that we may appreciate its spiritual meaning, "From the Home to the School; from the School to the Church; from the Church to Heaven." * See MSS. Minutes 1861, p. 259, and Ibid. 1862, p. 317. t Minutes of Synod, 1874, p. 38. | Ihid, 188^, p. 88. II Westminster at Elizabeth, Minutes of Synod, 1875, p. 4t. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 23 The relation of the Synod to the College of New Jersey and to tlie Theological Seminary at Princeton needs no eluci- dation here ; but Synod, with gratitude, may call to mind the large endowments, which the Lord has sent from diiferent quarters to these institutions during the last twenty-five years. In this same period the German Theological Seminary, now located at Bloomfield, for the training of ministers to lalx)r among our German population has come into existence by the fostering care of the Presbytery of Newark and claims our sympathy. In 1874 the first class of eight young men was graduated. The Narratives frequently mention a work of grace in academic institutions, as at Bridgeton, Blairstown, Lawrence- ville, and other places. It would be a valuable contribution which shall give the history of Presbyterial Academies and Female Seminaries established in all the chief towns through- out this Synod.* BENEVOLENCE AND BENEFICENCE. There has been a great advance in Christian benevolence and systematic beneficence. The increase in the number of the objects is worthy of notice. At the organization of Synod f the statistical tables contained only five columns for the reports of contributions. Two of these. The Presbyterial Fund and The Commissioners were virtually the same, and are now usually combined under the "General Assembly" column. Two others, for the Theological Seminary and for Education, were very similar if not identical; "svhile one Missionary column included all other benevolent contributions. The columns for missionary and benevolent gifts are now increased to nine, besides the three columns for the General Assembly, for Congregational expenses, and the Miscellaneous making twelve in all. This increase of calls has secured fuller returns and larger gifts. % * See Minutes of Synod 1864, p. 7 ; 1865, p. 16; 1872, p. 34; 1876, p. 40; 1885, p. 40. tSee Minutes General Assembly, 1826. X See Narratives in Minutes of Synod, 1868, p. 12; 1871, pp. 18 and 20; 1872, p. 32; 1882, p. 22. 24 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF The organized eiforts of Christian Women, first in behalf of Foreign Missions, and later for Home Missions, have grown with the progress of this quarter of a century. Synod's own efficient Standing Committee on systematic beneficence has aimed to secure collections from every church to all the Boards; to promote weekly offerings and proportion- ate giving as well as to increase the aggregate of contributions. Among the sisterhood of Presbyteries, Morris and Orange is frequently mentioned as setting a noble and notable ex- ample. * Doctor Hodge rs in his Historical Discourse gives two interesting points for comparison. He comforts himself with the thought that only two Synods, those of New York and Philadelphia had paid to the Board of Domestic Missions more than the Synod of New Jersey. At the same time he lamented that the Synod of New Jersey was one of the Synods which drew out of the treasury of the Board of Domestic Missions more than it paid into it ; for it drew out for its forty-six f missionaries, $6,803.99, and paid in 1861 into the treasury, $6,278.51. In recent years this Synod, by the combined gifts of the churches, its women and its Sunday- schools, has paid to the Board of Home Missions, from $25,000 to $30,000 annually, while in 1885-86 it paid to the Board, $44,904.21, and received from the Board for its fifty- seven missionaries, $9,849.02. J * See Minutes of Synod, 1873, p. 16 ; 1875, p. 46 ; 1883, p. 86. t Doctor Rodgers also classified the Missionaries in 1860-61 thus : In the Presbytery of New Brunswick 2 " " " Elizabethtown, 2 " " " Passaic, 1 " " " Newton,. 5 " " " Raritan, 2 " " " Luzerne, . 13 " " " West Jersey 9 " " " Burlington, • 3 " " " Susquehanna, 6 " " " Monmouth, 3 Of whom nineteen or more were in Pennsylvania. 46 JSee Report of the Board of Home Missions, 1886, pp. 2 and 112. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 25 Doctor Rotlgers estimated that the collections of the Synod for the year 1861 for benevolent missionary and miscellaneous objects amounted to twenty-five thousand dollars.* In 1862 they amounted to $52,359. The sum of all the contributions for similar purposes, according to the Minutes of the General Assembly of 1886, exclusive of congregational expenses, amounted to $327,610, adding for congregational expenses $688 443, we have a total of $l,016,053.t If sometimes we complain and urge our churches to do more, it is also fitting when we notice an advance from tens to hundreds of thous- ands, and even a million, that we commend the liberality of those who have done so much. ^^^_ ♦ Synod contributed in the year 1860-Cl : To the Board of Domestic Missions, S6,2(8 ol <€ « Foreign Missions, 8,128 43 " Education 2,652 76 •' " Publication, I'^^'^ 81 " Church Extension Committee, 1,38647 Total to five Boards, . . . 819,808 98 Adding money given to the Disabled Ministers' Fund, the Bible, Tract and Sunday- school and otherlnstitutions, Doctor Rodgers says, "We may safely estimate the collections of the year at S25,(X)0. Historical Discourse, p. 24. t CONTRIBUTIONS OF SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. To Benevolence See Minutes of and General T^Congre- General As- Assembly and gational loiai. semblv in Miscellaneous Expenses. 180.^ 52,359 «163,285 «215,584 187^ 197,840 V48,638 9^0,478 lSfi5 222,987 687,468 910,4^5 S 327,610 68«,443 1,016,053 Contributions reported in 1886, in Minutes of General Assembly. To the Board of Home Missions ^fAll Foreign Missions V/ J, Education aV^o Publication *'™° Churcli Erection H 58,702 Ministerial Relief 11-"*^ Freed>nen J««2 Sustentation ^'•^ Aid for Colleges °'?^ General Assembly °'^ Miscellaneous ^^'^^^ $327,610 H Includes $45,000 for a single church. See Minutes of Synod, 1886, p. 49. 26 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF The special and grand memorial offerings following Reunion belong to this period. In 1871 the contributions for congre- gational expenses being affected probably by memorial offer- ings were greater than in 1886 ; but the contributions for all other objects have largely increased. CHURCH EXTENSION AND HOME MISSIONS. Hitherto the Lord has helped the Synod in the work of Home Missions and Church Extension. In some large cities, as Newark especially, but not there alone, mission schools have resulted in large accessions of members and sometimes have grown into new churches. Some churches have em- ployed a female missionary to lead in Mothers' Prayer Meet- ings ; in Helping Hand Societies ; in Industrial Schools ; to report the worthy poor, and to visit from house to house.* In olden times, as with the voice of a clarion, Thomas P. Hunt proclaimed the wants and predicted the growth of the great missionary field in the coal regions of Pennsylvania, and in comparison, the Pines of New Jersey were lightly es- teemed. After reconstruction, when the Synod and the State became conterminous, the Synod turned its attention to the southern half of the State. It had been diligently cultivated by John Brainerd, more than a century ago ; but after the Revolutionary War had been too long overlooked. It is difficult for strangers to understand how there can be mis- sionary ground in a State so old and so highly favored as New Jersey. They have not known how large a portion of southern New Jersey has been a wilderness of pines. Thirty- three years ago there were no railroads in the southern half of the State, excepting the one line, via Amboy from Phila- delphia to New York. Since that time, and mainly within a quarter of a century, five hundred miles of railroad have been constructed, reaching to every important town and all along the coast. By thus increasing the facilities of transportation ; • See Minutes of Synod, 1874, Appendix, pp. 38, 39 and 40, end 1877, p. 68. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 27 by opening to settlement large tracts of land, which had been practically inaccessible ; by establishing many sea side resorts; by the consequent increase of population ; by all these results, the southern portion of New Jersey has been revolutionized and the Svnod has realized, none too soon, that it has here an important and inviting field for Church Extension. It was in 1872, and after reunion was an ac-complished fact, that a resolution was adopted for the appointment of a stand- ing committee to consider the condition and prospects of Church Extension and Home Missions, and to report annually the need and progress of this work. That resolution fell un- observed, like one of the smallest of seeds, and no one foresaw to what proportions it would grow. The next year, 1873, at Washington, the committee presented an extended report, which opened the way for enlarged and successful efforts for church extension, as published in the reports of the committee for each succeeding year. It was a remarkable providential coincidence that without any preconcert between the writers of the two reports, the narrative of the same year, 1873, con- cluded with an eloquent and unusual argument for the thorough evangelization of the State of New Jersey. * STATISTICS AND GROWTH. It is impossible to make a comparison of statistics for twenty-five years at all satisfactory, because of the great and entire change of territory and boundaries. It will be suffi- cient to prepare a table of statistics at different epochs.f The growth of the Synod will appear by a comparison of these periods: 1823, 1861, 1886. A full attendance of every minister and one elder from each church would have made in 1823, a Synod of only 187 members; and in 1861, a Synod of 379 members; and would now make, including Corisco, an assembly of 680 ministers and elders, thus : Ministers. Churches. Total. In 1823, 83 + 104 = 187 " 1861, 185 + 194 = 379 " 1886, ...... 391 + 289 = 680 » See Minutes of Synod, 1873, pp. 18-20. tSee p. 32. 28 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF COMPARISON OF 1871 AND 1886. It is not difficult to obtain reliable statistics of the recon- structed Synod for the last fifteen years, during which its territory has been unchanged. From 1871 to 1886 the nine Presbyteries continuing the same, the ministers have increased from 310 to 391; the churches from 237 to 289; and com- municants from 37,912 to 50,302, a net increase of 81 minis- ters, 52 churches, and 12,390 communicants in fifteen years. Year. P^^sby- Ministers. Churches. Communicants. E°x|end?tures.^ 1871, .... 9 310 237 37,912 $748,638.00 1886, .... 9 391 289 50,302 688,443.00 SPIRITUAL RESULTS. Omniscience alone can estimate the spiritual results of labor during a quarter of a century. Success, or growth, or useful- ness is not ahvays nor alone to be measured by professed conversions. A few added to a small church may be more effective and valuable relatively than the many added to a larger church. But to preach the Gospel to every creature; to proclaim the doctrines of grace and to offer a free salva- tion to perishing sinners through the atonement of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is our chief, and should be our con- stant aim. The earliest years of the period under review were years of excitement and of civil war. It is not surprising to read in the Narratives, such words as these: "There has been no great awakening.* Most of the Presbj'teries lament barren- iness and worldly-mindedness, an increase of Sabbath desecra- .tion and intemperance ;" f and yet the Narrative of 1863, | makes mention of some ingathering, and while in 1864 there was no general revival of religion, nearly all the churches reported some additions. Similar to this was the tone of the Narratives for 1865, and 1867, and 1868. The Narrative of 1866 reviewing the preceding year said, *MSS. Minutes of Synod, 1861, p. 256. \Ihid., 1863, p. 349. % Ibid. p. 283. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 29 "Already tliore was seen to be a corruption of morals. Crime was fearfully prevalent; gigantic frauds were periDctratcd by men of high position ; suddenly acquired wealth had begotten luxurious and profligate manners hitherto unknown in our rejiublic; mammon and fashion Mere leading the people in a carnival of ungodliness, and the piety of the Church did not seem vigorous enough to stem this flood of irreligion and vice. The only hopeful sign was that God's children recognized the peril and bemoaned their own supineness. The Chnrch througliout the land felt that help was in God alone, and the prayer everywhere was 'Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.' The Lord heard and answered prayer, and this Synod has shared in the general religious awakening, which will render the winter of 1865-66 memorable in the annals of the Church." * Then followed a few years of adjustment to the new con- dition of things, and a general spirit of prosperity, with some special manifestations of grace. Very cheerful and sanguine was the Narrative of 1870. The year 1876 was the most signal year of revival in the history of the Synod, and 4,518 souls were reported as added on examination. Of these 974 were added to the Presbytery of Monmouth, which is believed to have been in that year, the largest number in proportion to its membership of any Presbytery of our denomination in the United States, f For nine years, from 1862 to 1870 inclusive, the additions on examination in the Synod were 12^241, an average of 1,360 per year. For the sixteen years, from 1871 to 1886 inclusive, the additions on examination have been 36,978, an average of 2,311 per year. Whatever may be the cause, or however affected by change of territory or methods, or by increase of population, the average annual additions, on examination, since 1871 have * Minutes of Synod, 186G, p. 8. tSee Doctor Aikman's Report, Minutes of Synod, 187G, p. G2. 30 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF been nearly twice as many as they were before the reunion. In all these things hitherto the Lord hath helped us. Praise be to His Name, who permits us to be in some small measure co-workers with Him. CONCLUSION. We would not forget the claims of other portions of our common country ; nor ignore the work of other Denomina- tions, yet do we owe as a Synod a special responsibility to this State, which is peculiarly committed to our care. New Jersey, the thirty-fifth in area and the nineteenth in population, is the seventh in rank in the product of mines ; the sixth in the product of manufactures ; the first in the means of communication by railroads and canals, and has been foremost in the valuation of farm lands, and in the value of products per acre. Peculiarly important is its position between the two great cities, from Avhich multitudes come to find among us their homes. It is a highway for a large part of the traffic from the South and West ; is rapidly increasing in wealth and population and seems to be destined to become the most densely populated State in the Union. In cultivating this field the Presbyteries need the sympathy and fostering care of the entire Synod ; for we are ecclesiasti- cally one body, and the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee ; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you, and whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it, or if one member be honored all the members rejoice with it. * With a compact territory we are one body. Let it be our endeavor, depending upon the Divine blessing, to cultivate this territory for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The church is compared to a body having many members. Let us so think of our Synod as a symmetrical body and its Presbyteries as members one of another. * 1 Cor. 12 : 21-2G. THE SYNOD OF NEW JERSEY. 31 It is vital to the human body that the hings and heart be in normal condition ; so is it essential to the life of the Synod that New Brunswick, central as its heart, shall ever l)e faith- ful and sound. With Jersey City on the East and Elizabeth on the West, our fair Synod stretches forth her hands to draw from other States commercial and mineral wealth. At Newark she opens her mouth and words of eloquence and unction fall from her lips. Under the brow of overhanging hills, through the eyes of Morris and Orange, she looks joy- ously over her fruitful fields. Newton, as the head, serenely crowns the whole body ; while Monmouth and West Jersey, with willing feet, stand ready to extend the domain of our fair Synod. Comprising eight Presbyteries here, and not for- getting our little Sister far away Corisco, truly we are one Synod, one united body and members one of another. Therefore, let there be no schism in the body ; but let the members have the same care one for another. While we maintain the unity of the body let us strive to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Note. — The writer acknowledges his debt to Doctor Rodgers for much valuable information, without which it would have been impossible to have prepared this discourse. In recounting the origin of the earlier Presby- teries he has aimed to interweave in this narrative the essential items for the beneBt of those to whom Dr. Rodger's work is not accessible. Besides giving an exposition and application of his text, Dr. Rodgers gave obituary notices of four Ministers who had died in the preceding ecclesiastical year, viz. : Revs. Messrs. Isaac V. Brown, D. D.; Nicholas Murray, D. D.; John Dorrance, D. D.; and Thomas Spencer Ogden, a missionary to Corisco. He also reported, that from 1823 to 18G0 inclu- sive, there had been in the several Presbyteries, while connected with the Synod : Ordinations 273 ^-Installations 236 Dismissions to other Presbyteries and other bodies . . . 380 Dissolution of the Pastoral relation 267 Licensed to preach ■t'O Churches organized 126 Clerical members removed by death, including the four above mentioned 73 In 1882 the Synod became a Corporate body, having filed a certificate with the Clerk of the County of Essex, and adopted as the Corporate Name The Trustees of the Synod of New Jersey. PRESBYTERY Year Ministers Churches Communi- cants Congregat'nal Contributions New Brunswick, . . . 1738 1823 23 15 1480 1861 42 20 4663 $ 41,623 1870 46 23 5121 49,745 1886 64 33 7146 87,679 Raritan, 1840 9 14 1260 1861 10 15 1743 8,013 1870 19 18 2381 56,678 Newton, 1819 14 25 1515 1823 18 31 2398 1861 27 30 3985 28,039 1870 31 28 3832 54,417 1886 38 35 5504 57,461 Elizabethtown, . . . . 1825 17 16 3162 1861 26 16 2991 20,265 1870 32 17 3231 60,950 Elizabeth, 1871 43 29 5283 120,438 1886 49 32 7093 106,838 West Jersey, 1839 12 13 1085 1861 15 22 2044 16,422 1870 23 28 2980 47,688 1886 44 45 5432 77,934 Monmouth, 1860 12 12 1436 7,377 1861 11 12 1490 8,763 1870 15 13 1870 20,648 1886 49 44 5058 53,250 Burlington, 1849 1850 6 8 199 1861 10 13 791 5,268 1870 11 14 1190 14,535 Corisco, 1860 1861 4 1 66 66 1870 4 2 89 26 1886 ■ 9 7 674 111 Newark, 1825 20 19 3025 1839 30 29 3210 1861 41 23 5461 1870 58 35 8104 138,444 1871 38 22 5816 1886 50 '25 7555 133,232 Jersey City, 1871 32 21 3357 69,652 1886 38 29 4597 76,524 Morris and Orange, . . 1871 36 31 5109 99,275 1886 50 39 7243 95,414 Eockaway, 1839 1840 16 15 704 1861 22 20 2334 1870 18 20 2230 27,740 Passaic, ....... 1853 17 14 2635 22,489 1861 ;8 14 2957 24,814 1870 ^9 19. 3662 116,939 5 w « a> c u