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A SERMON 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. GEORGE HALE, D. D. 
 
 PREPARED FOR THE 
 
 Presbyterian Congregation of Pennington, N. J., 
 
 AND BEAD TO THEM BY THE PASTOR, 
 
 EEV. DAYID "WILLS, JR., 
 
 SABBATH MORNING, NOVEMBER 18th, 1888. 
 
 Kor the KatVier seeketti sxacln to ^Arorship Him. 
 
 I>XrBIiISIIBX) BY I2,EQ,TJEST. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 The Jas. B. Rodgers Printing Company, 
 
 52 and 54 North Sixth Street. 
 
 1889. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The author of this discourse, the Rev. George Hale, D. D., in view 
 of the approaching fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of his pastoral 
 work at Pennington, New Jersey, having expressed to the pastor of the 
 church a desire to address a letter to the congregation, a committee from 
 the Session was appointed to wait upon him, and extend to him an invita- 
 tion to be present on that day, and deliver a sermon appropriate to the 
 occasion. 
 
 The committee visited him October 25th, 1888, when it was evident 
 that failing health would prevent his attending the semi-centennial ser- 
 vices. He was then actively engaged in collecting and arranging the 
 materials for this historical sermon, which was only completed a few hours 
 before his death. 
 
 It was his last message to the people of his heart ; his last act of ser- 
 vice to the Master whom he had loved so well. That message finished, 
 his thoughts turned in exalted contemplation to the great Source of all 
 good — to Him who was his Hope, his Eternal Refuge, his Portion forever. 
 " O God, thou art my God from everlasting to everlasting ! O God, thou 
 art my God from everlasting to everlasting ! That goes before all. That 
 is for myself. That is mine; the rest is theirs." 
 
 Dr. Hale died on Sabbath evening, the 11th of November, 1888, 
 between the hours of ten and eleven, one week previous to the day whose 
 coming he had anticipated with so much pleasure. His family kindly 
 forwarded the manuscript, which was read by the pastor. Sabbath morn- 
 ing, November 18th, 1888, in the presence of a large and mourning 
 congregation. 
 
"O God, thou art my God from everlasting to everlasting. 
 
 SEMI- CENTENNIAL. 
 
 NOVEMBER 18th, 1838. NOVEMBER 18th, 1888. 
 
 "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto 
 THIS DAY."— Acts xxvi, 22. 
 
 Dearly Beloved of my former Pastoral Charge, 
 
 Pennington, New Jersey: 
 On the 20th of February, 1838, in the oratory of Princeton 
 Theological Seminary, after a lecture by the Rev. Samuel Miller, he 
 said, " Will Mr. Hale remain a few moments after the class is dis- 
 missed?" The class having retired, the Doctor proceeded to say ; 
 " To-morrow I am going to Pennington, a place about ten miles from 
 this, to preach for the Rev. Mr. Ogden at the closing up of a series of 
 religious services that he has been holding in his church. He requests 
 that I bring with me a licentiate to preach in the evening. If you 
 are willing to go, you will not lose any lecture to-morrow, for there 
 will be none, and I will give you a seat in my carriage." The invi- 
 tation was accepted ; the journey taken ; the sermon preached by Dr. 
 Miller, and he, as his custom was, immediately departed for his home. 
 The young licentiate was delivered into the hands of the Rev. Mr. 
 Ogden, who conveyed him to the house of John D. Hart, north-west 
 corner of Delaware and Main Streets, there to remain as a guest until 
 
the object of his mission was accomplished. The family was that day 
 in great affliction, having just buried their only child, an only son. 
 The relatives and friends were at the house mingling their sympathies 
 with the afflicted, and this brought the young guest into more im- 
 mediate communication with the bereaved father, who bore his sorrow 
 with Christian firmness. Mr. Hart was in the last stages of pulmonary 
 consumption, yet feeble as he was, covered with a heavy overcoat, he 
 attended the evening service ; text, — " Alienated and enemies in your 
 mind by wicked works." The next morning Mr. Hart was at the 
 service ; text, — " He that believeth shall be saved ; " and so likewise 
 in the evening ; text, — " Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable 
 gift." The hearer and the preacher parted that evening never to meet 
 again in this world. Returning to Princeton the next day, as a 
 student the licentiate prosecuted his work. In the meantime, within 
 a few weeks, Mr. John D. Hart had died. 
 
 Early in August Mr. Hale called at the study of Dr. Hodge, one 
 of the professors. During the interview Dr. Hodge said, " Where do 
 you go when you leave the Seminary ? " The reply was, " Though I 
 have had two or three invitations to vacant churches, yet I have not 
 gone to preach because I knew that, even if I were called, I should 
 feel constrained to decline." The Doctor added, "The Rev. Mr. 
 Ogden, pastor of Pennington church, was here a few days ago and 
 stated that he was expecting to leave the pastoral work at Pennington 
 in a few weeks to move to Michigan. He added that he would like 
 very much to have you for his successor. That is a very good field to 
 work in, and I advise you if you ever have an invitation to accept it." 
 I returned to my study and found there two men awaiting my arrival, 
 Dr. James B. McNair and Isaac W. Welling. They briefly stated 
 the object of their call, which was to convey from the Pennington 
 congregation an informal request that I would consent to visit Penn- 
 ington with a view to settlement as pastor in Mr. Ogden's place, at 
 the close of my Seminary course. The proposition was accepted, and 
 after subsequent correspondence with Elder Joseph Titus, Sabbath the 
 
18th day of November, 1838, was fixed upon as the time at which to 
 commence the proposed service. On Saturday, the 17th of November, 
 a friendly hand conveyed the young licentiate to a hospitable lodging 
 in Pennington in anticipation of the labors of the Sabbath. 
 
 Before proceeding further it is proper to consider a fact which was 
 not known until afterwards, a fact which had an important bearing 
 upon this whole movement. Before his death, Mr. John D. Hart had 
 expressed the opinion to the retiring pastor, Mr. Ogden, to Dr. McNair 
 and others, that an effort should be made to obtain the services as 
 pastor of the young man who preached at the close of the protracted 
 meetings in February, 1838. His counsel was taken. 
 
 Just at this point let me say a few words in regard to Mr. Hart. 
 He was the son of godly parents, — ruling elder Israel Hart and Mary 
 Davison, his wife. He was descended by a line of Christian ancestors 
 from one of the first settlers, — Joseph Hart and his wife Hannah 
 Phillips, daughter of Justice John Phillips, of Pleasant Valley. Here 
 we have an evidence of God's fidelity to His covenant, " He hath 
 remembered his covenant forever, even the word that he commanded 
 unto a thousand generations." Here we see, after a period of more 
 than a hundred years, the effect upon a Christian heart which settled 
 the question, as a matter of fact, who was to be the pastor of that 
 church. A devout man, much given to prayer, John D. Hart con- 
 tributed liberally to the support of the gospel during his life, testified 
 his interest in the Christian ministry by a large bequest in his will, 
 and left his influence and name a precious legacy to the church. 
 
 The congregation met at eleven o'clock on the morning of Sabbath 
 the eighteenth of November. The aspect of the congregation is well 
 remembered. The pulpit of the old church stood between the doors, 
 two aisles only being on the main floor, a gallery for the colored 
 people on the right, and on the left a gallery crowded with a mass of 
 young people who could scarcely find seats. At the right of the 
 preacher, sitting in the front pew, was the wife of the Rev. Mr. Ogden 
 with a group of five or six children, she being left here during her 
 
8 
 
 husband's absence in Michigan. At the preacher's left, sat a vener- 
 able woman with one of her daughters, the widow of Mr. Ogden's 
 predecessor, the Rev. Joseph Rue, who had served the people forty- 
 one years. Immediately beside her husband, George Muirheid, was 
 seated the only surviving daughter of that man of God who, one 
 hundred years before, had preached the first sermon after his licensure 
 for this people and who afterwards became their pastor. The Rev. 
 John Guild served them for nearly half a century. 
 
 There were there, the venerable Dr. Henry W. Blachley, Enoch 
 Ketcham, Aaron Hart, Sr., and his two sons, Aaron and Smith ; Isaac 
 Welling, Charles Welling, Joseph Titus and others who were regular 
 attendants at that house of prayer, and whose forms became familiar 
 by their uniform presence at the sanctuary. At the close of the service 
 the preacher was invited to share the hospitalities of Mr. Isaac Welling, 
 and we have only to add, that the five persons then composing the 
 family have all gone to their eternal rest, the speaker officiating at the 
 funerals of four of them. 
 
 The labor in this new field then began,— visiting from house to 
 house, attending to the general duties of a pastor, until a call had been 
 made upon all but two families of the congregation. In due time, 
 upon invitation, the Rev. Isaac V. Brown, of Lawrence ville, preached 
 in the church and gave notice of a meeting of the congregation to be 
 held for the purpose of considering the question of the call of a pastor. 
 That meeting was held on Monday, the twelfth day of January, mod- 
 erated by the Rev. Hugh Hamill, of Lawrenceville. The proceedings 
 of the meeting were conducted in the usual form. The election took 
 place, there being only one nomination. A call was made out to be 
 signed by the elders and trustees, and the work of the meeting was 
 closed by the appointment of James Stevenson and George Muirheid, 
 Esq., a committee to inform the pastor elect of the result of the action 
 of the congregation. To that committee Mr. Hale declared his accept- 
 ance, subject to the action of the Presbytery. 
 
 On the 6th of February Presbytery met, the candidate passed 
 
through all his parts of trial with acceptance, and read his popular 
 sermon as the concluding trial for ordination, when it was resolved to 
 proceed to the ordination and installation at eleven o'clock A. m. on 
 the 7th of February, in the Presbyterian church at Pennington. Text 
 of trial sermon, — "How shall man be just with God," Job ix. 2. 
 Agreeably to appointment the Presbytery met. Eev. Archibald 
 Alexander, T>. D., preached the sermon ; text, — " For I am not 
 ashamed of the gospel of Christ ; for it is the power of God unto 
 salvation to every one that believeth ; to the Jew first and also to the 
 Greek," Horn. i. 16. The Rev. Samuel Miller, D. D., presided, and 
 made the ordaining prayer. The Rev. John W. Yeomans, D. D., of 
 Trenton, delivered the charge to the pastor, and the Rev. Benj. H. 
 Rice, D. D., of Princeton, gave the charge to the people. 
 
 As soon as I had been invested with the sacred office my attention 
 was directed to the importance of administering the Lord's Supper in 
 a cottage of the congregation, five miles north-west of the village. 
 That it was a special case will appear from the statement. The 
 subject, Cato Welling, was brought a slave from Africa when seven 
 years old, and landed in Philadelphia. He became the property of 
 the Rev. William Kirkpatrick, Amwell, N. J., and was afterwards a 
 slave in the family of John Welling, Esq., from whom he took his 
 name. After he was manumitted he remained in the western section 
 of the towaiship, in a picturesque nook in the extreme eastern end of 
 Pleasant Valley. He was then bed-ridden, almost totally blind, and 
 nearly one hundred years old. About fifty communicants gathered at 
 the house. Cato was examined by the session, accepted and baptized 
 in the presence of the assembly, immediately after which the sacrament 
 was administered to him, in connection with others who were present. 
 A circumstance which attracted attention was, that as the wine cup 
 was handed to him, he exclaimed, "Yes, Christ's blood !" Only about 
 a year or two afterwards he went to his long home. 
 
 My first administration of the sacrament of baptism was in the 
 family of Dr. James B. McNair and his wife, Mary Ann King; the 
 
10 
 
 snbject being their only child Mary, the mother of the wife of the 
 present pastor of this church. 
 
 During these fifty years many changes have taken place. Every 
 minister who was then a member of the Presbytery of New Brunswick 
 has died save one, the Rev. James Clark, D.D., of Philadelphia. This 
 departure includes, of course, the four who officiated at the ordination. 
 
 In 1838 there were about one hundred pew-holders. .Of these, 
 only one is living, and a pew-holder in this congregation to-day, 
 namely : Elizabeth Welling, widow of David N. Wiley. One other 
 person became a pew-holder within three years afterward and is still 
 with you, Moses H. Burroughs. 
 
 Of the two hundred and fifty-nine members connected with the 
 Pennington Church, Nov., 1838, eleven only are living, as follows : 
 
 Enoch Armitage Titus. 
 
 Julia Ann Cook, widow of Samuel C. Cornell. 
 
 Elizabeth Welling, widow of David N. Wiley. 
 
 Catherine Wykoff, widow of C. L. Wynkoop. 
 
 Letitia McClellan, widow of Asher Brown. 
 
 Hannah Wykoff, widow of John Conrad. 
 
 Rowland Wykoff, widow of David Bishop Skillman. 
 
 Jane Quick, widow of Samuel Hart. 
 
 Miss Louisa Ketcham, daughter of Enoch Ketcham. 
 
 Miss Eliza Blackwell, daughter of Daniel J. Blackwell. 
 
 Miss Hannah McClellan, daughter of John McClellan. 
 
 Two liundred and forty-eight are dead. At the end of fifty years, 
 •all the ruling elders, eleven in number ; all the trustees, seven in 
 number, and all the deacons, three in number, are dead. Dr. Hale 
 ■officiated at the funerals of all of them excepting C. L. Wynkoop, 
 Reuben Titus, Sr., Edmund Roberts and Theophilus Furman. During 
 the thirty years of my pastorate the session was always of one mind ; 
 sustained by the Church ; sustained by the congregation, and no appeal 
 was ever made from its decisions to the Presbytery. 
 
11 
 
 When I first came hither, there were four physicians in the place, 
 Dr. Henry Wickhara Blachley, Dr. Absalom Blachley, Dr. Henry 
 Perrine Welling, Dr. James Bennett McNair, Their frequent pres- 
 ence at the public services of the sanctuary, their devout listening to 
 the preached word, their cordial reception of the pastor at their tables 
 and their firesides, and their readiness to give him every facility in his 
 work, were highly gratifying and worthy of permanent record, and 
 of this public acknowledgment. I hereby testify that they were well 
 instructed in the way of salvation by Christ, and not ignorant of their 
 responsibilities to God. I officiated at the funeral of each of them, 
 and saw them laid beneath the ground in this adjoining burial-place, 
 in the encouraging hope that they had gone to meet the Great 
 Physician, and that we shall see them again at the resurrection of 
 the just. 
 
 Of the one hundred and twelve communicants who took their seats 
 at the Lord's table, in Marcli, 1842, seventy-eight are dead, twenty- 
 four have at various times removed into other congregations ; ten are 
 still living : 
 
 Mrs. Achsah Louisa Welling. 
 
 Miss Ellen S. Mershon. 
 
 Mrs. Mary Hayway Brown. 
 
 Mrs. Keturah Hart Phillips. 
 
 INIrs. Helen Hunt Voorhees. 
 
 Miss Sarah S. Vannoy. 
 
 John S. Hunt. 
 
 Moses H. Burroughs. 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Drake. 
 
 Mrs. Catherine Rebecca Hunt. 
 During my administration, there were five hundred and sixty-nine 
 funerals, at the majority of which I officiated personally. Nearly all 
 of these individuals were buried in this church-yard and adjoining 
 cemetery. They were of every age from one month up to ninety-nine 
 years. If the ratio of deaths has been the same in the last twenty 
 
12 
 
 years it would bring the mortality up to at least nine hundred and 
 fifty for the past half century, or an average of eighteen per year. 
 
 The Christian elements of the Hopewell Church were such as to give 
 promise of stability. Take the following names : 
 
 Enoch Aemitage,* from the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, 
 came to this country in 1719. Died January, 1739. His son Reuben 
 was a ruling elder ; daughter Mary, wife of Ephraim Titus. Ruling 
 elders and others prominent in the church descended from him : 
 Enoch Green, of Easton, Daniel G. Howell, Lewis J. Titus, of Lam- 
 bertville, Enoch A. Titus, Reuben Titus, Deacon Daniel C. Titus, 
 Benj. Ogden Titus, the Rev. Enoch Green. 
 
 Elnathan Baldwin, ruling elder, and Keziah his wife, daughter 
 of Rev. John Prudden. His son Thomas Baldwin, was also ruling 
 elder. 
 
 Thomas Buerowes, and Mercy his wife. The following ruling 
 elders descended from him, — Major Stephen Burrowes, Nathaniel Bur- 
 rowes, also the Rev. George Burrowes, D. D., Professor of Hebrew in 
 the Theological Seminary at San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 Edwaed Hart, father of John Hart, who was a signer of the 
 Declaration of Independence. 
 
 Major Ralph Hart, grandfather of Dr. Noah Hart, whose 
 father, Ralph Hart, married Jemima, daughter of George Woolsey. 
 Jemima Woolsey Hart was received 1742. 
 
 John Hart, received August 29, 1735. Sarah, his wife, received 
 November 25, 1733. 
 
 Joseph Hart, received August 31, 1733. Hannah, his wife, 
 daughter of Justice John Phillips, was received between 1750 and 1790. 
 
 William Hoff had three descendants ruling elders and one a 
 deacon. Sons, Jacob, Theodore and Andrew. Daughter, Katherine, 
 
 -:» Note. — His children, Mary, John, Reuben and Lydia, were born in England, and 
 with the exception of John, are known to have settled in this country. — Historical Dis- 
 course, 187G, by Dr. Hale. 
 
13 
 
 baptized by Rev. Jedediah Andrews, 1714, 9ra, 22d. (Sarah, daughter 
 of Andrew Hoif, married Joseph Hart. Sarah Elizabeth Hart, 
 daughter of Sarah Hoif and Joseph Hart, married John Stout Golden. 
 In this line has descended to their son Joseph Hart Golden, the farm 
 of Andrew Hoff.) 
 
 Ralph Hunt, received August 29, 1735. Father of Charity, wife 
 of Rev. John Guild, and of Nathan, ruling elder. He was also great- 
 grandfather of Azariah Hunt, ruling elder. 
 
 Ephraim Titus (son of Silas Titus and nephew of John), an 
 elder in this church, and Mary Armitage, his wife, daughter of Enoch 
 Armitage, have numerous descendants in this county. 
 
 John Titus, ruling elder, and Rebecca his wife, from whom 
 fourteen ruling elders, seven deacons and two ministers of the gospel 
 have descended.* 
 
 Sheriff John Muirheid, ruling elder, and Rebecca Bailey his 
 wife. All the eight children were baptized in infancy. He died 
 1725, and his wife in 1759. 
 
 George Woolsey and Hannah his wife. The grandfather of 
 Dr. Jeremiah Woolsey and the great-grandfather of the Hon. George 
 Woolsey who was a member of the Governor's Council, also deacon 
 at Pennington. 
 
 Family of the Rev. John Guild : 
 
 In a census of the Rev. John Guild's family taken in 1847, it was 
 found that there were, or had been, seventy-five members of that 
 family in the communion of the church, nearly all of them Presby- 
 terians, — six children, thirty grandchildren, thirty-eight great-grand- 
 children, and one great-great-grandchild. Of these seventy-five, thirty- 
 eight were, or had been, communicating members of the Presbyterian 
 church at Pennington. Seven of the family of Mr, Guild have been 
 
 * Note. — The following memorandum was made by Dr. Hale, probably during his 
 pastorate. " There are more families in this congregation and township descended from 
 this John Titus than from any other man ; certainly there are more than sixty families 
 and probably a still greater number residing elsewhere." On the margin of the page is 
 written, " Was a godly man." — Editor. 
 
14 
 
 ruling elders, three have been pastors of Presbyterian churches, one 
 died preparing for the ministry and four married Presbyterian clergy- 
 men. Many of these have departed this life. From the time that 
 Charity Hunt, wife of the Rev. John Guild, was admitted to the 
 church September 23, 1743, until the present, a period of one hundred 
 and forty-five yearSj representatives of the Guild family have never 
 been wanting among the church membership. 
 
 Families in Pennington Church in whom the Guild blood is 
 represented : 
 
 Wilson Hunt (dec'd), John Stevenson Hunt, George S. Woolsey, 
 Sackett Moore Hart, Andrew Titus Atchley, Vandyke Blackwell, 
 Wm. Harrison Muirheid, Mrs. Mary Ann Atchley, Enoch A. Titus, 
 David G. Baldwin, William B. Muirheid, John G. Muirheid, Jr., 
 William B. Curlis, Theodore Woolsey, Dr. Edward L. Welling, 
 Samuel B. Ketcham, Henry Welling Baldwin, Mrs. Elizabeth M. 
 Titus, John M. Titus, Mrs. Elizabeth Wiley, Daniel C. Titus, Charles 
 Atchley, Livingston Titus. 
 
 The following individuals, members of Pennington Church, are 
 descended from the Rev. John Guild : 
 
 John Stevenson Hunt, Joshua Jones Hunt, John Guild Hunt, 
 Mrs. Mary P. Hart, Wm. Harrison Muirheid, Mrs. Elizabeth Hart 
 Muirheid (wife of W. H. Muirheid), Miss Sarah Muirheid, Mrs. 
 Elizabeth M. Titus, S. Harry Titus, Charles M. Titus, John M. Titus, 
 John G. Muirheid, Jr., Joseph G. Muirheid, Elizabeth Muirheid, 
 Lilian R. Muirheid, George S. Woolsey, Charles M. Woolsey, Miss 
 Mary Titus, Mrs. Ellen V. Baldwin, Miss Elizabeth Baldwin, Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Welling Wiley, Miss Hannah Wiley, Miss Lizzie Wiley, 
 Mrs. Isabella W. Titus, Mrs. Hannah Cooley Ketcham, Mrs. Mary 
 Ann Atchley, Mrs. Anna Welling Curlis, Miss Mary Curlis, Miss 
 Elizabeth Blackwell Titus, Miss Susan Muirheid, Andrew Titus 
 Atchley, Charles Atchley, Mrs. Anna V. C. Atchley Blackwell, 
 Henry Welling Baldwin, Livingston Titus. 
 
15 
 
 Ministers descended from Mr. Guild: Rev. John G. Howell, 
 Rev. Horatio Howell, Rev. Jesse L. Howell, Rev. John B. Howell, 
 missionary. 
 
 Ruling elders descended from Mr. Guild : Major John Howell, 
 John Guild Muirheid, Sr., Wm. Harrison Muirheid, Charles Welling, 
 Isaac Welling, John Welling, A. Alexander Howell. 
 
 Wives of ministers descended from Mr. Guild: Elizabeth G. 
 Moore, Elizabeth Dewey, Cornelia Miller, Sarah Maria McCarer. 
 
 The following are descendants of the Armitage family : 
 
 Enoch Armitage Titus ; Miss Mary Titus, daughter of E. A. 
 Titus ; Livingston Titus ; Miss Elizabeth Blackwell Titus, daughter 
 of L. Titus ; Daniel C. Titus ; Rosalie Titus, wife of L. P. Black- 
 well and daughter of D. C. Titus; Reuben Titus; Mary Ann Titus, 
 wife of Nathaniel D. Blackwell ; Mrs. Emma Hill, daughter of N. D. 
 and Mary Blackwell, and children ; Elizabeth Clifford, wife of Henry 
 B. Perriue, and family ; Mary Clifford, wife of Cornelius V. Howell, 
 and children ; Miss Jane Clifford ; Miss Frances E. Phillips, sister ot 
 Dr. W. W. L. Phillips, of Trenton ; Miss Sarah Muirheid ; John G. 
 Muirheid, Jr.; Joseph G. Muirheid ; Miss Elizabeth Muirheid ; Wil- 
 liam Harrison Muirheid and children ; Mrs. Elizabeth M. Titus ; 
 John M. Titus; S. Harry Titus; Charley Titus ; Lilian R. Muirheid. 
 
 The name of Armitage is extinct. Of other names prominent 
 in the early history of Pennington Church : Archibald Updike and 
 family are the only representatives of Andrew and Margaret Morgan, 
 through his grandmother Mrs. Updike, who was a Morgan : the name 
 has died out ; Ella Pittenger is the only representative by name of 
 the Pittenger family ; the name of Burrowes has died out, and 
 the only representative by name outside of the congregation is the 
 Rev. George Burrowes, D. D., of San Francisco, Cal.; Edward Bur- 
 rowes, son of the original settler, married Jane Muirheid : the daughter 
 by that marriage, Catharine Burrowes, became the female ancestor of 
 
16 
 
 all the Atchleys in the county by her marriage with Jesse Atchley; 
 the Moore name is also lost out of the congregation, but the marriage 
 of Aaron Hart, Sr., to a daughter of Amos Moore, has given to all 
 the descendants of Aaron Hart, Sr., for four generations, a share in 
 the Moore blood. 
 
 College graduates from this Congregation: 
 
 Princeton, 1763. — Noah Hart, M. D., son of Ralph Hart and 
 Jemima Woolsey, daughter of Jeremiah Woolsey, Sr. Dr. Hart was 
 a grandson of Major Ralph Hart, first settler. 
 
 Princeton, 1787. — Jeremiah Woolsey, M. D., son of Jeremiah 
 Woolsey, Sr., and grandson of George Woolsey, first settler. 
 
 Princeton, 1828. — Henry Perrine Welling, M. D. 
 
 Princeton, 1839. — Isaac Watts Welling (farmer). 
 
 Princeton, 1844. — William W. McNair, Rev. 
 
 Princeton, 1844. — Noah Hunt Schenck, D. D., Rev. 
 
 Princeton, 1846.— A. A. Higgins, M. D. 
 
 Princeton, 1846. — William Howe (banker). 
 
 Princeton, 1846. — Samuel H. Titus (druggist). 
 
 Lafayette, 1847. — Jesse L. Howell, Rev. 
 
 Lafayette, 1850.— Israel Hart, M. D, 
 
 University of Michigan, 1853. — Thomas Spencer Ogden, Rev. 
 
 Princeton, 1856 — Henry Harrison Woolsey (lawyer). 
 
 Princeton, 1857. — Edward Livingston Welling, M. D. 
 
 Williams, 1865.— George Hale, Jr., M. D. 
 
 Princeton, 1870. — Asher B. Temple, Rev. 
 
 Williams, 1874. — Arthur Hale (banker). 
 
 Princeton, 1877.— Willis B. Skillraan, Rev. 
 
 Lafayette, 1880.— J. Smith Hart (sec'y). 
 
 Princeton, 1883.— Hartley T. Updike, Rev. 
 
 Princeton, 1884. — Alvin Black well, Rev. 
 
 To these should properly be added the name of the Rev. William 
 Robinson, in fact, holding the first place on the list. Though not 
 
17 
 
 a college graduate, he was a self-made, well educated man. This will 
 make the number twenty-two, namely : one lawyer, one secretary, one 
 farmer, two bankers, one druggist, seven doctors of medicine, and 
 nine ministers of the gospel. 
 
 Clergymen who have gone out from Pennington Church : 
 In a list of the earliest members is found the following entry : 
 William Robinson. The name of this William Robinson is 
 appended to a deed dated the 2d of November, 1729, containing a 
 release by Thomas Reed to Nathaniel Moore, of land below Penning- 
 ton, to this day in possession of Mr. Moore's descendants. Mr. 
 Robinson w\as at that time a teacher in Pennington. "He was 
 received under the care of the New Brunswick Presbytery on the 
 1st of April, 1740, and on the 27th of May following was licensed 
 to preach the gospel. On the 4th of August, 1741, he was ordained 
 at New Brunswick sine iitulo." {Sprague's Annals of the American 
 Pulpit, vol. 3, p. 93.) About to be installed at St. George's, Delaware, 
 in April, 1746, he died. He finished a career of less than five years 
 as a minister of the gospel, being the first minister provided for 
 the Church by the Hopewell congregation. Dr. Alexander said : 
 " Probably Mr. Robinson, during the short period of his life, was the 
 instrument of the conversion of as many souls as any minister who 
 ever lived in this country." 
 
 Rev. William W. McNair. 
 Rev. Thomas Spencer Ogden. 
 Rev. Jesse L. Howell. 
 Rev. Asher B. Temple. 
 Rev. D. Willis Skillman. 
 Rev. Hartley T. Updike. 
 Rev. Alvin Blackwell. 
 
 Dr. Hale preached at the ordinations of Mr. McNair and Mr. 
 Ogden, and presided at the ordination of Mr. Updike and made the 
 ordaining prayer. 
 
18 
 
 Pennington Congregation has furnished the following wives for 
 ministers : 
 
 Emily S. Ogden married the Rev. James Greer. 
 Catherine S. Ogden married the Rev. J. G. Reicheldaffer. 
 Charity Dunn married the Rev. William W. McNair. 
 Henrietta W. Ketcham married the Rev. Ludlow D. Potter. 
 Elizabeth Moore married the Rev. William J. Blythe. 
 Maria Higgins married Rev. Peter Dougherty. 
 
 A number of Elders have been furnished to other churches, viz.: 
 
 To First Church, Cranberry, — Enos Baldwin, Israel Baldwin. 
 
 To Titusville Church, — Edmund Roberts, Joseph Titus, Theophi- 
 lus Hunt, Theodore Hunt, Wilson Atchley, John Guild Titus, Theo- 
 dore Hoff, Isaac Farley, John Welling, Charles T. Hunt. 
 
 To First Church, Trenton, — Daniel G. Howell. 
 
 To Freehold Church, — Woolsey Baldwin. 
 
 To Fourth Church, Trenton, — Nathaniel R. Titus. 
 
 To First Church, Princeton, — John Y. Terhune. 
 
 To Second Church, Princeton, — Nathaniel H. Titus. 
 
 To Hamilton Square, — George R. Cook. 
 
 To Third Church, Trenton, — Joseph A. Pitteuger. 
 
 To Kirkpatrick Memorial, — Jacob Dilts. 
 
 In New York State, — Benjamin S. Holt. 
 
 Marengo, Illinois, — William J. Titus. 
 
 To Second Church, Amwell, — Joseph Landis Quick. 
 
 To Hopewell Church, — Ralph Ege. 
 
 To Second Ref. Dutch Church, Philadelphia,— De Witt C. Moore. 
 
 To Lambertville Church, — T. Quick Phillips, Lewis J. Titus. 
 
 The families mentioned below hold the farms that were held by 
 their families fifty years ago : 
 
 Levi T. Atchley, Henry Blackwell, Armitage Blackwell, Anna 
 Maria Burroughs (daughter of Joseph), Thomas B. Cook, Moses 
 Stout Drake, John H. Drake, John O. Ege, Joseph H. Golden, S. 
 
19 
 
 Moore Hart, John S. Hunt, Louisa Ivetcluim, Samuel B. Ketchara, 
 William C. Lewis, William Pitt Manners, William Harrison Muir- 
 heid, Reuben Titus, Wilson Hunt, dec'd (family of), Theodore Wool- 
 sey, Charles T. Blackwell, heirs of John Conrad. 
 
 On entering upon his work, the young pastor, after consultation 
 with that godly woman, wife of the Eev. Benjamin Ogden, resolved 
 to commence a series of cottage prayer meetings, going from house to 
 house, as invitations might be received. The first meeting was at the 
 house of Mrs. Ogden, and similar meetings continued to be held fre- 
 quently for thirty years without interruption. This plan was an ad- 
 vantage to the little children, a comfort to the bed-ridden, to the aged 
 and to mothers overwhelmed with domestic cares, and carried with it 
 a blessing wherever it went. 
 
 There were t^vo occasions during my ministry when religious 
 meetings of more than ordinary interest were held. The place of the 
 one was Pleasant Valley, on the north side, flicing the south, at the 
 farm-house of Margaret, the widow of Elisha Hunt. It was in the 
 middle of the month of February ; the house was about one mile dis- 
 tant from the public road ; the night was cloudy, therefore moonless 
 and starless, and the roads were such that the only vehicle used that 
 night was a large farm wagon drawn by oxen. Yet the people of 
 the neighborhood were all there. A story-and-a-half house supplied 
 parlor, dining-room and kitchen. The audience was early assembled 
 on tlie ground. When the pastor saw that twenty-three young con- 
 verts were present who had never yet opened their lips in public 
 prayer, he conceived the thought of calling upon every one of them, 
 in groups of three, to j^ray. A very short sermon, an occasional verse 
 sung, now and then a prayer, a brief intervening remark of the pas- 
 tor, occupied more than two hours of that evening. The company 
 would readily have remained all night, for they said one to another, 
 " It is good to be here." 
 
 The other occasion was in the month of January, 1846, during the 
 revival which gave to this church, first as a communicant and after- 
 
20 
 
 wards as an elder, that precious man, John Ellis Bnrd ; also his wife. 
 Saturday night there fell a heavy snow-storm. Through wind and 
 snow the highways and byways were nearly impassable; nevertheless 
 the faithful sexton built two large fires in the huge ten-plate stoves on 
 each side of the pulpit ; and there gathered twenty-five men, commu- 
 nicants and young converts, who spent between two and three hours 
 in the midst of the howling storm, in conference, singing and prayer. 
 Surely this was " none other but the house of God and this the gate 
 of heaven." It was familiarly said for weeks afterward that this 
 storm was the only one that was known to prevent that faithful ruling 
 elder, Aaron Hart, Sr., from coming three miles to the Sabbath 
 morning service. 
 
 A regular system of pastoral visitation was adopted, to which Mon- 
 day and Tuesday of the week were generally devoted. As JNIonday 
 and Tuesday were busy days, there was a mutual understanding that 
 the coming of the pastor should not interfere with the duties of the 
 household. In addition to this pastoral visitation, frequently the 
 second day was closed by a preaching service at a private house in the 
 neighborhood, previously visited. Thus, from time to time, were 
 many religious services held, with manifest interest and profit to the 
 people. 
 
 In the meantime, the children were not neglected at the Sabbath- 
 school on Sunday morning; and, in a few years. Sabbath-schools 
 were established at Titusville, Harbourtown, Woodsville, Hopewell, 
 Marshall's Corner, Mount Rose, Centreville and Federal City. When 
 the number of services in the congregation was increased to three it 
 was the practice of the pastor during the summer season, in due order, 
 according to previous appointment, to hold the afternoon service 
 wherever there was a Sabbath-school. For committing to memory 
 the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Assembly, at first it was 
 customary to give a hymn book as a reward ; later, a copy of the 
 Bible, and to the little ones who learned the Child's Catechism, 
 a copy of the New Testament, These were ordinarily distributed at 
 the mid-summer Sabbath School Anniversary held in the woods. 
 
21 
 
 The main reliance in the prosecution of this work was the stated 
 preaching of the gospel. Following the advice of Dr. Miller, the 
 pastor adopted the practice, as far as possible, of writing out one ser- 
 mon every week for the Sabbath morning service. All the other ser- 
 vices, whether for funerals or otherwise, were attended after preparation 
 either with or without pen, as the necessities of the case called for. In 
 the general religious work no special system of measures, or modern 
 methods of carrying forward revivals, was attempted. When aid was 
 demanded the pastors in the immediate vicinity were ready to give 
 their services. Thus pastors and churches w^ere bound together more 
 and more closely. 
 
 The first season of religious interest was in the winter of 1840 ; the 
 second, one of much greater power, which moved the whole township, 
 was early in 1842. As the fruit, one hundred and twelve persons, in 
 March of that year, stood up at the same moment and entered publicly 
 into covenant with God, eighty of whomi were baptized in the presence 
 of the congregation. Twenty-three were added to the church after- 
 wards, the Rev. Dr. P. O. Studdiford aiding in this work. 
 
 The next outpouring of the Holy Spirit was in 1846, when the 
 Rev. Robert Hamill, D. D., wrought shoulder to shoulder w^ith the 
 pastor, preaching and visiting from house to house until sixty had been 
 received into the communion of the church. There were several pre- 
 cious seasons which intervened between this and a more powerful work 
 of grace in the year 1858, when the pastor was aided by the Rev. Wm. 
 C. Roberts, D. D., now of Lake Forest University. As the fruit of 
 that revival fifty-six united with the church. 
 
 As time passed on, God graciously manifested His presence by 
 occasional accessions to the communion of the church until the time 
 arrived when the providence of God called for the dissolution of the 
 pastoral relation. INIany reasons for that change were well understood, 
 but touched neither the affection of the people for the pastor, nor the 
 affection of the pastor for the people. Some of tliese reasons will be 
 best known at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The experience and ob- 
 
22 
 
 servatlon of nineteen years have confirmed the probable justness of 
 that decision, for, as yet, no ground has presented itself for a change 
 of opinion as to this separation and the pastor's entrance in a new field 
 of labor. His tender love for that people, also their tender love for 
 their minister, has continued to the present hour. 
 
 In due time, the undesirableness of a church without a pastor 
 became manifest. The Lord in His kindness sent a faithful servant to 
 cultivate His field. By the time of the opening of the Presbytery, in 
 April, 1871, the Rev. Daniel R. Foster had gathered a harvest of 
 seventy-one souls, and this offering was brought as the reason why he 
 was qualified to be the pastor of this flock, and within a few weeks he 
 was duly installed as pastor of Pennington Church. With a spirit of 
 self-abnegation, with a complimentary allusion to the personal interest 
 of the ex-pastor in that work, the pastor-elect welcomed him wdth these 
 words of our Saviour, " And so it is written, one man soweth and 
 another reapeth." If there is any kind act, any Christian affection, 
 sympathy or aid, these were none of them wanting toward his pre- 
 decessor by the Rev. Daniel R. Foster throughout his ministry at 
 Pennington. He was earnest, diligent, untiring, profoundly sincere, 
 self-sacrificing and successful, and his work praises him. 
 
 It remains for us to invoke upon the present pastor of this flock 
 and the people of his charge, the richest benedictions of Heaven. 
 Here may prayers ascend and blessings descend, sacramental seasons 
 be held, and sweet communion be enjoyed with the invisible Church 
 of the Redeemed ; and when this pastor's work is done, may he 
 receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 
 
 Brethren, permit a word of exhortation. First, forget not to 
 submit trustfully to all the afilictive dispensations of God's provi- 
 dence. " Happy is the man whom God correcteth." As a nation, 
 we have been visited with two terrific wars, but God has carried us 
 through; as a church, you saw your beautiful house laid waste with 
 fire ; as families and individuals, you have been visited with various 
 afflictions, but God, true to His promises, has made " all things work 
 
23 
 
 together for good.'' Second, jfix your mind habitually upon the 
 high value of God's various gifts, and seek to appreciate them 
 more and more. Third, let sincere gratitude, thanksgiving and praise 
 characterize the whole period of your life through all its changes, for 
 God has said : " Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me ; " " In every- 
 thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus 
 concerning you." Fourth, consecrate all your possessions, your 
 affections and your powers to the service of the only living and true 
 God, for time and for eternity ; and while you abide on earth, let it be 
 your joy to lead souls to heaven, and your chief delight to work with 
 Him and for Him who died to redeem you. " Seek ye first the 
 kingdom of God.'' 
 
 And now, brethren, what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing ? 
 Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his 
 coming ? 
 
 Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace ; 
 and the God of peace shall be with you. And now, brethren, I 
 commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to 
 build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are 
 sanctified, through the faith which is in Christ Jesus. Amen. 
 
 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord 
 Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the 
 everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His 
 will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through 
 Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
ADDEESS 
 
 BY THE 
 
 Rev. SAMUEL M. HAMILL, D. D., 
 
 AT THE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 EEV. GEOEGE HALE, D.D-, 
 
 NOVEMBER ISth, 1888. 
 
 Dear Brethren, — We have assembled to pay the last tribute of 
 respect and afFectiou to a beloved brother whose record is on high. 
 While we mourn his loss " we sorrow not as others which have no 
 hope," (1 Thess. iv. 13). " For if we believe that Jesus died and rose 
 again, even so, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with 
 him," (1 Thess. iv. 14). 
 
 A letter received this morning from one who knew him well, says : 
 " I did not know how much I loved Dr. Hale. I feel as if I had lost 
 a member of our own family." He was dear to us all. He was a 
 godly man. The lives of godly men are no unimportant part of the 
 church's heritage. A brief sketch of his useful life will be appropriate. 
 
 Kev. George Hale, D. D., was born in Catskill, New York, on the 
 8th of June, 1812. He was a son of devoted Christian parents. This 
 
 25 
 
26 
 
 itself was a rich inheritance whether for this world or the world to 
 come. 
 
 Having completed the preparatory course of study, he was ad- 
 mitted to Williams College, Massachusetts, from which institution he 
 received his diploma as Bachelor of Arts, in the year 1831. He was 
 subsequently a tutor in the college for two years. He entered the 
 Theological Seminary at Princeton, and completed the full three years' 
 course. 
 
 Among his classmates were Rev. Doctors Comingo, Dale, Elliot, 
 Willis Lord and William A. Scott, all well known ministers of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 In 1836 he was licensed to preach the Gospel by Columbia Pres- 
 bytery. On November 19, 1838, he preached his first sermon to this 
 congregation witli the view of becoming its pastor. The coming Sab- 
 bath will be the fiftieth anniversary of that event. Having received 
 a call from this congregation he M'as ordained by the Presbytery of 
 New Brunswick, and installed as your pastor on the 7th day of Feb- 
 ruary, 1839. In this large and interesting field he continued his 
 ministerial work for a period of thirty years. You can testify to his 
 faithful discharge of duty. He labored in season and out of season. 
 The Lord blessed him in his work. In the winter of 1841 and 1842 
 a powerful revival brought into the church 132 members. In 1847 
 and 1848 about sixty more were added to the roll of members, and in 
 1857 and 1858 fifty-six more on confession of their faith. These were 
 special periods. But there was a continuous growth during Dr. Hale's 
 ministry, not only in numbers, but in the graces that adorn and invig- 
 orate and strengthen a church. He entered into the work of the 
 ministry with all his heart. He was devoted to the service of the 
 Master. His meat and drink was to do the will of Him who sent him. 
 
 As a Pastor — Dr. Hale was kind, aifectionate, discreet and wise. 
 He carefully studied the character of his people. He knew them well. 
 He prudently adapted himself to the circumstances that surrounded 
 him, and in a remarkable degree won the esteem, and confidence, and 
 
27 
 
 love of this people, and the respect of the community. He was a fre- 
 quent, welcome visitor in the homes of this congregation; old and 
 young had a place in his warm heart. The pleasant smile, cheerful 
 grasp of the hand and cordial greeting made every one feel at ease 
 with him. 
 
 In times of affliction, in the sick chamber when anguish filled the 
 bosom of weeping friends, he was especially happy in his words of 
 comfort. He sympathized with the sorrowing. He had a fellow- 
 feeling for those who suflPered. His very tones of voice were con- 
 soling. What relief he brought to those who were in deep distress! 
 The mourning one felt the inspiration of his presence. His words, 
 his prayers, his sympathy, his judicious advice rolled the burden from 
 many a sorrowing heart, overwhelmed with grief. 
 
 A beloved brother in the ministry who has been a successful 
 pastor, who, as a licentiate labored here in the revival of 1846 and 
 1847, said he learned much from Dr. Hale, as he went with him from 
 house to house over the hills and valleys of this large congregation, 
 conversing with individuals by day, and at the evening services press- 
 ing home the truth upon their consciences. He was deeply impressed 
 with the earnestness, fervor and devotion which the Doctor manifested 
 in his ministerial work. He was truly a model pastor. 
 
 As a Preacher — Dr. Hale was able, forcible, earnest and always 
 acceptable. His themes were well chosen. He brought forth things 
 new and old. His presentations were clear and pointed. His sermons 
 were both textual and expository. He was direct and effective. "While 
 he aimed to reach the intellect and instruct his hearers, he did not 
 forget that men were emotional and that the heart must also be 
 reached, as out of it are the issues of life. His strongest appeals were 
 therefore to the heart. His utterances from the sacred desk to this 
 people, whom he greatly loved, and to whom he gave the service of 
 his best days, will be long remembered. Parents and children and 
 children's children, will not soon forget the words he spoke. They 
 will be treasured up as precious remembrances of a beloved Pastor. 
 
28 
 
 His Historical Discourse delivered here in 1876, was a most valuable 
 contribution to the history of this church, and of this section of the 
 State. He was a ready writer. His style was easy and flowing. He 
 wrote many articles for the religious press. 
 
 In his theological views he was sound and thorough. He kept 
 abreast with the times, but never drifted into isms. He had been care- 
 fully trained in early life, and like Timothy was from his youth raised 
 in the scriptures. He accepted them, the testimonies of the Lord, as 
 his counsellors when young and consecrated himself in early life to 
 the service of God. Like the Great Hebrew Prophet when called in 
 youth, he said, " Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth." 
 
 When in the Theological Seminary he enjoyed the privilege of the 
 instruction of those illustrious teachers, Rev. Doctors Archibald 
 Alexander, Samuel Miller and Charles Hodge, who at the time were 
 the pride of Princeton and of the Presbyterian Church. He was an 
 admirer of Jonathan Dickinson, and often quoted him, of whom Dr. 
 Hatfield wrote that he was the greatest theologian of his age. Moses 
 Dickinson, a brother of the distinguished theologian, was the second 
 settled pastor of this church. Dr. Hale kept up his habits of appli- 
 cation. He was studious and scholarly. For a number of years he 
 was a successful teacher, and would have distinguished himself in that 
 sphere. 
 
 He was an ardent patriot. When our country was struggling for its 
 very life, his voice was heard in the pulpit and on the platform, plead- 
 ing for the Union, with no uncertain sound. After the battle of 
 Gettysburg, he went to the field of carnage under the auspices of the 
 Christian Commission, volunteering his services to do all in his power 
 to ameliorate the condition of the wounded, suffering and dying 
 soldiers, and to extend to them the consolations of the Gospel. 
 
 The cause of Temperance, of the Bible and of the Sabbath-school 
 secured his cheerful support. He was ever ready for every good word 
 and work. Whatever promoted the good of man and the glory of God 
 had attractions for him and was sure to enlist his interest. 
 
29 
 
 As a Presbyter — Dr. Hale was always in his place, and always 
 ready to take his part in whatever duty was assigned to him. He was 
 warmly attached to his ministerial brethren (especially of New Bruns- 
 wick Presbytery), and they were equally attached to him. We all 
 loved hira and rejoiced to see his beaming face and to hear his cheerful 
 voice. He was a genial companion, a constant, faithful and true friend. 
 
 In the year 1861, Dr. Hale was elected a Trustee of the Princeton 
 Theological Seminary. He was an efficient and valuable member of 
 that Board, and continued in that relation until his death. From 
 1863 to 1879 he was its faithful and honored secretary. 
 
 For twelve years he was a member of the Presbyterian Board of 
 Publication, and for about the same length of time of the Presbyterian 
 Board of Education. La Fayette College conferred on Dr. Hale the 
 title of Doctor of Divinity, an honor richly merited and most appro- 
 priately given. 
 
 When Dr. Joseph Jones, the Secretary of the Board of Relief of 
 the Presbyterian Church, was called to his reward, the Board chose 
 Dr. Hale as his successor. He resigned his pastoral charge, and ac- 
 cepted the appointment. He left a people who were devoted to him, to 
 assume new and heavy responsibilities in the care of one of our most 
 important ecclesiastical agencies. He entered this field with great zeal 
 and exhibited much executive and administrative ability in its man- 
 agement and control. His earnest, able and telling appeals to the 
 Churches, Presbyteries, Synods and before the General Assembly, 
 awakened a new interest in this cause and brought it into much greater 
 prominence. In this important field he labored with unwearied faith- 
 fulness and success for seventeen years. His large heart swelled with 
 deep emotion and often found vent in tears when appeals came to him 
 from those in the ministry who had faithfully toiled through an active 
 and useful life for the good of others, and were broken down in health 
 or laid aside, penniless, in old age, dependent on the charities of the 
 church for a meagre support. His strong sympathy in these cases was 
 such that he not infrequently left his office with a feeling of sadness 
 
30 
 
 that he could do no more to alleviate their suffering condition. Min- 
 isters in failing health and in indigent circumstances, and the widows 
 and orphans of ministers in such circumstances, found an ardent friend 
 in Dr. Hale. The heavy strain upon him, and failing health rendered 
 a period of rest desirable, and he gracefully resigned his office. 
 
 After his retirement from the arduous labors of the Board of Relief 
 he rendered valuable aid and counsel to his successor. Rev. Dr. Cattell, 
 and as his health allowed, he preached in various churches with great 
 acceptance. He was at home in the pulpit and loved to preach the 
 Gospel. 
 
 A little more than a month ago Dr. Hale made the closing address 
 at the 150th Anniversary of the Presbytery of New Brunswick, at its 
 October sessions in Lawrenceville. 
 
 He exhibited a degree of pathos, and poAver, and familiarity with 
 the history of the church that greatly pleased and delighted his audi- 
 ence, and seemed to give promise to him of many days. In that im- 
 pressive and touching address he stated that just fifty years ago from 
 that day he had been admitted a member of the Presbytery of New 
 Brunswick. What a grand service he had given in those fifty years, 
 first to this congregation, to whom he came in the dew of his youth, 
 and then in his riper years to the church at large by his masterly 
 management of the difficult and delicate interests of the Board of 
 Relief. 
 
 There was a nobleness of character in our deceased brother that 
 commanded our admiration. We mourn this day that we shall see 
 his face no more. The voice we heard so often giving utterance to 
 wise counsels, is silent. The lustrous eye is closed. In our ministerial 
 meetings where he was so constant an attendant we shall welcome him 
 no more. The light of his earthly house has been extinguished. 
 The mother and children miss from his accustomed place a devoted 
 husband and a beloved father ; an elder sister will see no more one 
 who was the charm of her life. Our tenderest sympathies are with 
 them in this hour of sorrow. Shepherd of Israel, we commend them 
 
31 
 
 to Thee ! Oh, Thou who leadest Joseph like a flock, send consolation 
 to this smitten household. 
 
 Our brother has gone ! Gone to his reward ! To take his place in 
 the upper sanctuary ! To dwell forever with the Lord! 
 
 "Thou art gone to the grave, but we will not deplore thee, 
 Though sorrow and darkness encompass the tomb. 
 The Saviour has passed through its portals before thee, 
 And the lamp of His love is thy guide through the gloom." 
 
FUNERAL SERVICES OF REV. DR. GEORGE HALE. 
 
 WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 MEMOEIAL SERYIOES 
 
 HELD ON THE 
 
 FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS PASTORATE OF 
 PENNINGTON CHURCH. 
 
 [From The Presbtteky, Trenton, N. J., December 6, 1888.] 
 
 The last issue of The Presbytery gave a short account of the 
 death of Rev. Geo. Hale, D. D., together with an announcement of a 
 memorial service to be held in his old Church at Pennington. 
 
 The funeral, which was held on Thursday, November 15th, was 
 largely attended, despite the storm which prevailed. The church edifice 
 was very tastefully draped in black by loving and reverent hands, the 
 six ruling elders acting as bearers of the 'casket. 
 
 The exercises were opened by the Rev. Dr. Murphy, of Frankford, 
 Pa., who read the 335th hymn, which was sung by the choir. Rev» 
 David Wills, Jr., the pastor, then read the Scriptures, and Rev. Dr. 
 Gosman, of Lawrencevillc, made tlie opening prayer. 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Hanlon, D. D., of Pennington Seminary, read 
 the 312th hymn, which was sung as a solo by Miss Gaskill, of that 
 institution, with great tenderness and sweetness. 
 
 The sermon was preached by Rev. S. M. Hamill, D. D., of Law- 
 rencevillc, from the text, " For we mourn not as those without hope." 
 
 33 
 
34 
 
 Rev. Dr. Cattell, who succeeded Dr. Hale as Secretary of the Board 
 of Ministerial Relief, delivered quite an extended and touching address. 
 
 Prayer was then offered by Rev. Dr. Knox, of Lafayette College, 
 after which Rev. S. M. Studdiford, D. D., read hymn 786, which was 
 sung by the choir. 
 
 Benediction was then pronounced by Rev. S. M. Hamill, D. D. The 
 casket was then opened and the calm face was viewed by the large 
 congregation by whom he was so much honored and beloved. 
 
 Rev. D. R, Foster, of Trenton, Dr. Hale's successor in the past- 
 orate of Pennington Church, made the closing invocation, and pro- 
 nounced the benediction at the grave. There were also present Rev. 
 Mr. Johnson, formerly of Hopewell, Rev. Mr. Brooks, of Trenton 
 Prospect Street Church, and Rev. C. S. Vancleve, of Pennington. 
 Thus was laid away a great man, a beloved former pastor, a true 
 patriot, a firm friend, a man of God. 
 
 And not of less interest to the congregation at Pennington were the 
 services on Sunday, November 18th, Mdien memorial services were held. 
 The day was perfect, and the congregation very large when the pastor 
 read from manuscript a sermon written by Dr. Hale, which was to 
 have been delivered by himself in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary 
 of his pastorate, on that very day. The text was, "Having therefore 
 obtained help of God, I continue to this day." 
 
 It was truly his benediction to this people, for besides its great 
 value as a historical production, it reviewed that very extended past- 
 orate and touched upon the most tender recollections of the past. 
 
 Then again in the evening to a large congregation, the pastor. Rev. 
 Mr, Wills, preached a most able and affecting memorial sermon from 
 the words, " Know ye not that there is a great man fallen this day in 
 Israel?" 
 
 Many were moved to tears. Then an address by the Rev. Dr. 
 Hanlon closed the public services in honor of one whose name will 
 ever be cherished — a household name ; that of a noble and exemplary 
 Christian brother, teacher and friend. 
 
35 
 
 The following resolutions were passed by the congregation : 
 
 Whereas, It hath pleased tlie all-wise God to remove by death our dearly beloved 
 father, brother and friend, the Eev. George Hale, D. D., who for thirty years was 
 the faithful and devoted pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Pennington, N. J.; 
 therefore. 
 
 Resolved, That while deploring our loss, which we know to be his eternal gain, 
 we bow with meek submission to the Divine will that ordereth all things well. 
 
 That we treasure in our hearts his loving Christian character, his unfaltering 
 zeal, devotion and self-sacrifice, for the advancement of Christ's kingdom on earth, as 
 an example worthy of imitation. 
 
 That with tender memories will we recall his ministrations among us, not only 
 during his long and useful pastorate, but through the successive years that followed, 
 when his interest in this Church ceased not, and his fatherly love was unabated. 
 
 This was manifested by visiting from house to house, by his liberal financial aid 
 in building two houses of worship, in devoting the failing strength of his last days to 
 the preparation of a f.irewell sermon, and his daily intercession for us at the throne 
 of grace. 
 
 The priceless blessing of his life in our midst no one can estimate. How many 
 seeking, anxious hearts he directed to Christ as their own Saviour, to what a large 
 number of sick and dying believers he has given encouragement and hope as they 
 were upon the brink of eternity, into how many sad, darkened homes he has admin- 
 istered the consolations of the Gospel, we know not, for no family or individual was 
 forgotten. 
 
 Truly his was a life well spent, and he has gone to receive a rich reward, for 
 many souls have been given him as stars to adorn his heavenly crown. 
 
 Servant of God, well done : " enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 Resolved further, That as a Church we extend our tender sympathies to his sor- 
 rowing family, commending them to the care of Him who is the widow's God and a 
 Father to the fatherless, J. G. M. 
 
 MINUTE OF THE BOARD OF RELIEF. 
 
 [From The Chtjech at Home and Abroad, January, 1889.] 
 REV. GEORGE HALE, D. D. 
 
 In connection with the minute of the Board given below, the 
 Secretary begs leave to reprint the opening paragraph of his first 
 address to the Assembly four years ago. As I have gone on with my 
 
36 
 
 work, every year has only deepened my conviction of the rare worth 
 and excellence of this truly blessed man : 
 
 First of all, Mr. Moderator and brethren, allow me a word with 
 reference to the honored and beloved man who for many successive 
 years stood before the General Assembly, as I do to-day, representing 
 the Board of Relief The minute adopted by the Board on the 
 retirement of Dr. Hale, and which is appended to the Annual Report, 
 expresses none too strongly the grateful love and respect with which 
 he will be regarded by all who can appreciate a life sacredly and 
 unweariedly devoted to duty. I have known him and loved him for 
 many years ; but not until I had entered upon the work he relinquished 
 did I know with what purity of motive, with what steadfast purpose, 
 with what unsparing toil, he wrought in this sacred cause. I have 
 never known a man of higher aims or of more devoted consecration. 
 The memory of such men is blessed. 
 
 The following minute was adopted by the Board at its meeting, 
 November 17 : 
 
 The death of the Rev. Dr. Hale, Corresponding Secretary of the 
 Board from 1868 to 1884, having been announced, it was resolved that 
 the Rev. Drs. Cattell and Knox be appointed a committee to prepare 
 a minute to be placed on our records, and a copy transmitted to Mrs. 
 Hale. The committee reported as follows: 
 
 The Rev. Dr. George Hale was born in Catskill, N. Y., in 1812 ; 
 was graduated from Williams College, Mass., in 1831. For two years 
 after graduation he was a tutor in Williams College, and then entered 
 the Theological Seminary at Princeton, N. J. In 1839 he was 
 ordained to the Gospel ministry and installed pastor of the Presbyterian 
 Church at Pennington, N. J. This was his only pastoral charge. In 
 it he continued thirty years. It was a ministry of rare excellence and 
 success. The intelligence and devotion of the pastor was the theme of 
 men near and far, and rewarded richly by the blessing of God. Large 
 numbers were added to the church, and Christians grew in grace and 
 
87 
 
 in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though now nearly 
 twenty years have passed since Doctor Hale resigned his pastorate, his 
 name is to-day " as ointment poured forth " in all that community. 
 
 Upon the death of the Rev. Doctor Joseph H. Jones, in 1868, Dr. 
 Hale was elected Secretary of the Committee of Ministerial Relief by 
 the Trustees of the General Assembly, and upon the motion of the 
 Board of Relief, in 1876, he was chosen its Corresponding Secretary. 
 He brought to the discharge of its duties qualifications of the very best 
 kind. He was wise and tender, assiduous and most painstaking. The 
 ministers, aged or infirm, and the widows and children of those who 
 had been called to their reward, were upon his heart by day and by 
 night that he might serve them most effectively and most delicately. 
 His knowledge of their condition and requirements was intricate, and 
 he did not fail to discriminate wisely, when in relieving their temporal 
 necessities, he spoke or wrote the word which would do them good 
 spiritually. In this way his name became a blessed one in the house- 
 holds throughout the land to which, through him, the Board sent the 
 kindly remembrance of the Church. In this work he continued for 
 sixteen years, with ever increasing delight, until age came on, and he 
 was no more equal to the burden and the strain. Four years ago he 
 retired, leaving the interests for which he had cared so sedulously, and 
 with so much success for so long a time, in a condition of prosperity 
 not before reached. 
 
 Having served God in his generation, he has fallen on sleep. He 
 was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost. The Board cherishes his 
 memory Avith affectionate and profound regard, and sincerely sympa- 
 thizes with his bereaved family, assuring them that it will ever 
 remember most lovingly and gratefully their sainted husband and 
 father, and fervently pray that the favor of his God and Saviour may 
 abide on them to the latest generation. 
 
38 
 
 MINUTE OF THE PRESBYTERIAN MINISTERIAL 
 ASSOCIATION, TRENTON, N. J. 
 
 IN MEMOKY OF THE REV. DR. HALE. 
 
 Since it lias pleased the Great Head of the Church to call from iis 
 to a better country, to the realm of Eternal Rest, the Home of 
 Glorious Reward, our much esteemed Brother and venerable Father, 
 the Rev. George Hale, D, D., it is a pleasing duty to attempt to 
 preserve in a brief memorial, a little of the precious fragrance and 
 fruitage of his Christian life and service. 
 
 He was a child of the Covenant. This fact wrought in the work 
 of his conversion. His keen sense of honor made him feel that he 
 should be loyal to the One in whose Covenant he was born, and whose 
 rights were acknowledged by parental gift to the Lord in the Sacra- 
 ment of Baptism. This covenant relation was a vital grace in all his 
 life. Amid the mysteries of God's Providence, it held him like the 
 needle to the pole. It gave great stability to his character, and a 
 unity to every part of his sacred service to the Master. 
 
 As a preacher, he strove to " adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour 
 in all things." Though he possessed a broad, vigorous and accurate 
 scholarship, pursuing his studies to the last, and might have won honor 
 in the college world in which he began his public life, as an instructor, 
 and was able to philosophize and theorize about the gospel ; he laid all 
 his gifts at the Cross of Jesus Christ as a preacher of His blessed 
 Gospel. The great distinctive features of Christian doctrine, promul- 
 gated by our Lord, enforced by the Apostle Paul, and embodied in 
 the Westminster Catechism, formed the groundwork of his preaching. 
 This was attended Avith wonderful revivals. Increasing years in no 
 wise diminished his love for heralding the Gospel. His last illness, 
 the first protracted one of his life, was the result of revival work in 
 Florida, where he had gone for a protection from the Northern 
 winter. God's word was as a fire in his bones. 
 
39 
 
 As the Pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Pennington, New 
 Jersey, his only charge, he was faithful and beloved. He was a home- 
 going Pastor. He knew his families and their children by name. He 
 commenced tlie study of his families and their genealogies as soon as 
 he entered his parish. He continued this broad historic study of them 
 during his pastorate of thirty years and the twenty years following. 
 The last work he did was the putting of their history into form for the 
 celebration of the j&ftieth anniversary of his pastorate. He finished it 
 the day he died ; it was read to him and he fell asleep. That anni- 
 versary occurred the Sabbath following. He celebrated it in the 
 Upper Temple, to which nearly every one of his early parishioners 
 had gone. 
 
 As a minister among ministers, he was held in very high regard. 
 In the Courts of the Church he held a place of honor. For many years 
 he was the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Princeton Theological 
 Seminary, and Secretary of the Board of Ministerial Relief of the Pres- 
 byterian Church. It was under his administration that the Committee 
 of Ministerial Relief was raised to the dignity and permanency of an 
 established Board of our Church. His efforts,- in spite of many 
 hindrances, to rouse a sluggish church to care for the Sons of Levi, and 
 their families were attended with such success as would alone form a 
 record that might well satisfy the holy ambition of any servant of God. 
 
 As a Presbyter, his full measure was best known by us. Thoroughly 
 grounded in the doctrine of the Divine Sovereignty and Salvation by 
 Grace, well read in helpful literature, awake to a consideration of all 
 public questions for the good of Church and State, his wise forecast of 
 the future, his embodiment of radical ideas and conservative measures, 
 thoroughly persuaded in his own mind, energetic in purpose, possess- 
 ing, at the same time, such generosity of feeling towards his brethren 
 that no one ever heard him disparage a brother or his works, he was 
 a most efficient Presbyter. He was often called to give advice to his 
 equals in age, and was a chosen, spirited, classic, appreciated companion 
 of the younger brethren. His last public appearance was upon the 
 
40 
 
 floor of the Presbytery of New Brunswick, upon the eminent occasion 
 of its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary, when he proved himself 
 to be a very repository of that beloved body. The whole tone of his 
 address, its compass, its contents, its particularity, its correctness, the 
 strength and fervor of his delivery, was like that of an old soldier 
 surveying the field of warfare, and giving his last message in readiness 
 to depart. 
 
 Through the longing for intimacy with a few, which age and 
 weariness from contact with human affairs often engenders, he had a 
 special love for this Ministerial Association. What he was to other 
 larger public bodies of men, he was to this Association with a degree 
 of intensity in proportion to the narrowness and quietude of its en- 
 closure. It was in this cleric retreat that he shone with peculiar 
 lustre. His best gifts were here manifest, as a student of men and of 
 God, as a citizen and an ecclesiastic, a ready conversationalist and 
 debater, an humble Christian and a devoted minister. His chair looks 
 sadly lonely. But another crown is won. He has left the gate open, 
 and his illustrious example shines upon the way and inspires us to 
 faithful service. 
 
 To his bereaved family, we tender our warmest sympathy, and 
 crave the privilege of laying this token of special regard among the 
 many memorial tributes to their beloved. 
 
 We pray that they may realize throughout their lives that coven- 
 anted blessing claimed by him in his dying hour, " O God, thou art 
 my God from everlasting to everlasting." jy -^ Fqstee 
 
 A. GOSMAN. 
 
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