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MEMOIRS

Oil' THE

REV. JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON, D.D.,
FIRST PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY IN THE REFORMED PROTESTANT
DUTCH CHURCH IN NORTH-AMERICA.

BY THE LATE
EEV. ALEXANDER GUNN, D.D.,
PASTOR OP THR REFORMED PROTESTANT DTTTOH COTJROU IN BLOOMINQDA LE, N. T.

A NEW EDITION :
CORRECTED AND CONDENSED, WITH THE ADDITION OF SOME NEW MATTER.

NEW-YORK:
BOARD OF PUBLICATION
OP TIIE
REFORMED PROTESTANT DUTCH CHURCH,
3 3 1 B ROADWAY.
1856.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by
REV. THOMAS C. STRONG,
On behalf of the Board of Publication of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in
North- America, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United
States for the Southern District of New-York.

JOHN A. GRAY'S
FIRE-PROOF PRINTING OFPIOH,
16 and 18 Jacob St., N. T.

LlLZ\

INTRODUCTORY NOTE.

The first edition of this work was published in the spring of the year
1829, and in the autumn of the same year the excellent author was
called away from all earthly labors. His Memoir was prepared in
compliance with a request of the General Synod of the Protestant
Reformed Dutch Church, and received the emphatic approval of the
Rev. Drs. Knox, Cuyler, and MoMurray, a committee appointed by that
body to inspect the work before it went to press. After Dr. Gunn's
death, the Synod purchased the copyright from his widow.
In this edition some changes have been introduced. A few errone
ous or inadequate statements of facts have been amended ; the longer
foot-notes have been either incorporated with the text or transferred to
an appendix ; the notices of Dr. Livingston's contemporaries have been
enlarged in all cases where any new materials could be obtained ; »
copious index has been added, and a constant endeavor has been made
to condense the narrative into a smaller compass. The work when
first issued met with a favorable reception, and was extensively useful.
The Board of Publication trust that in its present form it will be yet
more widely circulated, and do excellent and increasing service in the
cause of the Master, especially among the churches of our own denom
ination. They take pleasure in acknowledging the kindness of James
Bogert, Jr., Esq., of New- York, and Maurice E. Viele, Esq., of Al
bany, by whose Christian liberality the expense of stereotyping the
volume has been defrayed.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
HIS ANCESTRY. PAOB
Introductory remarks — Tho Earl of Linlithgow — The Rev. John
Livingston of Ancrum — Robert Livingston — Gilbert Livingston, 11
CHAPTER II.
EARLY LIFE, 1746-1765.
Birth — Early education — Admission into Talo College — Attain
ments — Study of the law — Amiable character while a youth
— Early serious impressions — Conversion — Viows of certain doc
trines — Further religious exercises — Sermon of "Whitefield —
State of his Health — A singular deliverance — Abandons the
study of the law — Views and exercises in reference to study
ing for the ministry — Remarks,  16
CHAPTER III.
THE STATE OF THE CHURCH ABOUT THE YEAR 1765.
Sketch of tho history of the Church from its rise — Influence of
the Classes of Amsterdam — -Case of Rensselaer — Plan of a Coetas
ngrcedupon, 1137 — Constituted in 1147 — Formation of a Classis
proposed in 1753 — Reasons for it — The friends of an independ-

VI CONTENTS. PAGE
ent Classis called Coetus— Opponents Conferentie — Sad effects of
the controversy — Introduction of the English language into the
services of tho Church — Causes of it — Cohtroversy it excited in
the church of Now- York — Consistory resolve to call an English
minister — Dr. Laidlio called— His character and usefulness —
Civil suit against the Consistory — Concluding remarks, 43

CHAPTER IV.
CIRCUMSTANCES RELATING TO HIS THEOLOGICAL STUDIES
AND TO THE CHURCH OF NEW-YORK, 1765-1767.
Influence of the divisions in the Church on Mr. Livingston — His
own statement of hiB reasons for remaining in it — Mode of spend
ing his time in the spring of 17G5 — His opinion of the theatre —
First interview with Dr. Laldlie — Prepares to go to Holland —
Arrival at Amsterdam and attentions received there — Visit to the
Rev. Mr. Schorelenburgh of Tienhoven — Reception by Professor
Bonnet at Utrecht — Second visit to Mr. Schorelenburgh and its
happy consequences — Further account of the suit against the
Consistory of New- York — Result of the trial — Extracts from let
ters of Dr. Laidlie in reference to it — Concluding remarks, 68
CHAPTER V.
FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS STUDIES IN THE UNIVER
SITY OF UTRECHT UNTIL HIS RETURN TO NEW-YORK,
1766-1770.
Introductory — The Professors he attended — Mauner of studying
theology — Pious young friends — Professor Elsnerus — Painful
conflict upon the subject of Providence — Conversion of a stranger
by his conversation — Conversion of a student of law — Tho case
of Dr. D. — Conference of believers from the four quarters of the
earth — Baptism by sprinkling in a Baptist church — Dr. Wither-
spoon's visit — Measures contemplated between him and Dr. L.
for the Dutch Church in America — The Ccetus party attempt to
erect an academy in New-Jersey — Some of the Conferentie prefer
a divinity professor in King's College— Mr. L. meditates a con
nection with Princeton College — Extracts of letters upon tho

CONTENTS. vii
PAGE
subject — Church of New- York think of calling another English
preacher — Mr. L. spoken of — Fears of tho weakness of his voice
— His aversion to the observance of Twly days — Letters to him
upon the subject — Call made out and forwarded — Licensure and
promising character of his first efforts — Examinations for the de
gree of Doctor of Divinity — Embarks for England — Interview
with Dr. Kennicott — Arrival at New- York, ... 95

CHAPTER VI.
FROM HIS P.ETURN TO NEW-YORK UNTIL THE CLOSE OF THE
REVOLUTIONARY WAR, 1770-178.3.
Arrives on the Lord's day — First sermon — His labors — General
acceptance — Prepares the way for a reconciliation between the
Coetus and Conferentie — Induces the Consistory to invite a gone-
ral meeting of ministers and elders — Such convention held its
proceedings, and results — Reassembling of the convention and
consummation of the union in 1772 — Important part performed
by Dr. L. in this business — Measures relative to the appointment
of a Professor of Theology — Dr. L. recommended by the Classis
of Amsterdam and the Theological Faculty of Utrecht — Conven
tion breaks up suddenly without making an appointment, because
of the war — Philip Livingston — Dr. L. marries his daughter — Re
moves to Kingston — Thence to Albany — Loss of his Journal —
Removal to Livingston's manor — To Poughkeepsie — The Line of
Influence — Letter to Dr. Westerlo — Return to New- York, . 132
CHAPTER VII.
FROM THE RESUMPTION OP HIS PASTORAL CHARGE TILL THE
ADOPTION OP THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH, 1 783-
1792.
Reopening of the churches — Dr. L. sole pastor — Letter on a State
University — On Queen's College — On forming a Classis in the
Southern District — Elected Professor of Theology — Inaugural
oration — Correspondence — Letters from Dr. Erskino — Call of the
church on the Rev. S. Van Aorsdaalen — Extracts from it — First
attempt at a correspondence between the Dutch Presbyterian and

Vlll CONTENTS. PAGE
Associate Reformed Churches — Letters upon Union College — Act
of the Legislature respecting the election of trustees in congre
gations — Dr. L.'s successful efforts to prevent this from inter
fering with the practice of the Dutch Church — Impaired health
— Blessing upon his labors — Removal from the city — Call of Dr.
Romeyn, and letters to him— Call of Mr. Linn — Call of Mr. Kuy-
pers — Address ofthe Classical letter from Amsterdam noticed by
Dr. L. — Chairman of Committee to select Psalms and Hymns —
Letters to Dr. Romeyn on the subject — Letter to Dr. Harden-
bergh — To Mrs. Judge Livingston — Dr. Meyer and Dr. Westerlo
— Dr. L. one of a Committee to prepare the Constitution of the
Church — Letters on that subject — Adoption ofthe Constitution, 163
CHAPTER Vin.
FROM THE ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION UNTIL HIS AC
CEPTANCE OF THE CALL TO NEW-BRUNSWICK, 1792—
1810.
Constitution published under Dr. L.'s inspection — His letter re
specting a proposed union of Queen's and Princeton Colleges —
Intimacy with Drs. Mason, Rodgers, and Kunrzic — Attentions to
youth — Letters of Lindley and John Murray — Feeble health —
Measures of Synod for his relief — Removes to Long Island — Dis
couragements — Letters to Dr. Romeyn — Synod retract their pro
mise of support, and appoint additional Professors of Theology —
Returns to New- York — Letters to Di? Romeyn — Plan of the pro
fessorate again altered — Connection of Dr. Linn with the church of
New- York dissolved — Letter of Dr. L. on hearing of his death —
Zeal for missions and his missionary sermons — Revival of Queen's
College — Covenant between the Synod and the Trustees — Dr. L.
called to the Professorship of Theology and to tho Presidency of
the Institution — Increase of infirmities — Drs. Schureman and
Brodhead called to the church of New- York, . . . 201
CHAPTER IX.
PROM HIS REMOVAL TO NEW-BRUNSWICK TO HIS DEATH,
1810-1825.
His feelings at the removal — Announcos his intention to the Consis
tory - Their reply — Settlement at New-Brunswick — Prospects

CONTENTS. ix
PAGE
of the school — Publishes " a Funeral Service" — Makes a new
selection of Psalms and Hymns — Death of Dr. Condict and two
promising youths — Noticed in the Baccalaureate address — De
pressed state of the College — Attempt made to bring the school
back to New- York — Dr. L.'s letters concerning this — Death of
Mrs. Livingston — Letters respecting it — Plan to convert Queen's
Collego into a theological college — Letter from Dr. J. B. Romeyn
in Holland — Synod adopt the plan of Dr. L. — Dr. Schureman cho
sen Professor of Pastoral Theology — Trustees accede to the Sy
nod's plan, but unable to accomplish it — Dissertation on mar
riage with a deceased wife's sister — Establishment of two schools
contemplated — Letters to I. L. Kip — Resolutions of Synod and
letters of Dr. L. on the subject — Question of removal of the
school put at rest — Dr. L.'s submission — Letters — Loss of two
granddaughters — Letters — Publication of his Lectures request
ed — Suggests the raising of an ample fund for the school — The
measure adopted by Synod and successful — Rutgers College —
Letter on the Dutch Missionary Society — Devotional frame —
State of his health — Letters on the decease of a grandchild —
Death — Funeral — Resolutions of Synod, .... 243

CHAPTER X.
HIS GENERAL CHARACTER.
His person — Infirmities — General excellencies — Discretion — At
tachment to evangelical truth, and mode of preaching — Tender
ness to the young — Devotional feelings — Anecdotes in illustration
— Rev. Mr. Forrest's letter on his character — Dr. Green's — Dr.
Janeway's — Dr. Miller's — Conclusion, .... 316

APPENDIX A.
The Rev. John Livingston of Ancrum,  351
APPENDIX B.
The Rev. Jacobus Theodoras Frelinghuysen, . . . 359
1*

X CONTENTS.
APPENDIX C. FADE
The Civil Suit about the Right of Voting, 1765, . . 362
APPENDIX D.
The Charter of Queen's College  369
APPENDIX E.
The Plan of Union, 1772, . .872
APPENDIX F.
The Rev. Jacobus Rutsen HardenJpergh, D.D., . . n380
APPENDIX G.
The Rev. Theodoric Romeyn, D.D., . . . 3S3
APPENDIX H.
The Rov. Gerardus A. Kuypers, D.D., . 385
APPENDIX I.
The Rev. John N. Abeel, D.D., ... .387
APPENDIX J.
The Rev. John Schureman, D. D., and Rev. Jacob Brodhead, D.D., 389
APPENDIX K.
Tho Rev. Elias Van Bunschooten, . . 39G
APPENDIX L.
The Rev. Paschal N. Strong, .... 399
APPENDIX M.
The Rev. Selah S. Woodhull, D.D.,  401

MEMOIR

OF THE

REV. JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON, D.D.

CHAPTER I.
HIS ANCESTRY.
The life of a minister of the Gospel may deserve to
be written on various grounds. Sometimes the fidel
ity, the rare mental and spiritual gifts, the large suc
cess of one who confines his labors to a single charge,
may entitle him to special and lasting remembrance, as
an illustration of God's grace/ and as an example to
those who follow him. In other cases, a minister's
influence upon the Church at large, his activity in pro
moting her general interests, his connection with her
ministry, her institutions, and her growth, may call for
some printed memorial of his life. Or the fact that he
flourished in the forming period of a particular branch
of Zion, that he was identified with her early his
tory, and contributed to give shape to her external
polity, may render his biography a most desirable
acquisition to her literature. On any one of these
grounds the preparation of this volume may be justi-

12 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
fied ; but it so happens that they all concur to warrant
its appearance. Dr. Livingston was an unusually elo
quent preacher and faithful pastor ; and his labors in
either department of ministerial life, were greatly blessed
to the conversion of sinners and the edification of saints.
But his efficiency extended far beyond the bounds of
any one parish. As for many years the senior pastor
of the oldest, largest, and most influential church in the
communion to which he belonged, and as for a still
greater number of years, the professor under whom
nearly all the clergymen of the last generation were
trained, he wielded an influence as weighty as it was
wholesome upon the entire denomination. Besides all
this, he was in a certain sense the father of the Church
under her existing polity. It pleased God to use him
as the means of restoring harmony where it had long
been interrupted, of binding discordant brethren and
parties into one whole, and of leading the American
churches of Holland origin out of a state of colonial
vassalage and dependence into the broad freedom of
independent existence and activity, knowing no sove
reign but Zion's Great Head and no ultimate rule be
yond His written word. The concurrence of these cha
racteristics in the same man has justly rendered his
memory dear to the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church,
and made her desire to have the details of his useful
life accessible to all her people.
The subject of this memoir belonged to a family
which traces its lineage back to the Scottish Lord Liv
ingston, afterwards Earl of Linlithgow, a title derived
from the castle of that name, of which he became the
hereditary keeper, and which enjoys some celebrity as

HIS ANCESTRY. 13
being the place where the unfortunate Mary, Queen of
Scots, first saw the light. But the family claims a yet
loftier nobility than this, if we adopt the standard ex
pressed in the well-known lines of Cowper :
" My boast is not, that I deduce my birth
From loins enthroned, and rulers of the earth ;
But higher far my proud pretensions rise —
Tho son of parents passed into the skies."
The grandson of the Earl became minister of the par
ish of Monyabrock, in Stirlingshire, in which he was
succeeded by his son. Both of these it appears were
godly and useful men, but their fame has been swal
lowed up in that of the third one of the same race
and name, who took upon him the cure of souls, Mr.
John Livingston, ever memorable in the Church of
God by his connection with the communion at the kirk
of Shotts, June 20, 1630. The prominent place this
eminent servant of God occupies in the ecclesiastical
histories of the time, his banishment to Holland, his
zeal for the cause of truth, and his unexampled useful
ness, entitle his name to more than a passing mention
in this volume ; and accordingly a sketeh of his check
ered career will be found in the Appendix, (A.) Smith,
in his History of New- York, first published in 1756,
speaking of him, makes this remark: "His descend
ants are very numerous in this province, and the
family in the first rank for their wealth, morals, and
education." These descendants all sprang from his son Robert,
the great-grandfather of the* subject of this memoir,
who came to America, it is probable, soon after »his

14 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
father's death in 1672. The report of a committee of
Council made to the Governor of New- York in 1753,
states that the patent for the manor of Livingston was
granted in 1686. Smith, the historian before referred
to, says that Robert Livingston was " a principal agent
for the convention" which met in Albany in 1689, to
proclaim their allegiance to William and Mary ; that
"the measures of the convention were very much
directed by his advice;" and that "he was peculiarly
obnoxious to his adversaries, because he was a man of
sense and resolution." He went afterwards to England,
for the purpose of attending to his affairs ; and while
there, was the means of starting an enterprise against
the pirates, at that period very numerous and destruc
tive. It is no small evidence of the regard entertained
for him and of the confidence reposed in his judgment,
that the King, Lord Chancellor Somers, the Duke of
Shrewsbury, the Earls of Romney and Oxford, and
other persons of distinction, engaged in the adventure,
though it ultimately failed through the villainy of Kid,
who was intrusted with its execution.
He was connected by marriage with the ancient and
very respectable Schuyler family, and had three sons,
Philip, Robert, and Gilbert. Among the children of
Philip were — Philip Livingston, Esq., one of the illus
trious band of patriots, who signed The Declaration of
Independence ; and William Livingston, LL.D., for a
series of years Governor ofthe State of New-Jersey, a
man of warm piety, and distinguished for the extraor
dinary powers of his mind. Robert had only one son,
(Robert,) the head of the Clermont family, as it is some-

HIS ANCESTRY. 15
times called, by way of distinction, to which belonged
the late celebrated Chancellor Livingston.
Gilbert had five sons and two daughters. Henry,
his first son, and the father of John H., was an amiable,
dignified, and excellent man. Blessed by nature with
a strong mind, liberally educated, of elegant manners,
and irreproachable in morals, he enjoyed through a
lone life, the esteem and confidence of the communitv.

16 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.

CHAPTER H.
HIS EARLY LIFE.
a.d. 1746-1765.
John Henry Livingston, the son of Henry Living
ston, and Susanna Conklin, his wife, was born at
Poughkeepsie, New- York, on the 30th day of May,
A.D. 1746.
Neither pains nor expense were spared in his educa
tion. Till he was seven years of age, he received no
other than parental instruction, but at this period, there
being no school "in his native place, he was sent to
Fishkill, and put under the care of the Rev. Chauncey
Graham. When he had been with this gentleman be
tween two and three years, his father obtained a com
petent private tutor for him. He was accordingly
brought home, and Mr. Moss Kent, (the father of the
late Chancellor James Kent, Esq.,) a gentleman whose
qualifications for the trust were very respectable, and
of whose faithful attentions to him, he ever cherished
a grateful recollection, was charged with the superin
tendence of his studies. With the assistance of such
an instructor, and possessing a docile disposition and
an inquisitive mind, his improvement, the two follow
ing years, in classical literature, and in such other
branches as were then taught to young men preparing

HIS EARLY LIFE. 17
for admission into college, was considerable. Speaking
of the advantages he enjoyed at this time, in a short
memoir written by himself, he says : " I proceeded with
delight and success in my studies, during the years
1755 and 1756."
The ensuing year, he was placed in a grammar-
school at New-Milford, in Connecticut, under the direc
tion of the Rev. Mr. N. Taylor ; and with this gentle
man he continued about a year. Having finished his
preparatory studies, in Sept., 1758, when only a little
over twelve years old, he was examined and admitted
a member of the.freshman class of Yale College, in
New-Haven. The country, at the period referred to, was not dis
tinguished for literature. Education was in its infancy,
and what was termed a liberal one, comprehended attain
ments, in certain branches at least, which now would hardly
be deemed a sufficient preparation for commencing a
collegiate course. The learned men of that day, and
there were not a few to be found in every profession,
justly entitled to the appellation, were less indebted to
early advantages than to their own genius and applica
tion for their success in literary pursuits. Classical
learning in particular was, in several colleges, compar
atively held in contempt; and such appears to have
been the fact in Yale at the time of Mr. Livingston's
matriculation, though probably, in point of reputation
and real merit, it was not inferior to any similar insti
tution. It was then under the presidency of the Rev.
Thomas Clapp, a distinguished mathematician, whose
influence rendered the science of mathematics a leading
subject of study among his scholars. This they pur-

18 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
sued with a degree of enthusiastic ardor ; other sub
jects of equal if not greater importance, being treated
with comparative neglect.
Almost immediately, therefore, upon Mr. Living
ston's entrance, he, in common with his associates,
became enamored of the favorite study ; and it will
surprise no one to learn, if his age be kept in mind, that
in certain branches of it, such as Trigonometry, Navi
gation, Surveying, Astronomy, he found some things
beyond his comprehension. He was chiefly occupied
with these studies during the first half of his collegiate
life ; and in riper years, he ever very justly considered
that half as having been spent to little purpose.
As the Latin and Greek languages were but slightly
studied, the stock of classical knowledge with which he
had been previously furnished, was not much increased
while he was in college ; but that knowledge enabled
him to appear, young as he was, to considerable advan
tage among his fellow-students. Some of them, pretty
well grown up, it has been said, when about to prepare
their classic exercises, would often pleasantly seat him
upon their knees, as he was then quite little, and with
all deference learn of him. He finished his academical
course, and took the first degree in the arts, in July,
1762. He determined to enter at once upon professional
studies : and the profession, which he decidedly prefer
red to any other, presented to a youth of his promise
and connections, very powerful attractions. He chose
the law ; and in the autumn of the same year, soon
after his return from college, commenced his prepara
tory reading in the office of Bartholomew Crannel,

HIS EARLY LIFE. 19
Esq., of Poughkeepsie, a gentleman of note as an able
counsellor and eloquent advocate. He was now, as he
supposed, in the broad road to distinction. "Plans
and views," he says in his own brief memoir, " of future
eminence engrossed all my wishes, constituted the sum
of my present enjoyments, and finished the prospects
of succeeding happiness;" and there can be little ques
tion, that, had he prosecuted the study and engaged in
the business of the profession, he would, before many
years, have reached its highest honors. The talents he
possessed, with his dignified and pleasing address, and
with the influence of a large circle of respected relatives
and friends, doubtless would have soon elevated him to
the first place, either at the bar or upon the bench.
As yet, it does not appear, that he knew any thing of
the power of religion. He had preserved an unsullied
moral character through a season of education, which
ever abounds with temptations to folly, and in circum
stances of peculiar exposure to such temptations. In
the sweetness of his natural disposition, in the accom
plishments of his mind, in the respect and affection
with which he behaved to his parents, in diligent atten
tion to his studies, in every part of his deportment, he
was an amiable and hopeful youth, and gave flattering
presages of no common worth and estimation, when he
should be more advanced in years and fully employed
in professional duties. But still he was an almost utter
stranger to God and religion. He walked according to
the course of this world. He lacked one thing, that one
thing, without which all else is vanity.
It has been observed that "proud views and vain
desires in our worldly employments are as truly vices

20 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
and corruptions, as hypocrisy in prayer or vanity in
alms." The observation is certainly correct; and it
applies exactly to the present case.
Mr. Livingston was actuated, when he made the
above choice of a profession, by an inordinate ambition
ofthe honors of the world ; and the fact clearly evinces
that he was without hope, in a state of great spirit
ual blindness, alienated from the life of God through
the ignorance that was in him.
The reader must not infer, however, that he was void
of all serious thoughts. Impressions of divine truth
had been early made upon his mind, which were never
wholly erased, and which, when from under the watch-
fal eyes of his parents, and mingling at pleasure with
college companions and others, had a happy influence
upon him. He had been carefully instructed in the
great doctrines of the Gospel. Though he could not
intelligently unite in the public worship of God, in his
native place, which was then conducted in the Dutch
language, yet he had been trained up to a religious
observance of the Sabbath ; and afterwards, when he
became a member of college, it was his privilege to hear,
in a language that he did understand, the precious truths
of salvation, regularly and faithfully inculcated upon
the Lord's day. These means, although not imme
diately followed by a saving change of heart, were pro
ductive of some salutary effects. " While I was yet a
child," he says, " the solemn impressions of the being
and presence of God, of my dependence upon him, and
the awful realities of a future state, were very strong,
and frequently interrupted me in my play and sports.
I often left my little companions and sought some

HIS EARLY LIFE. 21
retired spot, where I might pray, without being observed.
What I prayed for, and what my views and exercises
in prayer were, I do not now recollect ; but there was
something of the fear and reverence of God, of the evil
of sin, and an universal obligation to fulfill every duty,
which occupied my mind, aroused my conscience, and
convinced me that I could never be happy, if I remained
an enemy to God, or willfully transgressed his holy
commandments. But these first principles or convic
tions, whatever they were, did not prove effectual to
produce conversion. They were changeable and tran
sient. They frequently returned, and were as frequently
forgotten, excepting that they created in me a lively
and tender conscience, which, through all the giddy
mazes, violent temptations, and wild eccentricities of
youth, never wholly forsook me. They excited a rigid
monitor within my breast, and often silently but pow
erfully preserved me from follies and sins which, other
wise, I should undoubtedly have perpetrated. I recol
lect instances wherein the Lord, with a strong hand
and discernible interposition, prevented me from com
mitting sins where temptations were numerous and
urgent. These early impressions went no farther.
The amount of benefits resulting from early parental
instruction, and from all the ordinances and sermons I
had heard during my whole life, was nothing more
than some confused ideas of truths which I did not
understand or believe. This was my own fault, for I
had not been in earnest, or desirous to know the Lord
or obey his word."
The fault most assuredly was his own ; and he is not
the only one who has had to acknowledge the neglect

22 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
or abuse of precious means of grace. Some, possibly,
who read these pages can confess, that they have sadly
disregarded the tears and prayers and faithful instruc
tions of pious friends — still living, or peradventure,
already mouldering in the grave — and that various
opportunities of religious improvement, through their
own remissness or obstinacy, have proved of very little
benefit to their souls. Happy they, who see and own
their sins, in the exercise of repentance towards God,
and of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ ! If, however,
he had no clear, distinct perception of evangelical truth,
no genuine gracious experience, under parental and
ministerial teaching ; still, as has been before remarked,
and as is evident from his own words, it was, in a very
important sense, profitable to him. And though such
early teaching never had any other effect' than simply
to preserve a young person from the follies and dangers
to which his intercourse with the world exposes him,
or to check his waywardness, this alone constitutes an
ample reward for all the toil and solicitude of the
teacher, be he a parent or a pastor.
But the impressions which Mr. Livingston received
from time to time, were connected, it is believed, more
closely than he seems to have imagined, with his future
conversion. They were pleasing indications that the
Spirit of God was hovering about his path ; and it is
not -improbable that they were the incipent step in that
renovating process which it was his happiness subse
quently to experience. Conviction is not indeed con
version, nor is it always followed by conversion. It
can not, therefore, be relied upon as an infallible sing
of the presence and operation of saving grace ; yet

HIS EARLY LIFE. 23
more or less conviction precedes conversion ; and, when
it comes again and again, exciting to prayer and vigil
ance and other religious duties, it looks as if the Lord,
in the dispensations of his mercy, were preparing the
way for the good work. How far the way is thus pre
pared, or the precise connection between the work and
certain antecedent circumstances which, as means, serve
to introduce it, will be best known in that world where
the dealings of God can be accurately retraced, and
where, upon remembering all that the Lord had done
for him, the heir of glory will be constrained to exclaim
— He hath done all things well I
Mr. Livingston applied himself assiduously to the
law until the close of 1764, when his health being a
good deal impaired, in consequence, as he supposed, of
close application to study, he deemed it his duty to give
up his attendance at the office of Mr. Crannel. This
retirement gave him abundant leisure for serious reflec
tion ; and apprehensive, from some symptoms of pul
monary disease, that his glass was nearly run, and that
he would soon have to appear before the Judge of all
the eajth, the momentous concerns of eternity took en
tire possession of his mind. He now saw his true cha
racter and condition as a sinner, and for a season was
in deep distress ; but it pleased the Lord, at length, to
lift up the light of his reconciled countenance upon
him, and to give him peace.
The reader will no doubt be gratified to see his own
account of a work which resulted in a cordial submis
sion to Christ as the Lord, his Redeemer.
"A book," he says, "of Bunyan, I think it was,
'Grace abounding to the Chief of Sinners,' first excited

24 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRV LIVINGSTON.
sharp and irresistible alarms in my soul, but I obtained
no particular instruction nor received any other advan
tage from that book. In my father's library, among
other religious books, I found Doddridge's Rise and
Progress, etc. This gave me more enlarged and cor
rect views of religion than I ever had before. I pe
rused it with great attention and much prayer, and
wished to feel and experience the power of the truths,
as they occurred in succession. This book was useful
and blessed to me beyond any uninspired volume I
ever read. But my chief attention was fixed upon the
sacred Scriptures. I knew nothing of the peculiar
nature of a divine revelation, nor of the distinct classes
of arguments, which prove the Bible to be written by
men inspired of the Holy Ghost ; but there was an
internal evidence in that sacred book, there was a
majesty, sublimity, and authority connected with per
spicuity and power, which commanded my attention
and enjoined obedience. The divine perfections of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, one God ; and
his glorious works, as delineated in the Bible, I was
sure were agreeable to truth. And I found the secrets
of my heart, my state, my character, my principles,
and conduct, were all naked and open to the word of
God. To receive, therefore, that blessed volume, with
out hesitation, as the standard of my faith and practice,
was my ardent wish, being firmly persuaded that I
should be condemned or accepted agreeably to its infal
lible declarations. To understand the Scriptures became
consequently my earnest study and daily prayer, and to
them I appealed upon every question which arose in
my mind.

HIS EARLY LIFE. 25
" Convictions of sin, of guilt, and misery, became
clear and pungent ; and some confused idea of redemp
tion through a Saviour, and the possibility of pardon,
and the restoration of my depraved nature, engaged
my thoughts and prayers, without intermission. For
several months I could do nothing but read and medi
tate, plead at a, throne of graee, and weep over my
wretched and lost estate. As new inquiries and diffi
culties arose, and new truths, with their inseparable
consequences, came under consideration, I repaired to
the Bible, I supplicated for light and instruction, and
had to contend, study, and struggle for every article of
faith in succession."
" Two doctrines, above all others, engaged my ardent
attention, and caused a severe and long conflict."
" The first was the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I saw, in his word that he was a great Saviour ; that
the Father was well pleased in his Son, and that sin
ners, the chief of sinners, were accepted in the Beloved.
I believed that he was able to save, even to the utter
most, all who came unto God by him. It was also evi
dent, that in all his fullness, he was freely offered in
the Gospel, and the vilest sinners were authorized and
commanded to believe in him, to accept him in all his
glorious offices, and become exclusively his property.
But if he were only a man, I did not dare to give my
self away wholly to him, as I should then, by a solemn
act, engage to belong to a mere creature, and thus, by
becoming united even to Jesus, I should not yet come
home to my God, from whom I had revolted. This
checked my exercises for a time, and brought me into
great fears and perplexity ; until, from his word, I ob

26 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
tained a clearer discovery of the perfections of God,
and of the infinite evil of sin. This convinced me that
no finite arm could vindicate the divine government,
and rescue me from the curse; that He alone who
made me could possess authority and power to redeem
me ; and that my Saviour must not only be truly man,
but also truly God. I then satisfactorily perceived and
understood that it was the doctrine of the Bible ; I saw
it was the uniform declaration of the sacred Scriptures
that the Son of God was one with the Father ; that he
that hath seen the Son hath seen the Father ; and that,
therefore, if I came to Jesus I should come home to
my God : my Maker would be my husband. Of that
interesting truth I have never doubted since.
" The other doctrine which fixed my attention and
excited much care and study, respected Justification.
" A conviction of guilt and misery, of pollution and
inability, assured me of the impossibility of my being
accepted of God, either in whole or in part, for any
thing to be produced or performed by me. I was fully
convinced that without a better righteousness than my
own, I must and should perish for ever. This convic
tion prompted me most attentively to read, and with
fervent prayer to study the word of God. I made no
use of commentaries, nor any human aid, but perused
and compared again and again the sacred Scriptures,
especially the Prophecy of Isaiah, the Epistles of Paul
to the Romans and to the Galatians, the first Epistle of
Peter, and the Gospel of John. These I attentively
read, upon these I meditated, and with a sincere desire
for instruction, continually supplicated the throne of
grace to be led into the truth, preserved from error, and

HIS EARLY LIFE. 27
established in the doctrine of the Gospel. And it
pleased the Lord, I trust, to give me the light and
instruction I sought. The righteousness of Christ,
comprising his active and passive obedience, and the
imputation of that righteousness to every soul who re
ceives the Saviour by faith, and thus, by his Spirit,
becomes united to him, which is the basis upon which
imputation rests, were rendered so intelligible, clear,
and convincing to my mind that I considered the result
to be the teaching of the Holy Spirit by his word, and
received it and submitted to it, as such, without any
wavering or carnal disputation. That the atonement
of Christ was specific, complete, and worthy of all
acceptation, I was sure.
" These were my views of justification by faith, but
not for faith. And my belief of the relation of God
the Redeemer to all the redeemed, and of the imputed
righteousness of the precious Saviour, was then so
decided, clear and full, that although a long life of
study in this, and other doctrines, has succeeded, I do
not know that I have ever obtained one new or addi
tional idea, respecting the justification of a sinner. All
I know of it, I gained at that period of my life and of
my exercises, and no adverse winds of false doctrines
have ever shaken my faith."
That these two great fundamental doctines of the
Gospel, which so clearly exhibit the unsearchable riches
of Divine grace, and secure all the glory to God, in the
salvation of a sinner, should at first excite some oppo
sition in his mind, is not at all astonishing.' They are
the truths, which the proud, unsanctified heart most
perfectly hates, and to which, until subdued by the

28 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
spirit of God, it will not yield an honest submission.
Few who have passed from death unto life have not
been sensible of resistance to these cardinal points of
faith ; yet not one has found solid peace and hope in
God, till he cordially embraced them.
But to return to Mr. Livingston's description of his
religious exercises :
" During these studies and conflicts, a sense of guilt
increased, and the most distressing convictions of sin
excited amazement and terrors, which no words can
express. My unbelief prevented me from closing with
the gracious calls of the Gospel ; my heart remained so
hard and stubborn, and my fears became- so alarming
that I was reduced to the brink of despair, and felt and
experienced what it would be improper even to men
tion. In this dreadful horror of soul, and fearful state
of mind, I continued many weeks ; and had it continued
much longer, or arose a little higher, I must have died.
I believed the Lord Jesus was able to save me, but I
could not believe that he was willing to receive and
save a wretch, who had sinned so much, and resisted
his grace so long as I had done. At length it pleased
him to conquer my unbelief, by convincing me that if
the Saviour was able to save me, he must, most assur
edly, be also willing, and that as such, he had pledged
himself not to cast out any who came to him. This
broke the chains and brought me into liberty. This
dispelled doubts, removed fears, and conquered des
pondency. -This gave me free and cheerful access to a
throne of grace. I found a warrant and freedom to
give myself away to the blessed Jesus, and I did most

HIS EARLY LIFE. 29
unreservedly do it, with the greatest willingness, sin
cerity, joy, and eagerness, that I ever performed any
act in my life. Now consolations succeeded to griefs.
I lived by faith. I found rest, and knew what it was
to have Christ living in me. I had joy and peace in
believing. I was conscious that I had received the
divine Redeemer in all his offices, as offered to sinners
in his word ; that I had devoted myself, for time and
eternity to him, and was no longer my own ; and that
I had actually become united to him. I have never
doubted of this transaction, through all the trials of
faith, to this day."
The struggle between sin and grace, related here
with so much simplicity and clearness, was sharp and
long, but the issue was glorious. It was severe experi
ence ; but it furnished him with the most pleasing evi
dence of the kindness and love of God his Saviour to
his own soul, and it effectually schooled him for the
work of guiding and comforting others distressed by
similar conflicts — a work in which, throughout his
ministry, he was acknowledged to be eminently useful.
All who are taught of the Spirit of God, are taught
the same great truths pertaining to salvation ; but, as all
do not have exactly the same exercises, the same degree
of conviction and distress, or the same measure of faith
and enjoyment, it is no small proof of the tender and
faithful care of the chief Shepherd for his flock, when
he raises up and sends forth those who are amply quali
fied to use the tongue of the learned upon the subject of
Christian experience.
Having thus solemnly given himself to Christ, and

30- MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
obtained a comfortable persuasion ofthe security of his
eternal interests, it is natural to ask, whether he long
held fast the confidence and rejoicing of his hope, or
whether, through the devices of Satan, an unfavorable
change occurred. It is not often that the joy felt im
mediately upon conversion, continues for any consider
able time unabated. The believer is engaged in a war
fare, in which, unless he watch and pray constantly,
the adversary will get an advantage and involve him
in new troubles. It is frequently the case, that he is
not brought at once into a settled state of peace ; that
upon some fresh and unexpected assault, or through
the working of some corruption which he had supposed
to be slain, he becomes again depressed with doubts and
fears, and walks for a season in darkness. But in this
respect Mr. Livingston appears to have been pecu
liarly favored by his divine Master. ' ' For some months, ' '
he says, " my consolations abounded ; and I felt a de
gree of that love which casteth out fear. Raised from
the depths of despair, and brought out of darkness into
light, I now enjoyed all that assurance of salvation and
rapture of hope which a lively, direct, and appropriat
ing faith in my blessed Jesus produced. I realized my
union with him; I derived of his fullness, and walked
in the light of the countenance of the God of my salva
tion." "Sin appeared exceeding sinful. With a broken
and contrite heart I sincerely repented of it; and I
especially mourned when I looked unto Him whom I
had pierced. 1 abhorred myself as a monster of ini
quity and ingratitude, while I fled for refuge to lay
hold of the hope set before me. Willing and desirous

HIS EARLY LIFE. 31
to be saved from my sins, and hungering and thirsting
after righteousness, my Saviour became very precious
to my soul. He was the Lord, my righteousness and
strength, my way, my end, my life, my all in all. The
word, Gal. 2 : 20, was realized and foremost in my
exercises for some time. I believed, experienced, and
repeatedly said, I, am crucified with Christ ; nevertheless
I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me : and the life
which I now live in the flesh Hive by the faith ofthe Son
of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I now
knew that divine grace had reduced a prodigal to his
right mind, and brought a wandering and unworthy
child home to his father. With my whole heart, I
earnestly and repeatedly devoted myself to him, in a
covenant, which I was confident was in all things well-
ordered and sure. I now had but one Master who had
bought me with a price. To him, I exclusively be
longed, and in the strength of his grace I resolved, with
self-denial and perseverance, to follow and serve him
alone. " This opened to me sublime and affecting views.
This broke the prevailing power of sin in my soul, and
it has never had dominion over me since. This inspired
me with supreme love to God and holiness; and sug
gested ends and motives unknown to me before. Every
thing appeared, and was in fact, then, new to me.
With the change of my relative state, when upon re
ceiving Christ, I obtained the adoption; he changed
also my internal state, and gave me a new heart, with
the temper and affections of a child. (John 1 : 12, 13.)
In the happy frame, which these exercises and the com
munications of the divine presence excited, I continued

32 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
for some time with inexpressible delight ; and was con
vinced it would be easy to suffer martyrdom, if the
Lord should please to manifest himself to the soul, and
say — lam your salvation. These views and comforts
engaged my total attention, and I expected they would
always remain, and even daily increase ; and notwith
standing a disappointment in that expectation, still the
recollection and relish of those first exercises of faith,
of hope, of love, of joy, and peace, have never been
lost. In the darkest hours which have since succeeded,
in the heaviest trials, and greatest discouragements, I
have never gone to my blessed Saviour and God as to
a stranger, but always have considered him as my cov
enant Head, my Lord, my Husband, and Portion, who
has united me to himself, and from whom, I am assured,
nothing shall be able to separate me. I know whom I
have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to
keep, and will keep, that which I have committed unto
him against that day.
" The first alarm, respecting a change in my com
fortable frames, was occasioned by a sermon I one
morning heard the celebrated Whitefield preach. His
text was Psalm 40 : 1, 2, 3. In the introduction he
said he had intended to preach upon another subject,
but this passage was impressed with such power upon
his mind, that he was constrained to take it ; and I be
lieve, said he, there is one now present for zuhom Cod
designs this to be a word in season. The young convert,
rejoicing in hope, and in a lively frame, expects lie will
always proceed, with swelling sails, before a propitious gale
of consolations: but remember, said the great preacher,
(and I thought he pointedly and solemnly addressed

HIS EARLY LIFE. 33
me,) that at some period of your life you will come into a
situation and exercises, which you. will denominate with
David, a horrible pit and miry clay ; there you will remain
until your patience is severely tried. Yet be of good cour
age : the Lord will bring you out with triumphant songs
of deliverance. He will set your feet upon a rock, and
establish your goings. Your restoration will be equal to
your first joys. Be of good cheer. Look unto Jesus. The
victory is sure. From that hour, I considered this word
intended for me, and expected its accomplishment. I
knew not what it fully comprehended, but I understood
it in part, and was persuaded that I should know the
whole. And in the progress of my spiritual warfare, I
have experienced it, although I still wait for its highest
fulfillment. No word of Scripture has been more con
stantly, for many years, present to my mind, influen
tial to my heart, or oftener upon my lips in prayer,
while patience is performing its perfect work."
It is not known that he ever believed the declaration
to be fully accomplished in his own experience ; but it
had proved a word in season for him. The impression
which it made upon his mind was deep and salutary.
It put him upon his guard ; and was thus probably an
important means in the hands ofthe Spirit, of preserv
ing him to the end of his course, from any very palpa
ble declension from his first love.
The state of his health, for some time after he had
retired from the office of Mr. Crannel, was quite alarm
ing to himself and to his friends. He grew weaker
every day, a constant pain in his breast, with more or
less fever, excited a distressing apprehension that he

34 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
was consumptive : so unfavorable altogether were the
symptoms of disease, that little hope could be enter
tained that his life would be prolonged even many
months. But at length, in or near the spring of 1765,
there were pleasing signs of his convalescence: the
pain in his breast, though not wholly removed, was
much less severe than it had been ; he was able to take
daily some moderate exercise; and, with the divine
blessing upon this and other means used, he gained
strength fast, and was soon again enjoying a good share
of health.
About the same time, there was an occurrence which
made an indelible impression upon his mind, as it
showed a most signal interposition of Divine Provi
dence in his favor. It was truly a remarkable preser
vation from unseen but impending destruction; and
he must be blind, who can not read in it a striking ex
position of the proverb, A man's heart deviseth his way :
but the Lord directeth his steps. A young friend of his,
(a brother of the Rev. Elias Van Bunschooten,) whose
health, as well as his own, was in a feeble state, having
concluded to try the effect of a voyage to one of the
West-India Islands, proposed that he should accompany
him ; and some circumstances concurring to render the
proposal very agreeable at the moment, he did not
hesitate to accept it. Nay, he was so delighted with
the opportunity now presented of taking a trip of the
kind, and so confident that he would derive great bene
fit from it, that he decided upon the matter without
previously seeking direction of the Lord, a duty which,
afterwards, he seldom omitted upon any occasion. It
was understood that he would go ; he fully intended

HIS EARLY LIFE. 35
to go ; and, as it was expected that we would sail soon,
his kind mother provided a number of articles, which
she thought he would need at sea. After all the pre
parations were made for his departure, to the surprise
of his friends, he suddenly gave up the voyage. This
singular step, some no doubt will imagine, proceeded
from timidity ; but it does not appear, from his own
account of it, that he had beforehand apprehended any
danger, or anticipated aught but pleasure and a resto
ration of his health. He could assign no reason for it,
save that he had lost all desire to go ; he accordingly
let his friend sail without him.
When the voyage was nearly completed, two of the
crew made an attempt one night to seize the vessel ;
and, in the prosecution of their diabolical design, all on
boar4, except a little boy, perished by their hands.
After perpetrating the horrible deed, they gave them
selves up to intoxication, and in this state, while in
sight of the Island of St. Thomas, it so happened, pro
videntially for their speedy detection, they ordered the
boy to row them ashore. He did so ; and then, as
soon as out of their power, he informed against them.
A vigorous search was instantly made for the wretches.
One fled to St. Eustatia, but was there seized and bro
ken upon the wheel. The other, whose name was
Anderson, was taken in St. Thomas, sent back for trial
to New- York, and here executed " upon an Island in
the Bay, near the city, which, from that circumstance,
has ever since been called, Anderson's or Qihbet Island."
Had Mr. L. accompanied his friend, speaking after
the manner of men, he would never have returned j

36 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
and upon hearing of the melancholy event, he was
much affected with the thought of his own wonderful
deliverance from a tragical death. He saw the protect
ing hand of a good God ; he knew that the Almighty
had wrought that change in his inclination, which was
the means of saving his life ; he therefore blessed the
Lord, who had thus seasonably interposed to redeem
his life from destruction. It is a circumstance not
altogether unworthy of notice, that the Great Being,
who determines the bounds of our habitation, so ordered
the place of his residence afterwards, that, for a great
many years, " Anderson's or Gibbet Island," was fre
quently before his eyes as a memento of the singular
mercy ; and never to the day of his death, did he for
get it, or relate it to his friends without suitable expres
sions of gratitude and praise.
It has been said, that he commenced the study of
law, with great ardor and untiring diligence, that he
constantly read, and thought, and wrote, with a fixed
and predominant regard to the honors of the world, for
more than two years, or until, by his intense applica
tion, he was brought apparently upon the very verge of
the grave. After his conversion, this profession, how
ever captivating once, was divested of all its charms.
He not only had no relish for it, but even a strong aver
sion to it ; and finding the idea of making this the busi
ness of his future life, painful to him, though he said
nothing immediately upon the subject, to any of his
friends, he determined to turn his attention in another
direction. What to pursue in its place, he had not yet
decided ; and some little time elapsed before he was

HIS EARLY LIFE. 37
relieved from the embarrassment, which, in the inter
esting state of his mind at this moment, was connected
with a decision. He was led, at length, to think of
devoting himself to the ministry ofthe Gospel; and " I
began to feel," he says, "even greater ardor for the
study of divinity, than I had before entertained for the
law; yet here difficulties," he adds, "which seemed
insuperable, immediately occurred. My health was
still feeble ; the pain in my breast was frequently
severe : and I could scarcely hope that I should be
even equal to the labors inseparable from the ministry
of the Gospel."
As the work he was now contemplating is the most
momentous and excellent in which a mortal can en
gage, and one which no man, who has a just impression
of its nature and consequences, will lightly think of
undertaking ; the solicitude, humility, and pious zeal,
with which he sought to know what the Lord would
have him to do, ought to be fully exhibited.
"But," he goes on to say, "this was only a second
ary objection : my principal difficulty arose from another
source. As the servant of Christ, I did not dare to
engage in any profession or service without being first
convinced that it was agreeable to the will of my
Divine Master ; nor could I form any determination
until I had obtained his permission. The duties and
Qffice of the ministry of the Gospel especially, opened
with such magnitude and high responsibility to my
view, that I feared I was wholly unequal, and altogether
unworthy of being employed in the sanctuary. I sup
posed it would be presumption in me to engage in this
holy work ; and the words, Isa. 1 : 12. Who hath re-

38 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
quired this at your hand, to tread my courts, were awful
and impressive.
" Convinced of the propriety and duty of acknow
ledging the Lord* in all my ways, and particularly in a
step of such importance, and believing, that according
to his promise, he would direct my paths, I often
prayed most fervently to obtain light and direction in
this interesting object Sometimes encouraged to hope
that I might proceed, and again cast down and despond
ing, I resolved to set apart a day, with fasting and
prayer, to pour out my heart before the Lord, and plead
for his instruction. L'pon this solemn occasion, after
fervent supplications, reading the word, and serious
meditation, I endeavored to arrange the subject ; and
the better to understand it, in all its bearings, I com
mitted to writing in one column, all the arguments in
favor, and in another, all those against it These I
maturely compared and disinterestedly pondered.
Especially, I endeavored most accurately to examine
my motives and ascertain the end I proposed, if I ever
should enter into the ministry. I found in this scrutiny,
and was sure there was no deception, that I was solely
prompted by a zeal to promote the glory of my Divine
Redeemer, by an ardent love for the souls of men, and
a desire to bring sinners, by preaching the Gospel, to
the obedience of faith. I was conscious that I did not
" desire the office of a Bishop" to gratify pride, indo
lence, or ambition, nor to promote my own personal
advantage and profit, for I knew it would be a sacrifice
of my secular interests and prospects ; but that in sin
cerity, and before God, it was to labor in His Church ;
it was to advance the cause of truth and holiness, and

HIS EARLY LIFE. 39
in this service to express my gratitude for redeeming
love." " But such was my fear of rushing inconsiderately
and impiously into this solemn work, that I several
times repeated these devotional exercises, and again set
apart days for that purpose ; still under the impression
of those awful words, Who hath required this at your
hand, to tread my courts ? Nor did I dare to come to
any conclusion, nor would I ever have commenced the
study of theology, unless it had pleased the Lord to
hear my poor prayers, and convince me it was consistent
with his holy will, that I should devote myself to this
arduous service.
"I did not expect or desire any immediate revela
tion, nor did I pray for any extraordinary manifesta
tion. I only wished for a removal of my doubts and
fears ; for a confirmation of my motives and desires,
and, in this way, to obtain a convincing and comfort
able token of the divine approbation. Whenever I
realized the voice of the Lord saying,. Whom shall I send,
and who will go for us f the reply of my soul was : Here
am I, send me. Yet still I hesitated to conclude that
he would send me, or expect he would honor me with
his message. After some weeks spent in these exercises,
the result was, that my doubts and fears were all en
tirely removed, and I began humbly to hope and be
persuaded, that I not only might commence in the
study, but actually must proceed. Every other door
was shut against me, while a sincere desire for this
work, from honest and sanctified principles, prevailed ;
and I could not avoid considering all this as a divine

40 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
response, as a gracious word of commission; and he said
go. From that hour, I never doubted of my duty, but
have had incontestable and continual proofs, that my
Lord had called me to the ministry, and would in
mercy employ me in his vineyard. My only remain
ing burthen now was, to obtain the spirit of that sta
tion ; to be furnished with special talents ; to be in
structed in the truth ; and to be rendered faithful."
When he thus relinquished a favorite pursuit which
promised the most brilliant temporal advantages ; and,
after much serious and severe self-examination ; after
reading, and meditating, and fasting, and praying,
again and again, with a view to obtain counsel of the
Lord ; after carefully arranging and weighing the ar
guments on both sides, arrived at the full conviction
that a necessity was laid upon him to preach the Gos
pel ; there can be no question that he was indeed called
of God to become an ambassador of the Prince of Peace.
And, it is scarce possible to image to one's self a more
interesting object than a youth, in the nineteenth year
of his age, shut up for hours together in a retired room,
that no eye might see, and no ear hear him but God's, and
there, upon his bended knees, with all humility and
fervor of spirit, seeking to learn of Him, with whom is
the residue of the Spirit, whether or not he shall go
forward to proclaim the precious tidings of salvation to
a dying world. On the other hand how impious, in
the eyes of Christians, and how contemptible even in
the view of the world, is the conduct of those, who,
without giving any evidence of piety, assume the minis-

HIS EARLY LIFE. 41
terial office ! To authorize its assumption, the possession
of grace, a certain degree of intellectual cultivation, an
acquaintance with the system of revealed truth, and the
approbation of the Church duly expressed, are indis
pensable ; but, in addition to these things, it is neces
sary that there be such a drawing of his heart to the
work, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls,
and such a concurrence of outward providences, as will
show satisfactorily to the individual proposing to un
dertake it, the approbation of God. There are many
great and good men in the Church, in whose conver
sion and call to the ministry, as far as known, nothing
very striking can be discovered ; yet, it is a fact, that,
when a person is, in a manner somewhat extraordinary,
brought to a knowledge of the truth, is suddenly di
verted from a business which he had designed to pursue,
and is constrained, contrary to antecedent views and
calculations, to devote himself te the ministry of the
Gospel, he is subsequently distinguished by a preemi
nent degree of the divine blessing upon his labors.
This appears to be an ordinary procedure of Provi
dence ; and the sequel will show, that the Lord was
preparing Mr. Livingston for a great work, and made
him, through a long life, a burning and shining light
in the Church.
The important question being now solved to the
satisfaction of his own mind, he deemed it proper at
once to acquaint his father with the change that had
taken place in his views. For reasons, which it is un
necessary to relate, he was apprehensive that he would
not readily be permitted to quit the study of law ; but

42 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
the result of the disclosure of his wishes was very dif
ferent from what he had anticipated, and thrilled his
heart with dehght. His father promptly and cheerfully
consented to his commencing the study of theology ;
and, for his encouragement, added a promise of such
pecuniary assistance as he might need in the prosecu
tion ofthe good design.

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 43

CHAPTER IH.
THE STATE OF THE CHURCH ABOUT THE YEAR 1765.
The Reformed Protestant Dutch Church was at this
time in an unhappy and critical state. In order pro
perly to set forth Mr. Livingston's situation, and the
disinterested and useful offices which he afterwards
rendered to the Church, it is necessary to trace the
difficulties which existed back to their origin.
Nova Belgia, or New-Netherland, as the part of
America settled or claimed by the Hollanders, was
originally called, comprehended a large extent of terri
tory. But the earliest settlements of any consequence
were made at the head of navigation on the Hudson
river, and on the south-west point of the island of Man
hattan. For the first few years after Hudson's dis
covery, in 1609, the Dutch occupants were chiefly
traders. It was not until after the incorporation of the
Dutch West-India Company, in 1621, that steps were
taken to send out agricultural colonists. In the spring
of 1623, the work of colonization was effectively begun,
and families were soon settled at Manhattan, Fort
Orange, and the "Waal-bogt," near Brooklyn. In
1626, Manhattan Island was purchased from the sav
ages for sixty guilders, (about twenty-four dollars,) and
Fort Amsterdam was begun on the site now covered

44 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
by the houses known as "Bowhng Row," near the
Battery. The Fort was completed in 1628, at which
time the population of Manhattan amounted to two
hundred and seventy.
Although the Dutch colonists were allured to the
New World chiefly by secular considerations, they did
not forget the churches and the schools with which
they had been familiar in the fatherland. The estab
lished Calvinistic religion of Holland was naturally
transplanted to New-Netherland, and the service of the
Reformed Dutch Church was formally celebrated the
same year that Manhattan was purchased. A spacious
room was prepared as a church in the story above the
first horse-mill erected on the Island, and, in the ab
sence of a regular clergyman, divine worship was con
ducted by Jan Huyck and Sebastian Krol, the two
Krank-besoeclcers, or " Consolers of the Sick." In the
Reformed Dutch Church, it is the duty of these officers
to assist the ministers in certain services, particularly
in reading the creed and the commandments from the
baptistery under the pulpit. This custom, which still
prevails in Holland, was kept up until recently in most
of the Dutch churches here.
Among the manuscripts of Dr. Livingston, there is
one containing a few observations upon the Dutch
Church, in which he says : " Documents of a— — private
private nature render it certain that a considerable
church was organized in that city, as early as 1619."
In another, he affirms, that a document "is still extant,
containing the names of members, in full communion,
ofthe Church of New- York, dated 1622."
The 27th article ofthe charter of "freedoms and ex-

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 45
emptions granted to the colonists of New-Netherland,"
by the West-India Company, passed on the 7th day of
June, 1629, enacted, "that the patroons and colonists
shall in particular and in the speediest manner, en
deavor to find out ways and means whereby they may
support a minister and a schoolmaster, that thus the
service of God and zeal for religion may not grow cool
and be neglected among them ; and that they do for
the first procure a comforter for the sick."
In the spring of 1633, the Rev. Everardus Bogar-
DUS, the first clergyman in New-Netherland, came out
from Holland, accompanied by Adam Roelandsen, a
schoolmaster. The loft over the mill, in which divine
service had been performed since 1626, was now re
placed by a plain wooden building, the first church edi
fice in New- York, situated on the East River, in what is
now Broad street, between Pearl and Bridge streets.
Hard by, a parsonage and a stable were built, for the
use of the "Domine," as the clergyman in Holland
was familiarly called. This title, which crossed the
Atlantic with Bogardus, has survived to the present
day among the descendants of the first Dutch settlers in
this State.
From this period the Church service was regularly
maintained, and the sacraments duly administered by
Dutch clergymen. In 1639, a record of baptisms was
commenced, which has been continued unbroken down
to the present day.
The precise time when a church was formed at
Albany, or who was the first minister there, can not
now be ascertained ; but it scarcely admits of a ques
tion that the inhabitants of that place, almost from the

46 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
moment of its occupancy, enjoyed the regular minis
trations of the Gospel. In the manuscript of Dr. Liv
ingston before referred to, it is said in reference to the
Albany settlement: "It is very certain that they had
ministers there as early as, if not before, any were in
New- York." Prior to the surrender of the colony to
Great Britain, in 1664, churches were established in
various other parts of New-Netherland, such as Flat-
bush, New-Utrecht, Flatlands (then New Amersfort)
on Long Island, Esopus in the interior, and Bergen in
New-Jersey. Within a few years after that surrender,
a church was formed in Schenectady, one on Staten
Island, three or four in different towns on the Hudson,
and several in New-Jersey. The Rev. Mr. Bogardus
was succeeded in the pastoral charge of the congrega
tion on Manhattan Island, in 1647, by the Rev. Johan
nes Backerus, who in 1649 returned to Holland and
was succeeded by the Rev. Johannes Megapolensis,
to whom the Rev. Samuel Drisius was added as a col
league in 1652, The subsequent ministers, during the
remainder of the century, were the Rev. Samuel Mega
polensis, Wflhelmus Van Nieuwenhuysen, Henricus
Solyns and Gualterus Dubois, who was settled in the
year 1699.
These facts show that the original colonists were, in
general, men of great moral worth, who did not, upon
being transferred to a new country, and far removed
from the notice of pious friends, cast off the fear of
God and abandon themselves to licentious habits of life.
Sensible of the importance of an early, public obser
vance ofthe worship of God, and cherishing a high re
gard for the doctrines of the Reformation, as they had

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 47
been taught them in Holland, they at once so consti
tuted themselves in a religious, as well as civil respect,
as was best calculated to preserve them from degener
acy, and to promote both their temporal and spiritual
welfare. It was, in their estimation, a measure of no
little consequence to the best interests of the colony, to
settle among them, as soon as possible, pious and faith
ful ministers of the Gospel, who should instruct them
and their children in divine things, and maintain among
them all the ordinances which appertain to the service
of God. And whether accompanied or not in their
emigration by those of their own choice, subsequent
circumstances soon rendered it necessary for them to
depend altogether for a supply of such men, upon the
choice of others. In these circumstances, as they had
no connection with any particular classis in the mother
country, they very naturally availed themselves of
their connection with the West-India Company, whose
influence was likely to obtain for them suitable pastors,
or at least to secure them against impositions ; and this
Company, the greater part of whose Directors resided
in .Amsterdam, as naturally, whenever applications for
clerical supplies were received from the colony, availed
itself of the advice and assistance of the classis of that
city. This way of relieving the exigencies of the
churches here, the best, if not the only one practicable
at the time, ultimately reduced them to a state of eccle
siastical vassalage, of no short duration, and fraught
with the most serious evils. Uniformly receiving their
ministers from the Classis of Amsterdam, these church
es, though not at first formally connected with it, were
very easily brought to consider themselves subject to

48 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
its authority. Gratitude for services rendered by the
Classis, independent of any influence on the part of
their ministers to this end, would dispose them respect
fully to submit to its oversight and control ; and the
result was, in the lapse of time, that, either from grati
tude or ministerial influence, or both combined, to
gether with the necessities of their situation, submission
was yielded as a matter of solemn duty. That it was
the interest of the ministers to inculcate and endeavor
to secure such submission, must be obvious; but it
seems strange, that the Classis encouraged it after a
number had been sent over, sufficient of themselves
with their several congregations to be formed into a
classis. It seems strange, that the Classis of Amster
dam were willing to retain any responsibility in rela
tion to men, whose moral and ministerial conduct they
could not inspect, or that they did not take measures,
as soon as they were warranted by circumstances, with
the Synod of North-Holland, to have a Colonial Classis
constituted. The formation of such a Classis, subor
dinate to the Synod, would certainly have relieved
them of a great deal of trouble, and might, in reason,
have been judged necessary to the peace and welfare
of the colonial churches. And it seems yet more
strange, that these churches, suffering as they did,
many inconveniences from their servile dependence
upon a foreign judicatory, were not prompted, at a very
early day, to apply for a local organization with class
ical powers. But this expedient was not thought o£
and for more than a century they continued to receive
their supplies from the Classis of Amsterdam, to refer
their controversies to it for decision, and implicitly to

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 49
obey all its commands. And that Classis, having long
had the exclusive management of these foreign con
cerns, with the approbation or tacit consent of the
other judicatories in the Netherlands, or without en
countering any interference, was at last supposed to
possess a sort of paramount authority. It acquired un
limited power over its American charge. It was in
vested with an imaginary infallibility, to which almost
the same respect was paid that Roman CathoHcs are
wont to show to his Holiness the Pope. The opinion
obtained with some, that it was the only legitimate
source of ministerial authority, that no ordination was
valid, except it had been performed or approved by
the Classis of Amsterdam.
An instance of this kind of extravagance occurred in
Albany, in 1675. It is thus related by Smith, in his
History of New- York : "In the year 1675, Nicholas
Renslaer, a Dutch clergyman, arrived here. He claimed
the manor of Renslaer Wyck, and was recommended (by
the Duke of York) to Sir Edmond Andross, for a living
in one of the churches at New- York or Albany, proba
bly to serve the Popish cause. Niewenhyt, minister of
the Church at Albany, disputed his right to administer
the sacraments, because he had received an Episcopal ordi
nation, and was not approved by the Classis of Amster
dam, to which the Dutch churches here hold them
selves subordinate." The controversy excited a good
deal of interest at the time, and in the end was referred
to the determination of the Consistory of the Dutch
Church at Albany. Opposition to the settlement of
Renslaer, under the suspicions entertained of his cha
racter and designs, was perfectly justifiable upon the
3

50 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
ground of those suspicions, but not upon that of the
supposed invalidity of his ordination. This, if not
thought to be derived from quite so good a source as
the Classis of Amsterdam — and such an opinion would
probably find some advocates at the present day — pro
vided he showed a willingness to adopt the standards
of the Church, and to put himself under its government,
could not fairly be viewed as barring his reception ;
much less could it be viewed as in itself wholly ineffi
cacious, or conferring no right to administer sealing
ordinances. The claim, however, which Niewenhyt,
in his zeal, set up in favor of the exclusive validity of
Holland ordination, was not more chimerical and ab
surd than that which in modern times has been ad
vanced, and somewhat strenuously maintained, in favor
of the exclusive validity of Episcopal ordination ; and
though urged in order to defeat a suspected nefarious
design, the fact that it was urged, clearly evinces the
influence which it was believed the argument would
have ; and hence, may be seen the ascendency then of
the Classis of Amsterdam, in the Dutch churches in
this country. This ascendency continued unimpaired,
and without even the semblance of opposition, until the
year 1737, when, for the first time, an attempt was
made to form a local convention, to have some general
superintendence of ecclesiastical concerns. A few min
isters* met in the city of New- York, and agreed upon
the plan of a Ccetus, or an assembly of ministers and
* The Rev. G. Dubois, of the city of New- York ; the Rev. G. Haeg-
hoorfc, of Second River; the Re v. B. Freeman, of Long Island ; the Rev.
C. Vau Santvoort, of Staten Island; and the Rev. A. Curtenius, of
Ilackensack.

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 51
elders, to be subordinate to the Classis of Amster
dam. The plan was submitted to the consideration of the
churches ; and the following year, at a meeting of
ministers and elders* held in the same city, it was
formally approved. A copy of it was at once for
warded to Holland, for the approbation of the Classis.
But though perfectly inoffensive in all its features, and
not intended to weaken, in the least, the authority of
the Classis, but merely to afford the brethren opportu
nities of giving and receiving advice, in cases of diffi
culty, and of cultivating a good understanding with
each other, it seems to have been received with some
little presentiment of its future important results.
Whether such was the case or not, no answer was re
turned to the communication for the space of eight or
nine years. When the answer came, however, it was
a gratifying one to the friends of the plan ; and accord
ingly, in the fall of 1747, the Coetus was constituted.
The body now formed, it will be recollected, had no
power of ordination. Ordination was indeed some
times performed here, but not independently of the
* Present. — The Rev. Mr. Dubois, with two elders, Anthony Rutgers
and Abraham Lefierts; the Rev. Mr. Freeman, with two elders, Peter
Nevius and Dirk Brinkerhoof ; the Rev. Mr. Van Santvoort, with one
elder, Goosen Adriance ; the Rev. Mr. Haeghoort, with one elder, F.
Van Dyck; the Rev. Mr. Curtenius, with one elder, Zabriskie; the
Rev. R. Erickson of Nauwesink, with one elder, J. Zutveen ; the Rev.
J. Bohm, of Philadelphia, with one elder, Snyder ; the Rev. Mr. Schuy
ler, of Schoharie, with one elder, Spies ; and the Rev. T. J. Fkeling-
hutsex, of Raritan, (see Appendix B,) with an elder, H. Fisher. The
names ofthe persons constituting this meeting are taken from an article
(by the Rev. Dr. T. Romeyn,) in the Christian's Magazine

52 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
Classis of Amsterdam, their permission to perform it,
in any case, being requisite. The Ccetus was not com
petent to proceed, upon its own motion, to any act of
the kind ; and for it to have done so, would have been
considered a usurpation of power, or high rebellion
against the authority of the Mother Church. The Cce
tus, in fact, possessed none of the rights or powers
which essentially belong to a classis ; and it was not
long, therefore, before many who looked with the
deepest solicitude at the wants of the Church, and faith
fully consulted her best interests, became convinced of
the necessity of having a more efficient judicatory.
This conviction grew stronger daily, and, in the end,
induced a proposition to form a regular classis. The
proposition was first made in Coetus, in 1753. It gave
rise naturally to considerable discussion, but was ap
proved ; and the next year due measures were taken to
ascertain the sense of the different churches upon the
subject. The historian, whose words have been more than
once cited, who wrote about the time of these occur
rences, and upon the spot, speaking of the Low Dutch
congregations, says : " With respect to government,
they are, in principle, Presbyterians, but yet hold them
selves in subordination to the Classis of Amsterdam,
who sometimes permit, and at other times refuse them
the power of ordination. Some of their ministers con
sider such a subjection as anti-constitutional ; and hence,
in several of their late annual conventions, at New-
York, called the Ccetus, some debates have arisen
among them, the majority being inclined to erect a
classis, or ecclesiastical judicatory, here, for the gov-

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 53
ernment of their churches. Those of their ministers,
who are natives of Europe, are, in general, averse to
the project. The expense attending the ordination of
their candidates in Holland, and the reference of their
disputes to the Classis of Amsterdam, is very consider
able ; and with what consequences the interruption of
their correspondence with the European Dutch would
be attended, in case of a war, well deserves their con
sideration." Reasons, other than those enumerated by this au
thor, had their influence in favor of the establishment
of an independent classis. It was not a little mortify
ing to several friends of the Church, that congregations
should still be compelled to send to Holland for minis
ters, when the few who had been ordained here were
found to be quite as acceptable and useful, as their Eu
ropean brethren, and when others, of undoubted piety
and sufficient talents, stood ready to become candidates
for the ministry, as soon as the way should be fairly
opened to a domestic ordination. Besides, the foreign
Classis, not knowing exactly the character and circum
stances of every vacancy, was not always the most
happy in the selection of a supply, nor, indeed, always
the most promptly attentive to a request for one. It
often happened that after the transmission of a call a
vacancy remained for years without the regular minis
trations of the Gospel. The proposal now under con
sideration, was, therefore, very popular in many parts
of the Church. The idea of throwing off a yoke, which
both they and their fathers had long been unable to
bear, and of governing themselves, was no sooner sug
gested than it suddenly spread, and arrayed in the sup-

54 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
port of itself a number of congregations and of minis
ters, both European and native, who cherished a proper
sense of their own rights, and a disposition to promote,
at all hazards, the welfare of the Church.
The measures pursued to carry this new plan into
operation, and the patronage it received, alarmed the
adherents of the Classis of Amsterdam, and they speedi
ly commenced a course of the most determined and
active opposition.
They met first in 1755 ; and, to be distinguished from
the friends of an independent Classis, who retained the
old name of Ccetus, they called themselves Confer-
entie.^- In point of numerical strength, the parties were about
equal to each other : in other respects, there was a
marked difference between them, the former excelling
in "practical preaching, zeal, and industry," the latter
having the greatest share of learning. The two bodies,
now completely organized and prepared for war, took
their stand against each other, with evidences of reso
lution and feeling, which foreboded a long, obstinate,
and dreadful conflict; and such, in fact, it proved.
" The peace" (we quote from the Christian's Magazine)
" of the churches was destroyed. Not only neighboring
ministers and congregations were at variance ; but, in
many places, the same congregation was divided ; and
in those instances in which the numbers, or the influ
ential characters on different sides, were nearly equal,
the consequences became very deplorable. Houses of
*.The ministers of this party were the Rev. Messrs. Haeghoort, Cur-
tenius, Ritzema, De Ronde, Van Der Linde, Schuyler, Van Sinderin,
Rubel, Freyenmoet, Kock, Kern, and Rysdyck.

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 55
worship were locked by one part of the congregation
against the other. Tumults on the Lord's day, at the
doors of the churches, were frequent. Quarrels respect
ing the services, and the contending claims of different
ministers and people, often took place. Preachers were
sometimes assaulted in the pulpits, and public worship
either disturbed or terminated by violence. In these
attacks the Conferentie party were considered as the
most vehement and outrageous. But, on both sides, a
furious and intemperate zeal prompted many to excesses
which were a disgrace to the Christian name, and
threatened to bring into contempt that cause which
both professed to be desirous of supporting."
For about fifteen years, this unhappy controversy
was maintained with all the virulence of party spirit,
producing, in many places, the most disastrous effects.
" The more moderate and prudent members of both
parties" (to quote again from the Christian's Magazine)
" were greatly grieved to find matters carried to such
extremes. They perceived the mischief which this vio
lence was daily producing, and foresaw the ruin to their
Church which was impending ; but were at a loss for
an adequate remedy. To allay the bitterness of preju
dices, which had been cherished for many years, and
had become deeply inveterate ; to heal a breach which
was now so wide, and was daily growing wider and
more unmanageable, required a combination of con
curring causes, which were not easily produced nor
brought into action. Each party tenaciously held its
own principles, and refused to yield or compromise.
No umpire could be found who was competent to de
cide, or who could expect obedience to his decision.

56 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
The separation appeared to be without remedy ; hope
was expiring ; and many valuable members, who ab
horred discord, and could no longer sustain the evils
which it produced, now left the Church and joined
other denominations."
Such was the distracted and perilous state of the
Dutch Church, under the baneful influence of this dis
pute, at the time when Mr. Livingston, after much se
rious deliberation, and earnest prayer to God for direc
tion, believed it was his duty to commence the study
of theology.
And the reader is requested to bear in memory, the
alienation, bitterness, and open violence, now so preva
lent; the ruin, the utter extinction of the Church,
which it was feared would inevitably follow, ere long,
as the effect of this unholy strife ; and he will see, in the
course of the ensuing narrative, how wisely and won
derfully after the lapse of nearly a century, God, in his
providence, recompensed the Christian sympathies and
attentions of the Church of Holland towards the pious
John Livingston of Ancrum, whom, when an exile, it
received and cherished, by rendering a descendant of his
an invaluable blessing to a portion of the same Church
when tossed with tempest, and apparently upon the
brink of destruction. And, as it is likely that this por
tion of the Church, though in a distant country, com
prehended within its pale some of the lineal descend
ants of the particular Dutch friends of that persecuted
and holy man, it will not be unreasonable to imagine,
that in return for the friendship shown him, such des
cendants were in some way personally benefited,
through the honored instrumentality of his descendant.

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 57
Bread cast upon the waters shall be found after many
days. A cup of cold water given to one because he belongs
to Christ, shall not lose its reward.
But there was another event of the day, which, as
being connected with much that will appear in a sub
sequent chapter, and forming a signal epoch in the
annals of the Church, deserves to be brought distinctly
under the notice of the reader. This was the introduc
tion of the English language in the service of the sanc
tuary. Until 1664, while the colony was under the
Dutch government, the Dutch language was, of course,
the only one in general use ; but long after it was in
the possession of Great Britain, as the Dutch inhabit
ants were by far the most numerous, their language
still continued to prevail. They used it in their schools,
in their public worship, in transacting their ordinary
business ; and, in fact, for more than a century, when
the English was quite familiar to them, such was their
attachment to their mother tongue, that they spoke it
habitually in their families. But, notwithstanding
their pains to preserve it, by the combined influence of
manv agents and circumstances, it began at length to
decline, and, at last, went into entire disuse. The
causes of this decline, and of the final predominance of
the English language in the province, can be easily
traced. '¦ As the greatest part of this province consisted of
Dutch inhabitants," says Judge Smith, " all our Gov
ernors thought it good policy to encourage English
preachers and schoolmasters in the colony. No man
could be more bent upon such a project than Fletcher,
a bigot to the Episcopal form of Church Government
3*

58 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
He accordingly recommended this matter to the Assem
bly, on his first arrival, as well as at their present
meeting. The House, from their attachment to the
Dutch language, and the model of the Church of Hol
land, secured by one of the articles of surrender, were
entirely disinclined to the scheme, which occasioned a
warm rebuke from the Governor in his speech at the
close of the session." At the next meeting of the
Assembly, in September, 1693, a bill was passed in
compliance with his wishes, "for settling a ministry, and
was sent up to the Governor and Council, who imme
diately returned it with an amendment, to vest his ex
cellency with an episcopal power of inducting every
incumbent, adding to that part of the bill, near the
end, which gave the right of presentation to the people,
these words, and presented to the Governor to be approv
ed and collated. The House declined to consent to the
addition, and immediately returned the bill, praying- -
that it may pass without the amendment, having in the
drawing of the bill had a due regard to that pious intsnt
of settling a ministry, for the benefit of the people."
According to this act, a certain number of vestry
men and church-wardens must be annually elected
in the city and county of New- York, and in the coun
ties of West-Chester, Queen's, and Richmond, to
choose " a good and sufficient Protestant minister"
for each district ; and, for the support of the minister
so chosen, they were authorized to levy upon each dis
trict a certain sum, to be paid by the inhabitants, of all
denominations. The act itself made no invidious dis
tinction between ministers of different denominations;
but it was interpreted as allowing of the choice only of

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 59
those of the Episcopal Church. A construction so dis
ingenuous and unwarrantable, naturally provoked
much dissatisfaction in the community ; and in April,
1695, a petition having been presented upon the sub-
jest, the Assembly declared it to be their opinion, " that
the vestry-men and church-wardens have power to call
a dissenting Protestant minister, and that he is to be
paid and maintained as the act directs. The intent of
this petition," adds the historian, " was to refute an
opinion which prevailed, that the late ministry act was
made for the sole benefit of Episcopal clergymen."*
The popular discontent was not quieted, however, by
this manoeuvre ; it was a mere piece of finesse ; for,
whatever was the power of vestry-men and church
wardens in the matter, under tteir auspices the opera
tion of the law was sure te be what it had been, and
what, no doubt, the cra#y Governor intended it should
be — solely in favor of such clergymen; and thus the Epis
copal Church was established and supported for near a
century, in th<s counties abovementioned. Before this
law was enacted, the Dutch Church was by far the
most distinguished of any in the colony, alike in num
bers, in wealth, and in respectability. But as soon as
the Episcopal Church was made so prominently an ob
ject of government favor, the Dutch lost some sup
porters, as a natural consequence of the inducements
then held out to defection.
With this concurred several other circumstances to
give a decided prominence to the use of the English
language. It was employed in the business of the gov
ernment and of the civil courts ; English families were
* See Smith's Hist., pages 137-143, and Chris. Mng.

60 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
continually multiplying; English schools were estab
lished; the trade with English merchants increased;
a friendly intercourse with the adjacent English pro
vinces was maintained ; intermarriages with the Eng
lish inhabitants were not infrequent. Hence it soon
became fashionable and even necessary to cultivate an
acquaintance with this tongue, and it is not improba
ble that a view to this object led many at first to attend
the Episcopal Church, who afterwards became fully
identified with that Church. After the lapse of some
years, the predominance of the English became so
marked that many of the young people, particularly in
the city of New York, who had grown up in the con
stant use of it, conld no longer sit with profit under
Dutch preaching, and, therefore, desired that the former
might be adopted in the public worship of God. Un
willing to leave the Church of their fathers, the Church
in which they had been baptized, and to which they
felt much attached, they ventured to urge the propriety
and necessity of a substitution of the English for the
Dutch language.
This request was very natural and proper. "The
Dutch congregation," to use the words of Smith, a. con
temporary historian, " is more numerous than any other,
but as the language becomes disused, it is much dimin
ished ; and, unless they change their worship into the
English tongue, must soon suffer a total dissipation."
Some respectable families had already left it on account
of the language, and united with other churches : but
still so infatuated were many, especially of the aged
part of the Church, with the notion that its very exist
ence depended upon the continuance of the language,

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 61
that the request now made was received with indigna
tion, and resisted to the utmost. They feared that the
proposed suppression of the language, if effected, would
necessarily involve, in time, the loss of the doctrines,
the mode of worship, the government, the very name
of the Church ; and there is reason to believe that the
opposition to it was fomented by the interference of the
Dutch ministers, who, as they could not officiate in the
English language, were not a little uneasy at the prospect
of its introduction. The opposition assumed, at length, a
malignant and violent aspect, which induced more of the
congregation that had no relish for scenes of animosity
and discord, to go over to other Christian societies ; and
at this important juncture, when it was evident that
something must be done to gratify the friends of a
change, and also, if possible, to terminate the unhappy
dispute, or the congregation "suffer a total dissipation,"
the consistory resolved to call a minister to preach in
the English language.
This was a decisive measure, one which teemed with
the most momentous consequences to the future welfare
of the Church, but which, though it had to encounter a
warm and determined hostility, was agreed upon with
singular moderation and prudence. The Consistory
had been accused of unfriendliness to the Dutch Church,
in meditating such a measure, or in showing any dis
position to favor the views of the English party ; and,
as they knew that there were English Churches in
some cities of the United Netherlands, in connection
with the national Established Church, they, to evince
their attachment to the Church, and by this means to
restore peace, resolved, not merely to call a minister to

62 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
preach in the Enghsh language, but to call one from
Holland, through the medium of the Classis of Am
sterdam. Accordingly they prepared a blank call, and
inclosed it in a letter to the Classis, requesting that the
call might be properly filled up, and put into the hands
of the individual whom that body should deem quali
fied for the station. Upon the receipt of this letter,
the Classis very promptly complied with the request
it contained, and sent the call to Mr. Archibald Laidlie,
then a minister of the English Church, at Vlissingen,
(or Flushing,) in Zealand, and a member of the Classis
of Walcheren. A more judicious and happy selection
could not have been made ; and it was due to the special
guidance of the Great Head ofthe Church, as the event
proved. Mr. Laidlie was a native of Scotland, (born in 1727,)
and received his education in the University of Edin
burgh. In. 1759, he settled at Flushing ; and, during
his ministry in the church of that place, which con
tinued a little over four years, he was highly esteemed
for his enlightened and active zeal in the service of his
Master, for his extensive attainments in theology and
general literature, and for his warm attachment to all
the doctrines of grace. He received and accepted the
call from New- York, in November, 1763 ; and arrived
at that city the latter part of the March following. A
fortnight after his arrival, April 15, 1764, having been
duly recognized as one of the ministers of the Dutch
Church, he preached his first sermon — the first ever
delivered in the English language in the Dutch church
— to a very crowded and devoutly attentive auditory.
The text was 2 Cor. 5 : 11 — Knowing the terror of the

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 63
Lord, we persuade men. The wishes of a large majority
of the congregation were now accomplished. God, in
mercy, had heard their prayers, and granted them
English preaching ; and, what rendered the boon pe
culiarly gratifying, there was good evidence that the
preacher who had been sent to them was truly a man
after God's own heart. It was, therefore, a season of
thanksgiving and praise in their habitations, long
gratefully remembered. It has been said, and the
anecdote shows the warm and kindly feelings with
which the ministrations of this eminent servant of
Christ were regarded, that some pious aged persons
gathered around him at the close of a prayer-meeting
one evening, when he had been fervently addressing
the Throne of Grace, and said to him : "Ah ! Dominie,
we offered up many an earnest prayer in Dutch, for
your coming among us ; and truly the Lord has heard
us in English, and has sent you to us."
The venerable subject of this Memoir, in one of his
private papers, thus speaks of Mr. Laidlie : " He was
a very acceptable preacher; bold and authoritative,
commanding respect, fear, and love. The wicked
trembled when he announced the terrors of the Lord,
while the lambs of the flock were nourished and com
forted, when he displayed the grace, care, and faithful
ness of their divine and good Shepherd. He was
much delighted with, and attached to, the Church Cat
echism; he had studied it with great diligence, and
prepared excellent lectures upon every section of that
precious standard of evangelical truths. By this study
he became a learned and sound divine, and recom
mended himself greatly to the Church. In his labors,

64 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
preaching, catechising, and visiting the congregation,
he was indefatigable. He was the first who was called
expressly to preach English in the Dutch Church in
America. A revival of religion then commenced;
the Church prospered, and the blessing of the Lord
was abundantly experienced under his ministry." The
writer has often heard an aged saint, who recurred
with evident satisfaction to the hours she had spent
under the preaching or catechetical instructions of this
man of God, tell of the revival here alluded to ; and,
from her representation, it must have been a powerful
and glorious work of the Spirit.
From traditionary and other accounts, it appears that
Dr. Laidlie (now made a Doctor in Divinity by the
college at Princeton) was a man not only of ardent
piety and remarkable public talents, but also of more
than common discernment and prudence ; possessing
precisely those qualities, the exercise of which, in his
difficult situation, was indispensably necessary to the
enjoyment of much comfort, or to extensive usefulness.
Coming into the Church at a time when the collision of
opinions and interests between the two great parties,
the Ccetus and Conferentie, was at its height ; and con
nected with a congregation, which was in a state of
very excited dissension, in consequence of his settle
ment among them as an English preacher, it behooved
him to look well to his goings ; and he did so look to
them. He was plain and affectionate in all his deport
ment ; he complied with the existing practice of the
Church in the most trivial things ; he treated with the
utmost respect the patrons of the Dutch language ; he
studied peace ; and made it evident to all, in his public

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 65
ministrations and private conversation, that his predo
minant desire was to win souls to Christ. It was his
happiness, therefore, to enjoy in a very high degree,
the esteem and confidence of the congregation which
he served, and of the Christian community at large.
But beloved as was Dr. Laidlie, and successful as had
been his ministry in the city from the moment of its
commencement, there still remained those whom a
blind and invincible attachment to the Dutch language
incited to a course of conduct exceedingly blame
worthy in itself, and, in no small degree, vexatious to
the Church. They were not to be reconciled to the
innovation ; nay, seemingly the more chagrined, the
more popular it appeared to be, they were incessant in
their efforts to obtain such a preponderance in the
government of the Church, or such a triumph over the
Consistory in a civil suit, which had been instituted
against that body for a supposed illegal act, as would
give them the power of exploding it.
The nature of the suit alluded to, which, though
commenced nearly two years before, was yet undecided,
and which must be noticed a second and a third time
in the succeeding pages, as involving the final settle
ment of the question relative to the language, it is
proper should be here briefly but distinctly stated.
Soon after the bJank call was sent to Holland, the
principal opponents of the measure concerted among
themselves a plan for turning out of office those that
had given it their support, and putting in men who
would endeavor, at once, to nullify all the proceedings
in the case. In order to carry these designs, it was
proposed that at the next election, the members in full

66 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
communion, a majority of whom they believed was on
their side, should choose the new Consistory in contra
vention to a long immemorial practice of the Church,
or, at least, assert their right to do so ; and, in the
event of its being denied, immediately seek redress in a
court of justice. Accordingly, in the ensuing October,
when the election was held, the right was claimed, in
due form, by a Mr. Abel Hardenbrook, who offered to
vote upon the occasion. The vote was of course re
jected, and that rejection was made, without any delay,
the ground of a judicial process.
The Enghsh language ought, in reality, to have been
introduced into the Dutch Church fifty years* sooner
than it was ; and would have been introduced, if the
future prosperity of the Church had been properly con
sulted. And, though the fathers of the Church, some
of whom were truly pious and excellent persons, were
excusable for opposing the change, prior to the adop
tion of any measures to settle an English preacher,
since they honestly believed that it would lead to de
plorable results ; it may seem strange, that after a call
was actually sent to Holland, they should try to break
* Dr. Livingston thought it should have been introduced an hundred
years before. Mr. P. V. B. Livingston, a respectable relative of his, in
a letter dated February 17 69, writing on the subject says : "Had this
been done in this city thirty years ago, the Dutch congregation would
havo been much more numerous than it is now. The greatest part of
j the Episcopal Church consists of accessions they have made from the
i Dutch Church." He adds, that though the Dutch was his mother
tongue — the first language he had been taught, and was still spoken by
him with ease, he could not understand a Dutch sermon half as well as
he could an English one, and that as for his children, " there was not
one that understood a sentence in Dutch."

THE STATE OF THE CHURCH. 67
down an old established custom, and show such a
determined purpose to maintain the stand they had
taken. It is still more surprising that, besides the other
motives which ought to have had some influence upon
them, the spiritual welfare of their children, who un
derstood, as was admitted, very little of Dutch sermons,
did not constrain them to acquiesce in the decision of
the constituted authority of the Church. But the con
duct of the best of men is sometimes unaccountably
inconsistent with the principles they profess ; and great
allowance must be made for the force of old and rooted
prejudices. Besides, there are ever those whose interest
prompts them to take advantage of the weakness of
others, to inflame their passions, and to provoke them
to deeds which must issue in shame and regret.
Some of those most offended at the introduction of
the English language, after finding their opposition
fruitless, left the Dutch Church and connected them
selves with the Episcopal, saying : " If we must have
English, we will have all English." Among these
were many of the most honored families of the city,
the Stuy velsants, the Clarksons, the Van Wagenens, the
Livingstons, the Schennerhorns, and others.

68 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.

CHAPTER IV.
CIRCUMSTANCES RELATING TO HIS THEOLOGICAL
STUDIES, AND TO THE CHURCH OF NEW-YORK.
a.d. 1766-1767.
The state of the Dutch Church in America, at the
time when Mr. Livingston thought of entering upon
the study of divinity was not such, it must be con
fessed, as was likely to excite in him the least inclina
tion to become one of her ministers. The great schism
that existed, the hatred and turmoil so prevalent in
consequence, the difficulty of obtaining ordination, his
ignorance of the language then used in divine service
in every part of the Church, except a single congrega
tion — for, owing to the education he had received, he
was not at all familiar with it ; these were discourage
ments which, it is natural to imagine, would have deter
mined him, without hesitation, to join some other de
nomination of Christians. But he did hesitate, notwith
standing : and he decided, eventually, to continue in the
Church. Nor was there any bigotry in this decision ; it was
rather magnanimous. His heart glowed with Christian
charity. He detested the spirit that regards any eccle-

HIS THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 69
siastical line of demarcation as the boundary beyond
which the operations of saving grace must necessarily
cease, or the blind zeal which debars from a participa
tion in the benefits of salvation, all who are without
the pale of a particular church. He believed that the
exercise of that faith in Christ, which is the effect of a
divine influence upon the heart, and not the mere fact
of belonging to a church, however pure its doctrines,
or primitive its government, secured heaven to a sin
ner ; and, therefore, that all of every name, having
that faith, and worshipping in spirit and truth, were of
the number of God's precious people, and would be
saved. Still, as he observed some difference in the
distinctive peculiarities of the several denominations,
whose standards included substantially the same articles
of faith, he deemed it proper, before making any posi
tive arrangements for his future studies to satisfy him
self which church was, in every respect, the most com-
formable to the model presented in the word of God,
and in which he would have the fairest prospect of use
fulness. The inquiry was one of great importance;
and the result showed, that he had sought in it only the
testimony of a good conscience. Those very circum
stances, which almost any other youth similarly situ
ated, would have viewed as conveying a command of
Providence to leave the Dutch Church, he viewed as
laying him under an obligation, in some measure, to
remain in it. So far from having a discouraging effect,
they had, on the contrary, a powerful influence in pro
ducing the resolution which he finally adopted. In
the manuscript, from which extracts have already
been made, he thus relates the reasons of this prefer
ence.

70 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
" When the main question respecting my engagement
in the ministry was decided, another of no small mag
nitude arose, upon which it was necessary with caution
and good conscience, to determine. This was, to what
denomination of Christians duty prompted an attach
ment, or in which Church I ought to minister. The
Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Dutch, were the only
three among which a selection was to be made. In re
gard to the Episcopalians, I considered them as very-
respectable, and supposed their doctrines, as expressed
in their articles of faith and liturgy, to be sound and
excellent ; but I was under the impression that those
doctrines were not cordially maintained, certainly not
generally preached by the ministers of that Church,
and that I could not, therefore, hold a cheerful commun
ion with them. Besides, their ceremonies, repetitions,
and what I thought to be an unmeaning and improper
parade in worship, lessened my admiration for them ;
while their Popish bigotry in favor of a monarchical
government of their Church, with their frivolous affec
tation of superiority above other denominations, to
whom, in many respects, they were vastly inferior, ex
ceedingly disgusted me. To their own master I left
them, but I did not wish to join them. In the Presby
terian Church I had been often instructed and edified.
Their doctrines were pure, and their preaching was
evangelical and practical. Their mode of worship ap
peared to be consistent with the spirituality, simplicity,
and dignity of the New Testament Dispensation, and
their form of government was founded upon that prin
ciple of equality which the Lord Jesus established
among the ministers of his Church. I could have joined

HIS THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 71
the Presbyterian Church with great freedom, and would
have done so, had not motives occurred which induced
mo to prefer the Dutch Church. My parents were
members, in full communion, of the Reformed Dutch
Church; I was baptized in that Church, and thus a
member of it, although not yet in full communion ; and,
in my estimation, the doctrines, worship, and govern
ment of the Church, were pure and evangelical. This
decided the inquiry, and convinced me, that as I had
already belonged to a Church which was equal in its
purity to any in the world, it was my duty to remain
in it, and consecrate my future service in that connec
tion and denomination."
" There was another motive which, imperceptibly,
yet powerfully inclined me to this determination. An
unhappy schism and controversy had, for several years,
subsisted in the Dutch Churches in America, which,
unless soon suppressed, threatened the annihilation of
that whole denomination. The precise grounds of the
dispute, or the best means of reconciling the contend
ing parties, I had not then completely surveyed. The
existing facts, however, were notorious and afflictive;
and I understood enough to convince me of the inevit
able ruin which was impending, and must soon be ex
perienced, if those dissensions were not healed. For
the restoration of peace and prosperity in this distin
guished portion ofthe Lord's vineyard, I felt an ardent
desire ; and it was powerfully impressed upon my mind,
that God would render me, however unworthy and un
fit for that arduous work, an instrument in his hand to
compromise and heal these dissensions, and raise the
reputation and establish the dignity and usefulness of

72 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
the Dutch Church in America. In what way these
great objects were to be effected, or how the Lord
would prepare, and afterwards employ me for that
purpose, I did not know, nor did this excite any diffi
dence or uneasiness. The point was settled in my mind,
and I was fully persuaded it would be accomplished.
This removed all further hesitation, and fixed my de
termination to abide in my own Church. The poste
rior dealings of Divine Providence, and the gracious
fulfillment of my expectations, have afforded me abun
dant evidence that my choice has been crowned with
the divine approbation."
The impression which it appears he had, that he
would be made in some way instrumental in restoring
peace to the Church, and which was so strong as to fix
his determination to abide in it, some probably would
pronounce "the baseless fabric of a vision," or a mere
whim of self-importance; but it was plainly neither.
It would have been little less than perfect idiocy for
him, under the influence of ambition and conceit, to se
lect for pursuit an object of such precarious attainment.
Something more obviously practicable, something en
vironed with fewer difficulties, and not quite so con
tingent in its nature would have been aimed at. He
would rather have fixed his eyes upon the plain path
way to comfort, usefulness, and honorable distinction,
then presented in either the Presbyterian or Episcopal
Church. The impression, it is believed, therefore, was
from God ; and the determination he formed, was, all
things considered, an evidence of genuine humility, and
of a sincere desire to promote the divine glory.

HIS THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 73
Mr. Livingston having now (in the spring of 1765)
in a good measure recovered his health, occupied much
of his time in reading historical, poetical, and other
works, calculated to improve him in general and polite
literature. Among the authors that engaged his atten
tion was Shakspeare ; but he had no relish for dramatic
performances. And it will not be amiss, perhaps,
though it be a shght infringement of the continuity of
the present narrative, to insert here his sentiments
upon the subject of the Theatre. They are exceedingly
just, and to some readers of these pages, may admin
ister seasonable and salutary counsel, since the theatre
is a place to which it is but too fashionable for persons
of every age to resort.
" I was early convinced," he says, " that the theatre,
whatever modifications it might promise, and how in
nocent soever it might prove to some, who, burdened
with business, seek a relaxation at the play-house, was,
in fact, in its veiy scope and natural influence, the
nursery of vice, and ruinous to youth ; that it produced
dangerous temptations; dissipated the mind from se
rious exercises ; and, in its whole apparatus of show,
drapery, noise, and insinuating scenes, was inimical to
that rigid virtue, that strict industry, and those sober
and prudent sentiments and habits, which every youth
ought to study and maintain. I was confident that
the frequent and vain and wicked invocation of the di
vine name ; the irreligious, indelicate, and even ob
scene insinuations ; the avowed provocatives to unsanc
tified passions; and, at best, the vulgar and foolish
subjects with which the drama, especially the comic,
abounds, render it unworthy the approbation of a well-
4

74 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
informed, and especially of a pious mind, and wholly
improper to be honored with the presence and counte
nance of a real Christian. He whose heart is renewed,
who loves a holy God, and trembles at his word ; who
is devoted to the Saviour that died to redeem him
from a world which lieth in wickedness, and who prays
daily to be kept from temptation, will not go to the
play-house. Unconverted men, even those who have
the form of godliness, but are destitute of its power,
may think it strange that the Lord's people do not run
with them to the same excess of dissipation and amuse
ments. But, if it should ever please God to bring
those men to a correct knowledge of their own vile
and deceitful hearts, and make them anxious to be
saved from their sins, through a crucified Redeemer,
they will readily know and acknowledge that a play
house is inimical to their devotion, and fatal to their
peace. They will cordially unite with all sincere peni
tents in disapproving the theatre ; and without being
swayed or overawed by the interested or deluded sons of
pleasure, will pronounce the play-house to be the most
pernicious institution thsft; exists in civilized and polish
ed society. They will condemn it as the greatest
enemy to the religion of the holy Jesus, and wonder
that it is suffered to prevail, or meets with patrons in
nations who are called after the name of Christ."
" My early aversion to the theatre has increased and
been corroborated by painful observation. I have
known several hopeful youths of respectable connec
tions, who might have been an honor to their families,
and a blessing to the community, to be totally ruined
by their early attachment to the play-house. Their

HIS THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 75
corruption commenced with their attendance at the
theatre. There they formed an acquaintance with low
and unworthy characters; there, under its baneful
influence, they grew indolent and dissipated, impatient
of study and close application to any business ; and, in
the issue, they became some of them insipid and use
less drones and coxcombs, many of them final victims
to intemperance, and all of them a grief to their pa
rents." The truth of this testimony will not be called in
question by any who were acquainted personally with
the witness, or know the pure and elevated character
he sustained ; and it is earnestly desired that it may
prove the means of turning the feet of some from a
house which is the way to hell, going down to the cham
bers of death.
To return to the narrative ; Mr. Livingston, it was
stated, as soon as he found himself convalescent, engag
ed in an extensive course of reading. Nothing occurred
after this worthy of particular notice, till he had his first
interview with the excellent Laidlie, which took place
some time in the following summer, and proved the
commencement of a cordial," unreserved, and lasting
intimacy between them. At this interview, it is pre
sumed, he disclosed his purpose to consecrate himself
to the ministry of reconciliation. Whether the dis
closure was made then, or afterwards, the good Doctor,
knowing the labors connected with the sacred employ
ment, and perceiving his young friend to be in feeble
health, at first seemed to doubt as to the advice it
would be proper for him to give in the case; but he did
not doubt long. Mr. Livingston soon convinced him

76 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
that the purpose was not to be abandoned on the
ground of the present state of his health, that he had
fully made up his mind to attempt the prosecution of
it, leaving the event with God and, at the same time,
cherishing a confident hope that health would be given,
and whatever else he might need. Upon the appear
ance of such piety, and zeal, and trust in God, Dr.
Laidlie at once encouraged him to make the attempt,
and suggested that it would be to his advantage to go
to Europe, and to prosecute his theological studies in
one of the celebrated Universities of Holland. The
suggestion was received with due respect. He had
wished to visit that country, before this conversation
took place, that he might attempt the removal of the
grievances which had produced the unhappy breach
here; being persuaded that if he could inform the
ministers of Amsterdam of the precise state of these
churches, something would be done for their benefit ;
and now, that another inducement to go there was pre
sented, he thought, if there should be such a concur
rence of circumstances as to show him that Providence
approved it, he would undertake the voyage.
In July, he took the degree of master of arts ; and
the . succeeding winter he spent in the city of New-
York. The society of Dr. Laidlie, and other pious
friends which he daily enjoyed ; the religious meetings
he frequented ; and the accurate and extensive know
ledge he acquired of the affairs of the Church during
this season, rendered it both a pleasant and useful
winter to him ; and the sojourn was highly necessary in
reference to the important object in contemplation.
Finding in the spring his health considerably im-

HIS THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 77
proved, and his father having cheerfully consented to
his receiving a foreign education for the ministry, as
also to defray all the charges which might attend it, he
resolved to cross the Atlantic. On the twelfth of May,
1766, every suitable preparation being made, he bade
adieu to relatives and friends, and set sail for Amster
dam. He was now within a few weeks of the twentietJi
year of his age ; and his youth, his delicate health, the
object which he had in view in venturing upon the
voyage, and other circumstances, imparted to the event,
in the eyes of many, a peculiar and touching interest.
Some of the New- York congregation already cherished
the hope that he would, at a proper time, return to
labor among them in holy things. The intercourse of
a few months had given them a favorable opinion of
his piety and talents, and he departed with their fervent
prayers to Heaven in his behalf. He had a tolerably
pleasant voyage. That Almighty Being, who holds
the winds in his fists, and the waters in the hollow of
his hand, protected his young servant from dangers, and
conveyed him safely to his particular destination.
Once, indeed, the vessel when sailing up the British
Channel, was in quite a perilous situation. The cap
tain had been unable, owing to cloudy weather, to take
an observation for several days ; and, mistaking the
part of the Channel where he was, unwittingly got
on the coast of France, very near the shore. The
vessel was in imminent danger of being wrecked ; but
just then, a kind Providence sent a favorable wind,
which wafted her in a few hours abreast of Dover.
On the twentieth of June, or in thirty-nine days after
leaving NewYork, he arrived at Amsterdam. The

78 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
attentions he now received from the several individuals
to whom he had brought letters of recommendation,
were of the most gratifying kind. To Mr. J. Chabo-
nell, on the Keyser's Graft, whose house, on his arrival,
at the particular request of that gentleman, he made his
home ; to Mr. Dataiel Crommelin and his sons ; to Mr.
Van Haerlingen ; and to Mr. Anthony Van Rensselaer,
with whom he afterwards abode whenever he visited
Amsterdam, he felt himself much indebted. The kind
ness of these generous Hollanders, especially of the
family of Mr. Van Rensselaer, he could never forget.
Almost immediately upon his arrival, he endeavored
to learn where he could most advantageously settle
himself, to pursue his theological studies; and the
information given him by the intelligent persons
with whom he conversed, very soon determined the
question in favor of the University of Utrecht. The
universities of Leyden and Groningen had a high repu
tation; but the preeminence in public opinion, he
found, belonged to the one at Utrecht. Here was a
man who, in the department of theology, had no com
peer in the country, Professor G. Bonnet. For piety,
eloquence, and learning, he was decidedly the most dis
tinguished professor in Holland; and when Mr. Liv
ingston became satisfied of the fact, he did not hesitate
to fix upon Utrecht as the place of his future resi
dence. In all the universities of Holland, it is customary to
have a long vacation, (from May to October,) and it be
ing now the season of the vacation, he did not proceed
immediately to the University, but tarried a few weeks
in Amsterdam, cultivating an acquaintance with a num-

* HIS THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 79
ber of godly persons. The time was well spent. He
was introduced into just such society as suited his taste —
that of warm-hearted and intelligent Christians — and he
derived from it important spiritual benefit. These
strangers proved, indeed, helpers of his faith and joy.
They received him with much Christian frankness and
love, and their conversation was pleasing, spiritual, and
instructive. But it will readily be supposed that, un
accustomed to speak the language, he would be unable
to maintain a conversation in it. He had a friend,
however, who could act the part of an interpreter, and
who accompanied him in his visits for a while; and
having often heard the Dutch spoken in America, he
soon acquired a knowledge of it sufficient for a little
pious discourse.
In a village called Tienhoven, not far from Amster
dam, there lived a venerable servant of Christ, whose
name was Schorelenburgh, greatly beloved, and much
talked of as a person of more than ordinary experience
in religion. He had been more than fifty years the
minister of that place, and such was the respect in
which his character was held that, from far and near,
many who were asking the way to Zion, or walking in
spiritual darkness, came to him for counsel. Mr. Liv
ingston had a great desire to see this aged and cele
brated disciple; and, one day, Mr. Frans Van Haer-
lingen, the interpreting friend alluded to, went with
him to Tienhoven, and introduced him to Mr. Schore
lenburgh. He was highly gratified with the excur
sion. The judicious and affectionate conversation
of the matured saint, who seemed prepared to depart
at any moment, " with hands fastened on the skies,"

80 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
had a happy influence upon his mind, and he left him
with mingled emotions of veneration and love, feeling
that he had found a father, to whom in seasons of gloom
he could freely repair for advice and comfort.
At a suitable time, he went to Utrecht. Upon his
arrival here, he was introduced to an American gentle
man, Mr. Henry Peterson, an established and respect
able merchant of the city, who invited him to his
house, and hospitably entertained him until he could
provide himself with convenient lodgings. Professor
Bonnet gave him a very friendly reception. This dis
tinguished person, with official dignity appears to have
united great suavity of manners ; and his deportment
to the young stranger was so kind and paternal, that it
excited in him much filial affection and confidence.
Mr. Livingston regarded his professor as a sincere
friend, which he truly was ; and, having such a friend
to consult, he evinced, at the very commencement of
his university career, a prudence that is rarely met with
in a youth but twenty years of age. He would form
no intimacies ; nay, he carefully avoided all advances
made to him for acquaintance, until he had the advice
ofthe Professor, or knew from him the character ofthe
persons who sought his company. This was a wise
precaution. It had the effect which he desired. It
kept him a stranger to those whose companionship
could not fail to injure him ; and it was the means of
leading him into some of the most respectable society,
both of the city and of the university. The prudence
discovered in this fact constituted in after-life one of
his most prominent characteristics.
While he was preparing to attend the lectures ofthe

HIS THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 81
approaching session, a circumstance occurred, which
shows how the steps of a good man are ordered by the
Lord, and how the smallest incidents are often connect
ed with the richest and happiest experience of the
Christian. During his voyage and stay in Amsterdam,
Mr. Livingston had enjoyed a very comfortable frame
of mind. His spiritual exercises had been lively and
pleasant, and he had cherished a confident hope that
the Lord would preserve his health, and enable him to
pursue, with vigor and diligence, the studies upon
which he designed to enter. But, a short time previous
to the commencement of the lectures, he became much
dejected, owing to the return, with some severity, of
the old pain in his breast. Finding himself again af
flicted with a complaint which had once menaced him
with an early death, and apprehending its continu
ance, he began to think that he would be compelled to
abandon his object, and to feel very sensibly the lone
liness of his situation, in the midst of strangers. The
depression of his spirits in consequence was very great ;
and that he might open his heart to a friend, who
would probably say something to comfort him, he de
termined to make another visit to the venerable Scho
relenburgh. Accordingly, he rode one day to Tien
hoven. Soon after he had entered the good man's
dwelling, and the usual salutations had passed between
them, Mrs. Schorelenburgh, who was truly a mother in
Israel, inquired with much affectionate solicitude,
concerning the state of his health. He told her, in
reply, that " he was in constant pain in his breast, with
much weakness and dejection of spirits, and that he
feared he had come three thousand miles from home
4*

82 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
in vain." Upon hearing this, the old lady rejoined
in a few pious and appropriate remarks, and then
with a very earnest and impressive look, said: "Do
you not know that your Lord Jesus is the physi
cian of the body as well as of the soul ? Apply to him.
Bring your body to him in prayer, and pray that he
will heal you." He heard her with respectful atten
tion, of course ; but there was nothing very striking at
the moment in her counsel. It, however, left an im
pression upon his mind,; and such, in a little while,
were his exercises under its influence, that he found it
necessary to take a premature leave of the excellent
couple and hasten back to Utrecht. As soon as he had
returned, he entered into his closet and approached the
Throne of Grace. It was a solemn hour with him.
The wrestlings of his soul with the Lord were pecu
liarly earnest, blended with the exercise of a strong
filial confidence. He felt that he prayed in faith for
the Lord to heal him; and when he retired from
the throne, he had a comfortable persuasion that
his prayer was heard. "Nay," he says in his own re
cital of the interview, and of what followed it, "I be
lieved that I was then healed, and my confidence was
so strong, that I wrote immediately in the journal I
kept, that my God had granted me my petition, and
that I was actually healed, and would never be pre
vented by that pain in my breast from prosecuting my
studies or proceeding in my public work. And it has
been so. To the praise of his truth, his grace, and his
power, I record that he is the healer of the body as
well as of the soul. He is the hearer of prayer."
About the same time, he received a letter from a

THE CHURCH OF NEW-YORK. 83
much respected friend in New- York, Abraham Lott,
Esq., detailing the proceedings which had taken place
within the last year, relative to the introduction of
English preaching. As this subject lay so near the
heart of Mr. Livingston and had so much bearing upon
his subsequent usefulness, no apology is necessary for
interrupting the course of the narrative in order to give
from Mr. Lott's letter a concise account of the progress
and termination of the controversy. x
It has been mentioned that a law-suit was commenc
ed against the Consistory of the Church of New- York,
for rejecting the vote of a member of the Church at a
consistorial election, held Oct. 1763. This suit was
undetermined yet in October, 1766.
At the request of some neutral members of the
Church, as an unfounded report was in circulation that
the Dutch party had proposed, but without success,
terms of reconciliation, the Consistory met about the
beginning of the month to consider whether any, and if
any, what means beyond those they had already tried,
could be adopted to restore peace in the congregation.
The result of the meeting was, the appointment of a
committee to propose to Mr. H  , the person who
had sued the Consistory, an amicable settlement of the
pending litigation. This proposal was not accepted.
He said " the Church must be all Dutch, and not Eng
lish :" and when asked what would become of the chil
dren who were unacquainted with the Dutch language,
replied, " that they might go to the Church of England,
or any where else." Failing in this overture, the
Consistory authorized two of their body to have an
interview with Mr. Lefferts, an aged person highly

84 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
respected by both parties, and considered a neutral in
the dispute, to inquire if he thought an accommodation
could be effected, and, assuring him of the earnest
desire of the Consistory to do all in their power towards
one, to request him to consult the leaders of the Dutch
party upon the subject. The request was made and
complied with ; and it was understood that the party
wished for a composition of the difference ; but, upon
inquiry, it was found that they had fixed upon terms
as the basis of a reconciliation which were wholly inad
missible. The terms were substantially these : that
they should have the government of the old Church,
and retain all the property belonging to it ; that the
English preacher should not be present at any of the
meetings of their Consistory ; that their Consistory
should be a distinct body, with whose discipline and
other matters the Consistory of the new church should
have no right to interfere, and in whose elections all
those that communed with the Enghsh party should
have no voice ; that there should be Enghsh preach
ing but once on the Sabbath in the new church ; and,
moreover, that when Dutch was preached in that house,
the Dutch Consistory should occupy the pews appro
priated to the elders and deacons.
These propositions were considered unfair and hu
miliating. They were calculated, it was supposed, to
produce a separation of the churches; or, rather, to
effect ultimately the entire exclusion of Dr. Laidlie
and the English service from the Dutch Church.
And it was obvious, that their acceptance would at
once give to the party greater advantages than they
could possibly acquire by gaining their suit in law,

THE CHURCH OF NEW-YORK. 85
for, in that case, they would acquire only the right of
voting individually, if members in full communion, for
the officers of the Church ; and being, with respect to
such members, much weaker than the English party,
the exercise of the right would avail nothing in reality.
As the day for the election drew near, that they might
then come forth in all their strength, they industriously
circulated a paper for subscription, which was so drawn
up as to obligate every signer to make a tender of his
vote, and if that vote should be refused, immediately
to seek redress in a court of law.
To defeat the purpose of this compact, which was to
change finally the mode of election, another paper,
addressed to the Consistory, and praying them to
adhere to the ancient practices of the Church in the
choice of their successors, was speedily prepared and
handed about for signatures. This petition was signed
by a majority ofthe communicants of the Church. It
was in the following words:
" To the Bev. and Worthy Consistory of the Reformed
Protestant Dutch Church ofthe City of New-York :
" The Petition and humble Request of us the under
written, communicants of the said Church, showeth, —
That the Petitioners have been credibly informed that
several of the communicants ofthe said Church intend,
on the day appointed by the Charter of the said Church
for electing Elders, Deacons, and Church-masters, to
come and vote for Elders, Deacons, and Church-mas
ters, contrary to the old invariable usage and custom
of the said Church, before and since obtaining the said
charter : That we judge an election by the communi-

86 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
cants as an infringement ©n the constitution of our
Church, and tending to raise heats, controversies, and
animosities among the members thereof, contrary to
that love and esteem which ought to subsist among the
professors of Christianity. Our earnest request and
desire therefore is, that the Reverend and Worthy
Consistory will by no means deviate from the old con
stitutional method of electing Elders, Deacons, and
Church-masters, but proceed therein as usual, notwith
standing any attempt contrary thereto, and we do
hereby promise and engage personally to attend on
the day aforesaid, at the old Dutch Church, there to
agree to the election, nomination and appointment, that
shall be made by you, according to the usage and con
stitution aforesaid. We pray God to heal the un
happy breach in our Church; and are, with great
esteem, etc."
The promise to attend and approve of the choice, of
the Consistory was made to leave their opponents no
room to cavil — to bar all possibility of exception.
In the hope that the controversy might yet be settled
in a friendly way before the election, the Consistory
adopted a paper, containing what were very justly
styled Articles of Peace, which was submitted to the
consideration of the Great Consistory; and, being
approved by that body, was put into the hands of the
neutral father aforementioned, (Mr. Abraham Lefferts,)
to be by him laid before the Dutch party. Overtures
so liberal as those now made, it was hardly to be sup
posed could fail of restoring peace. The preliminary
article required that Dr. Laidlie should be treated as

THE CHURCH OF NEW- YORK. 87
one of the ministers of the Dutch Church. Then
followed an offer to pay the whole of the Doctor's
salary by contributions from the English party; an
offer to bind themselves and their successors to use,
neither directly nor indirectly, any property which
had been given for the support of the Dutch minis
ters, to maintain the English service; an offer so to
form the Consistory that the two parties should, in
point of numbers, be equally represented in it, or, in
other words, to choose out of twice the number of each
class to be ncminated by the Dutch party, four Elders,
four Deacons, and two Church-masters, who, with the two
Dutch ministers, would make its numerical representa
tion the same as that of the Enghsh party. Two very
reasonable requests, besides, were made, to wit : that
there should be a morning and evening service in the
English language, in the new church, every Sabbath ;
and that the suit at law should be abandoned. These
generous overtures, however, were rejected.
On the fifteenth ofthe month, one day previous to that
of the election, the Consistory were informed that the
Dutch party had deputed certain persons to make
some proposals, and a committee was accordingly ap
pointed to have an interview with these deputies. The
interview took place in the evening of the same day,
at the house of Mr. Gleyn Van Gelder ; but the propo
sals, which, from the circumstance of their being ten in
number, as also from the air of authority running
through them, were afterwards pleasantly called by the
other party " Ten Commandments," as they contained
offensive insinuations, as well as unreasonable demands,
tended rather to widen than to heal the breach. The

88 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
deputies were informed the next day that the Consis
tory could not agree to them.
Before the hour fixed for the important contest had
arrived, nearly all the communicants of both parties
were assembled in the old church, with a considerable
company of persons of other denominations, who had
come, as they said, "to behold the Dutchmen quarrel."
The Consistory now made yet one more attempt to
produce a reconciliation. They tendered anew the
" Articles of Peace," and endeavored, for some time, to
prevail upon their opponents to accede to them ; but
their efforts proved fruitless. These misguided or
mis-judging brethren were inflexible to the last mo
ment. After the election was over, the names of those
who would constitute the new Consistory were pub
licly read, and (before two notaries public, present by
request) the members of the church were asked if
they approved of the choice of the Consistory, and of
continuing the old mode of election ; and a majority
was at once discovered, in favor of both, of more than
one hundred and thirty.
This was a signal triumph; but the discomfited
party were still very unwilling to yield. Chagrined
at the result of this proceeding, which completely pre
cluded the opportunity they had sought and expected, of
disputing the legality of the election, and of suing
the Consistory, they put into the hands of the Rev.
Mr. De Ronde, the minister that presided upon the
occasion, and their great friend and champion,* a
* Mr. De Ronde pursued a course of conduct throughout the contro
versy which was much blamed, and made him many enemies. Hia
colleague, the Rev. Mr. Ritzema, was more prudent, and uniformly
acted as the friend of the English party.

THE CHURCH OF NEW-YORK. 89
paper naming certain persons for Elders, Deacons, and
Church-masters. As this paper was not addressed to
the Consistory, they, of course, paid no attention to it ;
but, after their business was concluded, the president
took notice of it, and invited those who thought they
had a right to vote, to come forth. The invitation,
however, they being by this time either ashamed of
their cause or convinced that for them to make any
election would only expose them to ridicule, was not
obeyed. No one offered to vote.
The important law-suit, it was now expected, would
be shortly decided ; and the appellant in the matter,
with his friends, confident of gaining it, judged it ne
cessary to present, in season, a protest against the late
election, supposing probably that this measure would
put it in their power to set the same entirely aside, as
soon as the decision anticipated should be obtained.
Before, therefore, the Elders, Deacons, and Church-
masters elect were inducted into their respective offices,
that is, on the Friday immediately preceding the Lord's
day appointed for the performance of the ceremony,
they laid before the Consistory a paper called a Protest,
and superscribed to the unlawful Consistory, in which
they declared that the election had been conducted con
trary to the Word of God, to the Charter, and to Church
Orders.* This paper was treated with the contempt it
deserved; and the very next day, to the no little
mortification of the whole Dutch party, the suit was
determined in favor of the Consistory. \ A determina-
* The protesters were " Abel Hardenbrook, Wilham Elsworth, Teunis
Tiebout, Johannis Hardenbrook, Henderecus Brevoort."
f Three of the judges, Messrs. Jones, Smith, and Livingston, were in

90 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
tion so unlooked for, ajod obliging the plaintiff to pay
costs to the amount of about three hundred pounds,
very soon allayed the zeal for continuing the quarrel
in a court of justice ; it did more ; it went far to subdue
the quarrel itself. Those who had been most adverse
to the authority and measures of the Consistory, gradu
ally became more tame, while the Consistory, on the
other hand, showed a kind, conciliatory spirit, conced
ing all that could be reasonably asked ; and the Church,
which had been for a long time a spectacle to surround
ing denominations, put on consequently a more pleasing
and inviting appearance.
That the reader may know what confidence was to
be placed in the Communication, from which the facts
presented in the foregoing statement have been taken,
the following brief extract from a letter of Dr. Laidhe
to Mr. Livingston, dated November 3, is inserted :
" Thanks be to our blessed Lord, for all that expe
rience he has given you of his love and faithfulness.
Trust in him at all times : none that trust in him shall
be ashamed. I am truly glad that you have settled at
Utrecht, and that you find Professor Bonnet a gentle
man so much to your mind. I had proceeded far in
another letter for you, and begun an historical account
of Church affairs since you left us ; but having heard
that this was the province of our friend, A. Lotfr, and
he having shown me a very particular journal of every
thing worthy your hearing on this subject, I dropt it.
favor of the Consistory; one, Mr. Horsmftnden, was in favor of Mr.
Hardenbrook. The reader will probably be gratified to see an abstract
of this important trial. See Appendix B.

THE CHURCH OF NEW-YORK. 91
But I can not omit calling upon you to bless the Lord
with us, and to exalt his holy name, for the remarka
ble interposition of his kind providence in the behalf
of his cause and people. How many proofs of his being
the hearer and answerer of prayer 1"
But it must not be understood that the congre
gation was brought at once into a state of perfect
harmony and peace. It was not to be expected
that all opposition would instantly cease ; and though
such as had been the most openly and violently
hostile, were a good deal humbled by what had now
occurred, yet they still cherished a vindictive tem
per; and having failed in law, tried other means of
annoying the friends of English preaching. One of
these was the invention and circulation of little stories
tending to vilify the character of the excellent Laidhe,
who thus speaks of this unworthy conduct, in another
letter to Mr. Livingston, of a later date : " Notwith
standing, blessed be God, I have of late felt more of
that comfortable stayedness of trust and establishment
of heart than I ever felt before ; and in this, I observe
not only the great goodness of my Lord and Master to
my soul, in the way of edification or upbuilding in the
divine life, but that this fills and prepares me for storms,
and supports me under the reproach and calumny
thrown out against me on every side. The great disap
pointment the Dutch party have met with, instead of
reclaiming them, has added fury to their rage ; they
think to revenge themselves upon me, though, by their
own confession, I am not the cause ; yet they find to
reproach me is the surest way to vex my friends, who

92 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
are so kind as never to mention these things to me,
though all with whom I am obliged to converse have
not that prudence, so that I must hear many a spiteful
lie. But, blessed be God, he not only keeps me from
laying things to heart, but gives a meek, humble, for
giving temper of mind, so that I can pray for, and
freely forgive the worst of my enemies among men.
Though the Dutch party have now entirely givpn over
coming to church when I preach, and hear only Mr.
De Ronde, whom they call their wettige predikant, [law
ful minister,] and whom I have reason to suspect to be
at the bottom of their obstinate opposition ; though he
has begun of late to speak uncommonly favorable of
me and my sermons; though said party use every
method to make me uneasy ; yet Jesus makes me
triumph, and enables me to rest in him, only desiring
to be found faithful and in all things to approve myself
to him in well-doing. I have enlarged too much on
this." In spite of all they could say or do, Dr. Laidlie was
beloved and useful,- and the Church was in a prosper
ous state ; nay, so much had the congregation increased
under English preaching, that it was found necessary
to erect another, or a third place* .for public worship.
The constantly increasing evidences of the propriety
of the change which had been effected, served only to
heighten their unfriendly feelings ; and another expe
dient, which they tried to regain their lost influence or
to make fresh trouble, was the presentation before the
\* By a letter of Mr. Lott, dated October 22, 1767, this building, (now
Galled the North Church,) it appears, was then considerably advanced.
The foundation was laid probably in the spring of the same year.

THE CHURCH OF NEW- YORK. 93
Governor and Council of a formal complaint against the
Consistory. This was their dernier resort; but here
their expectations were sadly disappointed. The Gov
ernor and Council ordered a copy of the complaint to
be given to the Consistory, and recommended that the
same be answered.* An answer was, accordingly, pre
pared and submitted; and the reader may learn the
result of this affair from a paragraph in another of Dr.
Laidlie's letters, dated December, 1767. It is as fol
lows : " You know how strangely poor Mr. De Ronde
has behaved for some time past. He strongly supported,
or rather has kept alive, the otherwise dying dissensions
in our congregation; but the Dutch party having
brought the affair before the Governor and Council,
and the Consistory being desired to give in an answer
to several complaints lodged before said Board by the
Dutch party, the Consistory accordingly gave in an an
swer, out of mere complaisance ; and the Governor and
Council decided the matter by declaring it was not cog
nizable by them, a declaration not very honorable for
the Board who made it, and by which the last finishing
blow was given to all the hopes of the Dutch party.
This has made them all very calm."
The dispute was now settled. The vanquished party
were treated with tenderness, and for many years after,
or until the number remaining became very small, they
maintained service in the old church, in the language
for the preservation of which they had so long and so
strenuously contended ; but Enghsh preaching was no
more opposed. It need scarcely be added, that the
\* The complaint and the answer are given in full in the Documentary
History of New- York, vol. iii._jh 308.

94 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
influence of these occurrences was felt in many congre
gations, and led, at length, to a general substitution of
the English for the Dutch language in the public wor
ship of God ; and, since this change had ultimately so
extensive and important an influence upon the Church
at large, the narrative which has been given of all that
related to it will not be thought too protracted or
minute.

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 95

CHAPTER V.
FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS STUDIES IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF UTRECHT, TILL HIS RETURN TO NEW-
YORK.
A. D. 1766-1770.
The University of Utrecht is, next to that of Ley-
den, the oldest institution of the kind in the United
Netherlands, having been founded in 1636.
The general character of these institutions in Holland
is thus described: " The external appearance ofthe uni
versities," says Guthrie, " is rather mean, and the build
ings old ; but these defects are amply compensated by
the variety of solid and useful learning taught in them.
There are abundance of youth of the principal nobility
and gentry, from most countries in Europe, at these
seminaries of literature ; and, as every one may live as
he pleases, without being obliged to be profuse in his
expenses, or so much as quitting his night-gown for
weeks or months together, foreigners of all ranks and
conditions are to be seen here."
Of the one which he attended, Mr. Livingston has
left this account : " There were no public buildings be
longing to the University of Utrecht. A large hall
appertaining to the old cathedral or Dome Kirk, was
occasionally used for public orations and disputations ;

96 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
and, in a hall of the St. Jans Kirk, the public libraiy
was deposited. This was not large in respect to the
number of books, as it contained chiefly such as were
very rare ; but it was especially celebrated for a rich
collection of manuscripts. The lectures of the profes
sors were all held in their own respective houses. There
were also no buildings appropriated as lodgings for the
students. They hired chambers, agreeably to their
choice, among the citizens. It was usual for them to
dine in select parties, in boarding-houses. The average
number of students at the University of Utrecht, dur
ing the four years I resided there, was to me unknown.
The students who attend to the different branches of
science repair all to their own respective lecture-rooms,
and have little or no knowledge of any others. And,
as there are several professors, even of .the same science,
each of them has a distinct number of students, who
seldom associate familiarly with those who attend a
different professor. It was, therefore, no easy matter
to ascertain the whole number, and impossible to be
come familiarly acquainted with all."
Mr. Livingston, having completed the preparatory
arrangements which he judged necessary to facilitate
the prosecution of his studies, as soon as the session of
the university opened, was admitted a member, and
commenced a regular attendance upon several profes
sors. Professor Bonnet, whose department was didactic
and polemic theology, he considered his Gamaliel. He
attended also Professor Elsnerus, in didactic theology ;
in the Hebrew language, and Jewish antiquities, Pro
fessor Ravius ; in the biblical criticism of the New
Testament, Professor Segaar ; and subsequently, upon

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 97
the Greek of the New Testament, Professor Van
Goens. These learned men delivered all their lectures
in the Latin language, and our young student not being
sufficiently familiar with it to understand it in oral dis
course, would not, at first, hear them with either much
interest or benefit But he applied himself afresh most
assiduously to the study of the Latin classics ; and, as
he had been well grounded in the elementary principles
of the language, he soon became able to receive the
instructions of his professors without embarrassment or
loss. Before he left the university, he could speak the
Latin and the Dutch almost as readily as his native
tongue ; and, to quote his own words, he "thought and
wrote, and even prayed in secret, undesignedly, -some
times in Latin, and sometimes in Dutch."
Besides pursuing with ardor and diligence the studies
that have been enumerated, he improved every oppor
tunity to gain useful information upon other subjects,
though not immediately connected with theology; and
for this purpose occasionally attended the public lec
tures upon chemistry, anatomy, and dissections. Dur
ing the whole period of his stay at the university, he
appears to have conscientiously endeavored to make
the best possible use of his time.
But while he labored to obtain an extensive and
thorough theoretical acquaintance with the system of
divine truth, he was not inattentive to the state of his
heart ; he was concerned to know, from his own happy
experience, the practical and gracious influence of that
truth. The doctrines he was taught, he brought to the
touchstone of the inspired volume ; for "I was deter-

98 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
mined," he says, "never to adopt any sentiment upon
the authority of public profession, or the decision of
any man, however dignified or imposing his name or
influence might be, unless I was convinced it was
founded upon the word of God." And, as they were
severally and successively discussed in the course of
the lectures, it was his custom to search the Bible for
their authority ; to read the best treatises upon them
he could find ; and, at the same time, to pray fervently
that the Lord would instruct him and assure him of
his own interest in each of them. Such a method of
prosecuting his favorite study could not fail to be suc
cessful ; and the student of theology who does not act
upon the principle it involves, who does not seek to
grow in grace, as well as in knowledge — to unite the
cultivation of the heart with the improvement of the
mind, can not estimate, as he ought, the holy work in
which he proposes to engage, nor become thoroughly
furnished for it.
Mr. Livingston was no stranger at the throne of
grace. He loved to pray ; and daily intercourse with
a few eminently pious young friends of the univer
sity contributed not a little to foster his devotional
spirit. Among those between whom and himself a
most affectionate intimacy subsisted, he has particu
larly named Messrs. Van Vloten, I. L. Verster, A. Boe-
len, I Kneppelhout, I. Prinse, W. C. Hoog, I. Verduin,
I. Van De Kasteele, I. B. Hendricks, H. Van Alphen,
C. Boers, S. Spiering, and A. Rutgers. With these
individuals, who were respected for their literary attain
ments, but especially for their faith and godly zeal, he
constantly associated. They aided him in his studies ;

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 99
and their pious conversation was very conducive to his
spiritual comfort and edification. It is an interesting
circumstance showing at once the character of this little
fraternity, and how much good a professor who has in
him the spirit of grace and supplication can do, oth
erwise than by imparting instruction, that many of them
regularly attended Professor Elsnerus, chiefly for the
benefit they derived from the fervent prayers with
which he opened and closed his lectures. The lectures
of this venerable man are represented as interesting and
instructive, but his prayers as peculiarly spiritual and
moving — as having a holy and elevating influence upon
their hearts. That they were drawn thither by his
extraordinary gift in prayer, exhibits their piety in a
very favorable light ; and the gift was more honorable
to him than would have been, without it, the most
splendid genius or the most profound erudition.
Mr. Livingston's habit of pondering upon the sub
ject of the last lecture, once occasioned him a short but
distressing conflict, of which, and also of the means of
his deliverance from it, he has left the following
account :
" I was walking one day alone, under the rows of
trees on the border of the canal, without the walls of
the city, and meditating upon Divine Providence,
which was, at that time, the subject of our lectures,
when a blasphemous objection against that doctrine
suddenly and powerfully arose in my mind ; and with
great violence, a fierce suggestion succeeded, almost in
the very words of 2 Pet. 3:4. All things continue as
they were. There is no Providence : there is no superior
or divine agency. Causes and effects, with their train of

100 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
events, roll uninterruptedly on, and nations and human
affairs proceed invariably the same, without the interposi
tion of God or Providence. My soul was disturbed and
afflicted; I paused, and was overwhelmed with sur
prise, alarm, and grief But a very different sugges
tion soon ensued. It was not an articulate sound, nor
any audible voice ; yet it conveyed ideas as correct and
impressive, as if I had heard one speaking to me. It
said : You shall live to see signal and indisputable inter
positions of Divine Providence ; you shall live to see the rise
and downfall of governments ; you widi see new nations
commence, and old nations convulsed and changed. A
series of new and astonishing events, which wiU influence
the Church and the world, wiU happen in your life-time,
and prove the Providence of God. It was no enthusiasm.
I had not anticipated any thing of that kind. I was
cool and thoughtful. It produced, at the moment,
great agitation of mind. Yet I left the suggestion, and
whatever it might mean, as well as whatever might
follow, with great reverence and humble adoration, to
the Lord. But it removed the evil suggestion against
Providence, and I became, during that walk and medita
tion, confirmed in the doctrine, with enlarged views,
precision, and evidence, that have never since been
assaulted or disturbed. I often afterwards recollected
the suggestion, and expected the accomplishment."
That in every age of the Church, there have been
children of God favored with extraordinary intimations
of things future, appears plainly from the histories of
Christian experience. Every Christian does not receive
them ; nor are they a necessary part of the operations
of saving grace ; but the fact is certain, that they have

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 101
been made, and, in some isolated cases, have been fully
verified by subsequent occurrences in Providence. The
purpose of God in granting these to any, is not to make
them prophets, but to deliver them from a subtle
temptation, to confirm their faith, or in some other way
promote their salvation, or perhaps to accomplish some
gracious purpose in other persons. God has his own way
of working, in calling and conducting his children to
heaven. When they pass through the waters, he will be
with them : and through the rivers, they shall not overflow
them ; when they walk through the fire, they shall not be
burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon them. He
will not suffer his faithfulness to fail; but will supply all
their need, according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.
He knows the best method of succoring them that are
tempted ; and always " will with the temptation also
make a- way to escape." And this is the explanation
of the occurrence just related. The prophetic sugges
tion of which Mr. Livingston speaks, was made at a
moment when he was under the influence of a most
violent and impious temptation. It was exactly calcu
lated to prevent the temptation from having any effect;
and, accordingly, it at once extricated him from the
snare of the devil, and established his confidence in
God as the God of Providence. Believing it was from
God, though he had no miraculous evidence of the fact,
he naturally waited for its accomplishment ; and this it
pleased the Lord to spare him to witness. "And now,"
(alluding to the time when writing the account, 1818,)
he adds, " I can put my seal to its truth. I have lived
to see the new nation of the United States arise and
become a great civil power, I was thirty years old

102 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
at the commencement of our revolution, * *
***** I was confident the Lord would
help us, even in the darkest periods ofthe war ; and he
did help us. ***** I have hved
also to see the probable beginnings of new nations, which
are now rising in South-America ; not to mention the
actual establishment of that singular nation in St.
Domingo. Even in Holland, the very nation in which
I then was, the government has been changed, and a
new nation formed. My friends there often exultingly
boasted, that Belgium had always been a Republic,
even from the days of Julius Caesar, but they are now
under a monarchical government: they are a new
nation. I have hved to see the prostration of many
nations in Europe, during the singular career of Napo
leon Bonaparte; and they are all, in many respects,
now changed from what they were when this suggestion
was made to me. In the Church, more unexpected and
surprising events have succeeded. The formation of
Missionary Societies, and the success of the Missiona
ries, and now lately, of Bible Societies, and the extensive
dispersion ofthe blessed Word, constitute a new epoch;
and, while Christians see and believe, and rejoice that
the Lord reigneth, the wicked are made to feel and
acknowledge that, verily, there is aGodwhojudgethin
the earth ; there is a Divine Providence."
During his residence at Utrecht, he had some pleas
ing evidence, in being made the instrument of convert
ing several persons, that he was indeed called to win
souls for Christ. Possessing naturally a happy talent
at conversation, he employed it, as he had opportunity,
to commend the grace of the Redeemer, or to excite

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 103
an attention to the momentous concerns of eternity.
This he could do with an ease and dignity and solemnity
peculiar to himself.
One evening, when much taken up with his studies,
a stranger called at his room, and, pretending that he
had come to present the compliments of a gentleman
in Amsterdam, showed some inclination to spend the
evening with him. He had no wish to be interrupted ;
and there was that in the appearance or behavior of the
stranger he did not like ; but he had too much polite
ness to request him to depart. At length, when he
saw that the unwelcome visit was to be prolonged, he
reconciled himself to the interruption as well as he
could, and silently lifting up his soul in one or two
ejaculations for the Divine direction and blessing, he
entered into familiar discourse with him. The conver
sation, which was at first upon ordinary affairs and not
very interesting, he soon turned altogether upon sub
jects of religion; and then, as he of course had the
most to say, it was evangelical, instructive, pointed,
calculated to convince his visitant, evidently yet in
an unregenerate state, of the importance of eternal
things. His observations were listened to, apparently
with intense interest, until quite a late hour, when
the gentleman retired with suitable expressions of
gratitude and respect. Early the next morning a
note came, containing a request that the writer of it
might be permitted to renew his visit, as the conver
sation of the preceding evening had awakened in him
a deep concern for the welfare of his soul. Mr. Living
ston received the tidings with delight, and immediately
granted his request in the most affectionate manner.

104 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
He now considered the interview which, at its com
mencement, had been so disagreeable to him, as an
extraordinary occurrence, that called for thanksgiving
and praise ; and, for many weeks after, he daily taught
the way of salvation to this alarmed, inquiring sinner,
who in due time obtained a hope, joined the Church,
and was esteemed a genuine convert — a truly humble
and exemplary follower of the Lord Jesus.
Among the students with whom Mr. Livingston asso
ciated, was a young man engaged in the study of law,
the son of an East-India governor. Although not
pious, he was an amiable youth, and the frequent
interchange of friendly attentions led to the formation
of a very tender and confidential intimacy between
them. One day Mr. Livingston called to see him, and while
in his room, felt a strong desire to talk with him upon
the subject of the one thing needful ; so strong a de
sire, that he determined to do it as soon as some gentle
men, who were present, had gone away ; and, though
urged to accompany them when they took their leave,
he politely declined the invitation and remained for the
purpose. Praying that God would guide and assist
him, he then commenced a plain and serious conversa
tion relative to the necessity of a personal interest in
Christ, in order to salvation ; and to his great joy, he
discovered before it terminated, some little evidence
that it had been a profitable conversation. There had
been so much ingenuousness, and such appearance of
incipient conviction in the behavior of his friend,, that
he could not but hope his labor of love would result as
he had prayed it might ; and so it did result. The

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 105
important truths which had been thus faithfully ad
dressed to the conscience of this young man, under
the influence of the Holy Spirit, produced a saving
change in him. He gave up the study of law, prepared
for the ministry, and was afterwards a distinguished
herald of the Cross. In a letter that he wrote to Mr.
Livingston, when the latter had returned to America,
he very feelingly adverted to the wise and gracious
Providence which, having brought the one from the
East and the other from the West, to meet in Utrecht,
had so singularly overruled their acquaintance, as to
make it the memorable means of his conversion.
Another fact which occurred about this time, shows
the great difference between a speculative and saving
knowledge of the truth, and how easily one taught of
God, though of very limited attainments in learning
and capable of giving only the simplest instruction
grounded upon his own experience of the power of
divine grace, may be used by the Spirit to convey light
and comfort to the mind even of a philosopher.
The fame of Bonnet had drawn to the university a
graduate of the University of Groningen, who was
already known as the author of some works in Latin,
respectable for their learning, and was honored with the
degree of doctor of philosophy. He had come to attend
the divinity lectures of the celebrated professor, and
Mr. Livingston being informed of his character, ob
tained an introduction to him. The acquaintance soon
ripened into an unreserved and confidential friendship.
It so happened, that Dr. D., the gentleman referred to,
when he had been there a short time, was suddenly
thrown into a state of great mental distress, through

106 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
some painful intelligence he had received. The news
reached him one evening of the death of a person
whom he had long loved as his own soul, a young cler
gyman of extraordinary piety and talents ; and upon
learning the melancholy event his thoughts became
wholly absorbed with the bereavement he had sustained.
He was deeply afflicted, and retired to his bed with a
dejected and sorrowful heart.
In the course of the same night, while ruminating
upon the stroke, he was led to reflect that he also was
doomed to die, and to look at death, and judgment, and
eternity, as immediately before him. He saw what
perhaps he had admitted a thousand times, but never
before seriously pondered, that the hour was approach
ing which would terminate his connection with earth
and transmit his spirit to the bar of God ; and he saw
that he was a sinner unprepared to meet his God. He
knew that he was then out of Christ, and that if death
should surprise him in that state, he would be lost for
ever. So cogent and sharp was the conviction of this
awful truth, that he forgot his friend's departure from
life, in the concern he felt for his own salvation ; and
there was no sleep for him that night.
The next morning, Mr. Livingston paid him a visit,
and being ignorant of the circumstances of the case,
was much affected, upon entering his room, at his
mournful appearance. The cause of his evident dis
tress was immediately inquired, with an air of affec
tionate solicitude, that induced him to make a full dis
closure ofthe whole matter; and, when he had related
his exercises, he earnestly asked, what he must do to
be saved. Mr. Livingston modestly answered : " That

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 107
he knew him to be well acquainted with the precious
truths of the Gospel, and * * * informed in what
way sinners were accepted in the beloved Saviour ;"
and feeling, probably, at the moment some little em
barrassment, as he had been unprepared for such a
meeting, he rose from his seat to leave him. But the
Doctor would not permit him to go yet : " No, my
dear friend," said he ; " no, you must not leave me ; sit •
down ; you must descend more to particulars. You
must tell me how a sinner must come to Jesus, and
what are the peculiar exercises of that repentance and
faith, which unites the soul to the Divine Redeemer. It is
a fact," he added, " that I have studied the doctrines of
the Gospel. I can explain and vindicate them, and
you are convinced of my knowledge of the truth ; it
would be improper in me to deny it. But all this has
been mere speculation ; it has been all viewed by me
as an abstract theory. I have been ignorant of the
spirituality and extent of the Divine Law. I did not
know who or what a sinner was, nor did I realize that
I was the, man. And now, since these convictions
have commenced, I find myself, with all my acquired
knowledge, ignorant and forlorn. I know not what
I must do, or how to approach a Throne of Grace, any
more than the most uninformed babe. I must be taught
what it is to enter into covenant with God my Redeem
er, and what that direct and personal faith is, by which
the soul is united to Christ, and becomes interested in
his imputed righteousness for justification and accept
ance." Being thus importuned to remain, Mr. Livingston
again took his seat, and attempted to exhibit to him

108 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
the experience that is involved in genuine conversion,
the nature of evangelical repentance and saving faith,
and how a sinner under the renewing influence of the
Spirit of God, is brought to appropriate Christ as his
sacrifice and righteousness. The Saviour in his ability
and willingness to save, and the ample encouragements
of the Gospel to the exercise of a full affiance in his
merits and grace, were also presented with much clear
ness and feeling ; and, under the Divine blessing, the
Doctor was both enlightened and comforted by this
plain, spiritual, and affectionate conversation. He
found peace and joy in believing. At the completion
of his studies, he entered the ministry ; was called to
the Church of * * * * ; and, to a good old age,
was esteemed an exemplary, learned, and useful minis
ter of the Gospel.
Although professed Christians are much divided both
upon doctrmal points and modes of worship, yet in
nearly every communion, there are those who have a
faith which worketh by love, purifieth the heart, and
overcometh the world, and whose religious experience,
with all the diversity observable in their creeds and
forms, involves a singular agreement of views and
feelings. All genuine believers, of whatever name, have
a common spiritual discernment, sensibility, which no
mere spectulative or nominal Christians have or can have.
This may be denominated, in contradistinction to the
other evidences of religion, the evidence of the Spirit ;
and it comes from the children of God of every denomina
tion, of every clime, kindred, and tongue. The Holy
Spirit preserves a uniformity in his saving operations ;
that is, his operations lead to an experimental know

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 109
ledge, in all the saints, of the same great truths. A
variety of circumstances may be employed to awaken
them out of the sleep of sin ; but the work begun and
achieved in them by Divine grace, has the same essen
tial characters and bears the same fruits. They are all
taught of God — not contrary things, but the same
things that pertain to salvation. Hence, whether they
be learned or unlearned — Episcopalians or Presbyte
rians — Methodists or Baptists — natives of Europe or
Asia, of Africa or America, they perfectly understand
one another upon the cardinal points of Christian ex
perience, and, whenever afforded the opportunity, take
sweet counsel together as fellow-heirs of the grace of
life. While Mr. Livingston was in Utrecht, a number of
pious persons, who had almost contemporarily expe
rienced a change of heart, and some of whom were
from different and distant countries, assembled by invi
tation, in that city, for the purpose of comparing
together their views and exercises under the power of
redeeming grace. He made one of the happy com
pany ; and it was to him a most edifying and delight
ful conference, the recollection of which he cherished
as long as he lived. After the Throne of Grace had been
addressed, and a song of Zion had been sung, a person
from Asia gave a minute account of the means of his
conversion, of his contrition for sin, of his reception of
the Lord Jesus, and of his subsequent enjoyments in the
Divine life. Then, one from Africa, whose family was
among the most respectable at the Cape of Good Hope
told how he was first made sensible of his guilt, and con-
squent exposure to the wrath of God ; how he had strug-

110 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
gled against unbehef; and how at last, he was made
willing, in a day of God's power, to accept salvation as
a free gift in the adorable Redeemer. Mr. Livingston
followed next, with a brief statement of what the Lord
had done for his soul ; and after him, the Countess of
R  from Europe, detailed her religious exercises.
" The sum of the whole," says Mr. Livingston in a
short narrative of this conference, "when compared
together, exhibited the same teaching, the same views
and exercises, and the same faith, hope, and love. The
attending circumstances and first incitements to reli
gious impressions were various ; yet the convictions of
sin and misery, of seeking and obtaining joy and peace
in believing, of looking unto Jesus, and through him
coming to the Father, and entering into an everlasting
covenant with God, as the Redeemer and God of salva
tion, in and through the Son of his love, were exactly
the same. We all agreed as though we had hved in
the same neighborhood, and had been, as we really
were, under one and the same teaching. The company
was comforted and edified, delighted and elevated.
Mutual sentiments of fervent love and Christian com
munion prevailed ; and sentiments of adoration, hope,
and thanksgiving were expressed. We testified these
by singing, at the close of our conference, the 72d
Psalm, in which, with lively adoration and raised affec
tions, we celebrated the extent of our precious Re
deemer's kingdom. The sons of mirth," he adds,
"may enjoy their ribaldry and wine, and infidels scoff
at the hope of Christians, of which the ignorant
wretches have no idea ; but they never felt, nor can,
while they remain unbelievers, what we felt and en-

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. Ill
joyed upon this occasion. I never experienced so
much devotion in singing a psalm, nor did I ever ob
tain such peculiar confirmation in my former experi
ences of the divine teaching, and sanctifying grace."
The Reformed Dutch Church was the established na
tional Church in all the provinces of the United Neth
erlands : but, notwithstanding this fact, societies of
other denominations were liberally tolerated. They
were permitted to maintain their respective peculiari
ties, in doctrine and worship, without fear of molesta
tion. With one of these in the city of Utrecht, a
church in the Baptist connection, Mr. Livingston, and
a few of his university companions, were induced to
celebrate divine service upon a Sabbath afternoon ; and
before the service was over, they witnessed a mode of
administering the ordinance of baptism, which most
American Baptists would pronounce a very unseemly
and sinful deviation from the common practice of the
communion. After a most excellent sermon from the
pastor, a man whose talents, piety, and evangelical
preaching, had rendered him exceedingly popular in
the place, three adults came forward and were baptized,
not by immersion, but upon the principle involved in
our Lord's rejoinder to Peter, when he had expressed
a wish to have, besides his feet, his hands and head
washed, He that is u-ashed needeth not, save to wash his
feet, but is clean every whit, that is, by sprinkling.
"The ordinance," Mr. Livingston observes in his
notes upon the interesting scene, "was solemnly per
formed, and I felt affected and edified. Yet, contrary
to what I expected, they were not immersed or plunged,
but sprinkled on the face, in the same way that we ad-

112 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
minister that sacrament in our Reformed Church. I
knew the Baptists in America differed from us in the
mode, as well as the subjects of baptism ; that they
magnified and distorted the question respecting immer
sion ; and notwithstanding, excepting themselves, the
whole Church of Christ, with which compared they
were very few and small, always practised sprinkling,
they still maintained that a complete plunging under
water was essential to the ordinance. Under the im
pression that all Baptists entertained the same super
stitious and singular sentiment, I was surprised to find
the contrary in the instance then exhibited. But it is
a fact, whatever they may profess or perform in Amer
ica or in England, that the Baptists on the continent of
Europe are better informed ; and, while they agree
with their brethren in relation to the subjects, yet many
of them do not scruple to administer baptism, as all
other Christians do, by sprinkling."
In 1768, the Rev. Dr. Witherspoon having accepted
the call of the trustees of Princeton College to preside
over that venerable institution, previously to his depart
ure for America, visited the continent of Europe, for
the purpose of forming an acquaintance with some of
the distinguished men of Holland. When he arrived
at Rotterdam, he wrote to Mr. Livingston, informing
him of the object of the visit, and requesting the favor
of being provided by him with suitable lodgings at
Utrecht. The request was very cheerfully and promptly
complied with ; and the respectable family, which had
engaged to accommodate the worthy stranger, received
him with all politeness, and kindly entertained him
without charge during his stay in the city. Mr. Liv-

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 113
ingston, ardently desirous that something should be
done as speedily as possible to effect a reconcfliation
between the two great parties in the Church, (the Ccetus
and Conferentie,) was disposed to consider the visit of
Dr. Witherspoon as an occurrence that might be used
to further the attainment of that object, and, with this
impression, approved the general outlines of a plan
which it was thought would satisfactorily provide for
the education of her ministry, under the auspices of
that great and good man, when he should be settled at
Princeton. It is at least supposed that such was the
fact ; the grounds upon which the supposition rests will
presently be exhibited.
The interview between the Doctor and the Professor
is represented to have been, in a high degree, interest
ing and gratifying to both. Their discourse with each
other was in Latin, and before it ended, " Dr. Wither
spoon expressed," says Mr. Livingston, " in the warm
est terms, his cordial esteem and veneration for the
Reformed Dutch Church, and declared his hope and
expectation, that the two Churches of Holland and
Scotland would, by their mutual efforts and influence,
while they still remained two distinct denominations,
without any public union or blending, powerfully de
fend the doctrines of grace, and successfully cooperate
in promoting the best interests of the Gospel in Ame
rica." The establishment of a friendly correspondence and
cooperation was the only union then proposed ; but,
another of a more important character was soon after
suggested, by whom, in the first instance, is not known,
and was seriously meditated, as will appear from the

114 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
following letter of Dr. Witherspoon to Mr. Livingston,
dated Paisley, May 12, 1768 :
" Dear Sib : I was favored with yours of the 27th,
two davs ago, and being just about to depart, have
only time to thank you for the pains you have taken
in the affair of the union, and wish it may prosper;
though I think some circumstances may be added to
what you propose, but shall say nothing of it till I hear
further from you, as you seem to wish. I pray that
you may be blessed in your studies, and honored to be
in due time an active and successful minister of Christ
Remember me kindly to Professor Bonnet, and my
worthy landlady, who received me in so hospitable a
manner. " I am, dear Sir, yours, etc.,
" Jno. Witherspoon."
To insure success to any plan, which had for its ob
ject the accommodation of the ptH sting differences, and
the formation of independent Classes, in the Dutch
Church in this country, it was necessary to consult the
wishes of the ministers in Holland, by m airing some
adequate provision for the theological instruction of
young men designing to enter the ministry. This
provision was a favorite point with the transatlantic
brethren, and in requiring it, they certainly evinced
a very tender regard to the best interests of the Church;
but the question was. what could be done to comply
with their wishes in this respect The Ccetus party, in
pursuance of their plan of rendering themselves inde
pendent of the Classis of Amsterdam, had adopted

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 115
measureg for the erection of an " Academy" in New-
Jersey, in which pious youth might be educated for the
ministry, and had already indeed obtained a charter for
the same, containing nothing, as Mr. Lott, the intelli
gent correspondent of Mr. Livingston, mentioned in
the preceding chapter, observes in a letter dated Sep
tember, 1767, "of Ccetus or Conferentie in it, being
founded on the constitution of the Church of Holland,
as established in the national Synod of Dort," and
therefore, likely to make it, as far as such an instrument
could have influence, a popular institution. (See Ap
pendix C.) But there was no one competent or willing
to undertake the discharge of a professor's duties in this
academy ; or, if a person fully qualified for the task,
and inclined to enter upon it, could have been found,
the trustees, as yet, had no funds for his support. Nay,
moreover, the same letter states, that it was not then
determined where the academy should be located, and
that the question had produced a little jealousy and col
lision among the trustees, some wishing it to be placed
at Hackensack, and others at New-Brunswick.*
* The efforts of the Ccetus party, at this time, to establish a theolo
gical seminary, led some persons (of the opposite party it is supposed)
to think of having a divinity-professor in King's College, New- York,
under the sanction of a clause in the charter of that institution, grant
ing tho privilege to the Dutch Church. The Rev. Mr. Ritzema, a
staunoh Conferentie partisan, and one of the ministers of the Church of
New- York, was then a director of the College ; and many of his friends
expressed a wish that he should receive the appointment. The Classis
of Amsterdam, as appears by a letter of one of its members (the Rev. Mr
Tetterode,) dated in 1111, was pleased with the plan, and recommended
its adoption, until a college for tho Dutch Church could bo erected. It
subsequently, however, advised that the professor have no connection
with any literary institution.

116 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIYLSGSTuN.
Knowing these facts, which made it very improbable
that the Church here would soon be able to call and
maintain a professor for herself ; having previously, as it
would seem, matured a plan for restoring peace which
wanted only a satisfactory article in relation to a profes
sor, to render it complete and acceptable to all parties con
cerned ; acquainted, too, with the high character of Dr.
Witherspoon, as a scholar and divipe, it is not surpris
ing that Mr. Livingston, in his zeal, should either have
proposed or acceded to an arrangement, intended per
haps to be merely provisional, and promising such im
mediate and incalculable benefits. It does not appear
that a union of the Dutch and Presbyterian Churches
was even thought of, much less designed ; but. that a
certain connection was to be formed with Princeton Col
lege, simply with a view to the preparation of pious
youth of the Dutch Church for the ministry, under the
superintendence of a man in whose talents, piety, and
orthodoxy, the Church, both at home and abroad, would
have the most entire confidence.
That this was the project in embryo, a few extracfe
from the letters of Mr. Livingston's friend to him upon
the subject will clearly show. "At present," savs Mr.
Lott, in a letter of November, 176S, "from a superfi
cial view of the plan you mention, it appears to me, it
will meet with difficulty and objections from both parties.
For I know them so well, that I think I may venture
to prophesy, that as long as their present spirit of
power and dominion remains with them, no plan will
be accepted, however reasonable and useful the same
may be, unless the different congregations have good
sense enough to agree, whether their ministers will or
will not."

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 117
In another of December, of the same year, after
stating that the Rev. Mr. Ritzema had shown him a
Dutch letter, which that gentleman had received from
Mr. Livingston, communicating the outlines of the
plan, tho same correspondent adds : " The matter being
still new to me, I can not see how it can possibly take
place. For, in the first place, I believe that tho Confe
rentie and Cu'tus will never unite, their difference being
of such a nature that they dare not trust each other,
and thus a junction [is] morally impossible: and in the
noxt place, I can't see how a local junction can be brought
about with tho Presbyterians, oven should the jarring
Dutch Churches agree."
To provide a suitable professor for the proposed
academy, ns it was then denominated, Mr. Livingston
had, prior to the visit of Dr. Witherspoon to Holland,
prevailed upon a number of liberal individuals there to
pay the expense of educating a poor youth of piety
and i-aleuts, and of Dutch descent, if one should come
from America, for tho purposo of being qualified for
tho station, and had accordingly written to his friends
in New-York, requesting them to select and send over
a youth of this description. No better expedient
could probably have been devised to supply a defi
ciency which, while it remained, would prevent the
accomplishment of his wishes to malco peace ; but the
contemplated connection with Princeton College, being
in his view, a preferable expedient, ho dispatched a let
ter, as soon as it was agreed upon, revoking the request
ho had make. In reference to tho contents of this let
ter, his friend observes : " As I am afraid that your
favorite plan will not take place, at least so soon as

118 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
you seem to expect, let me recommend to you again to
keep your Christian friends to their word about main
taining a poor boy. We help to maintain a poor but
sprightly and good boy, at a grammar-school, in hopes
of his finishing his studies in Holland, as you proposed,
and should be sorry to be disappointed of our expecta
tions." Under date of March the 28th, 1769, the same per
son writes, that letters had been received from the
Classis of Amsterdam, " directed to the Ccetus and
Conferentie respectively, informing them of the sub
stance of the plan laid by them before the Synod, for
accommodating the differences and healing the breach
caused in the American Church by the contending par
ties." After noticing the conduct of the leaders of each
party, upon the receipt of the classical letter, (and
from the statement made, it would appear that those of
the Conferentie, with the exception of Mr. Rysdyck,
being violently opposed to the plan, had prepared an
answer without consulting the Elders of the churches ;
and that- those of the Ccetus, with more prudence and
respect, before drawing up their answer, had endeavored
to ascertain the general opinion in relation to the plan,
by means of a circular letter, he adds : "As far as I can
find, the whole Coetus, with all their heart, (as I imagine
they will write the Classis,) as well as all the leading mem
bers of our Church, will cheerfully agree to the plan, ex
cept to that part which relates to the Local Union with
Princeton College ; as it is apprehended much mischief
would arise to our cause from a union with that or any
other college, at this present time. And the plan pro
posed by the Classis (if the parties will but unite) can

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 119
as well be carried into execution without that union
as with."
In another letter, dated June, 1769, he has the fol
lowing paragraph : " Our Consistory wrote their senti
ments to the Rev. Classis of Amsterdam, on the 11th
of May, about the difference between the Conferentie
and Ccetus, and gave them to understand that if the
former were as much disposed to make peace as the
latter, the matter would be soon settled. The principal
objection against the proposed plan, is the local junc
tion with Nassau-Hall, in Princeton, almost every body
judging it best that we join neither that college nor the
one in this city. This is the opinion of our congrega
tion." These extracts show the foundation of the supposi
tion that the union alluded to in the letter of Dr. With
erspoon, was to be of a collegial kind, or to give to the
institution over which he expected to preside, and more
particularly to himself, as an approved divine, for a
time, or until the Church could have a professor of her
own, the education of such of her sons as had the min
istry in view. And though the article relating to this
union was opposed with some zeal, yet it is not impro
bable that if the Classis had directed all the churches
to meet and deliberate in convention upon the subject,
the plan, as submitted, or at least in a modified form,
would have been adopted and had the desired effect.
That order, however, was not given, and the sense of
the Church, therefore, was but partially taken, and the
answers transmitted to the Classis being upon most points
at variance with each other, nothing more was done for
the present.

120 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
Mr. Livingston had cherished sanguine expectations
of the success of this plan, which had been referred to
the Church with the approbation of the Synod of North
Holland ; but God saw fit to disappoint them, in order
to give him at some future day, as the reward of his
benevolent zeal, a more interesting agency in the re
conciliation of his divided brethren, and to put him in
the honorable place which he had sought so actively
for another person. It need only be added here that
the acquaintance which he and Dr. Witherspoon formed
with each other in Holland, led to the cultivation of a
warm and lasting friendship between them.
About the same time, the church of New- York, as
the building called the North Church was nearly com
pleted, and it was evident that Dr. Laidhe alone could
not render all the service which would be needed,
when that building should be opened for public
worship, began to think of calling another English
preacher. In anticipation of this emergency, Dr. Laidlie and
some prominent members of the Church, who had be
come intimate friends of Mr. Livingston, during the
winter he spent with them antecedently to his de
parture for Holland, had long been inclined towards
him as a person possessing the qualities desirable
in a pastor. This inclination being confirmed by the
intelligence from time to time received respecting
him, they did not hesitate to express their predilec
tion in his favor. A number of the congregation
would have been gratified, if a call had been imme
diately made out and forwarded, as his licensure was
expected soon to take place; but there were some

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 121
who wished to see or hear first an account of his
pulpit talents, and others who thought it would be
rather indiscreet to call him before he had returned ; not
that they questioned his piety or ministerial gift, but
because they considered it proper that they should have
an opportunity of judging for themselves of his qua
lifications for so important a station, and chiefly because '
they apprehended that his voice would be too feeble to
fill their large places of worship.
While the known weakness of his voice and delicacy
of his health, were producing this diversity of senti
ment in the congregation about the call, one or two of
his most devoted friends felt considerable uneasiness on
another account. They had lately discovered that he
was averse to the observance of the holy days, as they
were denominated, and knowing that the conduct of
Dr. Laidlie with respect to them, had given offense,*
while the discovery remained with them a profound
secret, they could not forbear to transmit to him forth
with, some plain but friendly and affectionate counsel
upon the subject. The one,f after a few remarks
designed to show the duty and necessity of conforming
to this usage of the Church, and made apparently in a
proper spirit, reminds him of the Apostle Paul, who
became all things to all men, that he might win some.
The other:]: uses more freedom, and says, in a letter
dated Nov. 1768 : " I can not avoid telling you that we
differ very much about them, and it gives me real
* Dr. Laidlie, it seems, had denied the obligation of these days, and
though ho usually preached upon them, would take other subjects than
those selected for them by the Church of Holland.
f Mr. D. Brinkerhoff. % Mr. Abraham Lott.
6

122 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
inward concern to find that you stand affected to them
in the manner you mention. Pray, my dear sir, are
you then, such a stranger to the people of the Dutch
Church of this city, as to imagine that the sticklers for
those days are only to be found among those who
speak Dutch? * * * Believe me, my friend,
although a Paul was to attempt to shake them off, he
would not succeed. Let me advise you as a friend,
who has a regard for you, who wishes you well, that
you entirely stifle your sentiments about this matter,
and never mention them again, especially if you have
any thoughts of becoming (as I pray God you may) a
minister among us." And in a letter of a later date,
he endeavors to defend the observance of these days
with some little zeal. "You say they are rather
wicked or devilish days, than holy days; very true:
but would the neglect of preaching on those days lessen
the wickedness practised on them ? I say no. For
by leaving off preaching, the days would not be abol
ished (as this can not be done without the intervention
of the Legislature) but left more at large to practise vice
* * * * This then being the case, it is undoubt
edly best to preach as usual, as it certainly keeps a
great many people who will not work, but come to
church, out of the way of mischief. And therefore, if
you have any regard for yourself, for your Church, and
for the advice of one who thinks himself your friend,
conform to the established customs and rules of the
Church * * ; and however much I approve of your
consulting Mr. Laidhe about other matters, relating to
the good of the Church, I can by no means approve of
your advising with him in matters wherein he stands,
in my opinion, wrongly affected."

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 123
Mr. Livingston replied, to the full satisfaction of this
gentleman. As the Church was situated at the time, and while
the laws of the colony, then under the Britsh govern
ment, recognized these days as holy, to observe them in
conformity to established custom, was not only prudent
conduct but truly a Christian duty; and Mr. Livingston,
in yielding to the wishes of his friends, acted a very
commendable part It evinced a disposition to make
any reasonable sacrifice for the sake of promoting the
peace and prosperity of a Church, which had already
suffered much from the violence of intestine disputes,
and in which there were yet those who keenly watched
the opportunity to excite some new controversy. It in
volved no abandonment or concession of principle,
inasmuch as it was distinctly understood, that these
days were not believed to be of Divine appointment,
and would be observed simply to prevent evil, and
edify the congregation. The 67th explanatory article
ofthe old constitution ofthe Church expressly declares,
" that the Reformed Church does not believe the days,
usually called holy days, are of Divine institution, or by
preaching on those days, intends any thing more than to
prevent evil, and promote the edification of the people,
is evident from the contents of the 53d article of the
Synod of Dordrecht, held in the year 1574." This
article is in these words : " With regard to feast days,
upon which, besides the Lord's day, it has been custom
ary to abstain from labor, and to assemble in the
Church, it is resolved that we must be contented with
the Lord's day alone. The usual subjects, however, of
the birth of Christ, of his resurrection, and sending of

124 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
the Holy Spirit, may be handled, and the people be
admonished, that these feast days are abolished." In
the new constitution adopted in the year 1832, nothing
whatever is said upon the subject — ministers and con
sistories apparently being left to their own discretion
in regard to it.
On the 28th of December, 1768, in compliance with
the request of more than a hundred members of the
congregation, the Consistory convened to receive a
petition praying they would look out for another
English preacher, and intimating that the petitioners
would be gratified with the invitation of Mr. Living
ston. They unanimously resolved that they would
endeavor to ascertain whether a sufficient sum of
money could be raised to warrant the procedure so
licited, and directed a subscription paper to be pre
pared for the purpose. The friend, (Mr. Lott) who
advised him of these preparatory measures, thus
concludes the account : " Almost every body I have
heard, seems well pleased that you should be called, and
so they appear to be with every part of your character.
All they fear is, whether you will have voice enough
for our church ; for if you have not, say they, we are
undone ; what shall we do with a minister who can not
be heard throughout the church ? I could, therefore,
heartily wish that you may for some time past have
exercised your voice in the pulpit, as I am convinced
it may be there much modelled and improved. And
if it is strong enough, can't you get one or more of
your friends to give a certificate about it, and inclose it
to me? Much good may come from such a step."
By a letter from the same person, dated April 1,

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 125
1769, it appears that the Consistory had the day be
fore resolved to call Mr. Livingston ; and that the call,
when made out, was to be sent to some ministers in
Amsterdam, with particular instructions not to deliver
it, unless they were well assured that he had sufficient
strength of voice to fill a large building. In another
letter, written the following June, he says : " Our
third, or rather North Church, was opened for Divine
service by Mr. Laidhe, on the 25th ult, (May,) by a
very pathetic discourse from John 4th and 23d, show
ing wherein the true Gospel doctrine consists ; in which
he approved himself very much to the satisfaction of
all who heard him, and particularly to our Governor,
who honored us with his presence on that occasion.
Mr. Laidlie now preaches three times every Sunday ;
to wit : in the morning and evening in the New, and
in the afternoon in the North Church, to which, if we
add his catechising, you will agree his labors must be
weighty. You can not, therefore, be surprised to hear
our call to you to come over to our Macedonia to help
us. May the ever-blessed Jesus make your way pros
perous to us, and may you come among us with a full
blessing ofthe everlasting covenant I"
Having finished his studies at the university, Mr.
Livingston appeared before the Classis of Amsterdam,
on the 5th June, 1769, to be examined for licensure,
and the evidence given of his personal piety, and of his
acquirements, literary and theological, being satisfac
tory he became a candidate for the ministry, or what
is called in Holland, a proponent. His first sermon he
preached in the Dutch language, for the Rev. Mr. Van
Tssum, his examiner in the Classis, at Hilversum, a
village to the east of Amsterdam.

126 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
Soon afterwards, he preached again in Dutch, at
Purmerend, a small city in North Holland ; in English
in the English Church in Amsterdam ; and again in
English in the Scotch Church in Rotterdam, probably
in the same building in which his distinguished ances
tor had often proclaimed the glad tidings of salvation.
This commencement of his public labors was of a
very promising character. Enjoying, in no common
degree, the confidence and esteem of numerous Christ
ian friends, as a young man experimentally acquainted
with the power of Divine grace ;* with intellectual
powers and attainments much above mediocrity ; with
a voice greatly improved by the attention he had
paid to his modulation, and susceptible of the richest
intonations ; with a manner peculiarly interesting and
solemn, he made by these early efforts in the pulpit a
very favorable impression. Of the opinion formed of
his talents as a preacher, and of his qualifications for
the situation to which he was invited, this fact is evi
dence enough, that in about a month after he was licensed,
the call was put into his hands by the gentlemen who
were conditionally charged with its delivery.
Expecting to remain yet some time in Holland,
and thinking that it might be of considerable ad
vantage to him to be able to produce, when he should
return to America, what was then regarded as a valu
able testimonial of proficiency in theology, he con-
* Among the letters and notes addressed to him about this time, by
his Holland friends, there is one containing a postscript in these words:
"Mrs.* ***** expresses her most friendly regards for the
good Mr. Livingston ;" — a familiar way, it would seem, of speaking of
him, that shows the high estimation in which his piety was held.

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 127
eluded to present himself before the theological facul
ty of the University of Utrecht, a candidate for the
degree of Doctor of Divinity. It was not a matter
of course for that university to confer honorary degrees ;
and the distinction now sought could be obtained only
by submitting to a severe ordeal. He must be exam
ined and reexamined, and after being sifted by the
learned Faculty for a whole day, must produce and
defend the next day, against the adverse arguments
of the professors, two short discourses, the subjects of
which are to be selected for him, the one from the Old
Testament, and the other from the New. And he must
answer, and write, and defend, altogether in the Latin
language. Nor is this all, another dissertation is then
to be prepared, and published in Latin, which he must
publicly support before the whole university.
Though by no means a person of the firmest nerve,
Mr. Livingston ventured these formidable trials, and
having passed the first with approbation, was permitted
to prepare for the second. Accordingly, in the course '
of the next winter, he wrote a dissertation upon the
Sinai covenant (" De Foedere Sinaitico,") and sent it to
the press. But he was now about to leave a country
in which he had spent many happy hours, and formed
many tender connections ; and the thought of separat
ing from his beloved friends, the anxiety attending his
preparations for a return, and possibly, too, some little
dread of the public exhibition itself, produced a depres
sion of spirits, that he could not shake off, and led him
to abandon his design of appearing before the univer
sity. Under the influence of his present feelings, he
suddenly stopped the printing of his dissertation, when

128 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
he had received the first proofj and commenced a hasty
travel to visit his friends in different places, for the
last time, and bid them an affectionate adieu.
From his notes of the incidents of this period it would
appear that he went first to Amsterdam, chiefly for the
purpose of applying for ordination. The Classis met
on the 2d of April, and at this meeting, they approved
his call,* invested him with the ministerial office, and
consigned him to the church- of New- York This im
portant business done, he begun in earnest the perform
ance of the painful duty which the prospect of his de
parture, as not far oflf, imposed upon him ; and while
at Rotterdam thus engaged, he received a letter from an
Amsterdam friend, censuring his conduct in relation to
the theological degree, and strongly urging him to the
final step necessary to its acquisition.
That Mr. Livingston had no ambition, or that he was
not at all desirous of distinction, nor gratified when it
was bestowed, is not pretended. We have no wish to
represent him in this Memoir, as free from the weak
nesses of human nature ; but while he had his share of
these, grace reigned in his heart, and when he endeav
ored to advance his reputation, he did so rather to
extend his usefulness in the Church than to gratify a
self-seeking disposition. He had a tender conscience,
he was afraid of sin and of the very appearance of
sin; and when he came to the conclusion of the
letter, as he read the following quotation of Scrip
ture, " Therefore to hirn that knoweth to do good
* Another call was presented to him from one of the churches in
Amsterdam, but as it was not his intention to remain in Holland, the
call was respectfully declined.

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 129
and doeth it not, to him it is sin," the impression was
irresistible, that he would be chargeable with culpable
neglect, seeing he was apparently so near the attain
ment of the object, if he now relinquished it ; for the
degree, as before hinted, possessed at that day, in the
estimation of the Church, all the importance he attached
to it. He accordingly determined to follow the advice
given, and set upon preparing without delay, an
abridgment of his dissertation for the press. Devoting
his mornings to the work, and what he had previously
written being fresh in his mind, he accomplished it with
ease, during the few days he spent at Rotterdam and
the Hague, in making farewell visits ; and upon his
return to Utrecht, he had it printed. But the business
was not yet finished, the severest task — one which
would put his merits fully to the test — was still to be
performed. He must defend his little pamphlet against
learned and well-practised disputants, before a large as
sembly, consisting of the professors and regents of the
University, and many other eminent personages.
The interesting and decisive day at length arrived.
It was the 16th day of May, 1770 ; and Mr. Living
ston was then just twenty-four years of age. The as
sembly convened at the appointed hour, a band of music
attended, and much splendid ceremony was observed
upon the occasion — enough, indeed, to appal the courage
of any candidate for distinction. Several learned gen
tlemen controverted some of the positions advanced in
his dissertation, but he successfully maintained them ;
and the disputation Avhich was in the Latin language,
and lasted nearly two hours, affording sufficient evi
dence of his erudition, the professors conferred upon
6*

130 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
him, with the usual forms, the degree of Doctor of Thep
logy. The diploma he received is signed by Meinardus
Tydeman, Rector, and Franciscus Burmannus, Doctor
and Professor of Sacred Theology.
Having now accomplished his wish, and completed
all the necessary preparations for his departure, Doc
tor Livingston took leave of Holland, and embarked
at Helvetsluijs, for England, about the 1st of June,
1770. Upon his arrival at Harwich, to which place
the passage had been a quick and agreeable one, he im
mediately passed up to London, and there tarried with
Mr. John Harrison, a respectable merchant of that
city, with whom he had occasionally corresponded, and
who had politely invited him to his house.
He availed himself of his short stay in England to
visit Oxford, and was introduced to Doctor Benjamin
Kennicott, the celebrated Hebrew scholar, then engaged
in that stupendous work to which biblical criticism is
so much indebted — the collation of Hebrew manu
scripts. The Doctor had the honor of breakfasting with
this learned and indefatigable Hebraist, and of being
taken, after the repast, into the chamber where his amaz
ing labors were performed. He had been already ten
years employed in the preparation of his Bible, and was
now only about half through it. "He showed me,"
says the Doctor, "several of his most admired manu
scripts. The manner in which he proceeded was, to
take one fine from Van Der Hooght's Bible, which he
considered to be the most correct copy of the Hebrew
text, and paste that line upon the top of a page of a
blank foho book, and then, under that line, to write all
the variations which his manuscripts furnish in that
line.

RESIDENCE IN HOLLAND. 131
This visit could not soon be forgotten ; but a most
gratifying memorial of it, in the hand-writing of
that distinguished man, was obtained before they
parted. In the Doctor's Album, which contains a
variety of httle sententious pieces in Greek and Latin
and Dutch, with the names of Bonnet, Burmannus,
Ravius, Tydeman, Vanderkemp, Elsnerus, .and other
eminent literati of Holland, underwritten, there are a
few lines in Hebrew characters, beautifully formed, and
accompanied with this sign-manual — ¦
BENJ: KENNICOTT,
E Coll: Exon : Oxon.
Doctor Livingston remained about a month in Eng
land. He then sailed from Falmouth for New- York,
where, having been preserved during a long absence,
under the shadow of the wings of a good God, he
safely arrived on the 3d day of September, 1770.

132 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.

CHAPTER VI.
FROM HIS RETURN TO NEW- YORK, TILL THE CLOSE OF
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
A.D. 1770-1783.
It was on a Sabbath morning that Dr. Livingston
reached the city of New- York. The peace and sacred-
ness of God's day well accorded with his own feelings
and with those of every pious member of the Church,
and afforded an immediate opportunity for the devout
and suitable expression of them in the sanctuary ofthe
Lord. He had returned, by the favor of 'Heaven, with
health restored, as a messenger of the Gospel of Peace,
bearing to a numerous and respectable flock the tender
and solemn relation of a pastor. It was a season,
therefore, of holy joy and thanksgiving; and, on ac
count of many interesting recollections, which could
not but be associated with it, as well as the new and
mutual responsibilities to which it introduced him and
all his friends, the first interview must have been very
affecting. The succeeding Sabbath, he preached in the
Middle Church, in Nassau street, to a large and atten
tive auditory, from 1 Cor. 1 : 22, 23, 24 — For the Jews

SETTLEMENT IN NEW-YORK. 133
require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom : but we
preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block,
and unto the Greeks foolishness ; but unto them which are
called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and
the wisdom of God; and having delivered this intro
ductory sermon, he was then acknowledged, in a suita
ble manner, by the Rev. Messrs. Ritzema and De
Ronde, and Dr. Laidhe and the Consistory, as one of
the ministers of the Reformed Dutch Church of New-
York. Dr. Livingston commenced the discharge of his
pastoral duties with great diligence and zeal. He
assumed at once a full share of pulpit and parochial
labors ; preaching regularly twice on the Sabbath,
making visits among the people, and attending two, and
sometimes three, catechetical exercises every week, an
amount of service which few young men, under similar
circumstances, would have had the courage to undertake,
and fewer still the ability satisfactorily to fulfill. But
though just settled in a populous city, where interrup
tions to study, and those not always of a professional
nature, are numerous and unavoidable ; though con
nected with a large congregation whose situation was a
little peculiar ; provided with few sermons, and asso
ciated with colleagues of established character, as judi
cious and able preachers, he did not hesitate to attempt
his part, and he performed it to general acceptance.
The fervor of pious feeling which he uniformly mani
fested, both in and out of the pulpit ; his affectionate,
dignified, and prudent deportment; and the style of
his preaching, novel, yet plain and forcible, admirably
calculated to engage attention, to alarm the consciences

134 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
of sinners, and particularly to comfort and build up
believers in faith and holiness, rendered him highly
beloved and popular. His labors, if arduous and.
weighty, were pleasant. Blessed with a number of godly
and devoted friends, who sincerely and constantly
prayed for him, and by various little attentions or
expressions of kind solicitude, encouraged without flat
tering him, he was cheered and sustained in his work.
Blessed, too, with a coadjutor (Dr. Laidhe) who was
well acquainted with the state of the congregation and
who was, at any time, ready to afford him all the coun
sel and assistance in his power, he toiled with alac
rity, and his reputation and usefulness daily increased.
It was necessary that he should apply himself closely.
to study, and he did so; he read and thought, and
wrote with scarce any intermission, excepting what
was requisite for attending to other important duties
of his station. At the beginning of his ministry, he
wrote his sermons in full, and committed them to
memory ; but finding his health to be affected by such
severe labor, he afterwards accustomed himself to
preach from full notes, or what he called "a copious
analysis." This, mode of preaching gave a freer scope for the
exercise of his powers : it was exactly suited to his pe
culiar gifts ; and often the amplitude of his intellect
ual views was so striking, the tenderness of his deliv
ery so great, and his whole manner in the pulpit so
impressive, that he was heard with the deepest attention
and delight. Pious and judicious persons considered
him a preacher of first-rate excellence, and he soon
acquired by his public ministrations, by the habitual

SETTLEMENT IN NEW- YORK. 135
suavity of his manners in private intercourse, and by
his unwearied exertions to do good at all times and
in all places, an influence which is rarely possessed by
one so young in the service of his Master.
This high standing in the Church contributed great
ly to the ultimate success of his endeavors to carry the
plan that had been devised for promoting the general
. welfare of the Church. Soon after his settlement in
New- York, he sought, with his characteristic prudence
and zeal, to bring about a reconcfliation between the
Ccetus and Conferentie parties ; an object which, as the
reader has seen, lay, for years before, very near his heart,
and which he had attempted, but in vain, to accom
plish when he was in Holland. The circumstance of
his having been educated abroad, his present connection
with the Church of New- York, which had happily, at
no time, taken a part in the great controversy, and his
distinguished reputation, gained him, in a little while,
an extensive acquaintance among the ministers of both
parties, and consequently many opportunities of calling
their attention to the subject. These opportunities,
whenever presented, he failed not to improve. As an
evidence of his assiduity in this work, and also of his
pious friendship for his colleague, a letter which he
wrote the following June, while he was paying a short
visit to his friends at Poughkeepsie, is here inserted :
"My Dearest Colleague and Brother in Christ :
" With pleasure I converse with you, though at such
a distance ; past times seem to recur to my mind, when,
at a greater distance, I expressed my love to you in
this way. The Lord has been with me since I left you.

136 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
On the water it was tedious, on account of the number
of passengers. I arrived home on Friday P.M., being
48 hours on the water. A kind providence to my
whole family gives me fresh opportunity to rejoice in
the goodness of the Lord. Last Sunday A.M., I
preached here, and was much assisted to speak of Jesus
and salvation through his merits. I thought much of
our Church in New- York the whole day, (as indeed
every day that is much on my heart,) and especially
sympathized with my dear Laidlie ; my prayers were
for you, that God would support and bless you. The
country air, the new amusements, and caresses of near
relations, have refreshed both soul and body. I feel
cheerful and hearty, and am convinced that it is neces
sary sedentary persons should now and then take tours
of this kind. When I am walking among the trees,
and ascend a hill, or gain from any little eminence a
fine extended prospect, I draw in the wholesome air,
and am apt to say — 'Man was made to five in the
country, to trace the footsteps of his Maker's power
and wisdom in the vegetable world.' Nothing certain
ly but the pleasures and superior advantages of society,
can compensate for the loss of those pleasures which
the country affords superior to the town. The more I
am refreshed in my present situation, the more I wish
to have you with me, a partaker in these rural delights.
This, however, I know to be impossible ; but shall in
sist, on my return, that you take the same tour, as soon
as your family and circumstances will permit your
leaving home, whilst your health and cheerfulness add
to my own.
" What conversation I have already had with some of

SETTLEMENT IN NEW-YORK. 137
the partisans in the Dutch churches, I will communi
cate to you when I return to town. That bitter spirit,
which has so much prevailed, begins to subside, and it
is the general sentiment that something must be done
in order to open the way for that regular establishment
so necessary for the education of youths for the minis
try. As I have scarce time to write this letter in haste,
I shall refer this to a conversation. You know the
love I have for yourself will make your sentiments
always weighty with me.
" I never feel how much I love you, as when I am
absent from you. The Lord be with you, and give
you what, as a father, he knows to be best.
" Your most affectionate Friend and Brother,
" June 11, 1771. J. H. L."
It was stated in the last chapter, that articles of union
had been referred to the parties respectively, by the
Classis of Amsterdam ; and that in consequence of its
being proposed in them to form a connection with
Princeton College, and of the neglect of the Classis to
order a convention of the churches to deliberate upon
the plan, the reference had proved abortive.
Subsequently, and but a short time before the Doc
tor came back to his native country, the Classis was
appointed by the Synod of North-Holland, through
his influence with that body, a committee, with plenary
power to do whatever they might judge would be con
ducive to the interests of the American Church ; and
Detween the clerical members of the Classis and the
Doctor, there existed a perfect understanding in rela
tion to the plan which should be offered to the consid-

138 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
eration of his brethren. This plan, thus privately ap
proved, it is probable was tho old one new-shaped, tho
obnoxious article mentioned above being omitted ; or
it embraced the same cardinal principles, which there
was reason to believe would be generally viewed as
constituting a suitable basis for a union of parties.
The Doctor now found, upon conferring with pious
and influential men of both parties, as he observes in
the paragraph of his letter just quoted, that the bitter
spirit, which had so much prevailed, had begun to sub
side, and that a desire for the adoption of some project
that would give satisfaction to all concerned, appeared
to be cherished; he, therefore, ventured to hint at one.
He did not at once exhibit that which he had provided,
but endeavored first to learn the sentiments of those
with whom he conversed, with respect to the great ob
jects it contemplated, and then to remove objections,
if any were made, in order to prepare the way for its
acceptance. By this prudent procedure, he soon became convinced
that the articles in his possession would be favorably
received by the Church, and that it was expedient to
adopt some measure, for the purpose of laying them
formally before it. He accordingly suggested to his
Consistory, that as they had not engaged on cither side
of the unhappy dispute, their influence could probably
procure a general convention, and proposed that letters,
stating the object in view — requesting the attendance
of every minister belonging to the church, and of one
elder from every congregation, and fixing tho time and
place of meeting, should be forthwith dispatched in
their name. The Consistory promptly complied with

SETTLEMENT IN NEW- YORK. 139
his wishes, and in the following October, the conven
tion was held at New- York.
The minutes of the body are headed "Acts of the
Reverend Assembly of Ministers and Elders of the Re
formed Low Dutch Churches in the Provinces of New-
York and New-Jersey, convened in the city of New-
York, on the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th days of Oct.,
1771, at the friendly request of the Rev. Consistory of
New- York, for the purpose of procuring peace and
unity to said Churches." And the first article, which
relates to the arrival and introduction of the members,
is in part in these words : " The Rev. Brethren having
arrived and being convened, were solemnly welcomed
by the Rev. John H. Livingston, S.S.T.D., and Min
ister in New- York. After the delivery of an appropri
ate sermon by the Rev. Mr. De Ronde, who had been
appointed by the Consistory to preach at the opening
of the Assembly, the Rev. Dr. John H. Livingston,
minister in New- York, as present Presses of the concili
ating Consistory of New- York, and with the knowledge
and approbation of his Rev. Colleagues, was chosen
President." The Assembly then appointed a committee, consisting
of two ministers and two elders of the Rev Ccetus, two
ministers and two elders of the Rev. Conferentie, and
two ministers and two elders from the neutral churches
of New- York and Albany, to prepare a formula of
union ; and when the committee met to attend to this
business, the Doctor disclosed the plan which had been
digested and prepared in Holland, and which his breth
ren there had agreed that he should submit to the
Church in this country. (See Appendix D.) The com
mittee examined it with groat care, and having made a

140 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
few slight additions and changes, resolved to report it
to the Assembly. The Assembly approved it without
a dissentient voice, with the understanding, that before
it should be finally adopted, or be considered as having
the binding power of a compact, it should be referred to
the judgment of the Classis of Amsterdam. The prime
mover in the whole matter, it is probable, first sug
gested the propriety of such a reference, and it was a
masterly stroke of policy, displaying the wisdom of the
serpent along with the harmlessness of the dove. While
on the one hand, the Ccetus brethren were gratified
with the recognition of principles for which they had
long been contending, the pride of the Conferentie, on
the other, was no less gratified with the proposed re
ference, as it fully accorded with their principle that
the Classis of Amsterdam had a paramount and decisive
authority over the concerns of the American Church.
It was a measure admirably adapted to the prepos
sessions of both parties, and could hardly fail to satisfy
them ; and, that such was the result is evident from
the concluding article, which reads thus : "After giving
each other the right hand of fellowship, the committee,
as also the reverend Consistory of New- York, were
openly and formally thanked for their friendly and
brotherly services ; and, after fervent thanksgiving to
God for this unexpected blessing, accompanied with ar
dent supplications to the throne of grace for a further
completion of this holy union work, as also for the
prosperity and well-being of the Church, they parted in
peace and love and joy.
(Signed) " John H. Livingston, Presses,
Isaac Rysdyk, Scriba,
Eilardus Westerlo, Scriba."

SETTLEMENT IN NEW- YORK. 141
This Convention having proceeded as far in the busi
ness as was then deemed advisable, adjourned to meet
again the next October ; and in the mean time, what
they had already done with so much harmony and good
feeling, had a gradual and salutary operation in purging
out the old leaven, and diffusing a spirit of forbearance
and love through the Church. To present a specimen
of these wholesome effects, a part of a letter from the
Rev. Jacobus Rutsen Hardenbergh (afterwards
President of Queen's College, New-Brunswick, N. J. —
See Appendix F.) to Dr. Livingston, dated Raritan,
July 21, 1772, must be given. " I have the satisfaction
to inform you that the Monday after I returned home,
my Consistory at the North Branch had a meeting
with the anti-consistory in that congregation. We
found them exceedingly friendly, and well disposed for
peace. In less than half an hour, we settled all our
disputes. Our Consistory elected two from among their
party — one for an Elder, and another for a Deacon —
with which they seemed very well satisfied, and upon
that dropped their Consistory, or thus united the two
into one. Here I hope have ended, in less than half
an hour, tedious, perplexing, and pernicious disputes,
which have subsisted in these congregations for above
fifteen years past. Blessed be God, that my eyes have
beheld the healing of this breach in our Church, before
I have been gathered to my fathers."
Pursuant to adjournment, the Convention assembled
in October, 1772, and the letter of Classis, officially cer
tifying that the plan of union had been approved by
them, was laid before it. Every member then sub
scribed the articles, and the good work was thus for
mally consummated.

142 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
This event proved a most auspicious one for the
Dutch Church in America, and the distinguished
agency of Dr. Livingston, as the original projector, and
the prayerful, prudent, and persevering promoter of the
union, will be held in grateful and honorable remem
brance while the Church exists. There were others
who zealously cooperated with him in this difficult and
weighty matter, as, Drs. Laidhe, Westerlo, and Romeyn,
(see Appendix G,) and the Rev. Messrs. Hardenbergh,
Light, Ver Breyck, and Rysdyck ; and their judicious
and highly useful efforts must not be forgotten ; but
Dr. Livingston is preeminently entitled to the precious
and enduring honor of having been the Peace Maker.
The station to which he was elevated in the Conven
tion, by the unanimous vote of his brethren, though
he had been only about a year in the ministry, is an
indisputable evidence of the opinion entertained by
them respecting the service he had rendered, and his
superior right on account of it to preside over their de
liberations. When he was but a youth, thinking that
a union might be effected, he felt a strong desire to do
something towards its accomplishment ; when residing
in a foreign country, he labored with zeal to promote
the great object ; and when he returned, like the dove
which had been sent forth out of the ark, he came back
with an olive leaf in his mouth, and ceased not from
his laudable exertions, until he had the pleasure of
seeing his brethren dwelling together in unity. Upon
his pacific plan, as a foundation, a noble and beautiful
superstructure has since been raised. Soon after its
adoption, and in conformity to some of its provisions,
a course of measures was commenced, as the sequel will

SETTLEMENT IN NEW-YORK. 143
show, for building up the Church, which has at length
been crowned with the most gratifying success.
In point of popularity and influence, Dr. Livingston
was now probably second to no minister in the Dutch
Church. As a proof of the respect he had excited, it
maybe proper to state that, at a meeting ofthe trustees
of Queen's College, held in the spring of 1772, a motion
was made to elect him President of that Institution,
which would undoubtedly have succeeded, had it been
tried ; but it was judged prudent to postpone the elec
tion until after the next meeting of the General Assem
bly* Shortly after, he received the following note
from President Dagget of Yale College.
" Sir : As I am informed that you have been honored
with a Doctorate in Holland, I would be glad to have
a sight of your diploma, (which I will safely re-convey
to you,) that I may make an entry of it on our College
records, and certify in the catalogue, the university by
which it was given. I do, with pleasure, look upon
our College honored by the honors deservedly confer
red on any who owe a little part of their education
to it."
It is presumed that the Doctor yielded to the re
quest. About this time he was elected a member of the
* Information of this fact was communicated to him in a letter from
the Rev. J. Light, of New-Brunswick, dated in May, 1772. This gen
tleman, it appears by a note in the Christian's Magazine, "was active
in promoting the independence of the Dutch Church in America.' He
published several very respectable pamphlets on the subject, which
were answered by the Rev. Mr. Ritzema, of New- York.''

144 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
Society of the Hospital in the city of New- York. He
felt too much the power of religion upon his heart, and
was naturally of too kind a disposition, not to take a
deep interest in associations formed for charitable
purposes ; but it was in the Church, and in that sec
tion of it especially in which his lot had been cast, that
he found his appropriate sphere of action. Here there
was a great deal to be done for the promotion of the
Redeemer's kingdom, and to this work he unremitting
ly and zealously devoted himself to the close of life.
To strengthen and perpetuate the union which he
had been the honored instrument of effecting, and to
raise the character ofthe Church, the project was con
ceived of procuring, as speedily as possible, the appoint
ment and settlement in some suitable place, of a Pro
fessor of Theology; and, in condescension to the re
spective predilections of the brethren, who till lately
had been long arrayed against each other, it was pro
posed to make v a vigorous effort to provide funds for
the maintainance of a theological professor in Queen's
College, and then to send to Holland for a professor.
The project was adopted, and moneys were collected
in most or all of the churches that had acceded to the
union. The Convention of Ministers and Elders, which
met at Kingston, in October, 1773, submitted some over
tures to the Trustees of the College, and sent a letter to
the Classis of Amsterdam, upon the subject of the pro
fessorate* In this letter, after observing that students
The Rev. Dr. John Dewitt, in his sermon upon the death of Dr. L.,
referring to the foundation which had been laid by the Convention of
1771, for the theological professorship, makes the following just
observation: " The Reformed Dutch Church is thus entitled to

SETTLEMENT IN NEW-YORK. 145
could be educated at New-Brunswick with tittle
expense, that there were churches in the province of
New- York unwilling to make any contributions to the
support of the professorate, that £4000 had been sub
scribed for it, that a majority of its friends wished to
have it connected with Queen's College, and that that
institution was provided with an ample charter ; they
request that the Classis would select and endeavor to
obtain for them, a person well qualified to discharge
the duties of a professor of theology. In August,
1774, the Trustees of the College addressed a letter to
the Convention, in which they gently notice, in the
first place, the anxiety of this body to have the funds
raised in the province of New- York properly secured,
but ascribing it to "a commendable forecast of future
vicissitudes," declare " their readiness to enter into the
proposed engagements." They then add: "As the
College funds, amounting to about £4000, fall far
short of what is necessary for engaging to a professor
from Holland a competent salary, * * and the
recommendation of such a professor is daily expected
from thence ; the augmenting of said funds demands our
immediate and most serious attention, in order to
enable the trustees to make out a call for the person
lecommended. And as it is reasonable to suppose,
that the professor of divinity is the more immediate
object of your concern, we declare it as our opinion,
that whenever the trustees of Queen's College shall re-
tho credit of having first contemplated and adopted a system of
theological education in this country, which has received the ap
probation, and been followed by the practice of almost all her sister
churches." 7

146 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
member the chief end of their incorporation, and
regard the increase of students in this seminary, they
will esteem it their duty and privilege to call the pro
fessor of divinity, on the recommendation of the Rev.
Classis of Amsterdam, and the communication thereof
to your reverend assembly : nor will they have any
objection to the making him, at the same time, Presi
dent of the College, provided it can be done without
detriment to the collegiate community or theological
faculty." The Classis, it seems, had determined to solicit advice
of the theological faculty of Utrecht, and not being-
able conveniently to obtain the desired advice, till after
the opening of the university in the autumn of 1774,
postponed, of course, their answer to the Assembly.
A letter from them, dated January 14, 1775, was
received, however, in or near the following spring,
and being opened by a committee that had been ap
pointed to inspect its contents immediately upon its
arrival, with power to call, if it should be judged
expedient to do so, an extra meeting of the Conven
tion, it was found that they had imanimously recom
mended the election of Doctor Livingston as the pro
fessor. The letter of Professor Bonnet was inclosed in
that of the Classis, and both extolled him as a person
well qualified for the office, and to be preferred to any
one that could be sent from Holland ; but in case he
should decline the office, the Assembly was requested
to state particularly the salary that would be attached
to it, in order that the Classis, in looking out a Hplland
divine to fill it, might feel themselves authorized Jo
make a definite offer in that respect.

SETTLEMENT IN NEW-YORK. I47
The committee immediately issued circular letters,
calling the Convention to meet in New- York in the
month of May of the same year. The call was obeyed ;
but as the first battle of the revolutionary contest had
been fought only a few days before at Lexington, Mass.,
such was the state of feeling in consequence, that the
members hastily terminated their session, after recom
mending the observance, throughout all their churches,
of a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer. The par
ticular business for which they had assembled, was
necessarily deferred.
Hostilities with Great Britian had now commenced
in earnest; and it being supposed that the enemy
would early seek the occupation of New- York, which
was in a defenseless situation, many of the citizens
deemed it prudent to remove their families into the
country, and accordingly did remove them in the au
tumn of 1775 ; but a much greater number left the city
in the spring and summer of the following year.
Philip Livingston, Esq., a distinguished patriot, and
a member of Congress,* was among the first to take
* This gentleman was the fourth son of Philip, who was the eldest
son of Robert, and a grandson of the celebrated John Livingston that
died at Rotterdam. The following notice of him"is extracted from a
Biography of distinguished persons in America :
"Philip Livingston was a member ofthe family which has long been
distinguished in the State of New- York, and was born at Albany, January
15th, 1716. He was graduated at Yale College in 1737. With the
superior advantages of an excellent education, he embarked in mercan
tile pursuits, and was soon engaged in extensive operations ; and his
inflexible integrity, and enlarged and comprehensive views, laid the
foundation and erected the structure of extraordinary prosperity. His
fh-3t appearance in public was in September, 1754, when he was elected
an alderman of the city of New- York. From this period, he continued

148 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
this step, and in the month of October conveyed his
little household to Kingston, in the county of Ulster,
New- York.
With Sarah, the youngest daughter of this gentle
man, Dr. Livingston had previously entered into a ma-
to fill various posts under the Colonial Government, till he took a de
cided stand against the usurpations of Great Britain. Mr. Livingston
was chosen a member of the first Congress, which met at Philadelphia
on the oth of September, 1774. In this assembly be took a distinguished
part, aAd was appointed on the committee to prepare an address to the
people of Great Britain. He was reelected a delegate in 1775, with full
power to concert with delegates of other colonies, upon such measures
as should be judged most effectual for the preservation of American rights
and privileges.
" On the 4th of July, 177G, he affixed his signature to the Declara
tion of Independence. On the 15th July, 1776, he was chosen by
Congress a member of the Board of Treasury, and on the 29th of April
following a member ofthe Marine Committee ; two important trusts, in
which the safety and well-being of America were essentially involved.
On the 13th of May, 1777, the State Convention reelected him to Con
gress, and at the same time thanked him and his colleagues for their
long and faithful services rendered to the colony and State of New-
York. " Mr. Livingston's attendance on Congress did not, however, preclude
his employment at home in affairs of importance. He served in every
capacity in which he could be useful in the councils of his State. He
assisted in framing a constitution for the State, and, on its adoption, was
chosen a senator under it. In October, 1777, he was reelected to
Congress under the new constitution, and took his seat in Congress in
May, 1778, one of the most critical and gloomy periods of the Revolu
tion, and incessantly devoted his whole faculties to the salvation of his
country. He expired at York, Pennsylvania, on the 12th of June,
1778. A short time previous to his demise, ho sold a portion of his
property to sustain the public credit ; and though he sensibly felt the
approach of death, owing to the nature of his complaint, he did not
hesitate to relinquish the endearments of a beloved family, and devote
the last remnant of his illustrious life to the service of his country, then
enveloped in the thickest gloom."

SETTLEMENT IN NEW-YORK. 149
trimordal engagement ; and. in the same month, shortly
after the settlement of the family in its new place of
abode, they were united in the conjugal state. This
event proved to the Doctor one of the happiest in his
life. Indeed, he could scarcely have formed a more
felicitous connection, for she was a lady ef good sense.
of a mild and affectionate disposition, of great prudence,
of sincere and ardent piety : and he thus became allied
to other families among the most respectable in the
colony* Dr. Livingston was himself a sincere and decided
friend to the American cause. It was the earnest wish
of his heart that the war begun might result in the es
tablishment of his country's independence, and, like a
number of patriotic and pious ministers of the city, he
offered his fervent prayers to God for its ultimate suc
cess. The Bev. Dr. Miller, in his Memoirs of the late vene
rable Dr. Kodgers, says : ¦• For a considerable time be
fore this crisis arrived, Dr. Eodgers and several other
clergvmen of the eirr. among whom were Dr. Mason
and Dr. Laidlie, had been in the habit of holding weekly
meetings, for cultivating friendship with each other.
and for mutual instruction. Toward the close of 1775.
the gentlemen concerned agreed to suspend their usual
* The eldest dav.chter of Philip married Stephen Van Renssa'.aer
Esq, of Albany, and was the mother of the gentleman ei the same name
and "place, who died In 153-3. and whose patriotic services, amiable deport
ment, and princely liberality in the promotion of soience and religion.
are well known. The second married Dr. Thomas Jones, a learned and
respectable physician of New- York, ana was the mother cf Mrs. Clin
ton, the widow of the late much-lamented Governor of the State of
New-York.

150 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
exercises at these meetings, and to employ the time,
when they came together, in special prayer for a bless
ing upon the country, in the struggle on which it was
entering. This meeting thus conducted, was kept up
until the ministers composing it, and the great mass of
the people under their pastoral care, retired from the
city previous to the arrival of the British forces."
Dr. Livingston was, no doubt, one of this clerical as
sociation ; and it is probable that, as often as he was
in the city, he united with them in supplications to
Heaven for a happy prosecution and termination of the
conflict. But neither political nor religious principle made it
his duty to remain in New- York, when that would be
only an unnecessary exposure of his life, and the greater
part of the people of his charge had fled into different
parts of the country, to places of more safety. He
therefore resided in the excellent family with which he
had recently become connected, and visited the city for
the performance of ministerial duty, as often as it was
practicable. Until the British forces took possession of
New- York, in September, 1776, he and Dr. Laidhe,
who had also removed to Bed-Hook, alternately came
down, unless providentially prevented, and preached
to the remnant of their flock ; and in the month of June
preceding, he administered the Lord's Supper in the
Middle Church, which ordinance was not dispensed
again in any of the Dutch churches in the city during
the continuance of the war.
While the Doctor was staying at Kingston, he preach
ed once every Sabbath, if in the place, in the Dutch lan
guage; but as the congregation there was furnished

SETTLEMENT IN NEW-YORK. 151
with a pastor, (the Bev. Mr. Doll.) when he found that
he would be probably for some time excluded from
New- York, he became anxious for another situation.
where his ministrations might be more needed, and
about the time that his intercourse with the city ceased.
it pleased the Lord to provide him just such an one as
he had desired.
In the autumn of 177o. the Consistory of the Dutch
Church in Albany invited him to spend the period of
his exile, or as much of it as suited his convenience, in
labors among them. This invitation he promptly ac
cepted, and. with Mis. Livingston and his infant son.
went there in the month of November.
Whether, anterior to this time, public worship in
that church had been regularly, or at all, performed in
Euglish. is not known; but it was understood that
during his residence in the place, he would be expected
to preach in this language, whilst the esteemed pastor
would take the Dutch service ; and for nearly three
years he labored zealously, in conjunction with the
pious and excellent Westerlo, to build up the Church
in faith and godliness.
Alter he had been here about a year, he made a visit
with his little family to his lather at Poughkeepsie.
which, for a short season, was attended with imminent
danger, and led to the loss of Lis journal, containing a
number of anecdotes, and relating his religious experi-
enco firom the day of his embarkation for Holland.
It was in the month of October. 1777. when General
Yaughan, with a small fleet, sailed up the Hudson, and
burnt Kingston. The enemy, as they passed the
residence of his father upon the maigin of the river.

152 HEMOIB OF JOHN HESBT UIV1SG3TON.
feed into ii* and in tiiepratatoliffl» and aJaim of the
mtynmsL produced ly tins wanton attack. wbile making
some hasty pnyaiaikas to leave the house, be brant
Oat mantscrlp:. nods' the appreheiisianthat otherwise
it might all into improper baasds. Tie loss was a seri-
oos one to Wm. and not Less so fo us. ibr the journal
would have yielded mneh iirirmJiiHg and important
matter to enrich these puses. Tne whole &m3y. npcm
the acc-ve threatening oc-eraraice^ Hed to Sharon. Conn_
and remained there some weeks.
The climate of Attarx. in winter, peering too severe
for the feeble constitution, of Mis. lirin^ton, lie re
moved in ms summer of 1779 to Iirm^feom's Max-rr.
in the Lope that ~^»:- change of situation would lie be-
¦ncafial to her health. How lar Ms r^ixisteii- laboos
were pipsgang; and naefid ~o the people of -hixgsjon,
die writer hst= not been, informed: bat of their tht
great acceptance in Albany, unquestionable proof rem
be given; for in the ensuing spring ae received a eoH,
in due Bum to return to loenL. "Etos call, which is
dated die 4th of April, 1750. was brought down and
presented to ^^ the t^-vi day "rrytheBer. Dr. Was^edo,
and Mr John. Beekman. He took it into seri:>^s eoo
adsation, but finally declined it^ and continued at Ae
Manor, preaching to desnrxre ebnrehes in txe TJriniljr
die unsearchable riches of Christ
The Doctor, it is evident fiom the iaete already stated,
did not lead a lifo of inaction or indolence, while com
pelled ~o intermit the exercise c-f iris saerel functions in
2f ew-Tofk ; nor did he rove about as a political e£s-
siaaaiy, consuming his time in die diseassaon of ques
tions relative to the public aiians, interesting as the

SETTU'IMENT IN NEW-YoHK. 15.",
Bubjoot then wan to persons of every (lt-prrij >li< >ii
Though a decided Whig; though ho rejoiced at ove.ry
occurrence auspicious to tho causo of freedom, and both
in pub lie. and in private remembered his beloved coun
try at tho Throne of Grace, praying that the right hand
ofthe Almighty, and tho light of It is countenance, would
Bftvo her, yot lie loved tho cause of Christ more; and
he, therefore, assiduously employed himself in the glo
rious service to which ho had beon called. His pru
dence, his just, sense of the dignity of his office, and of
tho solemn nature of its duties, wore such as could
hardly fail to preserve him Irom any unseemly remarks
in ordinary discourse upon political matters; but con
versation of tho kind was not sullieiently suited to his
taste, to put him in much danger in that res poet, lie-
deeming grace was habitually tho themo of his medita
tions ; and ho never was so happy as when hearing or
telling of tho victorious operations of Ilim whoso king
dom is not of this world, and commending salvation to
all around him, as well in the social circle, as in the
house of God.
Tho church in which tho Doctor now regularly
preached was in the villago of Lithgow, where he lived,
and near the Manor-house, but his attentions were not
confined to tho congregation that assembled in that
place. Other congregations within a convenient, dis
tance— -and there were several, composed chielly of
Gorman families in want of the ministrations of the
Gospel — enjoved a portion of his labors as often as cir
cumstances would permit.. During his stay with this
people, which lasted about eighteen months, he preached
two sermons every Sabbath, one in English and the

154 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENBY LIVINGSTON.
other in Dutch ; and he had reason to hope that his
strength had not been spent for naught.
The following two years were passed at Poughkeepsie.
The church in this town, which now was without a set
tled minister, desired his services ; and he being rather
inconveniently situated, in some respects, at the ilanor,
consented to take the pastoral oversight of it; and,
accordingly, removed for the purpose in 1781, to his
father's mansion, where he remained until the close of
the war. Of the profitableness of the Doctor's ministry,
during this period, no materials are in hand to author
ize a full or positive representation. Yet tradition fur
nishes one instance which, with its far-reaching results,
has been well set forth in an article in The Sower, for
January, 1856, a monthly paper issued by the Board
of Publication of the Protestant Reformed Dutch
Church. It is entitled " The Line of Influence," and is
as follows :
" During the Revolutionary War, the Rev. Dr. Livingston was
compelled to absent himself from his pastoral charge in the city
of New- York. Part of this time was spent by him in occasional
services in or near Poughkeepsie, where, it is said, he often
preached in a barn. On one of these occasions, there was among
his hearers a little Hessian drummer, who had been taken prisoner
after the defeat of Burgoyne at Saratoga, and was sent into the
interior for safe-keeping. It pleased God to bless the word
preached to the conversion of this poor captive mercenary, and
afterwards to ' count bim faithful, putting bim into the ministry.'
The Rev. Christian Bork, after laboring in some smaller charges,
was called to the North- West Church in this city, then worship
ping in Franklin street, where he ministered for many years with
great zeal and success. Among the fruits of his ministry was a
young man named John Scudder, who, after finishing his theo
logical studies, devoted himself to the missionary work in the

SETTLEMENT IN NEW-YORK. 155
foreign field, where he spent a long and most useful life, leaving
a name embalmed in the grateful recollections of every Christian
heart. It was his privilege, when about a twelvemonth since he
closed his eyes in death, to know that three of his sons, like-
minded with himself, were laboring among the heathen.
" What a series of results to proceed from one discourse in a rude
barn amid the tumult of war, and tho general relaxation of order
and morals ! The American pastor, the pioneer East-Indian Mis
sionary, the three brothers constituting the. Classis of Arcot, in
Madras ; all links in a chain of spiritual influences running from
17T6 to 185G. And who shall ' tell the generation' of those new
born souls yet to trace their saving knowledge of the truth to the
instrumentality of the sons who now carry on the work begun by
their honored father ? Let no man despise one sermon. Lot no
minister think lightly of one poor, ignorant hearer. Perhaps of
all the conversions of which tho sainted Livingston was made the
means (and the number was far from being small) not one has
been attended with such abundant and lasting blessings to the
Church and the world, as that of the little Hessian drummer who
strayed into the Dutchess county barn some eighty years ago."
The present cheering prospects of America led him
to reflect with much attention upon the changes which
a new form of political government would render ne
cessary in ecclesiastical policy, in order to place the
Church in an advantageous position, and give her a
proper standing and influence among other denomina
tions. The following extract of a letter to the Rev. Drt
Westerlo, dated 22d October, 1783, will show the in
terest and mature deliberation with which he revolved
the important subject, and also the origin of apian which
was ultimately adopted, but not till towards the close
of his life.
" The revolution in our political interests has made a
change in the general face of our American world, and

156 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
as it has removed some difficulties which were taken
into consideration in our former plan, so it has intro
duced others which deserve a very weighty and impar
tial discussion. The common enemy to our rehgious
liberties is now removed ; and we have nothing to fear
from the pride and domination of the Episcopal hier
archy." "A sufficient seminary for all the purposes of com
mon literature, is now already established in the Jer
seys, and will probably be enlarged into an university,
and be most fkvored by the Legislature in that State.
The erecting, therefore, a College, with all the appen
dages necessary to justify the appellation, at Bruns
wick, appears to be an object at once beyond our
funds, and in itself unnecessary. The question will
then recur, what must, what ought, what can we do ?
To me, there appears but three possible methods, which,
if not free from difficulties, seem to be upon the whole
at least practicable, and in some measure calculated to
answer the purposes we wish to obtain — either to
wait until the government of this State shall organize
the College in the City of New- York, and then appoint
a professor for our churches in that College, to be sup
ported by the funds of the College; or, to request
•(which, if done, will doubtless be obtained) a local
union with Princeton, where a professor of our nomina
tion, and supported by us, may teach in their house,
and the students have the privilege of their library ; or,
lastly, that our churches support their independence,
and distinct name and existence, by erecting at Bruns
wick—not a College, but a Divinity -Hall, for the sole
purpose of teaching Theology."

SETTLEMENT IN NEW- YORK. 157
" I will freely communicate to you my sentiments
upon each of these, not only because you have a right
as a friend, to know my opinion, but because I wish to
prompt you to an explicit declaration of your own
mind upon the subject, as I am by no means fixed in
my views, but would fain gain all the advice possible
in a matter which is justly considered by all as import
ant, and which can not succeed without the joint con
currence and approbation of the whole."
"With respect, then, to the first thing proposed,
it appears to me the following difficulties are altogether
insurmountable : 1. The time may prove too long for
the wants of our Church before the College in New-
York is properly organized. 2. The old Charter of
that College, and the funds which were given -upon
express condition of the operation of that Charter, will
create some difficulties ; these have still their friends,
who will be ready to oppose, if not openly, at least by
their influence, every measure which seems to prefer
any persuasion or denomination above the Episcopal.
3. The government of this State **** -will probably
wish to give no countenance at all to any denomina
tion of Christians, lest an infringement of religious
liberty should be made ; and, therefore, if the College
should be erected into an university, it is my opinion
the science of theology will be entirely omitted. For
us, therefore, to be waiting for that event, will be loss
of time, engaging -in the quarrels of an old stand
ing and high partyship, or a final disappointment at
last." " The second has a greater prospect of success, and
for some time has been uppermost in my mind, in con-

158 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
sequence of a train of happy consequences, which I
imagined I saw connected with that situation ; nor was
the assured orthodoxy of all the Presbyterian Churches,
and their indissoluble union in doctrines with ours, by
that means, the least argument to persuade me into a
coalition with Princeton. But, upon mature thought,
it is evident to me that this measure will not succeed.
For — 1. Our professor, when placed there, must be
either under the control of the Trusteeship of that Col
lege, or (if an exemption from their jurisdiction should
be stipulated) it is impossible but he will, in rime, be
under the influence of their customs, sentiments, and
opinions, as he must be one among the many who
surround him^ and who, all being swayed by one in
terest, will unavoidably draw him also with the
stream : whereby the professor of the Dutch Church
will and can not but be a Presbyterian professor. You
know my sentiments in firvor of the Presbyterians too
well to suppose I mean any thing in this the least de
rogatory to them, their doctrines, or their church gov
ernment. I esteem them highly, and wish many
among us were not possessed with such groundless
prejudices against them. But when I consider our
churches as hitherto preserving a distinct denomina
tion, my first observation will be seen to have great
vreieht, as the name and existence of the Dutch
churches by such an union would soon expire. 2. The
same sum must be raised by us for the support of this
professorate at Princeton, as if it was placed in any
other situation, while the prospect of its answering our
purpose would be dubious, and our professor evidently
placed farther out of our control, in proportion as he

SECT LE MENT IN NIOW-YORK. 159
becamo united to others. 8. Our correspondence with
our mother churches in Holland, mid the possibility
of being increased by emigrations from thence, should
nl. least, incline us to remain as pure and unsuspected of
any mixture ns possible — unless some generous and
proper plan, formed by a genius equal lo the tusk,
should be drawn for uniting all the Relbrmed Churches
in America into one national Church — which, notwith
standing the seeming dillieulties in tho way, I humbly
apprehend will be practicable and, consistent with
the outlines drawn by I'rotbssor Witsius for King
William the Third, 1 yet hope to see accomplished.
But uutil something of thai kind is proposed, what has
been mentioned above stands with its full Ibrce."
" The last of tho three proposed plans remains to bo
considered. At lirst blush, it is evident that if it ean
be put in practice, it will distinguish our churches as
singularly concerned liw maintaining the truths of the
(bnspel, and instead of absorbing them into other de
nominations, will fix their character in a point of view,
which will hand down tho ell'orts of the present gener
ation with honor to posterity. While others, have
labored with success ami praise lor the cultivation of
learning in general, it seems to be reserved in Provi
dence, as the peculiar province of our churches, to em
ploy their whole influence in teaching and establishing
the Reformed religion."
"Before T mention the dillieulties which have oc
curred to my mind, permit mo to premise- the argu
ments in ils favor. 1. If we erect a respectable profes
sorate and Divinity-Hall at, Brunswick, we shall have
our institution wholly under our own control; every

160 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
difficulty can be canvassed, and redress obtained with
out the interposition of other denominations, or any
appeal to different boards. 2. The name and estima
tion ofthe Dutch churches among the various churches
in America, are in such repute for orthodoxy, that our
institution will bid fairer to be universally useful when
we stand alone, than any union with any that can be
named, could possibly promise. 3. The local situation
of Brunswick seems to be a proper centre for the States
of New- York, and Jersey, and Pennsylvania, in the
last of which there are perhaps as many congregations
of the Keformed churches as in both the former. 4.
But what ought to be a principal consideration is, that
all the donations and assistance we are to expect for
this undertaking, will be given by those who belong
to the Dutch churches, (as every other denomination
has plans of their own, which call forth their whole
abilities,) and it is evident the' benefactors for our pro
fessorate would give with greater freedom, and feel
more happy in promoting a work, which they were
assured would remain under the sole inspection of the
Dutch churches, than by any combination of ecclesias
tic interests with Princeton, or political with New-
York, could possibly be effected."
" These, and what I might still add, if these were
not sufficient, have induced me tc% prefer the last to
both the former plans. The difficulties which occur,
are, indeed, not small ; they are few in number, but of
great weight. The one is, it will unavoidably take up
some time, at least two years, before any thing of im
portance can be done towards this establishment. The
other is, we have not funds equal to the task ; and we

SETTLEMENT IN NEW- YORK. 161
shall need the advice of our wisest friends, to point out
a method for obtaining a sum sufficient to maintain a
professor in theology, and in the oriental languages."
" I have already said that I was not fixed in my
views respecting this affair ; at least, not so fixed but
that I stand open for conviction, and wish to obtain all
the light which can be thrown upon the object, before
I determine in what manner my vote or small influence
shall direct. Upon discoursing with Mr. Eomeyn, I
found him fully convinced that what I have last con
sidered was the proper line of conduct for us ; and his
arguments have not a little conduced to establish my
mind upon this plan. It is the interest of the Eedeem-
er's cause we have at heart. Our hands must do what
we are called to with all our might. An effectual and
peculiarly exclusive door is now opened for service.
The enemy of all religion is not at rest. Our united
efforts and blessings, as answers to prayer from the
throne, may fix an establishment that shall make glad
the city of our God for ages yet to come."
The conjectures he formed as to the arrangements
that would be made in behalf of the literary institutions
mentioned, and the views of church policy he expressed
in this letter, were singularly judicious ; and they prove
him to have been a man of an enlightened and com
prehensive mind, and, however devoted to the best in
terests of his own Church, of a catholic spirit.
To a distressing and protracted time of war succeeded
at length, in the good providence of that God who
ruleth among the nations, a time of peace. By His
blessing upon the arms of America, every mountain
became a plain before her Zerubbabel, and the top

162 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
stone of her liberties was brought forth with the exult
ing shouts of thousands. The conflict between Great
Britain and this country was brought to a close in the
year 1783. Provisional articles of peace had been signed
at Paris in the latter part of the preceding year, and as
soon as intelligence of the fact reached here, all hostili
ties ceased. A number of the exiles ventured forth
with to reoccupy their former dwellings ; but they did
not generally return, until after the evacuation of the
city by the British troops, on the twenty-fifth of Novem
ber, 1783. About this time, Doctor Livingston came
back to resume his pastoral charge, and commenced a
laborious course of ministerial duty.

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW- YORK. 163

CHAPTER VH.
FROM THE RESUMPTION OF HIS PASTORAL CHARGE
TILL THE ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
CHURCH.
1783-1792.
The first interview between Doctor Livingston and
his flock, upon their return to New- York, after so long
a separation, was attended with mingled emotions of joy
and sorrow.
On the one hand, the successful termination of the
war, with the glorious results in prospect, the reposses
sion of their former habitations, a sight again of those
venerable temples in which they had so often raised
the voice of supplication and praise, and a sight of each
other, as preserved through all the vicissitudes and
perils of seven eventful years, were circumstances
which could not but a-waken in every breast the most
pleasurable • feelings. But, on the other hand, the
many sad events which had taken place in a number
of families, some of which, perhaps, had not been ex
tensively known or heard of before ; the visible traces
of the outrages committed by the enemy, the ruinous
state of several places of worship, which had been most

164 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
wantonly abused, and among which were the Middle
and North Churches— the one having been first a prison
and then a riding-school, the other a prison ; these cir
cumstances, together with that of the loss both had
sustained in the death of the loved and excellent Laidlie, *
made the occasion one, not less of mutual condolence
than of mutual congratulation.
The old church in Garden street, being found unin
jured, was, in the month of November, immediately
after the Doctor's return, reopened for public worship ;
and the people, grateful as may be supposed, that they
had one building left in which they could assemble,
once more came together, and united with their pastor
in a tribute of thanksgiving-)- to the Host High, for his
innumerable mercies.
The congregation at this time, or rather the residue
of it, needed extraordinary attention ; and the labor of
visiting, catechising, and preaching, and of various
other important duties, necessary in consequence of the
long suspension of pastoral cares and the commence
ment of a new form of political government, was more
than usually devolves upon the minister of the Gospel ;
* This much-esteemed and devoted servant of Christ, died at Rod
Hook, in the year 1780, of a pulmonary disease. The two Dutch min
isters, though still living, did not come back to the city to reside. Mr.
Ritzema remained at Kinderhook, and Mr De Ronde settled at Sehagh-
tieoke, a place north-east of Albany. They were both too far advanced
in life to resume the responsibilities ofthe pastoral connection in such a
city, and the Consistory ofthe Church, -with their accustomed liberality,
granted to each an annuity of £200 during life. Mr. Ritzema died in
the year 1796 ; Mr. De Ronde in 1795.
¦f The eleventh day of the folio-wing month was, by the recommend
ation of Congress, observed throughout the United States as a day of
national thanksgiving.

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 165
more, indeed, than a single one in such a station could
well perform, without incessant assiduity. And the
Doctor stood alone as the pastor. Of the four minis
ters in connection with the Church when the war be
gun, he was the only one whom Providence permitted
to take the oversight of it when the war ceased ; but
he nevertheless cheerfully undertook the difficult ser
vice and discharged it with unwearied diligence and
zeal. While he was thus devoted to" his congregation, he
also cooperated with the friends of science and religion,
to forward the accomplishment of an object wliich was
then in contemplation — the erection of a State Univer
sity. In a letter to the Rev. Dr. Romeyn, dated March 18,
1784, there is the following paragraph : " That evening
when I parted with you, the Governors of the College
met, and a bill for erecting a university in the State of
New- York was read to us. Many observations upon
the bill, in the form it then bore, were made, and some
alterations were strongly urged. The alterations in
sisted upon were not essential, with respect to the basis
of the university, but only the form in which the mat
ter was managed. There is no opposition from any
quarter which occasions the least doubt but the business
will be conducted with that spirit of Catholicism and
harmony, which will insure a literary foundation of im
portance to the Church and State. As soon as the bill
has obtained its proper alterations, and gone through its
different stages, I will endeavor to obtain a copy for
you, and send it over to you."
He felt, too, no little solicitude for the general wel-

166 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
fare ofthe Church to which he belonged, as is apparent
from another part of the same letter. Having mildly
animadverted upon the strong manner in which a re
spected clerical brother had expressed himself in favor
of Queen's College, he adds : " For my part, I wish
only for information, and if I know my own heart, I
am perfectly impartial and without the least prejudice
in favor of one place or seat of learning above another.
My only inquiry is, wliich place can be rendered most
secure for maintaining our blessed truths unadulterated,
and wliich — provided there are several methods which
in that respect are equally secure — is most easy, practi
cable, and advantageous ? I am too much a friend to
the College of Brunswick to take up any argument
against it, but if another door should be opened, which
will answer every purpose sooner and better, I would
desire to be such a friend to truth and providence as
not to refuse an acceptance."*
* To explain this extract, it may be proper to observe, that the hope
of ever seeing Queen's College in » flourishing state, seems to have
been now a forlorn one. The funds of the institution had become much
reduced, and the number of students was only fifteen. The Trustees
had shortly before given a call to the presidency, to the Rev. Dr. T.
Romeyn, but the acceptance of it was very doubtful; and under these
discouraging prospects of the Seminary, the expectation appears to
have been cherished, that King's (now Columbia) College, in the city of
New-York, would be so divested of its Episcopal character, and so new
modelled, as to afford speedily all the advantages desired for the educa
tion of the youth of the Dutch Church.
The Rev. Dr. Hardenbergh, one of tho warmest frionds of Queen's
College, acknowledges in a letter written about this time to Dr. L., that
" being totally unacquainted with tho intentions of civil government,
as to tho important matters of education," he was utterly at a loss
what to say upon the subject of educating youth for the supply of the
Church.

'PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW- YORK. 167
Further on, he»says: "The repeated mention you
have made about the necessity of forming a classical
meeting of the Southern district, notwithstanding the
smallness of the body, has induced me to try if I can
bring such a measure about. I have not yet seen Mr.
Schoonmaker of Gravesend, and whether Father Van
Sinderen can attend, I do not know ; but I shall endeavor
to form the poor suffering congregations again into a
body, and get our ecclesiastical judicatories once more
established." This letter shows that, in the midst of
numerous and weighty parochial duties, he was employed
about matters of great importance, either to the commu
nity, or to the Church at large.
It was stated in the last chapter, that the Convention
which had assembled in May, 1775, to act upon the
letter from the Classis of Amsterdam, relative to a pro
fessor, owing to the alarm then prevalent, dissolved
itself without attending to the business. In October,
1784, another Convention assembled, and this was the
first, it is believed, that met after the conclusion of peace.
This body proceeded at once to the election of a Pro
fessor of Theology, and unanimously bestowed the hon
orable office upon the person, whom the Theological
Faculty of Utrecht and the Classis had concurred in
recommending. An appointment made under circumstances so clearly
expressive of the Divine will in the case, Doctor Liv
ingston could not decline : he accordingly declared his
acceptance of the same, and a time was fixed for his
inauguration.* * To show the progress of ecclesiastical organization in the Dutch
Church, it ought to be noticed here, that this Convention resolved to

168 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
On the 19th of May, 1785, in compliance with the
request of the General Synod, the name which the Con
vention had now assumed, he delivered his inaugural
oration in Latin, before them, in the Old Dutch Church
in Garden street. This discourse, the subject of which
was, " The Truth ofthe Christian Religion," was afterwards
published. Some apposite remarks, in his prologue,
upon the happy termination ofthe revolutionary contest,
and the importance of religion to the nation being made,
he passed on to a general view of all religion, true and
false, and showed the foundation of that which is true.
He treated next of natural and revealed religion ; and,
having briefly noticed the insufficiency of natural reli
gion for the salvation of sinners, as also the necessity of
a revelation, he exhibited a few of fhe principal argu
ments wliich prove that the Books of the Old and New
Testament contain a divine revelation, and then urged,
distinguish their several assemblies hy the names usually given to such
judicatories. For particular reasons, at the adoption of the Articles of
Union, they wore simply denominated "the Particular and General
Assembly :" henceforth, every Particular Assembly was to be called a
Classis, and the General Assembly, a Particular Synod. There were,
at the commencement ofthe war, and probably also at its close, between
70 and 80 congregations in the State of New- York, and about 40 in
New- Jersey: of the former, three classes were constituted; ofthe latter,
two, which were to meet ordinarily twice every year. The Particular
Synod was to he a delegated body, consisting of two ministers, and two
elders, from each classis ; and to meet once a year : and it would seem
that it was now further resolved to have a third judicatory, composed
of all the ministers of the Church, with each an elder, and one elder from
every vacant congregation ; which should be called the General Synod,
and meet once every third year. The statement is made upon the au
thority of a paper of Dr. L.'s, which has been referred to before, con
taining a few detachod observations relative to the Dutch Church. The
observations appear to have been penned about the year 1792.

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 169
at the close of the discourse, a number of other argu
ments to confirm his proposition, which it is scarce
necessary to add, he satisfactorily established.
The Doctor's extensive' acquaintance with ministers
and other persons, distinguished for learning and
piety, furnished him almost daily with occasions for
letter-writing. His epistolary correspondence was, at
no time subsequently to his settlement in New- York,
a small affair; but now he had many European
friends, with whom, as often as an opportunity was pre
sented, he reciprocated affectionate attentions. The
chief of these friends were in Holland, as he had
himself long resided in that country, and formed while
there, an intimacy with several eminent persons. He
had, however, one foreign correspondent, in another
part of Europe, whose name is worthy of honorable dis
tinction in these Memoirs, the celebrated Dr. John
Erskine, of Edinburgh. This gentleman, in two in
stances at least, accompanied his letters with a present
of several valuable books, as a token of personal esteem,
and of pious solicitude in behalf of the Dutch Church.
The letters of this venerable and truly excellent divine,
to Dr. L., though short, evince a liberality of Christian
feeling, and a desire to promote the spread and preser
vation of the truth in the Dutch Church, which justly
entitle them to a particular notice. They were written
at an advanced age, and, seemingly, with a tremblmg
hand. One, dated March 26th, 1784, commences thus:
"Dear Sir: Permit me to send you, as a mark of
respect for yourself, and the worthy family from which
you are descended, and of my best wishes for the Belgic
Churches on both sides the Atlantic, a few Dutch

170 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
books." Some of these books, the Doctor is requested
to keep, and the rest, to present to any ministers or
private Christians that might need them.
In another, dated December 14th, 1784, he says :
" Regard to one, descended from Mr. Livingston, a
successful and eminent minister in Scotland; one, too,
of whom I had so pleasant accounts from my dear friend
Mr. Rondal, one of the worthiest ministers of this city,
disposed me to send you * * * *: not so much, that I
thought they could be of great use to yourself, as pro
bably you might be provided with the best of them, as
that I supposed there might be Dutch ministers or
private Christians, in country parishes, not so well pro
vided with books, to whom you could present them. I
now send you 8 more folios, 3 octavos, and one duode
cimo, with the same view. * * * Scriptural criticism is,
I am afraid, too little studied in the American States.
* * * I mean not, by this, to approve the method in
Holland, of introducing so much criticism into sermons.
But, surely, it argues more reverence for Scripture,
than transforming sermons into philosophical essays, or
eloquent declamations, no way connected with a text.
I should be glad to learn from you, the state of religion
and theologic literature in the Middle States, especially
in the Dutch and German Churches. I am much con
cerned for the storm which seems to be threatening
Holland. " I am, dear Sir, your affectionate Brother and Serv
ant, John Erskine."
About this time, the North Church being repaired,

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW- YORK. 171
and it being desirable that there should be regularly
full service in both churches, the Consistory determined
to give the Doctor a colleague, as soon as they could
obtain a minister of suitable gifts and popularity. In
pursuance of this determination, a call was presented
in July, 1785, to the Rev. Simeon Van Aarsdaalen, of
Readington, New- Jersey.
The prefatory part of this instrument is somewhat
of an historical nature, and expresses officially, the sen
timents then entertained of the Doctor's ministrations.
It is in these words ¦
" Since it hath pleased God to restore his dispersed
people in peace, from their grievous exile, and estab
lish them again in their former habitations, the Minis
ter, Elders, and Deacons of the Reformed Protestant
Dutch Church, of the City of New- York, desire with
thankful hearts to acknowledge His unmerited goodness,
and express their fervent gratitude, by their zeal in
promoting his worship, and restoring the ordinances of
his house to their former importance and usefulness."
" With great expense and labor, one of the ruined
churches (commonly called the North Church) has been
repaired, and the public service of the sanctuary for
some time performed alternately in the North and in
the Old Church."
" The death ofthe celebrated Doctor Laidlie, whose
labors were eminently blessed, and whose name will long
be remembered with every sentiment of veneration and
esteem, has deprived the Dutch Churches in America
of an able defender of the truth, and this congregation
of an indefatigable and exemplary teacher. By his
death, the whole pastoral care, and all the duties ofthe

172 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
ministry, are devolved upon Doctor Livingston, who,
notwithstanding his great exertions and most acceptable
labors, can not possibly alone supply the wants of a con
gregation, whose members are too numerous to con
vene in one place of worship, and whose youth require
catechetical instruction, beyond the strength and atten
tion of one minister. It has, therefore, been the fervent
wish and endeavor of the Consistory, as well as the
constant request of the congregation, since their return
to this city, to find a capable and acceptable teacher, to
assist Doctor Livingston in the work of the ministry,
and with him to perform divine service in the English
language. And since they have become acquainted
with your person and character, your talents and min
isterial gifts, their choice has uniformly been placed
upon you." Then follows the call which, it would appear
from the fact of its being found among the Doctor's pa
pers, was declined and returned.
In the month of October of this year, the first attempt
was made to establish a correspondence between the
Dutch Reformed, the Presbyterian, and the Associate
Reformed Churches. The Synod of the Dutch Church
had the honor of proposing the matter, and appointed
a committee to confer upon it with the committees that
might be appointed by the respective judicatories ofthe
other Churches. Doctor Livingston was one of the
Dutch Committee, and read at the conference, when it
took place, a written declaration of his own and his
brethren's views, or rather of the instructions they had
received in relation to the important business. This
declaration, in the preparing of which he had, without
doubt, the most influence, though it expressed a strong

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 173
, and inviolable attachment to his own Church, bore no
semblance of bigotry, and breathed throughout a spirit
of Christian love and of fervent zeal for " the preserva
tion of sound doctrine," the "promotion of piety, and"
the "prevention of future discord." The object of the
conference was represented to be, not " to effect any
nominal or real union between the respective
Churches ;" but, simply, " to open a correspondence
that might tend to the general advantage of the Church
of Christ, the preservation of sound doctrine, promotion
of piety, and prevention of future discord."
Having observed that "the standards of" their
" confession, as well as" their " attachment to them,
must, by" them, " be for ever preserved inviolate and
unalterable," and given an account of the Formularies,
to which every candidate must subscribe before he can
be admitted as a minister in the Church, the Commit
tee, in then- Declaration, which was read by the Doc
tor, as above stated, proposed a few questions to the
other Committees. The first related to their standards,
and to the manner in which they bound themselves to
abide by their confessions, so as "to exclude all reser
vations and exceptions whatever." The second was in
these words : " Whether the corresponding Synods
will, in order to lay the foundation of a full and unre
served confidence between our respective Churches,
give some solemn and authoritative pledge or promise,
the one to the other, that both, for the present, and as
far as watchfulness, care, and fidelity, on the part of
man can prevail, for ever hereafter, a firm, explicit, and
unconditional attachment to the known formula of our
respective Churches, respecting doctrine and worship,

174 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
shall be insisted on, and, at all hazards, without the
fear of man, be practised in each and every one of our
Churches." The third and fourth respected the re
cognizance of deviations from purity of doctrines, and
the maintenance of discipline. Two articles were then
added, in reference to the accommodation of disputes,
and the mode of keeping up some visible correspond
ence. The writer is unable to say what were the answers
returned to these questions : but the abstract of the
Declaration of the Dutch Committee, shows how tena
cious our fathers were of the genuine doctrines of the
Gospel, and how anxiously they sought to bar the intro
duction of error into the Church. The final result of
the conference was the adoption, by the aforenamed
judicatories, of a plan of mutual and friendly inter
course. A plan was projected the ensuing winter, by some
friends of literature in the northern part of the State,
for founding a College in Schenectady, for the pros
perity of which the Doctor evinced a benevolent con
cern, and probably made some exertions, at the meet
ings of the Regents of the University, being a member
of that Board.
In a letter to his worthy friend and brother, the Rev.
Dr. T. Romeyn, pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church
in that town — one, it is believed, of the original framers
of the plan, and its indefatigable patron — he says: " If
I can be serviceable to you in any thing relating thereto,
I shall be glad to receive your directions;" and, in
another dated the 25th of February : " I shall be happy
to hear from you, and wish to know what prospects

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 175
remain of our sanguine expectations respecting your
intended college. I have understood some little mis
understanding has taken place in consequence of dif
ferent claims to the same lands, which were intended
to be appropriated for a fund. I hope it may be ami
cably settled, and that your influence may prevail to
engage both sides to unite in the same obj ect. It would,
doubtless, prove a great advantage to the town to have
a College placed there, and its importance to hterature
and religion, in that quarter of our State, need not to
be mentioned."*
The Legislature of the State, in April, 1784, passed
an act, entitled, " An Act to enable all the religious de
nominations in this State to appoint trustees, who
shall be a body corporate, for the purpose of taking
care of the temporalities of their respective congrega
tions, and for other purposes therein mentioned." As
this Act needlessly interfered with the established
practice of the Dutch Church, the Doctor endeavored
to procure the addition of a clause or another act,
suited to the case ; and thus rendered an important
service to the Church.
It is well known that the consistory of every church
is intrusted with the care, not only of the spiritual
affairs of the society, but also of its temporalities ; and
that the members of a consistory are not viewed as
placed permanently in active service ; but that every
year according to the constitution of the Church, one
half of the number serving in any congregation must
* The College was incorporated in 1791, by the name of Union College,
a name given it in consequence of the union of different denominations
of Christians in its establishment.

176 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
retire to make room for others, or be themselves re
elected; and such has ever been the practice of the
Church. But the act referred to directed the appoint
ment of trustees, in every congregation, a third part
of the number to be chosen annually, to have the
exclusive superintendence of its temporal concerns.
The Doctor's object appears to have been to get a bill
passed, that would make every consistory, for the time
being, a legal board of trustees ; and, if frequency of
change in the members of such a board was a point
of any moment, that was certainly as well provided for
in the rules and practice ofthe Church as in the law of
the Legislature.
Under date of March, 1786, he thus writes to Dr.
Romeyn upon the subject : " The business of our in
corporations I found was not properly understood by
some, and very warmly opposed by others. The ideas
adopted by the authors of the incorporation act, were
to keep the temporalities of all churches perfectly dis
tinct from spirituals. For this reason, without advert
ing to the customs or discipline of any religious deno
mination, the body corporate in one and all of them
was to be formed in a new mode, and this mode be
adopted by every congregation. In this plan there
are many of our great folks so established that I des
paired of any opening for redress in our case. I ap
plied, however, constantly to some leading members
in both houses, and at last obtained their consent to a
bill, which I now inclose to Dr. Westerlo, who is re
quested to send it forward to you. But, even as to
this bill, it is suggested to me that it will be insisted
upon, and probably a clause for that purpose added to

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 177
the bill, that our elders and deacons shall be chosen
at large by the people, and not by the consistories, as
at present, being, as they say, more republican.
Should this last be urged, I would rather drop the
whole application, as that remedy would be worse
than the present disease, and would infallibly bring
confusion into our churches. The truth is, I do not
feel anxious to bring the business forward this session.
However, I have drawn a memorial, and sent it with
this conveyance to brother Westerlo, for him and you
to sign ; and if you both judge it is best still to push
the matter, I will do as you shall direct."
These efforts of the Doctor proved at length success
ful, and a law was passed, enacting " That the minister
or ministers, and elders and deacons, and if, during
any time, there be no minister, then the elders and
deacons, during such time, of every Reformed Protest
ant Dutch Church or congregation, now or hereafter to
be established in this State, and elected according to the
rules and usages of such churches within this State, shall
be the trustees for every such church or congregation."
In consequence of unintermitted attention to his va
rious and arduous duties, the health of the Doctor, in
the course of the past winter, became considerably im
paired, and hoping that he might derive benefit from a
change of air and more exercise, he removed, the pre
sent spring or early in the next summer, to the pleasant
village of Flatbush, on Long Island.
For near three years, he had now been sole pastor
of a large and respectable congregation wliich, before
the war, was served bjfour ministers ; and during the
greater part of this time, or ever since his appointment
8*

178 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
as professor, he had lectured five days every week to a
class of theological students.
Few constitutions are so robust that they would not
feel the effect of continued and faithful employment for
such a space, in any profession ; and the Doctor would
probably have sooner sought this partial and temporary
retirement from his charge to recruit his strength, had
he not viewed it as his duty to spend and be spent, while
a most signal blessing from above attended his labors.
In the lapse of the period which has been mentioned,
he received, upon a confession of their faith, more than
four hundred persons into the communion of the Church ;
the period was, in fact, one joyful revival season, and his
own soul participated in the celestial influence which des
cended so copiously upon his ministrations. The large
accessions made to the Church comforted and encou
raged him, and his work, with these convincing tokens
of the presence of the Divine Spirit in the midst of the
people, if debilitating to his body, was nevertheless a
delightful one.
But a little relaxation was now rendered necessary ;
and to enjoy it, he removed a short distance out of the
city. Assistance also was indispensable ; and accord
ingly a call was sent about the 1st of August to his
excellent friend, the Rev. Dr. Romeyn, of Schenectady,
to preach in the Dutch language, concerning which
he thus writes to that gentleman :
"Rev. and dear Brother: It is with very great
pleasure, and not without my most fervent prayers
for success, that I transmit to you the inclosed call
from our church at New- York. * * * * You

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 179
have long known the high esteem, the affection
and attachment, which our congregation has borne
towards you. I intimated this frequently to you
in our confidential conversation, and your disinclina
tion to live in the city, and refusals to lend an approv
ing ear to my wishes, have prevented us from calling
you before. * * We conceived your principal ob
jection was to performing service in two languages. The
Consistory, therefore, have called you only to preach in
Dutch. Your service will therefore be easy. The
number of Dutch families is not great ; but, lest you
might fear that your usefulness should thereby be
limited, the whole large congregation is before you for
parochial duties in Enghsh ; and your established cha
racter and old friendships open a door for extensive
service and usefulness among us, above any other what
ever. * * * * You know the unfeigned affection
I have long had for you, and, therefore, you may with
propriety consider me as an interested advocate in the
present business ; and, indeed, I acknowledge it — I feel
myself greatly interested. I have long desired to have
you for a colleague ; and, notwithstanding the discou
ragements you have given me, I now have hope that
the time is come when I shall call you by that confi
dential name. I wish to have you for many reasons ;
but I cheerfully leave you with the Lord. Bring the
matter to him, and, after weighing the whole, I hope
you will see it to be your duty to give us a favorable
answer." In a postscript to the affectionate letter from
which these extracts are made, he says : " My health,
as I wrote you some time since, has been much on the
decline. I found it necessary to move out of the city,

180 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
and have come over to Long-Island, at Flatbush. This
change of air and necessary exercise have been much
blessed to me. I am better than I was; but am still
distressed with pains in my breast. I can not preach
so often as I have hitherto done in the large churches
in the city. The gentlemen who study theology have
followed me to Flatbush. It is here cheaper for them
than in the city ; they have more leisure and better op
portunities for study; and I have more time also to
instruct them. * * I feel bound in conscience to
attend to the duties of the professorate, especially when
I see my health also requires it. * * I wish to see
you and. converse with you. I shall be happy — very
happy — to have you near me as a colleague given of the
Lord. If your mind is clear upon the subject of our
call, I think you need not postpone the acceptance:
the sooner you come the greater will be the proof of
your affection."
In another, dated Flatbush, 29th of August, 1786,
he observes: " The answer you sent to the Consistory,
after receiving a call, was yesterday read in full Con
sistory. It gave us great satisfaction to find that you
referred the whole business to the sovereign will of
God, and with a determination to seek counsel at the
Throne of Grace, had resolved to follow what appeared
to be duty. We cheerfully join with you in our pray
ers, and, as it is his glory and the prosperity of his
Church which is our great object, we desire to look up
to him alone, and trust he will incline your heart, with
full conviction of his will, to accept of our call. It is
a great grief to us, that our wants should interfere with
others, and our gain involve the loss of others ; but we

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 181
are confident that, notwithstanding the strong ties and
fervent entreaties of those with whom you now are, yet
if you was thoroughly acquainted with our situation,
and saw the happy train of consequences which are con
nected with your becoming our minister, and wliich
have respect to the well-being of our churches at large,
you would not hesitate one moment to consider our
invitation as the call of God."
" It is not only the prosperity of our large congrega
tion, that depends greatly upon your becoming our
minister, but even the more extensive views of supply
ing the many vacancies in our churches. I can not do
justice to the expectation and wants of the churches,
unless I can be supported and succeeded by one to
whom the burden of ecclesiastical and parochial cares
can be transferred. In you I place, as you know, the
fullest confidence, and with me the whole congregation."
" To the Lord my waiting eyes are raised, and I trust
he will, at length, grant what has long been the desire
of my heart."
About the same time, the Consistory called also the
Rev. Dr. Wilham Liun, of the Presbyterian Church, to
preach in fhe English language, who accepted their call,
and was soon after installed.
His sentiments respecting this eloquent and accom
plished divine, he very frankly expressed to his friend
Dr. R. : " We vesterday," he informs him in one letter,
" sent a call to Mr. Linn. Whether we shall succeed is
uncertain. He is an excellent preacher — appears to be
a good and great man." In another, dated January 29,
1787, after urging still further the acceptance of the
call, he says : ''Rest assured, my brother, of my fullest

182 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
confidence, and sincerest love and friendship ; and I am
peculiarly happy to add, that you will find in our new
colleague, Mr. Linn, that rectitude and approved abil
ities, mixed with the most affectionate inclination to
make all who are connected with him happy, which
can not fail of rendering him an acquisition in general,
and peculiarly acceptable to us." The call was declined :
and in a letter dated August 29, 1787, he wrote again
upon the subj ect as follows : " I believe I have omitted
to do what I am sure it was my inclination and intention
to have done, that is, to have -wrote you a letter in answer
to your last, which conveyed your final resolution
respecting the overtures made to you by our congrega
tion. Acquiescence in the will of Heaven made it my
duty to be fully resigned to the dispensation of Provi
dence ; but I found myself greatly disappointed, as it
has been for a long while my fixed wish and desire to
have you with me as a fellow-laborer. I trust the Lord
has overruled, and will accept of our sincere endeavors,
according to the measure of our present light, to pro
mote the interests of Zion."
The Consistory soon after called the Rev. (afterwards
Dr.) Gerardus A. Kuypers, to preach in the Dutch
language. The call was returned. Another call, how
ever, was made upon the same gentleman early in the
year 1789, which was accepted. (See Appendix H.)
The Doctor's residence on Long-Island appears to
have been only during the summer months : in winter
he occupied his house in the city, and performed his
full share of pastoral duty. The leisure gained in con
sequence of the settlement and assistance of Dr. Linn,
was devoted to the young men under his care, whom,

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 183
the necessities of the Church being so very pressing,
he was desirous to advance in their studies, that they
might be examined for licensure at the next meeting
ofthe Synod,* which was shortly to take place.
The Church had now assumed the form and charac
ter, in his estimation, of a body fully capable of self-
government, and no longer subject to a foreign jurisdic
tion ; but the Church in Holland, although it had advised
and approved of the erection of independent judicato
ries here, did not readily recognize the present system of
organization, and was unwilling to yield altogether the
right of control ; at least, it was suspected that such a
feeling existed, and he thus expresses himself in the letter
just referred to, upon the circumstance that led to the
surmise : "The letter accompanying the acts of Synod,
I have not opened, but have only taken notice of the
address, in which I find they implicitly deny our being
a synod, by giving us the same title we had before our
present organization ; and this is one thing I wish to
know your sentiments upon ; whether it would not be
proper for us, by some article in our minutes, or by
some clause in our letter, to express our sensibility
* The examination of candidates for licensure or ordination belonged,
according to the articles of union, to the General Assemblies, or to what
were now called Particular Synods. As the Doctor, however, in one
of his letters, after speaking of business that could come with propriety
only before the Convention or the General Synod, at their triennial
meeting, which was to be held the following October, remarks, " There
are several young gentlemen who will appear before the Synod to be
examined" — it is supposed that this first class was examined by that
body, probably with a view, in part, that the Church at large, thus
assembled, might see what proficiency they had made, under the Pro
fessor's instruction. For a long time, such examinations have been con
ducted by the several classes in the presence otDeputati Synodi.

184 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
upon their silence respecting our present judicatories ;
for, if we correspond, it ought to be continued upon
the footing of mutual respect, or it may, in its conse
quences, soon be productive of some disagreeable events.
Perhaps we have been too remiss in not taking notice
of this before, or it is possible that silence may be the
most prudent and eligible. I have not yet made up
my own mind upon the subject, but will cheerfully
refer myself to your judgment : I wish you would think
upon it." There can be no doubt that the Synod took
a proper notice of this apparently designed and repre
hensible slight, as the future correspondence of the
mother Church was perfectly respectful ; but whether
they did or did not, it is plain that the Doctor himself
was scrupulously jealous of the independence and dig
nity of the Church ; and in every matter which tended
in the smallest degree to the injury of either, he evinced
through lifo a like sensibility.
When the Synod met, a committee was appointed,
of which it would appear he was chairman, to make
and publish a selection of Psalms for the use of the
Church in its public worship ; and in a letter to the
same individual, dated March, 1788, he says, in refer
ence to this business : " For my part, I have digested
only from the first Psalm to the fiftieth inclusive. I
mean, if it please God to spare health, to go through
the whole, and I wish we might be so prepared in the
work, that we could compare our several digests, and
make a report to the Synod at the next sitting in May."
He then adds : " I suppose it will be proper, when we
get the new Psalms printed, to have the Catechism,
Articles of Faith, and Liturgy, printed and bound up

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW- YORK. 185
with some of the books, and leave it to the purcha
sers to get the Psalm-book either with or without
those additions, as the difference in the price will be
considerable. But a fair opportunity will now be
offered to publish with our articles and liturgy, the
form of our discipline and government. The churches
in America are all assuming a new complexion. From
being the appendages of national churches in Europe,
they now become national churches themselves in this
new empire. All the denominations of any import
ance in America, have considered themselves in this
new light, and have made regulations accordingly ; and
it deserves our attention to see what ought to be done
with respect to ourselves in this particular, and how
far we may proceed consistent with the relation we yet
claim to our mother Church in Holland. We are not
represented, and we can not have a representation in
the churches in Holland — as such, we have already
formed ourselves into an independent Synod, and we
have sufficient proof that some of our brethren in Am
sterdam would rather we had not done this, but their
views are contracted, and can not be our rule. It is
necessary we should revise some articles in our funda
mental agreement respecting our church government of
1771, and see whether some of those articles do not
militate against our independent state."
Under date of March, 1789, to the same, he says :
" I have received answers from all the gentlemen of
the committee, and am authorized and requested by
them to proceeed with the printing. The expectation
and wishes of our churches are raised, and I am con
tinually asked when our Psalms will be published. *

186 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
* * * I now only wait for a letter from you *
* *. As to the translations, and what respects our
Church discipline and government, these I suppose,
may be brought in such readiness as to enable us to
make some report in the Synod of May, and take such
further steps, as to lay the whole before the Synod of
October. But the Synod has empowered the Commit
tee, respecting the Psalms, to proceed to the printing
as soon as they shall agree upon the selection from the
respective authors."
Upon this subject, he again writes to the same: "It
was of consequence to us to obtain a copyright of our
Psalm-Book. As our Synod is not a body corporate,
I took it out in the name of our Dutch Church of New-
York ; and, to ascertain the property for the Synod, I
have got an instrument sealed with the seal of the
Consistory, in wliich a declaration is made that this
right is held in trust for the Synod, and shall always
be subject to the direction of the same."
This step was taken at the suggestion of Dr. Linn,
and some other friends ; and so rapid was the sale of
the book, that a second edition was soon called for.
Such a work was, indeed, much needed ; and with all
its faults it gave great satisfaction at the time ; and,
wherever the use of it obtained, had a beneficial influ
ence. Among the papers of the Doctor are copies of two
letters, the one to Dr. Hardenbergh, of New-Brunswick,
having respect to the College in that place ; the other to
a private friend, Mrs. Judge Livingston, the mother of
the late Chancellor, relating to points upon which, as it
would appear, his advice had been asked. Parts of

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 187
these are presented here, on account of the important
opinions contained in them, and the evidence they fur
nish of the deep interest he took in all the concerns of
the Church. The first is dated March 4th, 1790 :
"Reverend and dear Brother: The subject we
have often conversed upon, has never been brought to any
decided point ; whether we differ in sentiment or are fully
agreed, when every preliminary respecting the execution
of the plan, is taken into consideration, we do not yet
know. I am sincerely glad that you have brought it
forward, in your very acceptable letter of the 23d ult., and
I will give you my thoughts in answer, with candor and
confidential freedom ; for, if I know any thing of my own
heart, I have no particular advantage or interest in view,
but wish to examine the question, as I am sure you do,
only as it relates to the prosperity of the Church, and is
calculated to promote the general welfare of our Zion.
Your being at the head of the College, and my being
placed in the professorate, may, to others, appear as an
evidence of our being partial to whatever is calculated
to promote the one or the other of these branches ; and
it is possible, a secret influence may, undiscerned even
by ourselves, warp our judgments. But I think I
view the subject in the same light I formerly did,
and am ready to unite in its prosecution with the same
impartiality, as if I had no official connection whatever
in the issue. The five reasons you give in support of
your sentiments are weighty. Each of them' is true and
important, and all of them together carry great convic
tion with them. I thank you for the judicious arrange
ment of the arguments, and confess they throw such

188 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
light upon the subject as leaves little room for opposi
tion, if any persons should be found willing and desir
ous to oppose. For myself, I assure you, my dear
sir, that I am so far from having any inclination to
obstruct the prosecution of the plan, that I feel sincerely
willing to do all in my power for its advancement, and
as soon as we can digest the proper means, I shall be
happy to aid in its accomplishment."
" The ambiguity of words and names often occasions
a difference in judgment, and very frequently promotes
jealousies, and even opposition, where, in fact, the prin
cipal views are the same."
" My ideas upon this subject have always been, that
the situation of our churches required a literary insti
tution ; not so much for increasing its respectability by
the accomplished character of its lay members, (although
that is a consideration wliich, in your first and second
arguments, you have mentioned with great propriety,)
but principally to prepare our youths for the ministry.
Theology is the branch which is most connected with
the Church. It is also a branch in which, without arro
gance we may say, our Dutch Churches are acknow
ledged, even in America, to equal, if not exceed, other
denominations ; and if proper steps could be taken to
lift up an education in theology, in a conspicuous and
respectable point of view, we might not only hope to
supply our own immediate wants, but also be the means
of supporting the great truths of our holy religion,
and become useful to other denominations. So far,
then, as a college might be instrumental to promote
this great end, I always have wished a college might
be instituted ; but if by a college is understood a lite-

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 189
rary institution, which expands in all the branches
usually taught in universities, I imagine it would swal
low up all the resources wliich we might be able to ob
tain, and in that view, after all our efforts, we should
still fall short of the principal object. * * I believe the
rehgious liberty which is now established since the
revolution in our land, and the liberality of sentiment
which characterizes our country, do in a great measure
lessen the weight of the arguments, which before the
war might have been urged for the necessity of a col
lege upon the broadest basis ; but still I know that an
attachment to particular denominations, and a partiality
in favor of their own, so universally actuates all men,
that if we had an institution, which would answer the
usual purposes of educating young persons destined for
public life, it would be an acquisition to us, and there
fore I would wish to promote such an institution, pro
vided we could agree to set proper bounds to the ex
penses necessary for obtaining teachers and apparatus ;
and remember that theology was our favorite object and
principal aim, and all the rest was only the porch that
led to the temple of rehgious truth."
" There is a luxury in hterature, and a fascination in
the public approbation, which will easily lead the pa
trons of a college from their original object, and tempt
them to spend all their strength upon the more popular
branches of education, unless they wisely form their
plan, and previously limit themselves by proper restric
tions. I think, with respect to ourselves, it is very
practicable to ascertain the general system of a college
in a line which shall procure to us the attention of the
public, and sufficiently answer all the common pur-

190 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
poses of colleges in America, and yet secure the princi
pal object, by leaving us in a capacity of establishing
the theological branch upon a respectable and perma
nent basis. I am not fully convinced which ought to
be attempted first, or whether they ought both to go
together. What you mention in your two last argu
ments appears to be weighty, and I have at present no
objection against attempting the business in that train.
Let provision be made for the college first. I am per
fectly contented to fall in with any plan which appears
calculated to answer the principal object which, as min
isters of the Lord Jesus, we have in view. As to the
exertions of the Dutch Church in New- York, much
may be said in apology for a people which have been
ruined by the war, and are now still straining every
nerve to rebuild their demolished temples. Their
wealth is greatly diminished, and it is not in their
power to patronize public objects with the same liberal
ity which, before the war, would have been practicable
for them. But I am confident, if we digest a plan in a
wise and proper manner, and convince them of its safe
and successful operation, they will not withhold their
proportional assistance."
The second of these letters is dated March 23, 1790.
"Dear Madam: ****** I thank you
for writing, and most sincerely sympathize with you,
and your whole neighborhood, in the want of the pub
lic ordinances of divine worship. The vacant congre
gations are so numerous that, as fast as we send out
new candidates, they are immediately called, and I

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 191
know not of any resource sufficient immediately to sup
ply the places which are destitute. It is expected there
will be three or four students who will come forward
next fall, but these will be very inadequate to the de
mands of the churches. I know of no remedy for the
present, but that the respective classes must pay more
attention to the vacancies within their district, and by
a punctual rotation of duty, supply such places with
frequent service."
" The Methodists, whom you mention as indefatigable
in promoting their opinions, appear to be indeed very
zealous. I am but little acquainted with them; I
know none of their preachers, and can only judge of
their doctrines from a few of their books which I have
seen. I hope, in charity, that men who so industriously
strive to warn sinners of the evil of their ways, have
the glory of God in view ; and I most sincerely wish
they may be the means of alarming many stupid and
wicked characters, with which our country abounds.
Great allowances ought undoubtedly to be made for
persons who are not within the means of proper inform
ation, and who are strongly prejudiced against certain
words and phrases, which, however scriptural and true,
appear to them to convey an improper idea. Under
such impressions they may be strongly attached to a
system which comprehends many errors, without see
ing the consequences which flow from their creed ; but
whatever difference there may be in their phraseology,
I can not conceive that any who have experienced the
saving influences of the blessed Spirit, who is the
Spirit of truth, and received the Lord Jesus, as he is
offered in his word, can heartily oppose the doctrines

192 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
of grace as professed by our Reformed Church, or he
at real enmity against those truths, which not only sin
gly vindicate the sovereignty and glory of God, but
are so connected and mutually support each other, that
if one is taken away, the whole chain is broken, and
the plan of redemption, which is worthy of God, and
illustriously displays all the divine perfections, becomes
obscured, if not essentially changed. * * * It is said
the knowing and learned among them, of which there
is no doubt a considerable number, avowedly adopt the
whole system of the Arminian doctrines : if so, their
opposition to the confession of faith of the Reformed
Church is easily accounted for."
" There was, some time ago, a considerable rumor
throughout the city, respecting- the religious exercises
of many in the Methodist Church- Whether there
was any foundation for the favorable report you heard
concerning it, I do not know. I wish it may be true :
my soul would rejoice if hundreds of sinners were
savingly converted by whatever instruments the Lord
might choose. Instead of gainsaying the work, I
would most willingly unite my thanksgiving to the
great Redeemer. But it certainly is premature to pre
tend to ascertain with precision the numbers which are
converted, upon no other evidence than fhe impressions
received, or affections expressed, in one hour. It argues
an ignorance of the human heart, or the pride of party
ostentation, to come forward with such accounts so soon
and so positively."
Two of his particular clerical friends and most able
coadjutors in ecclesiastical matters, about this time

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 193
rested from their labors ; and he was deeply affected
with the loss which the Church and himself had sus
tained in their death. Divine Providence, in the re
moval of men so eminent for their wisdom, piety, and
zeal, seemed to him to wear a very frowning aspect.
He thus feelingly expresses himself upon the subject,
in a letter to Dr. Romeyn, of Nov. 1791 : " When I
returned home, I was greatly afflicted to find a letter,
which announced the death of our dear brother Meyer.*
Anotherj- of our pillars is gone. He was a good and
great man. We deservedly loved him, and placed
* Dr. Hormanus Meyer was a man of extensive learning, and had
been oducated in one of the German universities. He sailed from Lon
don on the 6th of August, 1763, in tho same ship with the Rev. Dr.
Hardenbergh, and afterwards married his sister. He was first settled
at Kingston, N. Y., but dissension arising out of his connection with the
Ccetus party, he removed to Now-Jersey in November, 1772, and be
came pastor of the churches of Pompton and Totowa. While there he
was appointed by the General Synod, Professor of Oriental Literature
and Lector in the Hebrew language, and received from Queen's College
the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. He died in 1791, and his
remains sleep under the pulpit of the church on Pompton Plains. Few
men stood higher in the opinion of the Church, or were more generally
beloved, than Dr. Meyer. He was, as Dr. Livingston said, " a good and
groat man.''
+ The other person whose death is alluded to, it is presumed, was
tho Rev. Dr. Eilardus Westerlo, of Albany. He died the preceding
year. This excellent servant of Christ " was a native of Holland. He
had just finished his studies in tho University of Groningen, when a
call from tho Dutch Church in Albany was put into his hands, which
ho accepted, and camo to America, in 1760. He was a man of strong
mind, of eminent piety, and of great erudition, especially in theology, his
favorite study, and in Oriental Literature. Ho was highly popular and
useful as a preacher, and lived in great honor and esteem with his
brethren in the ministry, and with the churches in general, until his re
moval by death." — Christian's Magazine.
9

194 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
great confidence in him. What a dark cloud appears
to hover over our churches 1 Truly, my dear friend,
we have reason to mourn, and inquire why the Lord
is contending with us. The ways of Providence are in
the great deep, and who can foresee the issue. But
few of us are now left to whom our younger brethren
look for direction and assistance. Surely the remnant
must become more and more precious to each other, and
it behooves us to make every necessary arrangement for
the establishment and prosperity of our ecclesiastical
matters, with as much haste as is consistent with pru
dence." The Doctor was now busily engaged as one of a com
mittee appointed to set forth, in a simple and condensed
form, the Doctrines, Worship, and Government of the
Church. The task was one of great responsibility;
and the labor of compiling and arranging the matter
was divided chiefly, as it would appear, between him
self and Dr. Romeyn. A few extracts from his cor
respondence with this gentleman will give some idea
of his share in the work, and of the pains he took
that the Church might be furnished with a suitable
manual to regulate her future concerns.
In a letter dated May 12th, 1790, he says : " I am
happy to see from your letter, that you are engaged in
that work, which I have so often requested and wished
you would finish. The division you make is a very
natural and proper one ; I have only to observe that,
under the third head, which is to comprise extracts from
the post acta, solutions of questions, and subsequent
acts and regulations of our Synod, you will need more

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 195
attention to know what to leave out, than what to in
sert. The variety of cases which have occurred, and
which will for ever arise in the Church, upon which
some solution or determination must be made, are little
less than infinite, and, from some particular circum
stances attending them, are seldom found to be exactly
alike. Nothing more can, therefore, be done in any
church government, than to lay down some general
principles, and leave it to the Synods to apply these
with prudence and care in the decision of particular
cases. It will be safe in us not to descend too far to
particulars in our publication, but only exhibit to the
world the outlines of our views of church discipline,
and our leading principles and conduct."
In another of July, 1790 : " * * * * Your progress
in our Church papers gives me pleasure ; but, that you
find a part of your work is to be done over again, is
very chagrining. I hope you may be able to finish
agreeably to the plan you have proposed, and I make
no doubt but it will be acceptable to the Synod. Upon
looking over the acts of our first Vergadering, which
contain the outlines of our present Church government,
I find it will not read well in English, to translate the
whole, verbo tenus, from the Dutch. Do you not suppose
it would answer every purpose of publication, which is
to convey the standards of our discipline, if the contents
of our grand Artikulen were faithfully given in a good,
easy English style, without restricting ourselves to a
full translation of every word, which, as it was not de
signed for the press, so in many passages, is not suffi
ciently accurate for that purpose ?" In another of
March, 1791 : "I have not been able, until within a few

196 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
days past, to take up the subject of our own constitution
and discipline. Upon considering the design of the
publication, I am fully of your opinion, that there is no
necessity of adhering strictly to a translation, totidem
verbis, of the Synod of Dort, nor even of giving every
article, as many of them are local, and only applicable
to the Netherlands. It is not a history of the Dutch
Church as it is in Europe, which we are to compile, but
a true and regular detail of the constitution of the
Reformed Dutch Church in America. As our charters
and our discipline refer us to the Synod of Dort, we
must show that we build upon that basis, with such
deviations as time and circumstances have rendered
unavoidable. We have two sources from whence we
draw our present constitution : one, the Synod of Dort,
and the other, the resolutions and fundamental articles
agreed upon by our churches, and ratified by the Classis
of Amsterdam, in the name of the Synod of North-Hol
land. From these and some subsequent acts of our
own Synod, our discipline is formed. If we mention
these sources in the head or title, and then proceed to
exhibit one regular system, without any circumlocutions
or repetitions, it will appear more simple and connected,
and will be better understood, than a large translation,
and explanatory notes, could possibly make it. To
this end, suppose a title .hke this was made : " The
Constitution and Form of Government of the Reformed
Dutch Church in America, as established in the Synod
Nat : of Dort, 1618-19 ; and agreed upon in the Assem
bly held at New-York, 1771-72, by and with the appro
bation of the Classis of Amsterdam, and finally ratified
in Synod, held at New-York, October, 1791." This,

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW- YORK. 197
or something shorter, which may comprehend these
ideas, will justify us in making such extracts from each
of these sources as shall, altogether, bring forward one
complete system. This will show to the world what our
present constitution is, and sufficiently prove our con
nection and adherence to the Synod of Dort. I wish
to know your ideas upon the subject. Please to drop
me a line."
Under date of August 1, 1791, he says : " I have
not yet been able to pay much attention to the business
respecting our Church government, but I will endeavor
to draw out, soon, the whole sketch, agreeably to our
mutual views, and will send it up for your inspection."
Again he says, under date of August 20: "I am
so slow in my progress with the Acts of Dordrecht,
that I know not whether I shall be able to accomplish
your expectations."
The sketch, however, was prepared and submitted to
the Synod; but not being in a finished state, was again
put into the hands of the committee, for revisal. And
in November, he wrote again: "I will try, as the Lord
shall give me strength, to attend to our constitution, and
prepare a fair and accurate copy, for the approbation
and final decision of Synod. The notes and observations
you mention, must be attended to also ; but they must
be short and guardedly worded. I wish you would
draw out a sketch of such which you especially judge
to be most important, and send it to me." In a letter
dated March, 1792, there is the following paragraph :
"Upon looking over the papers, as they now stand cor
rected by the Synod, I find the first, third, and fourth
parts may be easily brought into form, without altera-

198 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
tions or additions of much consequence ; but what to
do with the second part, which respects our Ecclesiasti
cal Assemblies, I do not yet know : as it now stands,
it appears deficient. To make it intelhgible, and
answer the purpose of a standard for the information of
all our members, I believe some additions will be found
necessary. I have not yet digested particulars, but will
send you a sketch of them as soon as I can get them
ready." The following March, he wrote again : "I have dis
covered that to make the whole ready for the press, will
unavoidably demand more time than can be found pre
vious to the Synod in May ; I, therefore, now put in a
plea for an abatement to any promises on my part, or
injunctions on the part of the Synod for that purpose."
"An idea has occurred to me respecting this business,
which I wish to communicate and receive your advice
upon. I find the Synods in Holland, etc., as they suc
cessively brought forward their Church orders, always
retained what the former and more ancient Churches
had done. This they made their text, and added only
what might be considered essentially applicable to them
selves. This is remarkably the case in the acts of the
Synod of Dort, 1618-19. Although several new circum
stances had occurred, which rendered some alterations
necessary, yet in their solemn revision of the Church
orders, they retain almost word for word, the rules of
the Synod held at the Hague, 1586, and whatever they
judged to be local and temporary, they added afterwards
in their post acta. If we apply this to ourselves, and
wish to retain the same attachment to the ancient Re
formed Churches, our line for procedure will be easily

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 199
marked out. * * * * Suppose we should, then, by a
careful inspection from one article to another, collect
a short but precise system of explanations, which, as the
express work of our own Synod, may be added as an
organizing act ; and then the original articles, together
with our organization, will serve to exhibit a clear, and
at the same time, a respectable Church order. * * * If
we should adopt this mode, then the exact and prudent
translation, etc., of the original articles will be only the
smallest part of the work. Our post acta will require
the greatest deliberation. In this view you will ac
quiesce in my expectation that the work can not be ready
in May next, nor do I see any necessity of hurrying
ourselves in such a manner as to produce an unfinished
or undigested work. If such an idea should be adopted,
as I have now mentioned, there would be no necessity
for adding explanatory notes, and blotting our page
with things which, perhaps, the people would not un
derstand ; but the whole that is local would appear in
one intelligible act of organization. But I submit the
idea to you, and wish you would please to drop a line
as soon as you can."
The work was arranged in conformity to the plan
here suggested, presenting the practice of the Church,
or the manner in which the Rules of Church Govern
ment of the National Synod of Dordrecht, are applied
and executed in this country, in a set of explanatory
articles, which were solemnly ratified in the General
Synod held at New- York, the 10th day of October,
1792 ; and it was afterwards published under the title
of "The Constitution of the Reformed Dutch
Church in the United States of America."

200 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
The adoption of this constitution is a most memo
rable event, as it consolidated the union which had
been so laboriously formed, and placed the Church
in a position to maintain her character, to extend
her influence, and carry out all the designs of her
existence. It would not be just to ascribe the whole
credit of this performance to Dr. Livingston ; but his
correspondence shows that as he was the first person to
suggest the plan of such a work, so he was very largely
engaged in the labor and responsibility of executing it.
The Church grew and prospered under this constitu
tion for forty years, at the end of which period it was
revised and digested into the form which it now has.

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 201

CHAPTER VIII."
FROM THE ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
CHURCH TILL HIS ACCEPTANCE OF THE CALL FROM
NEW-BRUNSWICK.
A. D. 1793-1810.
The Constitution, being adopted by the General
Synod, was published under the direction of Dr. Liv
ingston. Under date of May 4, 1793, he wrote to
Dr. R. as follows : "I wish it was in my 230wer to send
you a copy of our Church Orders. They are in the
press, and have been so for some weeks; but the
printer, as usual, goes on slowly. I have thought it
would be proper to insert after the articles of faith and
catechism, the Canones Synodi Dort. Our young can
didates subscribe them ; and they ought to be well
acquainted with them. Perhaps also a public testimony
in favor of the peculiar doctrines of grace at this day,
may be very proper not only, but even necessary.
Pray is it your idea that we should omit, in the Church
Orders of Dort, the particular phrases which express
what relates to the magistrate ? or must we in the trans
lation put every word that is found in the original ?
9*

202 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
There is a note in the explanatory articles, which de
clares that we have omitted those peculiarities, and in
the preface it can also be mentioned. Upon the whole,
I think- it will not only be more intelhgible to our peo
ple, if we leave those parts out, but it will spare a num
ber of apologies and explanations we shall be for ever
obliged to be making."
In a letter of June, 1793, he informed him that the
work was going on and far advanced, and then added :
" I hope it will be executed in an acceptable manner.
Some of the Anabaptists, in a letter, have expressed
their uneasiness at the harsh expressions in our articles
of faith respecting them. The people meant in those
articles were then called Anabaptists ; hut those who
now pass by that name do not hold such sentiments. No
tice must be taken of that in the preface. I wish a
note had been added at the foot of fhe articles, for it is
not our design to give offense ; but the articles are al
ready struck off."
The publication of the work was completed soon
after, and in the preface he inserted a paragraph explan
atory of the terms which had been considered injurious
to the character of the Baptist denomination in this
country. The Doctor watched over the Church, as a tender
and faithful parent watches over a beloved child ; and
his position as the professor of theology gave him a kind
of paternal influence in all her concerns. It was not
viewed as indelicate obtrusion in him to offer his ad
vice, though it were not expressly solicited, upon any
question of general importance.
The trustees of Queen's College had, the preceding

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW- YORK. 203
year, with the approbation of the General Synod, made
some attempts in the churches to increase the funds of
their institution ; but these attempts proving only par
tially successful, they became discouraged, and desi
rous, it would seem, to rid themselves of a charge
which had hitherto continually disappointed their hopes
and involved them in trouble. A plan was now con
ceived for forming a union with the college at Prince
ton, and an overture with this intention was actually sub
mitted to the trustees of that college. When informa
tion of these facts reached New- York, the Doctor, with
many others, was thrown, into a state of painful anxiety,
and felt much alarmed for the mischief wliich he fore
saw a measure so unadvised would, if pursued, inevita
bly produce. A meeting of the trustees being called
shortly after to deliberate and decide upon the whole
business, at the request of Dr. Linn, he presented a full
expression of opinion in writing, which, it is pre
sumed, that gentleman read at the board. The paper
containing this opinion was inclosed in the following
letter :
" My Dear Colleague : Agreeably to your re
quest, I have committed to writing my sentiments
upon the proposed union between Brunswick and
Princeton. It was impossible to communicate what
I suppose to be the public opinion respecting this
business, without being prolix upon some points.
As you wish for full information, you will readily
excuse the length of the inclosed. I need not tell
you, that I am perfectly indifferent, as to myself, and
feel wholly independent of any consequences which

204 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
may arise from the issue of this question, be the deter
mination whatever it may. But I acknowledge myself
greatly concerned for the Church of Christ, and am a
sincere friend to both colleges. From the enlarged
and proper views you have of this matter, I am con
fident you will bring conviction to those who have
hitherto considered the subject in a different light. I
wish you may be an instrument, in this instance also,
of doing great good for Zion. Be assured of my esteem,
and sincere respect and affection, and that I am ever
" Totus tuus,
" J. H. Livingston.
"October 25, 1793."
The paper is headed, " Observations upon the Over
ture respecting an Union between the College at Bruns
wick and that at Princeton;" and commences thus:
"It is reported that the trustees of the college at
Brunswick have appointed a committee to meet with a
committee from the college at Princeton, in order to
devise a plan for uniting those two institutions ; that
the two committees have met and formed a plan ; the
outlines of which are, that both the colleges shall sur
render their charters, and obtain one new charter,
which shall establish the college at Princeton, compre
hend the funds of both, and increase the number of
trustees, the one half of which shall be from among
the trustees of each college respectively ; and that an
academy shall be erected at Brunswick, under the
immediate care and patronage of the trustees."
The paper is too long to be inserted entire, but a few
extracts will show the manner in which he treated the
subject. In the introduction he says:

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 205
"It is not the intention of the writer of these obser
vations to call in question the principles or conduct of
any concerned in the overture now before the public.
He knows the persons to be men of honor and con
science, and is convinced that they aim at the glory of
God and the good of mankind ; but he is equally con
vinced that the subject has not been thoroughly inves
tigated, nor the nature and effects of the plan fully
examined. He needs no apology for the freedom he
takes. He is conscious of his benevolence, and knows
he is actuated by a sincere and disinterested desire of
preventing good men from doing what, in the issue,
may prove an irremediable evil. With the utmost
plainness and candor, therefore, he will first examine
whether the steps already taken and the plan proposed
by the trustees of Queen's College, in their late over
ture, are justifiable and ought to be pursued. And
then, if it shall appear the plan is impracticable, point
out what can and ought to be done, to answer the de
sign of the institution, and meet the expectations and
wishes of its friends and patrons." These and a few
more conciliatory remarks being made, he glances at
the manner in which the business had been conducted
thus far, and then particularly considers the plan pro
posed. His arguments against the adoption of the plan are
irresistible. He proves, in the first place, that " Two
institutions seated at a distance from each other, and
supported by different interests, can never be united.
The funds of one may be given away to the other ; but
to call that a union, would be an abuse of language."
In the second place, that "admitting an union with

206, MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
Princeton to be possible, admitting the trustees possess
a power in law to surrender their charter, and give
away their funds to any person or institution they may
choose," it would be, nevertheless, very improper for
them to do so, and would involve a violation of solemn
obligations. At the close of this argument, he observes :
" When Hackensack repeatedly offered to give several
thousand pounds, if the college might be moved to
that place, it was always strenuously objected by the
trustees that such removal was impracticable ; that it
would be a betraying ofthe pubhc trust and confidence ;
that the moneys had been expressly given in the ex
pectation of their being expended in Brunswick, and
that, therefore, no temptation or offer could justify them
in removing the institution. But if a bare removal,
when the charter, the nature of the College, and its
patrons still remained the same, would operate to a be
traying of the pubhc faith, what must be thought, and
what will be thought, of a plan which effects not only
a removal, but an alienation of the funds, with the
total extinction of the charter, and all the hopes and
expectations of its friends and benefactors?"
In discussing the second thing, " What can and ought
to be done to answer the design of the institution?" he
says, "That the charter of Queen's College was ob
tained by the immediate agency and influence of several
pious ministers and members of the Dutch Church, with
a particular design of rendering it subservient to a re
gular theological education, and to prepare young men
for the ministry of the Gospel. That while in its firtst
organization, from a want of competent funds, attention
was only paid to the usual studies pursued in other

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 207
colleges, yet the main object was never lost sight of by
its well-informed friends and benefactors. That Queen's
College was early recommended to the Synod of the
Dutch churches, as an institution immediately adapted
and intended to supply the wants of the churches, and
was warmly and uniformly patronized by the Synod,
for that very purpose, as appears by a variety of minutes
entered, year after year, upon their records ; and the
late efforts made by the Synod in its behalf prove that
fhe Dutch churches, notwithstanding the backward
ness of some of the trustees to meet the wishes of fhe
churches in their favorite object, still retained their
attachment to the college, and still cherished a con
fidence that fhe trustees would ultimately cooperate in
rendering Queen's College particularly useful for the
very end for which the charter was obtained. That
while Brunswick yields from necessity, as well as prin
ciple, to Princeton, and cheerfully consents to let that
elder and very respectable institution continue the un
rivalled seat of hterature, Queen's College can yet, with
propriety and dignity, prosecute that other end wliich
was expressly contemplated from the beginning. So
far, then, from annihilating the charter, or taking steps
which distress the pubhc mind and create new feuds, let
the charter and the trustees remain without any altera
tion, as they now are ; if nothing was in prospect, it
would still be advisable to keep the whole in being ;
let it rather he dormant until something can be done,
but let it not be prematurely slain."
"But something can be done; the very thing for
which the charter was obtained is now within the
reach of the trustees. Let a divinity hall be erected,

208 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
and the funds at Brunswick be immediately and solely
applied to the support of as many professors in theolo
gy as shall be found necessary and practicable."
" The execution of this plan can be effected inde
pendently of any union, either nominal or real, with
any other institution, and will undoubtedly operate
best, when least entangled with collateral stipulations.
But if any fraternal overtures can be devised, which
will extinguish former jealousies, and promote mutual
confidence with Princeton, it may not only be very de
sirable in the first instance, but may eventually pro
duce an intercourse and affection which will promote
the common interests of truth and religion, and finally
bring the Presbyterian and Dutch Churches much
nearer to each other than any forced measures and un
popular plans can possibly effect. The college at
Brunswick may, perhaps safely engage with that at
Princeton, to drop the whole undergraduate education,
and give no degrees of Bachelor or Master, but always
recommend the students from their academy to Prince
ton. The trustees of the latter may engage to appoint
no professor in theology, but to acquiesce in the pro
fessorate established by the trustees in Brunswick,
with the approbation of the Synod of the Dutch
churches, and to recommend their students in theology
always to Brunswick. Both may unite to promote the
interests of both, and mutually endeavor to increase
the funds of each other for the respective objects they
pursue." These extracts are sufficient to exhibit the drift of
this communication. In a letter to Dr. T. Romeyn,
dated January 21, 1794, he says: "You have no

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 209
doubt heard that, at a meeting of the trustees of
Brunswick College, the overtures presented by a com
mittee, respecting an union with Princeton, were re
scinded, in consequence of which, the affairs of that in
stitution are reverted to, or rather continue in, their-
former state. What the trustees will next resolve, I
do not know, nor do I believe they know themselves.
I have understood from some of them, that they expect
the Synod will give them advice, or make some pro
posals to them ; but I have seen only one or two of
them ; what the sentiments of the board, or the major
ity of them are, I do not know. Whether they will
not let the whole he dormant, and nurse their fund un
til some future day, or whether they will still try to do
something is, I believe, uncertain ; and by what I can
learn, no particular plan is as yet formed by them."
Such was the termination of an affair which awak
ened a good deal of feeling in the Church ; and it is
not improbable that, for that termination, the Church
is much indebted to the seasonable and cogent remon
strance of the Doctor, supported and enforced, as it no
doubt was, by the powerful eloquence of Dr. Linn.
In private life Dr. Livingston was a pattern of the
Christian gentleman. The habitual piety and gentle
ness of his deportment made his house the abode of or
der, peace, and love, and letters wliich remain furnish
pleasing evidence of his amiable conduct in every do
mestic relation. In his tender solicitude for his family,
the strength of natural affection was heightened and
sanctified by Christian principle. His intercourse with
fellow-laborers in the Gospel was exceedingly happy.

210 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
The city of New- York had been for several years unusu
ally favored in the eminence of the men who occupied
the chief pulpits ofthe different denominations. One of
these, the Rev. John Mason, D. D., ofthe Associate Re
formed Church, had recently died. His name has been
absorbed in the brilliant reputation of his son, the late
John M. Mason, D. D., but his piety, learning, and other
gifts were such as to lead Dr. Linn, his neighbor and
friend, to say of him : " His congregation have erected
a handsome monument to his memory ; but the most
honorable monument is the place which he holds in
their hearts and the lasting esteem of all who knew
him." Another of them, the Rev. John Rodgers, D.D.,
of the Presbyterian Church, has been worthily por
trayed in a biography from the pen of the late Dr. Mil
ler, of Princeton. A third, the Rev. John C. Kunzic,
D.D., of the Lutheran Church, had come in the year
1770 from the University of Leipzic to Philadelphia,
but shortly after the war was settled in New- York.
He was a man of profound learning, one of the best
Hebraists of his day, for several years Professor of Ori
ental Languages in Columbia College, and at the same
time a very acceptable and useful preacher. With all
of these Dr. Livingston cultivated a cordial intimacy,
as with brethren in Christ. There never, perhaps, were
four ministers residing in the same city, each belonging
to a different branch of the Church, who afforded in
their personal and official intercourse a brighter exhi
bition of Christian love.
Dr. L. was naturally of a sociable disposition, and a
large circle of other than ministerial friends claimed his
friendly attentions. But he seldom paid a visit, whether

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 211
pastoral or merely social, without endeavoring to ren
der the conversation instructive and edifying. And he
took particular pains, when thrown into company with
youth, whether of his own Church or not, to speak so
as to make some salutary and lasting impression on
their minds ; and in this few men were more successful.
In illustration of this trait of his character, we may
quote a letter to him from the late celebrated Lindley
Murray, and another from his brother John, both dis
tinguished members of the Society of Friends, relating
to interviews with him, which it is supposed occurred
soon after the war.
The letter of Lindley Murray is in these words :
" I beg that Dr. Livingston will do me the favor to
accept a copy of the new edition of my English Gram
mar, as a small mark of the high esteem and regard
which I have long entertained for him. I still remem
ber, with grateful emotion, the short interview which I
had with Dr. Livingston, about twenty years ago. The
affectionate inquiries which he then made respecting
my health, his Christian temper and deportment, and
the unfeigned piety of his remark, ' that as all our
blessings come from the Fountain of Goodness, they
ought to be received with corresponding gratitude,' left;
a most pleasing and consolatory impression, which, I
believe, will never be effaced from my recollection."
" Since that period, it has pleased Divine Providence
to visit me with a very gentle affliction, if it can be
called an affliction at all, when so many blessings are
continued : I have not been able to walk, or to use any
.exercise, except that of riding in a carriage. I am,

212 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
however, comforted in believing that my life, in this
confinement, has not been entirely useless. I have
composed a number of little volumes for the benefit of
the rising generation ; and the success wliich has attend
ed these publications, affords me much comfort, and
abundant cause of thankfulness to the great Preserver
of my life.
" I am, with great respect and affection, Dr. Living
ston's very sincere friend,

" Lindley Murray.-

" Holdgate, near York, \
Great-Britain, 1805." J

His brother's leter'is of a latter date, and concludes as
follows :
"Almost as long as I have any clear recollection of
occurrences in my juvenile days, I remember my friend,
Doctor Livingston — even the simple circumstance of
his putting his hands occasionally on my head, in a
pleasant manner, when we used to meet at our old
neighbor Kipp's, at Kipp's Bay. Since which I have
entertained a regard for thee, and may now say, I re-
newedly feel my mind impressed with a solicitude for
thy welfare in time, and for thy happiness in futurity.
May thy setting sun go down with increased bright
ness, is the sincere desire of,
" Thy well-wishing friend,
"John Murray, Jr."
The Doctor rarely knew what it was to be in perfect
health, or entirely free from ailment : the pressure of

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 213
his numerous cares and employments, of a public and
private nature, he often felt very sensibly to be too
great for his strength: he was at times much debili
tated, and afflicted with a pain in his breast ; but the
Lord enabled him to hold on his work, and he was sel
dom so very unwell as to be compelled to intermit his
regular service in the pulpit.
About the close of 1792, his labors were considera
bly augmented, in consequence of the serious indispo
sition of his colleague, Dr. Linn, who was threatened
with pulmonic disease, and obliged, therefore, for a sea
son, to desist from preaching. In a letter to Dr. R  ,
of January, 1793, he thus noticed the occurrence :
"May the Lord Jesus become more precious to your
soul, and you rejoice in a full assurance of his love 1
With respect to myself, I bless his holy name, I am
strengthened in weakness, and enabled to hold on, with
a desire to be found faithful until death. I am sorry to
inform you, that my dear colleague, Linn, has some
very unfavorable symptoms, wliich have greatly alarmed
us. About four weeks ago, he began to spit some
blood mixed with his saliva. This is considered by
his physicians as an intimation of an approaching con
sumption, and requires great attention and care. He has
not preached since the first appearance of that symp
tom ; and it is to be feared he will not preach in some
length of time. What the consequence will be, can
not be foreseen, but it is conjectured his future health
and- labors are very precarious." In another, dated
May 4, 1793, to the same, he observed: " I have had
very steady, and considerable heavy service, the whole
winter and spring. Dr. Linn expects to preach to-mor-

214 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
row morning, for the first time since the beginning of
last December." In another, of May 11 : " My labors,
the winter and spring past, have been increased and
uniform, without any intermission. Last Lord's day,
Dr. Linn preached for the first time. His health ap
pears to be restored, and I hope there i3 a prospect of
his doing well, without any danger of relapses." And
again, in one written the following August: " I greatly
sympathize with the destitute congregations, and trust
the Lord will send laborers in his harvest soon, to sup
ply our numerous vacancies. There are five or six
now with me, who are diligent in their studies, and of
whom we may hope much good. I most sincerely
wish it was in my power to do greater justice to them ;
but, while incumbered with the frill weight of the pa-
rochialia, it is utterly impossible. [His other colleague,
Dr. Kuypers, at this time preached only in the Dutch
language.] Perhaps it may please the Lord to direct,
in his good providence, and in his own time, what shall
answer our desire."
It was impossible for him, in present circumstances,
to give that attention to professional duties, which his
own sense of their intrinsic importance, and a due
regard to the improvement of the young gentlemen
under his care, prompted him to render ; and the Gen
eral Synod, at length, became convinced that it was
necessary to adopt some measures, that would place
their professor in a situation to be more devoted to the
appropriate business of his office. Accordingly, at a
meeting of the Synod, held in Albany, June, 1794, the
subject of the Professorate was taken into serious con
sideration, and a committee, of which Dr. T. Romeyn

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 215
was chairman, was appointed, "to consult and report
on the same." The report submitted was adopted by
the Synod, and was as follows :
" 1. That it is high time to bring this important
matter to a conclusion. Ten years have elapsed since
the professor was appointed, and no effective arrange
ments have yet been made to enable him to fulfill the
duties of his appointment. The place where the
divinity hall is to be opened, the salary to be allowed
the professor, and some productive measures to insure
a sufficient fund, ought, without further delay, to be
now determined."
" 2. That to establish an union of the professorate
with Queen's College, which has hitherto been judged
practicable and advisable, it is the opinion of the Com
mittee, that it will be necessary to remove the college
from its present situation, and bring it to some place
more accessible, and nearer to the great body of the
churches, which he in the northern parts of the State
of New- York : your Committee, therefore, recommend
that it should be fixed at the town of Bergen, or at
such other place, still farther to the North, in the State
of New-Jersey, as may be agreed upon between the
trustees of the college and the General Synod."
"3. That to effect this removal of the college, a
committee be appointed on the part of this General
Synod, to confer with the trustees of the college, and
endeavor to persuade them to relinquish the present
place in which the college is fixed, and to meet the
wishes of the General Synod, in a location that will
be more commodious for the benefit of the churches."

216 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
"4. That as the overtures made to the trustees of
the college may prove unsuccessful, the General
Synod ought now to determine that, in such case, the
place where the divinity hall must be opened, with
out being connected with any college whatever, shall
be in the vicinity of the city of New- York ; where the
students may find all the benefits of cheapness and re
tirement, peculiar to a village, and yet be sufficiently
near to the metropolis to derive all the advantages
arising from a free and easy intercourse with the Hterary
and public characters which abound in a city."
"5. That your Committee, after mature considera
tion, are of opinion, that the town of Flatbush, upon
Long-Island, is a proper place where the divinity
hall may be opened ; and, therefore, recommend the
same to Synod for that purpose. A flourishing aca
demy is there established, which will afford an oppor
tunity for the students in theology to revise their other
studies, and advance in collateral branches of educa
tion ; and Flatbush comprises all the advantages result
ing from a village situated near a city."
" 6. That in the present situation of the professor
ate, while the Synod is destitute of funds to render
their appointment independent, and while the professor
remains in any measure connected with the congrega
tion at New- York, means should be used to prevail
upon that Consistory and congregation, to consent to a
dispensation of a part of the parochial duties of the
professor, and to obtain from them, for the benefit of
all the churches, that he shall be held to preach only
once on every Lord's day, and attend the consistorial
meetings, when necessary and convenient; but that

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 217
the remainder of his time and labor, which may be
four days in every week, shall be by him devoted to
the immediate business of his appointment, as professor
in theology."
"7. That for this purpose, a committee be also ap
pointed, to confer with the professor and the Consistoiy
of the Church at New- York, and to make such
arrangements with the said Consistory, in relation to
the salary of the professor, as shall be honorable and
equitable." " 8. That upon settling what may be necessary with
the congregation of New- York, the professor be re
quested to embrace the first prudent measures of retire
ment to any place contiguous to the said city, which
he may judge most convenient and eligible for prose
cuting the important duties of the professorate, as long
as he remains connected with the ministerial duties in
the city ; and that the Synod engage to give him all
their support and countenance ; while they strenuously,
in the mean time, exert themselves to obtain the means
for fixing him in a proper and independent manner, at
the place determined on as the most suitable for a di
vinity halL"
" 9. That the General Synod do immediately, and
without delay, take the most effectual measures for
raising a fund, to render their professorate independent
of any particular or individual congregation ; and for
that purpose, fhe Committee recommend, that the
former resolution respecting collections to be made in
all the churches, and which was revived in the last
Particular Synod, be now adopted and made to origi
nate, with renewed vigor, from this General Synod :
10

218 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
with this variation only, that instead of constituting
the Consistory of New- York the keepers ofthe fund to
be raised, there be three persons joined with Mr. Peter
Wilson, who shall be trustees for that purpose, until
some other measures be adopted by the General Synod,
for rendering the agency in that business more safe and
easy." " 10. That as it is the object and wish of the Synod
to obtain the assistance of more than one professor, as
soon as the churches shall put it in the power of Synod
to maintain more, so the Committee recommend that this
be held up to the public view, as an inducement to in
crease the funds, and render them productive for sup
porting not only one, but a sufficient number, if possi
ble, to constitute a faculty of theology."
" 11. As it appears from a representation made to this
General Synod, by a committee from the trustees of
Queen's College, that no union of that institution with
the trustees of Princeton College has taken place, or
will probably be ever again attempted, the Committee
recommend that the act of the last Particular Synod,
prohibiting the payment of certain moneys collected
conditionally, under the patronage of the Synod, in
favor ofthe College of Brunswick, be no longer in force ;
but that the persons holding any such moneys thus col
lected, do forthwith remit the same to the trustees of
Queen's College, or pay them to their order."
In pursuance of the request contained in this import
ant document, the Doctor, as soon as he could con
veniently, made the necessary arrangements for a
removal. The Consistory of the Church consented to

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 219
what the Synod had proposed, with the understanding
that he should receive, while he rendered them but
half the usual service, but half the usual salary, which
was certainly a reasonable stipulation ; and, to supply
the lack of service that would be caused by his removal,
in the autumn of 1795 they called the Rev. John N.
Abeel of Philadelphia, (see Appendix G,) to become
one of their pastors. The following spring, he left the
city, to occupy a place which he had purchased at Bed
ford, a little village on Long-Island, about two miles
from Brooklyn ; and here, when fixed in his new re
sidence, he opened his divinity hall with very cheering
prospects. But in complying with the wishes of the Synod, he
not only sustained a considerable pecuniary loss, as he
relinquished a moiety of his regular stipend from the
Church, and numerous perquisites which, as its senior
minister, he had been in the habit of receiving, but also
subjected himself to no little inconvenience and expo
sure of health and life. There were at that time no steam
boats moving upon our waters ; and the passage between
Long-Island and New- York, in the boats then in use,
was seldom agreeable, and often, especially in the winter
season, very dangerous; but he must be every Sabbath,
at least once, in his pulpit ; and other duties would
make it necessary for him frequently to visit the city.
In this view, and taking into consideration the fact
that he had nothing to expect from the Synod but their
approbation — that they could neither make nor promise
him. any other remuneration — it must be confessed that
he now made sacrifices, and evinced a disinterestedness,
a submissive temper, and a regard for the good of the

220 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
Ohurchr at large, which justly entitled him to respect
and gratitude.
The great motive to a removal was the hope of being,
in this situation, more useful as professor, than he had
ever been before : and, for a while, the hope was par
tially realized. Well known as a sound and learned
divine, having the requisite leisure for the due perform
ance of his duty, and the expense of boarding in the
country being much less than in the city, the number
of students immediately increased, and he was encour
aged to believe, that the plan which had been adopted
for estabhshing a theological school would be crowned
with complete success ; but his expectations were soon
and suddenly disappointed. The promise of support
and countenance which the Synod had given was not
fulfilled, or rather was hastily, in effect, retracted ; and
very soon, notwithstanding all the sacrifices he had
made to carry out their plan, he was compelled to
abandon it and return to the city.
It is not necessary to state in detail the manner in
which the Doctor conducted his little seminary. It will
suffice to observe, that he ably and satisfactorily dis
charged his whole duty. He taught theology, system
atically^ in a course of lectures, in which the doctrines
of the Reformation were fully discussed and main
tained ; and he possessed the faculty of imparting his
own sound, clear, comprehensive views of divine truth,
so as to carry conviction to the understanding and to
make a deep impression upon the heart. The method
he adopted to qualify his pupils for the important office
they had in view, was highly approved ; and his de
portment towards them was uniformly pleasant, affec
tionate, and paternal They revered and loved him.

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 221
The following extracts from two letters to his friend,
Dr. R., will show what were his present sentiments and
feelings upon the subject of the interesting institution.
The first is dated October 13, 1796 :
" I wished much to have consulted with you upon
the important subject of the professorate, which, not
withstanding all the repeated efforts in its favor, and
the prudent and decisive resolutions of the last General
Synod, remains wholly neglected and abandoned. I
have complied with the wishes of the Synod in remov
ing from the city, and relinquishing a part of my
parochial duties, for the express purpose of having it
more in my power to do justice to the young gentle
men. Since I have retired, I find more leisure for that
work, and am happy to know that the students find
greater advantages than it was possible for them while
I remained in the city. But amidst all my exertions,
and the sacrifices which I have made to bring it thus
far, it is still impossible the institution can ever answer
the expectations of the churches, unless it is patronized
and countenanced by the pubhc. Pubhc bodies, who
feel an interest in its prosperity, must turn their atten
tion to it, and support it with their influence and smiles,
or it will at farthest soon die with the individual."
" Upon taking a candid review of all the embarrass
ments with which this institution has struggled, and
the neglect that has attended it, I have been obliged
to conclude that whatever might have been the serious
determination of those of 1771, who formed the union,
or of 1784, who instituted the office, it appears that it
is not the present intention of the most of our churches

10

222 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY UVINGSTON.
to have it brought to a proper issue ; thai as long as 1
continue, by my private oll'orls, to supply the publi
wants, nothing decisive will bo done; and that, if it
remains dormant much longer, it will sleep the sleep
of death, and all our resolutions, our promises to the
churches in Holland, and our serious and solemn
engagement to our own churches here, will end in
disappointment." " Under these impressions, 1 conceived it, my duty to
present to tho Synod a, plain statement of i'aets, to as
sure them that 1 was willing fo proceed, and devote
tho remains of my short life to this important work,
but that 1 wished for their advice to know what, would
be the most proper and effectual measures to bring tho
whole to a decided issue. To this*, the Synod have re
quested me to proceed in my labors with the students,
as heretofore, and have determined that it, was incum
bent on them to carry into effect the resolutious of tho
General Synod, a,ud, for that purpose, have concluded
to send circular letters to all tho congregations. What
the result, will bo can not, bo foreseen ; but it is certain,
if our churches entertain a just sense of tho necessity of
the institution; if thoy rolled that it is impossible to
bo suppliod with orthodox and acceptable ministers,
unless somo establishment is formed for tlieir educa
tion ; if they do not choose to bo beholden fo other
denominations for fho instruction of their candidates;
if they wish to ndhoro to their own discipline, and
maintain tlioir reputation and usefulness; and if thoy
oonsidcr it ungenerous for n numerous, wealthy, and
great community to sutler any individual member to
boar tho wholo weight alono, and that it will be im-

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW- YORK. 223
possible long to sustain the discouragements which
arise from the public neglect ; it will be easy for them
to unite their influence and friendly attention, and
bring forward a fund that shall suffice to render the in
stitution independent and respectable."
» " For my own part, as it regards myself, I think I
have sufficiently proved my disinterestedness. I have
been silent, passive, and contented ; and I am thus
far contented still; but I am convinced, if ever the
institution is to be brought forward, and rendered exten
sively useful when you and I are gathered to our fathers
— if our children and their posterity are to reap the
benefits of it, something decisive and spirited must
now be effected."
The second is dated Bedford, April 28, 1797.
" If the issue of the business respecting the resolutions
of the General Synod, be the same in all the classes
with what you mention to have been in yours of Jan
uary last, we may readily anticipate that nothing will
in this way be done ; and, perhaps, it is become alto
gether impracticable, in the present state of the pubhc
mind, to raise a fund at all. The want of zeal in pro
moting a cause so interesting and influential to the wel
fare, and even existence, of our reformed churches, is
greatly to be lamented, and may constitute a neglect for
which, as a people, we shall be severely responsible.
He who walketh in the midst of the golden candlesticks,
and holdeth the stars in his right hand, will know and
judge, with unerring precision, respecting motives, ex
cuses, and conduct."
" Solemn and repeated resolutions, formed upon ma-

224 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
ture deliberation and clear conviction, have certainly
produced obligations too strong and binding to be now
lightly abandoned. Notwithstanding delays and fre
quent discouragements, we are still bound by every
principle sacred to conscience and character, to make
the most decisive trials, and not despair of the divine
blessing and concurrence upon earnest and faithful
efforts. * * * If the plan, in one form, will not at
present prevail, is it not possible to devise another
mode, in which it may, for some time at least, prove
successful ? If it be impracticable to raise a whole
fund whose interest would suffice, may it not be easy to
obtain annually from all the churches, what would
amount at least to as much as the interest ? This, if
punctually executed, would serve as a temporary ex
pedient, and leave the fund where it now is, in the
possession of the people."
"I have, for some years, considered an alternative
as very practicable, and, perhaps, proper ; but from a
determination of remaining as long as possible passive
and silent in all that relates to this business, I do not
remember that I have ever communicated it to you.
Whether it would be found as easy in its operation,
and sufficiently productive as it appears in theory, or
whether some consequences would not arise from it
which would prove injurious to the object in view, I
do not know. It is simply this : that, instead of col
lecting a sum which shall amount to a capital, as at pre
sent contemplated, we only determine to raise every
year a small dividend from each congregation, which
can be effected without any particular effort on the
part of the people, and may, if properly appropriated,
in some measure answer the purpose ofthe Synod."

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 225
" Upon contemplating this alternative. I think I find,
instead of insuperable objections, something which
may, in its consequences, even prove beneficial. It is,
indeed, leaving the institution precarious: but it renders
it immediately dependent upon those for whose use it is
intended, and may prove a proper stimulus to industry
and faithfulness. At any rate I conceive it to be the
only mode that is now practicable, and less calculated
to cheapen the institution than to raise, by personal ap
plications, a fund. I mention it without reserve now
to you, that you may digest it and make such improve
ments upon it as a mature consideration may suggest.
May the Lord direct to such measures as shall pre
serve the engagements of Synod inviolate, and pre
vent those who have relied upon its sacred honor
and risked every thing upon it, from being made
ashamed." Whatever solicitude or zeal particular individuals
may have manifested to redeem the pledge which had
been ffiven bv the Svnod to the Professor — and there
no doubt were a few who exerted themselves to the
utmost of their ability — it is certain that a very culpable
indifference pervaded the Church as a body. Nothing
of anv consequence was done; and when but little
more than a vear had elapsed since his removal to Bed
ford at the request of the Svnod, the Doctor found him
self placed verv unexpectedly, by another act of Synod,
in a situation at once mortifying and embarrassing.
The General Synod met again in June, 1797 ; and
the following is a copy of the record of part of their
proceedings: 10*

226 JtEMOIB OF JOHN HENBY IIYTNGSFOS.
" The General Svnod having minutely inquired into
Ae measures puisued time after time, in order to raise
a fond for the support of the professorate, and the
success of those measures, the following question was
taken: Is it expedient under present circumstances, to
take anv further measures for the support of the pro
fessorate ? which was answered in the negative."
" The General Synod then appointed a committee
on thfe buaness, who brought in a report, wliich after
being amended, was agreed to. and reads as follow^
namely: The committee appointed on the profesoraie,
report: that Professor Iivingston ought to be immedi
ately informed of the determination of Synod, that it is
not expedient, under present arcumstances. to take any
further measures for the support of the professorate:
that they express to him the sense which they enter
tain of the important services which he has already
performed : that ix wiU be highly acceptable to them.
if he can still continue to discharge ibe duties of the
office under tiie drBeouragemets that ptH-^ ; and that
a minute of the determination referred to, with this
report, be taananitted to him for tile purposes above
mentioned." At this session, the Ber. 3>r. T. Bomeyn and the
Ber. Solomon Firaligh. were appointed additional pro
fessors of theology. These gentlemen had been au
thorized, at least since the year 17&A, to act as asskfamt
teachers of theology, probably at first for die accommo
dation of young men who could not well afford the
expense of boarding in New-York : but their students
could not be admitted to an examination for licercane,

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 227
without having previously obtained the certificate of
the regular professor, and to supersede the necessity,
which had been often attended with much incon
venience, of applying for such certificates, they were
now duly invested with the professorial office.
Since the measure adopted by the Synod amounted
in fact to a complete desertion of the seminary, the
Doctor, of course, returned to the city and resumed all
his pastoral duties. Such young men as wished to prose
cute their studies under his direction, were still cheer
fully and faithfully attended to ; but, for several suc
ceeding years, he was chiefly devoted to the beloved
people of his charge, among whom his labors continued
to be acceptable and useful.
No event occurred after this, worthy of particular
notice, until tho year 1804, when the plan of the pro
fessorate underwent another important alteration. The
Doctor, meanwhile, as a lover of peace, quietly ac
quiesced in the arrangements which the Synod had
thought proper to make. Ho showed no resentment,
and uttered no complaints. That he considered
himself slighted, and that his feelings were deeply
wounded by what the Synod had done, it is natural
to suppose ; but whether such was the case or not, his
conduct under it was meek and dignified ; and, indeed,
he knew his brethren too well to imagine for a moment,
that they had not honestly consulted the existing state
of the Church, without intending him an ill requital,
or designing to convey any unfavorable sentiment with
respect to his services.
For Dr. Bomeyn, between whom and himself it
might have been surmised there would be now some

228 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
little rivalry, he appears to have cherished undiminish
ed affection ; and pleasing evidence of the fact will be
found in the following extracts from two letters of
friendship to that gentleman, and from one to his son
upon the occasion of the father's death.
In one, dated New- York, August 27, 1802, after
adverting to the late indisposition of his friend, he thus
writes :
" In every period of life, we are exposed to strokes
that may weaken, or even destroy, our feeble frames.
At the stage to which you and I are arrived, we must
not therefore be surprised or discouraged to meet with
what others, at a much earlier hour, have had to
struggle. I am confident you view the dispensation as
you ought, and feel that resignation which is at once
an evidence of divine grace in the soul, and a sure
source of contentment and peace. To look unto Jesus,
to renew the covenant with him, and to know in our
blessed experience, that he is made of God unto us,
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, afford
substantial comfort in the severest trials, and increase
our assurance that he will also to us become redemp
tion. Such views and efforts of faith produce strength
equal to our day, and excite, at times, a joy unspeaka
ble and full of glory."
" He whom we serve, and whose we are, has said, and
he can and will confirm his word, that all things shall
work together for good to them who love God ; and
his people have always put their seal to this precious
promise, and, sooner or later, been made to exclaim : ' It
is good for us that we have been afflicted. ' It must be so.

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 229
All pains, sickness, disappointments and trials of every
kind, are in themselves bitter, and no chastening for
the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous ; never
theless, afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness to them which are exercised thereby.
Sanctified afflictions are among the precious benefits of
the everlasting covenant. Through all the changing
scenes and various ways in which his saints are led,
however intricate, gloomy, and unexpected they may
prove, he has pledged his truth that he will guide them
by his counsel, support them with his grace, and never
leave nor forsake them. May you, my dear friend, be
comforted with these consolations, and bear constant
testimony to the faithfulness and fullness, the love and
power of our adorable Bedeemer."
" You and I are nearly of the same age ; I am in
my 57th year. We are thus literally fellow-travellers,
engaged together from our youth in one and the same
work. It affords high satisfaction to have cause to
hope, that we have in our day been of some use in the
Church of Christ, and obtained grace to be in our
measure faithful to the trust reposed in us. Happy
should we be if, in the retrospect, we could find more
zeal, purer exertions, in the service of the greatest and
best of masters. The Lord strengthen and sanctify us,
that we may continue faithful and useful even to the
end of life ; that our last fruit may be the ripest ; and
our setting sun shine bright and serene."
"What the spirit of infidelity may yet produce,
with what opposition the disciples of the Lord Jesus will
have to combat, and what may be particularly im
pending over that part of the Church with which we

230 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
are more immediately connected, are impossible to be
foreseen; and it is best that future events should thus
far be covered with an impenetrable veil. Enough,
however, may be anticipated to prompt to double vigi
lance, and justify us in recommending vigor and pa
tience, unanimity and fortitude, to our younger brethren,
who are to remain as watchmen when we are gone, and
are to stand where we stood on the walls of Zion. I
trust God will preserve these, and raise up others, who
shall with them become faithful witnesses for his truth
and cause, and that he will crown their labors with his
blessing. At times, I have been greatly discouraged,
and from a variety of concurring circumstances, have
feared that the blessing we once expected would never
be realized, and that the day for effecting any thing
important has been suffered to pass unimproved ; but I
have learned to dispel anxious fears, and patiently to
wait and humbly hope in the Lord. In his own time,
in his own way, and by his own instruments, he will
work all his pleasure, and his poor people who trust in
him shall never be made ashamed In this confidence,
my dear Sir, we may put up our prayers in faith, and
rest assured that if we do not, yet our successors will,
see the goodness of God to his chosen, and rejoice in
his mercies upon Zion."
" Whenever I come in the northern quarter, I pro
mise myself the pleasure of making you a visit ; but I
have no expectation of being able, during the present
season, of going so far from home. In the mean while
let me unite with all your other friends, in recommend,
ing great attention, and that you do not, by any undue
exertion of mind or body, weaken or injure what yet

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 231
remains of health. The Lord pitieth them that fear
him, for he knoweth our frame. He remembereth that
we are dust. Accept of my wishes and prayers, that
the Lord may strengthen and continue you still a bless
ing to his Church ; that he may comfort you with his
presence, and give you great peace and joy in believ
ing ; and believe me to be, with sincere respect,
" Beverend and Dear Sir,
" Your affectionate friend
" And brother in the Lord,
" J. H. Livingston.
" Bev. Dr Bomeyn."
The other, being short, is presented entire :
" New- York, May 31, 1803.
" Beverend and Dear Sir : Frequently since your
kind and very acceptable letter came to hand, I have
determmed to write to you. But whether ordinary
duties require more attention than heretofore, and press
with greater weight, or whether a languor in the least
exertion marks our advancing years, so it is, that
between duties and languor I neglect what was once my
delight, and I have not done what I intended to perform
in this instance.
"I wish very much to see you, and hope you will
find yourself able to be present with us at the approach
ing session of the General Synod. We reside at so
great a distance apart, that unless we meet upon such
occasions, we have little hope of enjoying each other's
company. The subjects you mentioned in your friend
ly letter, are very important. They are worthy of our

232 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
maturest consideration and joint efforts ; and I shall be
happy to unite with you in promoting the peace and
prosperity of our precious Zion.
"Endeavor, my dear brother, to meet me at Pough
keepsie. Summon up the energy requisite to under
take the journey. The exertion may be of service even
to the languid body ; and it will, no doubt, refresh your
mind. The Lord strengthen and comfort you, preserve
you on the way, and render our interview pleasant to
ourselves, and pf ofitable to his Church ! Accept of
my sincere love, and be assured of the respect and
esteem with which I am,
" Beverend Sir,
" Your affectionate friend
" And brother in the Lord,
" J. H. Livingston.
" Bev. Dr. Bomeyn.
The next extract is from his letter to the Bev. Mr.
(afterwards Doctor) J. B. Bomeyn, upon learning the
decease of this gentleman's father :
New- York, April 26, 1804.
'' Bev. and Very Dear Sir : Yesterday evening
your favor came to hand, which announced the depart
ure of your worthy and venerable parent, whom I have
been happy to call my friend and brother in the min
istry, for many years. Nearly of the same age, we
commenced our labors almost at the same time, and
have obtained grace to continue longer in the service
of our blessed Master than many others. I went to
see him last summer, and was greatly affected to find

PASTOR and professor in NEW-YORK. 233
him so much debilitated ; and from the usual progress
of paralytic symptoms, did not expect he would ever
recover his former strength. I see from the account
you give, that he has very gradually deehned, and his
latter end has been peace. He gently fell asleep, com
mitting his spirit into the hand of his Divine Bedeemer.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. This proves
a source of precious consolation, my dear young friend,
to you, while it suggests a powerful argument to follow
those who, through faith and patience, inherit the
promise. You can not, indeed, mourn as those who
have no hope. Adoration and praise unite with grief
and resignation; and even this event is within the
promise, which engages that all things shall work to
gether for good for them that love God. The Lord
sanctify this new trial, this serious bereavement to you 1
Your heavenly Father still lives ; your precious Jesus,
your best Friend, has engaged to guide you by his
counsel, and afterwards receive you to glory. Let this
be your consolation. Let this encourage you to live
by faith, to walk with God, and be wholly devoted to
his service. * * * *
"Your very affectionate
"J. H. Livingston."
It was said that the plan of the professorate was again
altered. The General Synod, at their session in this
year, viewing the appointment which had been made
of two additional professors in 1797, as a temporary
expedient designed to meet certain circumstances which
then existed, passed this resolution: "That the Ee-
formed Dutch churches will unite their efforts to pro-

234 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
mote the establishment of only one professor in the
ology, and will employ vigorous measures to raise a
fund for the same ; provided, however, that the pro
fessors appointed by the General Synod of 1797 con
tinue in their offices, and enjoy all the honors and
emoluments thereof equally with one professor con
templated to be established by this resolution, during
their natural lives, or as long as they behave well,
and are capable of discharging the duties of their
offices. But in either, or in any of these cases, which
would vacate their offices, no successor shall be ap
pointed." Dr. Livingston was now duly chosen the permanent
professor, whose temporary seat should be in the city
of New- York, " subject, however, at all times, to the
government of Synod, with respect to a more eligible
or expedient place for this purpose," and a committee
was appointed to devise ways and means to raise a fund
for his support. At the same time, the Bev. John
Basset and the Bev. Jeremiah Bomeyn were appointed
professors of the Hebrew language. This act of Synod,
which made all the honorable amends then in their
power, for any real or supposed injury he had sustained
under the other act, though it produced no immediate
results of consequence, ultimately led to a separation
from his pastoral charge and to his ^permanent removal
from the city.
The health of the eloquent and eminent Linn had
now become so enfeebled as to induce him to solicit a
dissolution of his connection with the congregation,
as he stated in the following letter to his colleague,
dated January 29, 1805 :

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 235
" My Dear Colleague : I can not think of taking
a measure extremely interesting to me, without your
advice and assistance. The inclemency of the weather,
together with my indisposition, prevent me from wait
ing upon you. I have not been out of the house for
more than a week ; during which time, my health and
spirits have greatly declined. I am now fully per^
suaded, after repeated struggles, that I am not able to
perform the duties which the congregation expect from
me, and have determined to propose to the Consistory
to retire upon such conditions as shall be mutually
deemed just and honorable. I mean to propose none
in the first instance ; but to go to the country, having
no pastoral charge, and preaching occasionally, never
relinquishing, while any strength remains, the sacred
office to which I have been dedicated.
"You will easily conceive my embarrassing situa
tion, with a young and numerous family ; and will
feel that tenderness which our holy religion inspires,
especially after serving together for above eighteen
years in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I write with
pain. I have delayed this business, though often re
volved in my mind. Very lately has my determina
tion been taken, and this is the reason why it has not
begn sooner communicated to you. The Consistory
meet on Thursday next, and on the Thursday follow
ing. If any thing be done, it can not be delayed, on
account of necessary arrangements. To the will of
God I hope ever to be resigned. The Divine Master
who has employed me, and been gracious to me, will pro
vide for me. May you enjoy much of his comfortable

236 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
presence, and richly share in the blessings of the ever
lasting covenant. Pray for me.
" I am, my dear colleague, with the highest respect
and affection, your friend and brother,
"William Linn."
Dr. Livingston laid the proposition of his friend be
fore the Consistory, who acted upon the occasion with
their wonted liberality ; and as soon as the spring
opened, Dr. Linn removed his family to Albany, where
he spent the remainder of his life.
Dr. Linn commenced his ministry as a chaplain in
the continental army during the war, and was after
wards settled over a Presbyterian church in Elizabeth,
N. J. He was a divine of great celebrity. His preach
ing was uniformly judicious, evangelical, and impress
ive; but upon particular occasions, his performances
were master-pieces of the kind. The interest he took
in the party politics of the day, somewhat impaired his
popularity towards the close of his ministry, but he
still had many warm and excellent friends in the con
gregation. When he died, the late Dr. J. B. Bomeyn,
then a minister in Albany, wrote to Dr. Livingston, to
inform him of the event, and the receipt of his letter
was thus acknowledged :
"New- York, January 13, 1808.
"Beverend and Dear Sir: This moment your
friendly communication is handed to me, and I sit
down immediately to thank you for your kind atten
tion. The near connection which has for many years
subsisted between Dr.. Linn and myself and the sincere

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 237
love I cherished for him, from the first day of our ac
quaintance, render the event you have announced very
affecting. Your remarks respecting ministers of the
Gospel are just and pious. If such improvements ap
ply to others in younger life, how much more must I
feel their force who am several years older than our
deceased friend ! When your worthy father departed,
I felt myself deprived of the dear companions of my
youth. Now, in regard to them, I stand alone. I
mark the signal, hear the warning voice, and look unto
Jesus. " This is, as you observe, an afflicting providence on
many accounts, and can not fail of being especially so
to his bereaved, distressed family.
" With assurances of my respect and love,
"Dear Sir, your most affectionate,
" J. H. Livingston.
" Bev. Mr. Bomeyn."
The resignation of Dr. Linn, which took place in the
spring of the year 1805, increased, of course, propor
tionably, the parochial labors of the Doctor. In some
respects, these labors were lighter, probably, than those
of his two younger estimable colleagues ; but they were,
nevertheless, sufficiently multiplied and difficult of ac
complishment for one of his years and constitutional
debility ; and, in referring to his services at this period,
those ought at least to be cursorily noticed which were
extra-parochial, for they were not few in number. He
frequently preached in neighboring Dutch churches;
and upon particular occasions, as the laying of the
corner-stone of a new church, or the opening of a

238 memoir of john henry Livingston.
new church for pubhc worship, it was in a manner
considered his prerogative to officiate. For a series
of years, when either the one or the other was to be
done in any part of the city, or in any place at a
moderate distance from it, he was requested, in defer
ence to his prominence and seniority in the ministry,
to perform the service. And it may be questioned,
whether any contemporary clergyman in the United
States, except a diocesan, had the honor of laying
more corner-stones of churches, or of opening a greater
number of buildings erected for the public worship of
God, than Doctor Livingston. Within the period em
braced in this chapter, it is believed that he discharged
one or both of these offices in Flatbush and Brooklyn,
Long-Island; in Belleville and * * * * New-
Jersey ; in Greenwich and Bloomingdale, when the
first churches were erected in these places ; in Garden
street, at the erection of the new building upon the
site of the old one ; in Franklin street and Broome
street, in the city of New- York. It may be added
that he, being the sole pastor at the time, without doubt
opened the North Church, when it was repaired after
the war. He also opened the Middle Dutch Church,
when that building was put in a state to be used for
pubhc worship, and the sermon he preached upon this
occasion was afterwards published.
The Doctor was by no means an indifferent observer
of the events in the world, which, at that day, attracted
the notice of all intelligent Christians. He saw dis
tinctly the commencement of a new and glorious epoch
in the history of the Church ; and he took a deep inter
est in the benevolent and pious efforts which then be-

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW-YORK. 239
gan to be made in New- York, as well as in most other
parts of Protestant Christendom, to extend the kino-.
dom of the Bedeemer.
Before the New- York Missionary Society, he
preached at the annual meeting, April 23, 1799, a
sermon entitled, "The Glory of the Bedeemer," on
Colossians 3 : 11, '' Christ is all and in all;" and also, at
the annual meeting, April 3, 1804, on the text, Bev.
14 : 6, 7, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of
heaven," etc. Both of these discourses were published.
One of them was reprinted in New-England, and had
no small influence in exciting that devoted missionary
spirit which a few years later led to the formation of
the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mis
sions. One of the first four missionaries of that Board,
the beloved Gordon Hall, speaking of this sermon in a
letter to a friend, remarked that it was "enough to
melt an heart of adamant."
In 1807, the trustees of Queen's College, having re
solved to revive the institution under their care, made
a communication to that effect to the General Synod of
the Beformed Dutch Church, and solicited their appro
bation of the measure. The Synod cordially approved
of what had been done, in relation to the same commu
nication, by the Particular Synod of New- York, to which
body it had previously been made, and appointed a
committee to confer with the committee of the trustees,
who were then present, upon the subject. The result
of the conference was, the formation of a covenant between
the Synod and the trustees, for the union of the pro
fessorate with the college, the fourth and fifth articles
of wliich were in these words :

240 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
" The Trustees of Queen's College shall call no pro
fessor of theology but such as shall be nominated and
chosen by the General Synod, agreeably to the resolu
tions and arrangements formed in General Synod in
1804, respecting the permanent professorship, which is
hereby located at New-Brunswick"
"As soon as fhe Trustees shall have obtained a fund,
the interest of which will yield a competent support to
the theological professor, of which competency, when
ever any difficulties or doubts may arise, the contracting
parties shall judge and determine the trustees shall be
bound, without delay, to call the professor appointed
by the Synod ; and tne Synod shall, and hereby do,
request their professor, as soon as he shall have received
such a call, to make arrangements forthwith for enter
ing upon the duties of his office."
An interesting and able address upon the subject of
the theological professorate was now drawn up, pub
lished, and widely circulated ; and, under the divine
blessing, it excited, in many parts of the Church, great
zeal and liberality in behalf of the important object
contemplated. In the city of New- York alone, sub
scriptions to fhe professoral fund, to the amount of more
than ten thousand dollars, were obtained in a few davs ;
and encouraged by this auspicious beginning, the trus
tees forthwith called the Doctor to the professorship of
theology, tendering him therein, as the yearly compen
sation for his services, the sum of seven hundred and
fifty dollars. They also called him to the presidency of
the college, in which the salary offered was two hundred
and fifty dollars per annum.

PASTOR AND PROFESSOR IN NEW- YORK. 241
The first call he accepted ; but fearing that if he im
mediately removed, the efforts of the churches to pro
vide an adequate fund for the support of the professorate
would abate, he concluded to remain for the present
where he was.
About this time, he experienced an increase of infirm
ities, which was quite alarming. His mind, as well as
his body, in a measure failed him, and he was sensible that
he was not able to discharge, as he formerly had done, his
customary ministerial duties. The decline of his health
became, indeed, so visible, that the Consistory of the
Church considered it their duty to excuse him from a
part of his regular ministrations ; and they accordingly
passed the following resolution, a copy of wliich they
directed to be delivered to him :
" In Consistory, 20th July, 1809.
" The Consistory taking into consideration the long
and faithful services of the Bev. Doctor Livingston,
their senior minister, and also considering his age, the
ill state of his health, and his consequent inability to
preach more than once on the Sabbath, therefore re
solved unanimously, that this Consistory are willing to
dispense with the afternoon public services of the
Beverend Doctor Livingston, on the Sabbath, and that
he preach every Sabbath morning only, unless he feels
able and disposed to perform more service. Ordered,
that the Bev. Mr. Kuypers, the President, be requested
to deliver a copy of this resolution to the Bev. Doctor
Livingston. " Extract from the Minutes. " Isaac L. Kip, Sec"
11

242 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
As the Doctor was now exempted from a portion of
his usual labors, and his removal to New-Brunswick
was expected to take place at a day not far distant, the
Consistory deemed it expedient to obtain, as speedily as
possible, a more ample supply of ministerial service.
They soon after, therefore, invited the Bev. John
Schureman, of Millstone, N. J, and the Bev. Jacob
Brodhead, of Bhinebeck, N. Y., (see Appendix H,) to
come and serve them in the Gospel. These gentlemen
accepted their calls, and were installed collegiate pastors
with Dr. Livingston, Dr. Kuypers, and Dr. Abeel. in
the autumn of this year.

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 243

CHAPTEE IX.
FROM HIS REMOVAL TO NEW-BRUNSWICK UNTIL HIS
DEATH AND BURIAL.
" There is something singularly affecting," says Dr.
Hunter, speaking of Abraham's departure, at the
seventy-fifth year of his age, from his country and kin
dred, and father's house, to go unto a land which God
had promised to show him, " in the idea of an old man
giving up the scenes of his youthful days — scenes en
deared to the mind by the fond recollection of past joys ;
foregoing his kindred and friends, and becoming an
exile and a wanderer, at a period when nature seeks
repose, and when the heart cleaves to those objects to
which it has been long accustomed."
Doctor Livingston had almost reached three score
and ten years, when he concluded to resign his charge
and remove to New-Brunswick ; and so painful was the
change to him, at that advanced period of life, that he
remarked to the writer, a few days before he left the
city : " I feel it, my son, to be a species of martyrdom."
Such a representation of a removal into a refined and
pious society, at fifty miles distance, looks like doting
extravagance. But his feelings will be understood and

244 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
justified by all who consider the sacrifice he made in
breaking up all his old attachments, and parting from
a proverbially considerate and affectionate people,
among whom he had labored for forty years, and upon
whose love and honor he could securely count even to
the last. That he was willing to make this separation
in obedience to the voice of the Church, and out of re
gard to her good, shows the extent of his pious zeal
and disinterestedness.
In February, 1810, the trustees of Queen's College
having obtained more subscriptions to the professoral
fund, passed a resolution to increase the sum which
they had previously offered, by the addition of six hun
dred and fifty dollars, making the salary now tendered
him, as professor, fourteen hundred dollars. A copy
of this resolution was sent to him without delay, ac
companied with another call to fhe presidency of the
college; and in March, he wrote to the trustees, "that
notwithstanding the interest arising from the principal
in their hands, was not yet sufficient to produce a com
petent and honorable salary, yet the importance of
the institution, and the necessity of organizing it with
out delay, were so impressive, that he would not hesi
tate to comply with the calls of the churches, being
fully persuaded that when he made such large and
painful sacrifices for the pubhc, he would most assur
edly not be neglected or forsaken by them."
Shortly after, he communicated to the Consistory of
the Church the reasons which had induced his deter
mination to remove, in the following letter : " The
united voice of all the churches fixed the professorship
at Brunswick, with a request, and even peremptory re-

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 245
solution, that their professor should remove to that
place, as soon as the funds to be raised should prove com
petent to his support. A generous zeal was immediately
shown by many individual members of the churches,
in subscribing liberally for that purpose ; and had it
not been for our national distresses, which at that cri
tical moment rendered it improper to proceed with the
subscriptions, there is no doubt a sufficiency would
have been soon obtained. Two years have elapsed,
and the object is not yet accomplished. It is acknow
ledged that the funds collected are not adequate to the
honorable support of the professor ; that they do not
correspond with the wishes and character ofthe churches ;
and are, as yet, vastly inferior to any other public es
tablishment; but it is suggested, and probably with
great truth, that all further apphcation for an increase
of the funds, and even for obtaining a great part of
what is already subscribed, depend upon the immediate
removal of the professor to Brunswick. After wait
ing so long, despondency has arisen, and fears are in
dulged that, notwithstanding all the exertions that have
been made, the whole institution, if he refuses, will at
last fail, or be again broken into separate interests.
Hence the requests are pressing, the demands increase,
and the public voice becomes clamorous."
" The professor has labored twenty-six years without
any compensation ; and he may now be justified in the
expectation of having his situation at last rendered
comfortable and equitable. He can not, therefore, it
may be supposed, reconcile it with prudence or justice
to himself, to engage in new and precarious dependen
cies, and expose himself to losses and troubles, which

246 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
the pubhc have no right to expect or demand from an
individual. But these remonstrances must yield to the
authoritative directions of Divine Providence ; and cor
rect views of the important crisis in which the interests
of our churches are brought, seem to suppress all personal
considerations, silence all minor objections, and impe
riously require an immediate sacrifice. I judged it
proper to draw these outlines of our history, that
you might at one glance have the whole subject before
you." "And now, my dear brethren, what conclusion do
you draw? I make no appeal to the feelings which
your affections dictate. I know your love— a love
that has been ripening, without any interruption, nearly
half a century; a love which, if consulting its own
claims, would never consent to a separation while life
remains. But I appeal to your judgments ; I appeal
to your zeal for the highest interests of Zion, to your
attachment to the Beformed Dutch Church in our
land, and to the obligation we are under to assist in
promoting a cause to wliich consequences of such im
mense magnitude are evidently attached. I introduce
this appeal to prepare your minds for the communica
tion I am now compelled to make."
" My dear brethren, after many struggles and great
reluctance, I am at length conquered. I am persuaded
to yield to the direction and call of the churches repre
sented in General Synod, who has a right to command
the services of her members and officers ; and I believe,
therefore, that it is the will of our Lord and Master,
who speaks by his Church, that I should remove to
New-Brunswick, and there devote the short remnant

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 247
of my days to the direct duties and objects of the theo
logical professorship, and without delay I let you know
the result. Let it not offend any zealous believer to
hear a Christian speak of struggles and reluctance, since
self-denial and cheerful acquiescence ought always to
he forward and predominate. It is so; yet the infirm
ities of human nature claim some indulgence, as far as
they may bo considered to be free from sin. It is not
always an. easy task to ascertain the will of the Lord,
with respect to jirovidcntial events, especially when a
train of difficulties has long continued to interrupt the
accomplishment of any great object. The immediate
welfare of our congregation was always uppermost upon
my heart, and I could never feci a freedom to leave it,
while my presence was judged necessary to its peace
and prosperity. But, alter a deliberate and disinter
ested view of existing facts, that critical state appears
to be now essentially changed. The Lord has blessed
us with sufficient and acceptable help ; and, if it may
please him to hear the fervent prayers of his people,
wo may indulgo the hope that our beloved minister,
who has for some time been much indisposed, may
again have his precious health restored, and bo able, at
least in some measure, to edify the Church with his
labors, his counsel, and experience." [Tho "beloved
minister" hero referred to was the Bev. Dr. John N.
Abeel, who was at the time, as but too soon after becamo
evident to all his friends, consumptively diseased. He
lingered about two years, and then finished his earthly
course.] " When to this state of things I add the full discovery
that my advanced years have rendered it impossible for

248 MEMOIR OP JOHN HESST EiVlAifiSBaS-
mefofulnlLasIaHghs andwish. airy longer fee dnties
of fee iniiAJiy, the objection, which of aU ofeeis has
airways been me Wi**^ and indeed fee only one, is
quite removed, and I am compelled to eonehide feat it
has now become my dnfcyr without longer delay, cheer-
folly and thankfully to apply to the sole and imme
diate labors of the praftsaorafe; for which, considering
previous preparations and long Iiaihifc^ I may hnmbiy
hope, with the divine aid. a competent degree of Tigor
and ^rength may ye* remani-
To this commamcaikHi fee finreasfairy returned an.
answer by the hands of three of fear respected man-
beis, expiesswe of the auction they foit Mx ther vener
able past™-, arid of their regret at parting ^iiili him.
Portions of this gns-taur are here given. :
"Kevebhsd iss Tebt Dear Fasher anb Bro
ther in tote Lohd: The Cona^ogj of fee Bebnoed
Dutch Church in fes city, -which has so long enjoyed fee
blessing of yonr mmsSry. has^ -wife decs and imSagnsd
regret received fee tidings of your intsmon soon to
temper your labors to another quarts- of the Lords
vineyard: though they rejoice to find yon axe to be
employed, during fee rmimamf of your days, in fee
honorable and necessary duties of fee theological jhd-

¦¦ While they fan not but approve fee measures faifcmi
by fee Beverend Synod, -Sir providing an efnciEiit and
learned ministay, to supply fee wants of fee churches
under their care ; while they adore the goodness of the
Lord, in thus far prospering fear endeavors, and admire
fee disinterestedness and steady perseverance displayed

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 249
throughout the whole of your conduct in the promotion
of this laudable work, they can not be unaffected by
tho loss they must sustain by your departure : they feel,
they deeply feel, the expected separation ; a separation
that tears asunder tho finest, the tenderest cords that
bind tho heart."
"Many, Reverend Sir, still look up to you as their
spiritual father ; and all revere you as under Christ
tlioir solace in distress and in difficulties — their support
in the hour of trial ; and the endeared tie, that has so
long preserved in harmony the various and sometimes
conflicting interests and passions that necessarily arise
in an extensive congregation, composed of so many dis
tinct members, of d liferent ages, characters, and circum
stances, and influenced by views and motives often irre
concilable — sometimes opposite. A gracious Lord has
mercifully continued your labors among this people for
forty years. They have been blessed in the conversion
of sinners, and edification of the saints. You have been
tho instrument of peace, and the healer of breaches in
the Church. * * * * The prospect of your future
usefulness to the Church of God, in an employment
which requires tho full exercise of distinguished and
matured talents, without great exertions of bodily
powers, in some measure satisfies and consoles tho
mind though it contributes little to the abatement of
"rief. * * * * We commit you, and your amia-
blo consort, to the superintending care and gracious pro
tection of a God infinite in mercy and love,
******
"With sentiments of unfeigned respect, ardent affec
tion, and unabated zeal for your happiness here and
11*

250 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
hereafter, we subscribe ourselves your sincere friends,
brothers, and children in the Lord.
" Signed by order and on behalf of the Consistory,
"Jacob Brodhead,
"Pres. pro tern.
"New- York, 25th June, 1810."
But while occupied with the cares and anxieties
attendant upon his removal from New- York, Dr. Liv
ingston found time to secure, by personal solicitation, a
most important educational foundation for the school of
the prophets. The Rev. Elias Van Bunschooten,
of Minisink, a life-long friend and brother in the minis
try, was understood to be in the possession of large
wealth, and was now in advanced years, without any
children. -To him the following letter was addressed,
which we copy from a very able article in the New-
Brunswick Review for February, 1854. (See Ap
pendix I.) " New-York, July 31, 1810.
"Reverend and Dear Sir: Spared to a period of
life, which few who commenced with us have attained,
it surely becomes us with adoring gratitude to praise
God, who has upheld and blessed us thus far, and
exclaim with joy and thankful hearts, Why do we
yet live, while others are taken away ? What shall
we render to the Lord for all his benefits towards us ?
Much is due from us ; and if, in our closing scenes, we
may be privileged to promote the Redeemer's interest,
we shall not have lived thus long in vain, nor will our
memory be forgotten in silence,
" You and I set out in public service nearly at the

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 251
same time. We both, I trust, were taught in our
youth, through grace, to love the blessed Jesus, and to
be zealous for his Church and cause. God was pleased
to bestow talents and opportunities agreeably to his
sovereign pleasure ; and he has enabled us to improve
them, in some measure, with sincerity and faithfulness.
Feeble, indeed, have been our efforts, and small our
success, compared with what others have done ; yet,
with all our imperfections, we have cause to praise
him, and can humbly say, 'His grace which was
bestowed upon us, was not altogether in vain.' Ad
vanced now in years, this retrospect is full of consola
tion ; yet even in advanced years, while life remains,
let us not despair of doing something still that may re
dound to the benefit of the Church, and endear our
names to the children of God. I bless the Lord, who
can make the last fruits to be fhe ripest and the best,
for keeping the flame of love and zeal yet burning in
mv bosom, and raising my ardent hopes, that a declin
ing lamp may still shine to some advantage. Feeling my
strength fail for the usual labors of the ministry, I have
resigned that work to follow the call of mv Master in
another department I have, therefore, concluded to
leave a station in which I have been upheld and made
to persevere for forty years; and am now making
preparations to remove shortly to New-Brunswick,
there to devote the short remnant of my days to the
immediate work of the professorate, agreeably to the
wishes and resolutions of all our churches. I commu
nicate this to you without reserve, as I know your love
to the Reformed Church and your love to me will
render the communication acceptable. You and I are

252 MEMOIR OP JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
standing at a conspicuous point of the wall of Zion,
almost alone. Of all those who were in the ministry
before the Revolutionary War very few are left. Only
three, whom I recollect, besides ourselves, remain, and
they are feeble and superannuated. To you and my
self our younger brethren look for counsel, example,
and assistance. If the Lord shall please to sanctify and
quicken our hearts, we may yet, in our old days, do
something that shall make glad the city of our God. I
have told you the prospects and labors which are before
me. To advance these I must make a great sacrifice,
not only of former habits, affections, and a most com
fortable situation, but of great expenses and risks. You
know the funds collected are not yet sufficient to sup
port the establishment. Yet the wants of the churches
are so great and alarming that they cannot wait longer ;
and I cheerfully make the sacrifice, and leave the issue
with the Lord. I shall be happy if it may be in your
heart to assist in this vast design, that we may mutually
strengthen and encourage each other ; and that our
younger brethren and all the churches may see and
rejoice that their two old ministers love the Lord and
devote themselves and all they have to his service.
The churches expect much from me, and they have
the same claim upon you, my brother — they expect
also much from you. If grace be bestowed I trust they
will not be disappointed in either of us. I know you
will rejoice to join with me in this blessed work. We
began together ; let us end together with the same zeal
and laudable efforts.
" I have considered in what way it will be possible for
you to afford signal assistance. Your years and your

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 253
situation forbid any active part in rearing the temple
we are about to dedicate to Jesus ; but the Lord has
not left you without means of being greatly benefi
cial. You are blessed with much wealth and large
property. What, my dear old friend and brother—
what if God should put it in your heart to dispose, in
your last will and testament, of a respectable part ot
that property for the benefit ofthe Theological Institu
tion ? By inserting it in your will, you will not be
troubled with any arrangements during your life. The
whole will remain, as heretofore, in your possession.
When you depart it must go to others, and you have
the right of directing to whom and for what purpose
it shall go. If the claims of relatives who expect to
share the whole were always to be regarded, there would
never be any generous donations for public services.
But, in the present case, it is a consolation that rela
tives have a copious resource, and will be richly pro
vided for. It will be no injury to any if you should
make the Reformed Dutch Church your principal heir.
The very idea must be pleasing to your mind, and will
warm your heart. It will prove how much you loved
that Church which has so long loved and respected
you. I have suggested this with freedom, and without
reserve. My heart will rejoice if the rising generation
shall acknowledge that their old ministers show, by
generous deeds, that they possess the faith which works
by love.
" There are three great objects attached to our institu
tion, neither of which have funds provided for their
accomplishment. One is the support of poor students
in theology. Many who are pious and wish to study

254 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
are not able to sustain the expense. We must provide
some assistance for them. It is a fact, thafr several
worthy persons have left ample legacies, by their last
wills, to the college at Princeton, for the express
purpose of supporting or helping poor students in
theology. And surely we may hope that in our Dutch
Reformed Church there are men as good, and as able,
and as willing, as any in the other Churches. Another
object is, the purchase of a library for the use of the
students in theology. The third is, a fund whose in
terest shall be apphed for the immediate support of the
professorship itself, and maintaining such assistants as
will soon be wanted. Either of these objects singly is
important ; and all of them together must receive aid,
or our most strenuous efforts will prove for a long time,
if not for ever, unavailing.
Select for yourself either of these objects, agreeably
to your own choice, or unite the whole in one common
benefit, referring it to the General Synod to apply it at
their discretion. Think upon this subject, my dear sir,
with that seriousness it deserves ; and if you find your
self, through grace, disposed to leave any thing for this
purpose, let it be inserted in your will without delay,
for our lives are precarious. As the words or terms
used in last wills and testaments ought to be very
clear and definite, suffer me to mention that the legacy
ought to be made to some body corporate, in trust
for the uses intended, and none is so proper as Queen's
College. The style or name of the college, by which
it can receive or hold property, is The Trustees of
Queen's College in New-Jersey. To them let the device
be made; expressly, however, and clearly declaring

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 255
the precise trust or object you intend. Let the trustees
be compelled, by your will, to vest the legacy in some
safe fund, and apply the interest thereof yearly, for the
very purpose you may please to direct, and for no other.
That direction, if you choose, may be placed under the
control of the General Synod of the Reformed Dutch
Church for the time being, for ever.
Excuse, my dear old friend, the freedom with which
I have communicated these sentiments. My intentions
are sincere, upright, affectionate, and zealous. I trust
you will be happy to join with me in doing something
for which the churches will remember us with grati
tude. While I make sacrifices, and work besides, you
will cheerfully embalm your memory by leaving some
thing important to promote the same cause. Please to
send a line in answer, and let me know that you have
received this letter, and that you love me more than
ever for what I have now suggested. The Lord pre
serve, sanctify, and comfort you, and incline your heart
to do more than others in assisting his poor Church.
Be assured of my affectionate attachment, and the great
respect with which I am, reverend and dear sir,
" Your faithful friend and brother in the Lord,
"J. H. Livingston.
" Rev. Mr. E. Van Bunschooten."
Every one, we think, must be charmed with the tone
and spirit of this epistle, and the beautiful confidence it
indicates as existing between those venerable saints. It
does not appear what further correspondence took
place • ' but Dr. Livingston did not mistake his man,
except that the latter did not wait for his own decease,

256 memoir of john henry Livingston.
but became mostly his own executor, by adjusting the
business before his death. We know that he visited
Dr. Livingston repeatedly at New-Brunswick for the
purpose of settling the matter to his satisfaction. As
the result of their conferences, Mr. Van Bunschooten
in the year 1814 endowed the trustees of Queen's (now
Rutgers) College with the sum of fourteen thousand six
hundred and forty dollars, which was afterwards in
creased, by a bequest in his will, to seventeen thousand
dollars. The income of this fund is to be apphed to
the support and education "of pious youth who hope
they have a call of God to preach the Gospel of Jesus
Christ." None can be admitted to this benefit but such
as are recommended by General Synod. If the income
should exceed what may be wanted for that purpose,
the trustees, with the advice and consent of General
Synod, may apply the overplus to such other purposes
as shall most tend to the good of the institution and
the benefit of literature. The fund, at present, some
what exceeds the sum of twenty thousand dollars.
On the tenth of October following, the Doctor re
moved to New-Brunswick; and his arrival there- was
greeted as an event of most favorable augury, insuring
success to the whole plan that had been formed in re
lation to the college and the professorate, the long
wished for union between which was now completed.
Soon after his arrival, he wrote a few lines to his friend,
Isaac L. Kip, Esq., of New- York, which begin thus:
"Many cares and arrangements, inseparable from a
new habitation, have engrossed my attention since I
came to this place, and prevented me from dropping a
line to you. The new part of my dwelling is yet un-

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 257
der the hands of the carpenters, and the old requires
much alteration and amendments, to render it comfort
able for the approaching winter. But, in the midst of
all these, I am kept through grace, in some measure,
near the Lord, and live by faith. I have made sacri
fices to promote his cause, and he hath said, he will
not leave nor forsake me. Upon his word of truth I
confidently rely, and desire to feel reconciled to the
cross of Christ. His grace will be sufficient, for he is
the Lord my righteousness, my strength, my help and
shield. Amidst all my cares, and in the multitude of
my thoughts, I still remember, most affectionately, the
whole flock and my faithful friends. My prayers are
for them, and I am confident they can not forget
to remember me and mine continually before the
throne." In order to provide a suitable residence for his fami
ly, the Doctor had to involve himself in a debt, which
for a time caused him considerable disquietude. He
was under the necessity of purchasing the place that
was now undergoing repairs and alterations, to put it
in a comfortable state ; and, to pay for it, he had de
pended upon the sale of some property he had in New-
York. More than a year elapsed, however, before he
could effect a satisfactory sale of this property, and
meanwhile, his situation, on account of his debt and
the prospect of an insufficient support, was an anxious
and very unpleasant one, as will appear by an extract
from another letter to the same individual : "I said fhe
sale of my place would be considered as a merciful pro
vidence, because I wish much to dispose of that pro-

258 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
perty. I wish it, because I have" made a purchase
here, for the discharge of which I depended wholly
upon the sale of my place there. I was convinced, and
I still am, that it was my duty to come here. Events
of the highest magnitude to the prosperity of our
churches, appeared to depend upon my coming. It
was high time for me tp decide and to remove. My
refusal or delay might have rendered all abortive. I
found there- was no habitation for me to be obtained
here, excepting that which I purchased. I knew also
the public funds for my support, after I was here, were
not yet ascertained. Notwithstanding all this, which
to the eye of prudence was forbidding, I yet ventured,
as I trust, in the obedience of faith, and risked all the
consequences to promote this work of the Lord. You
will easily conceive now, that if, by the sale of my place,
I might be able to discharge the burden that has ac
crued, and, especially, if something might remain for a
support upon which I could depend, it would indeed
be a merciful providence. While I work for the
churches, I am willing to maintain myself, if I can.
Zion is welcome to my labors. To Zion and to Zion's
Lord, I cheerfully consecrate all I am and have. My
other property is not immediately productive. * * *
In this situation, while, for the trial of my faith and
hope, no doubt, it pleases the Lord to disappoint me
hitherto in the sale of my place, which is my only pre
sent resource, you can readily conceive that, at times, I
feel as if I was left alone." In two years, the Doctor
did not receive the whole amount of salary due him for
one, $1200 being all that the funds in hand had pro
duced during that period ; so that his fears in relation

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. , 259
to a support were not altogether groundless, nor is his
anxiety on that account to be wondered at.
Queen's College being revived, agreeably to the re
solution of the trustees, under the auspices of the Rev.
Dr. Condict, as its vice-president, at the commence
ment of the exercises of this institution, in the autumn
of this year, the Doctor entered upon the discharge of
his official duties, as president and professor of theolo
gy. But it ought to be observed, that in the capacity
of president, it was not expected he would render much
active service : no more was required of him, in fact,
by his call to the office, than that he should " preside
at commencements and authenticate diplomatic docu
ments, and take a general superintendence of the insti
tution, as far as his time and health might admit."
Theology was the department to wliich he was chiefly
to devote himself; this belonged exclusively to him,
and he engaged in it with all his heart.
At first, he had only five students to attend his lec
tures ; but the next year, the number increased to nine,
and in 1812, when he made his first official communi
cation to General Synod, the committee who reported
upon the subject of the professorate, made the follow
ing statement: "Since the removal of the professor,
he has opened the theological school, and the number
of students has so increased as to afford a hopeful pros
pect that this institution will be of extensive and per
manent usefulness to the Church." This statement is
introduced by a reflection or two, expressed in .these
words : " When your committee reflect on the zeal of
the professor, thus to promote the best interests of the
churches — his leaving a people endeared to him by a

260 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
useful ministry of forty years — removing from a place
where numerous connections had been formed, and an
ample support was secured ; when they reflect on his
entering on a new and arduous scene, at such sacrifices,
in his advanced period of life ; the committee hesitate
not to express the high and grateful sense they enter
tain of the conduct of the professor, and feel confident
their sentiments are in unison with those of the
churches generally."
About this time his attention was called to the sub
ject of religious exercises at funerals. In the existing
constitution of the Church, there was a rule that where
" funeral sermons were not in use, they should not be
introduced, and where they had already obtained?
endeavors should be used to abolish them in the best
manner possible." Besides, circumstances rendered it
impracticable to have such discourses in large towns,
where deaths occur often. Yet it was desirable that
there should be a well-digested form of sound words,
which being unexceptionable in style or matter, might
be appropriately used on all such occasions. To meet
this want, Dr. Livingston was induced to prepare, with
some pains, a work entitled, " A Funeral Service ; or,
Meditations adapted to Funeral Addresses." This little
manual, which was compiled altogether from the Scrip
tures, was respectfully noticed by the General Synod ;
but that body refused to limit ministers to any pre
scribed form. (See Minutes 1812, p. 34.)
The same Synod, however, committed to him the
performance of a task of great importance and respon
sibility. In the opinion of many pious and intelligent
persons, the book of Psalms and Hymns then in use

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 261
needed revision and enlargement ; and the subject
having been referred to the Synod, they requested the
Professor to make a selection, in accordance with the
wishes of the churches, and appoint a committee to in
spect the same, when it should be completed. He cheer
fully yielded to the request, and soon after prepared a
selection, which received the approbation of the com
mittee and the next Synod, and proved highly accept
able to the churches.
The execution of this task cost him much labor, for
he spared no pains to render the work as complete and
satisfactory as possible ; and the resolution of the Sy
nod, which declared their sense of the service he had
done, was a merited, and, no doubt, a gratifying return :
"Resolved, that for the ability displayed in the revi
sion of psalms and hymns, in use in our churches, and
for the labor and diligence with which that business
has been finally accomplished, Professor Livingston is
entitled to the gratitude and affectionate remembrance
of the members of the Dutch Church, and all the friends
of Zion ; and that this Synod entertain, and will con
tinue to entertain, a high sense of the faithful and af
fectionate labors of their aged brother for the advance
ment of the interests of our Church; and that they
will ever pray that when he shall be gathered to his
fathers, he may join in the song of Moses and the
Lamb." In compliance with the wish of the Synod, he super
intended the first edition of the work ; and the follow
ing letter to his friend in New- York will show the so
licitude he felt to please in the discharge of this obliga
tion:

262 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
" New-Brunswick, Nov. 13, 1813.
" My Dear Sir: The Commercial Advertiser has rec
tified his error, agreeably to your apphcation, and I
thank you for your kind attention to my request, with
out which it would not have been effected. Our friend,
George, has been with me ; and the whole arrangement
is settled to his entire satisfaction. I hope it will
prove beneficial to him, and I am confident he will
make a correct edition. I am only afraid the printers
will not employ as fine a paper as I wish. Paper
is very dear, and is an article that enters deeply in
their calculations ; but much of the respectability and
beauty of the first edition, which ought to recommend
itself to the public, not only by its intrinsic value, but
its external neatness and splendor, will depend upon
the paper on which it is printed. Mr. F  has
not showed me the paper he means to use, but has pro
mised that it shall be very white and good, and I de
pend upon his promise.
" I am happy that the plan I recommended to the
Synod, to assess each book at six cents, was adopted ;
it is the surest and most productive to answer the be
nevolent purpose, to obtain which I am willing to be
stow my labor and toil.
" When I gave you the title-page, it occurred to me
that an appropriate text from the Scriptures would be
an excellent motto to dignify the page, and might
serve a good purpose to admonish every individual
who would certainly read it ; but the thought, or rather
the thing, escaped me. If our committee have not al
ready published the copyright, I refer it to you and
them, whether, under [the] name, where mottos are

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 263
usually placed, it would not be eligible to add, ' Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
hearts unto the Lord.' (Coloss. 3 : 16.) If the publi
cation of the copyright be already made, it will be too
late to make this addition.
-x- * * *
" Your faithful friend and servant,
" J. H. Livingston.
"I. L. Kip, Esq."
In the course of the past year, the vice-president of
the college, the pious, loved, and honored Condict, had
been suddenly removed to another and better world ;
a mournful dispensation, which bereaved the Church
of New-Brunswick of an excellent pastor, and the
college of an officer, under whose able and faithful
superintendence it had already acquired considerable
reputation. The death of this good man was soon fol
lowed by that of his son, a youth of great promise, who
had been an instructor in the college ; and a few weeks
after, another youth, a graduate of the institution,
admired for his amiable disposition, ardent piety and
brilliant talents, was laid in the grave.
The Doctor was deeply affected by these events, well
knowing the loss which the Church and the college
had sustained: and, in closing his address at the
Commencement of the same year, he took a short
but pathetic notice of them, to enforce his sage and
affectionate counsels to the candidates for the bacca
laureate.

264 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
After an appropriate introduction, the worthy Presi
dent arranged the advice he had to give, under the two
following particulars : 1. " You are devoted to study
and literature; you must, then, love science, and be
diligent in the investigation of truth. 2. You are
above all, related to your God, as his intelligent crea
tures, and to the Divine Redeemer, as lost smners, to
be saved by him ; you must love and experience his
religion." Having expatiated upon these points, he then added:
" Are these the counsels of old age ? Are these exer
cises suited to advanced years? Yes, and they are
equally applicable to the young and the gay, to the
strong and blooming. Ah! boast not of to-morrow.
You know not what a day may bring forth. How
many painful examples — how many severe warnings,
continually solicit our attention, and exclaim louder
than thunder, Be ye also ready. Where is young Van
Dike ? Last year he stood as you now stand. I had
pressed his hand and blessed him, when I admitted him
to the rank to which you are now raised, and he bid
fair to live and enjoy the honors to which he had the
fairest claim. His early attention to reading, and his
diligent studies, had advanced him to notice. The
mildness of his manners, his benevolent temper and
amiable disposition, recommended him to universal
esteem and respect, and he was still more endeared for
having devoted himself to the ministry, and intending
immediately to commence in the study of theology. But
where is our dear young Van Dike? Yonder in the
cold grave. His dust has returned to dust. Within a
few weeks after he had delighted this audience with a

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 265
display of his talents, while he was preparing to enter
upon the arduous work in which his pious heart was
wholly engaged, fie was seized with a fatal fever, which
soon numbered him among the dead."
" Yonder the affectionate youth was interred, near to
his former friend, the excellent young Condict, who had
entered into the world of spirits a few weeks before.
He, too, was an only son, from whose talents and piety
great usefulness was expected. Ah ! death often loves
a lofty aim. By two sudden strokes, two youths, tow
ering as the cedar, under whose shade repose and safety
had been anticipated, were in a moment brought down.
There they lie — they he near the consecrated spot, where
the remains of the venerable parent, Condict, rest. Such
a father, and such a son ! and they so quickly followed
by such a youth ! O Death I"
" Feel, my dear young gentlemen, as you ought to
feel, when I direct your views to the tombs. Yet a lit
tle while, and we shall all be numbered with the mighty
dead. The aged and the young, the lips which now
speak these tender and affecting truths, and you who
so attentively hear, will soon speak and hear no more
after the manner of mortals. Oh ! then, be wise for
eternity. Let true, vital, and experimental religion be
your first, your chief concern. Be faithful : improve
your talents, and occupy until the Master comes. Live
in the Lord, and you shall be blessed when you die in
the Lord. Live the life of the righteous, and your lat
ter end shall be like his. Go now under these impres
sions. Feel their power, and indulge their influence.
We take leave of you with emotions of tender affection,
and part with reluctance. We ardently commit you,
12

266 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
dear young gentlemen, to the blessing of the God of
salvation. Farewell."
In 1813, the Rev. Mr. (afterwards Doctor) John
Schureman, of New- York, was called to succeed to Dr.
Condict in the college. The call was accepted ; but
the college had so greatly deehned, that the estimable
character of the new vice-president, and the abihty and
zeal with which he entered upon his duties, could not
avail to restore it to its former prosperous state : the
aggregate number of students continued still to dimin
ish. The Rev. John M. Van Harlingen,* the professor
of Hebrew and teacher of Ecclesiastical History in the
theological school, departed this life about the same
time ; and " in this event, the institution sustained," as
was observed by the Committee, who noticed it in their
report upon the professorate, "a serious deprivation''
So many events of an adverse nature, and so quickly
following each other, very naturally produced among
some of the friends of the professorate, an impression
that God in his providence was frowning upon the
plan which Synod had adopted for promoting the insti
tution. A number of worthy members of the Church, residing
chiefly in the city of New- York, who had liberally con
tributed to the establishment of the school in its present
location, but, notwithstanding, had never heartily ap-
* It is regretted that no materials have been furnished for biographi
cal sketches of Mr. Van Harlingen, Dr. Condict, and some other worthies,
whose names are mentioned in the course of the narrative. Upon the
death of Mr. Van Harlingen, the Board of Superintendents of the theo
logical school temporarily appointed the Rev. Peter Steddiford to teach
Hebrew.

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 267
proved of its removal and union with Queen's College,
now despaired of its future success. The college, upon
which so much dependence' had been placed for in
creasing the number of theological students, they had
reason to fear, would, ere long, be once more wholly
suspended — which in reality was the fact, within two
or three years after. They knew, too, that the pro
fessor, for whose comfort and happiness they felt a
tender concern, had gone thither, bound, as it were,
in the spirit, and that the funds which had been raised
were very inadequate for his support. Thus impressed,
and convinced, moreover, that there would be an
immediate augmentation of the funds if the school
were brought back to New- York, and that then it would
be more known and popular, _ they were at length
impelled to commence operations for effecting such
transfer. These movements in New- York were not generally
regarded with much favor; and the Doctor himself
was supposed by many to have originated them, or if
this be saying too much, to have approved and encour
aged them. But the following letters will show that
his conduct in the matter was in accordance with his
usual wisdom and piety.
" New-Brunswick, Sept 1, 1813.
" My Dear Sir : * * * With much interest and
concern, I observe what you communicate in regard to
the growing attention to the Theological Institution.
As it is the great object to which my life is devoted, I
can not be indifferent to any thing which relates to that
subject. There are some things in this procedure

268 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
which claim my adoring gratitude, and some which are
covered with a cloud, through which I can not pene
trate, or discern the mind and disposal of Divine Pro
vidence. I am glad that an enlightened and pious peo
ple, who have long enjoyed the fruits of an intelligent
and well-educated ministry, begin at length to appreci
ate that blessing as they ought. It will be so ; it must
be so. The Lord's people must lay it to heart ; they
must have the honor of bearing a part of the burden,
in which the prosperity of Zion is so deeply concerned.
I bless God most fervently, that they are aroused to
see and feel, and exert themselves in this precious
work. I consider it as a token for good, and am so far
from discouraging their efforts, that I wish them God
speed, and pray the sentiment may take deep root, and
excite through all our churches an ardent zeal, which,
if directed by knowledge, will, I am persuaded, be ac
ceptable to the great Redeemer, and productive of much
good. It is a high and noble object ; but the time in
which it commences, and the point to which it seems
to be directed, are to me dark and inexplicable. I could
explain what I mean by this, but it would be prema
ture." " It will suffice to observe, that after an institution
is already established, it requires great prudence and
caution to oppose it. The best of causes may, by pre
cipitation or rashness, be essentially marred. To do
too much, may sometimes be worse than to do too lit
tle. Every step will require mature deliberation, and
nothing positive with respect to the ultimate location
ought to be immediately adopted. The subject, in all
its bearings, is interesting in the highest degree to the

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 269
peace of the churches, and very important to myself;
but unless I know more of the progress and precise ob
ject of your friendly consultations, or until my advice
be requested, it would be an improper anticipation to
suggest any particular idea or sentiment."
********
" The Lord bless you both, with your dear children,
and give you precious answers to prayer. I bless you,
and am, "Dear Sir,
" Your faithful friend and servant,
" J. H. Livingston.
" I. L. Kip." " New-Brunswick, Sept. 11, 1813.
" Mr Dear Sir : It gives me pleasure to observe in
your last esteemed favor, that the sentiments I ex
pressed respecting the theological institution, met with
your unequivocal approbation."
" It is a great object, and has engaged my attention
and prayers many years. After the deranged state in
which the business had been brought, by the destruc
tive resolutions of the General Synod, in 1797, and
while there was not an individual who appeared in a
series of years, to think upon the subject, or assist cor
dially in devising any measures for its benefit, I was
encouraged by the overtures made by the trustees of
this college, and hoped the dawn was opening, which
would bring on the day for which we had so long
waited. No objections were then made,, and as all
concurred in fixing the institution in this place,
I considered it to be the direction of Providence,

270 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
and concluded I was going the right way when I
came." " There is, indeed, room for amendments ; and the
future security of the institution renders it necessary,
in its present state, to draw such broad lines as will
prevent every species of intrusion, and secure the essen
tial point, and the perfect superintendence, for ever, in
the hands of the General Synod."
" The churches supposed they did what was right in
fixing upon this place, and I thought I did what was
right in coming here ; yet it is possible, that we were
all wrong ; but it is also possible that, after all,, it will
be seen we have done exactly what ought to be done.
As to the location of the institution in New- York, with
all the advantages, which in theory appear plausible,
there may be dangers, which, at the present moment,
excite no apprehension ; but at a day not very distant,
might prove exceedingly formidable. It is said, that in
the ocean the large fishes devour the small, and it is
certain that upon the land, something like this is often
realized. We are, perhaps, in the safest situation when
we remain alone, without the collision of jarring inter
ests, or aspiring competitors — in waters where no
sharks can pursue us."
" I now indulge the hope, that the time to favor
Zion, yea, the set time, is come, because the servants of
the Lord begin to take pleasure in her stones, and
favor the dust thereof. The meetings you have had
will serve very important purposes, and greatly inter
est the churches in this great work. I am happy that
men of prudence, as well as zeal, are active members
with you. Under such influence, with the blessing of

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 271
the Lord, I am confident nothing rash will be adopted,
but much good will be produced."
******
" Mercies rest upon you, and all yours, always. I
bless you, and am
" Your affectionate and faithful friend,
" J. H. Livingston.
"I. L. Kip, Esq."
Toward the close of the following year, the Doctor
experienced a most painful affliction in the death of his
excellent wife. They had hved together in the greatest
harmony and love, for nearly forty years. He felt
and mourned his loss ; but, at the same time, displayed
under it the faith and fortitude and resignation of a
saint, ripe himself for a transition to a better world,
where the pangs of separation from souls congenial
shall be known no more. On the morning of the day
when her remains were to be interred, he wrote to
his friend, Mr. Kip, the subjoined letter :
" New-Brunswick, Dec. 30, 1814.
" My dear Friend : It is done. The conflict is
over. She has obtained the victory, and is entered
into rest. On Sunday morning, Mrs. Livingston was
seized with a pain in her head, which increased and
soon became very violent. She lay down and was
much indisposed, but no symptoms that produced any
alarm appeared before Tuesday, when her strength ap
peared to be wholly prostrated, and she sunk into a
deep sleep, with intermediate agitations and struggles,
without, however, being aroused from her lethargy. In

272 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
the evening of Wednesday, it was evident her departure
was at hand, and without another struggle or groan,
she gradually and gently fell asleep in the arms of her
Redeemer. She left us a little after twelve that night.
Before she was taken ill, she frequently expressed an
ardent desire to be with Christ, and almost envied
those who were called home, of which there were three
instances in this place in the course of this very week.
Her Lord has given her the desire of her soul, and has
received her spirit."
"This day her dear remains are to be deposited in
the silent grave. I do not love my blessed Jesus any
thing less for afflicting me. He is now very precious
to me. All my springs are in him. He stands by me,
and strengthens me. It is the Lord. He hath taken
away, blessed be his name notwithstanding. It is the
heaviest stroke I have ever received; but it is well.
In the Lord I have righteousness and strength."
" I can only drop a hasty line. I know your loving
heart will sympathize with me and my afflicted child
ren : pray for me and them. Her sickness being only
four days, prevented my sending in time for my dear
son." "It will be proper, for the information of distant
friends and relations, to insert the event in the papers.
You will please to let them announce that, ' Died, on
Thursday, the 29th inst., at New-Brunswick, N. J.,
Mrs. Sarah Livingston, wife of Rev. Dr. Livingston, in
the sixty-third year of her age. Them which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him.' 1 can now only bless
you and yours, and am
" Your afflicted and faithful friend,
"J. H. Livingston."

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 273
A few days after, he thus acknowledged the receipt
of a letter of condolence, from the Rev. Dr. J. B. Ro
meyn, of New- York: " New-Brunswick, Jan. 3, 1815.
" My Dear Sir : He who refines his people in the
furnace of affliction, walks with them through the fire,
that they shall not be burned ; and his presence and
grace prevent the flame from kindling upon them. 1
have always found his promise sure, and, to his praise,
I can now humbly say, that he makes my strength
equal to my day. Although I am cast down, yet I am
not destroyed."
"It is an additional source of consolation that my
worthy Christian friends sympathize in my sorrows.
They weep with him who weeps, and their affectionate
condolence is a balm to the wounded heart. I thank
you most sincerely for your very kind letter. It com
forted me. It was a word in season, and suggested sen
timents which soothed and strengthened my soul.
Your tender attention has increased my love for you,
and I now know that I have found a friend upon whom
I can lean with confidence in my declining years.
The Lord sanctify and comfort you and dear Mrs.
Romeyn. " I bless you both, and am, most respectfully,
" Your faithful, afflicted, yet supported
friend and brother in the Lord,
" J. H. Livingston.'
" Rev. Dr. Romeyn."
The following answer to a letter from his friend,
Mr. Kip, of a later date, affords further evidence of the
12*

274 memoir of john henry Livingston.
pious serenity of his mind, under this sore bereave
ment: "New-Brunswick, Jan. 16, 1815.
"My Very Dear Friend : It is kind to sympathize
in affliction, and help bear the burdens which some
times, when supported alone, prove very heavy. I
thank you for your affectionate letter. In an hour of
trial, the darkest and most peculiar in many respects I
have ever experienced, the Lord has not forsaken me.
My mind is preserved in peace, and grace has prevented
a single murmuring thought. It is all right. It is
never convenient for us to suffer. But who shall say
unto him, What doest thou ? The sovereignty of God
first deeply impressed my mind, and I was afraid to
sin. The precious relation of my Redeemer, in cove
nant love and faithfulness, now prevails, and I adore
and bless him. It is well. It is not in wrath, but
mercy. It will work for good. He will not forget to
be gracious."
" I can scarcely realize what has happened, and seem
to be not at home. The treasure and joy of the house,
the spring of all the domestic movements, is gone. The
change is great and essential. We begin to be com
posed, and my dear daughters sustained their grief and
loss with propriety. My son has not been able to come
down yet. His only housekeeper was at the point of
death with the typhus fever. His last letter mentions
a hope of her recovery. I shall be very happy to see
you, whenever the season will permit you to come with
safety to your own precious health.
"Your afflicted, but faithftd friend,
"J. H. Livingston.
"I. L. Kip."

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 275
The following is a copy of the inscription which the
Doctor wrote, and had put upon the tombstone that
covers his wife's grave :
to commemorate
Departed Excellence,
this stone is erected
IN MEMORY OF
SARAH LIVINGSTON,
DT HEB HUSBAND,
John H. Livingston, D.D.
SHE WAS
Bobn in New- Yore; Dec. 7, 1752,
AND
Well asleep in New-Brunswick, Deo. 29, 1814.
A persevering Life or Faith,
op Meekness, and Piety,
RENDERED HER
a Blessing to her Family,
AND ENDEARED HER
to all who could estimate
what is valuable
in the Christian,
the Wife, the Mother,
and the Friend.
to die is gain.

Second Side:
Them whioh sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
Third Side:
Farewell, blest Saint, a short farewell,
Until we meet in realms above,
Where joys immortal ever dwell,
And faith and hope are lost in love.
¦Fourth Side:
O Death, where is thy sting I 0 Grave, where is thy victory I

276 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
It has been intimated that after the death of the
lamented Condict, Queen's College enjoyed but a small
share of public patronage, and was, in appearance,
gradually verging to extinction. Such was the fact
yet in 1815. Circumstances wore still a very unfa
vorable and discouraging aspect. There was now
little probability of its ever becoming a hterary insti
tution of any eminence, and the Doctor, whose mind
was intend upon building up a theological seminary of
the first character, seized the conjuncture for the intro
duction of a plan, wliich he had many years before
suggested to some of his particular friends, and which
was, in effect, to convert Queen's College into a theo
logical college.
For some time before he had seriously revolved
the plan, and endeavored to mature it to his own
satisfaction. In a letter dated September 3, 1813,
he presented it to Dr. Romeyn, and requested a
communication of that gentleman's ideas upon the
subject. Whether the request was comphed with,
as Dr. R. was then about to depart for Europe, is
not known ; but in the letter referred to, he says :
" The whole question seems to be reduced to two points.
Is it practicable ? Is it desirable ? It is practicable.
How it may be accomplished on the part of the trustees
of the college, consistently with their charter ; on the
part of the churches, conformably with their supreme
prerogative in every appointment of all 'theological
professorships. Query. Whether such an arrangement
will not reduce the trustees to mere holders of the
funds of the General Synod? The Board of Trustees
is composed of men of various denominations. It is

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 277
desirable on the part of the college, because, as a hter
ary institution, Queen's College is not necessary; its
funds are inadequate, and will so continue ; nor will, nor
can it ever prosper in the neighborhood of two power
ful rivals ; but by assuming a new form, it will be sup
ported, become useful, and celebrated ; on the part of
the churches their funds will thereby be increased and
rendered secure : no separate interest in the institution
will exist ; the whole will be simple, singular, and
respectable '
******
" The Lord, your good Shepherd, go before you,
shield you from every evil, and give you the desires of
your heart. Live by faith. Remember always, and
everywhere, whose you are, and whom you serve.
Fear not : he will be your help and shield. My fer
vent wishes and prayers shall follow you. When you
return in health, I shall probably be at home in rest
with my Divine Redeemer and all those who have gone
before me. If you never see me again, remember I
was your father's friend and your friend. May you be
long spared to be more faithful and more useful than I
have been."
" I have endeavored to recollect some friend in Hol
land to whom I could introduce you, but I do not know
that any of them are left. Forty-three years have
swept them all away. One name, however, was not in
the list of the deceased which I last received. If he be
alive, you will find in him a pious believer, a good
scholar, and a celebrated poet. He was born and re
sided in the Hague, and was my bosom friend. His
name is Petrus Leonardus Van de Kasteele. He, was

278 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
a lawyer, and has sustained some pubhc offices ; but
what, or where he now is, I do not know." * * *
While Dr. Romeyn was abroad, he addressed a letter
to Dr. Livingston, which, because of its interesting
statements respecting the condition of Holland at the
time, is entitled to insertion here.
" Utrecht, June 12, 1814.
" Reverend and Dear Sir : Little did I expect
when I bid you farewell at Mr. Kip's, in New- York,
that I would, in the course of Divine Providence, have
had the opportunity, during my absence abroad, to ad
dress a letter to you from this place — a place, the name
of which must revive many tender recollections in your
mind." " I am now on my return to England by the way of
Rotterdam, having visited besides Rotterdam and this
place, Delft, the Hague, Leyden, Haerlem, and Am
sterdam. To all these places, except Delft, I have been
kindly furnished with letters from Dr. Wernnick, Min
ister of the Dutch Church in England, which procured
a ready access to the persons addressed. These per
sons promptly furnished me with the information de
sired, which, if I live to return and have the happiness
of meeting you, I shall take pleasure in communicating
to you."
" The character of this people, my dear sir, has'great-
ly deteriorated in moral and religious excellence since
your residence. The various revolutions which have
taken place since 1787, and particularly since 1795,
have had the most fatal effects upon the veracity and
honesty of a large proportion of the community. Every

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 279
revolution brought along with it a new administration
of government, wliich endeavored to support itself by
oaths. These oaths, so often repeated, and so often
broken, ultimately destroyed the solemnity of the oath,
which, in its turn, destroyed a proper regard to their
promise in individuals. Besides, during the dominance
of the French, the requisitions demanded were frequent,
consisting of a certain proportion of the income and
stable property of individuals. The payment of these
was accompanied, in every instance, by the oath of him
who paid. As these requisitions were heavy, the citi
zens were tempted to transgress, to save themselves
from want. The judgments of God upon the country
have not produced suitable humiliation and repentance
in the inhabitants. The public worship of God is not
so well attended as it used to be previous to 1795. The
young and rising generation are very generally French
ified, loose in their principles, and negligent of all re
hgious duties. Great apprehensions are entertained by
the pious fathers and mothers in this Israel, for the fu
ture, in consequence of this state in which the youth
have fallen."
" The doctrines of grace are still taught in the uni
versities and pulpits. The elder ministers are more
engaged than the younger, and also more practical.
Many, too many of the latter, and of students in theo
logy, are destitute of personal religion, though not im
moral. They are inclining to liberal views in religion,
and approximating remotely to a scheme of doctrine,
which is hostile to the truth as it is in Jesus."
" The good old works of Hellenbrook, Schortenghius,
Brakel, etc., are going fast out of date. Among the

280 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
more polished part of Christians their day is over ; but
among the lower classes they are still in some repute.
The works of a Dom. Kist, in Dort, are popular above
all other practical works. The character of his writ
ings, as the evangelical clergy and laymen assure me,
is sound and excellent. The works of Doddridge, John
Newton, and Wm. Romaine, are also very popular, and
doing much good.
" Alphonso Turretene, to my griefj is superseding
Francis, his father, in the estimation of the learned.
Vitringa and Venema stand high, but Witsius is rather
on the wane. Michaehs, Koppe, and Ernest, of the
Germans, are in great demand, but only as biblical
critics." *
" The Sabbath is most woefully profaned. During
Napoleon's government, the theatre was open, on Sab
bath evening, in Amsterdam and the Hague. Still
many stores are open during the day in Amsterdam
and Rotterdam, and during the evening, in the former
place, many more. The impressions of gratitude for
deliverance from the French, at first, were deep, and
the expressions thereof very general. But the people
begin to forget the Lord and the works of his hand.
Indeed, it appears to me, from what I have seen and
heard, that heavier judgments are in store for these
lands. I fear these judgments will be chiefly spiritu-
ual." "In my wanderings, I have met one of your old
friends, a Mr. Ledabore, of Rotterdam. He begged
me, when I wrote to you, to say that I had become
acquainted with the person who, forty odd years ago,
wrote a couplet of poetry in your Album. He charged

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 281
me to mention him affectionately to you in my letter.
This charge I now cheerfully, and with peculiar plea
sure, fulfill." * * * * *
" Yours, in the best bonds,
" John B. Romeyn.
" Rev. Dr. Livingston."
At the session of General Synod held in Albany,
June, 1815, the plan of a theological college, to be
formed by a union between Queen's College and the
professorate, was submitted by the committee upon the
professorate, and adopted.
The plan was given in the form of a quotation, in
these words: " 1. Let this college, when formed, have
for its object, primarily, the education of young men
for the Gospel ministry. For securing this object, the
religion of the Scriptures, as explained in the Belgic
Confession of Faith and Heidelberg Catechism, shall
be the basis of all the instruction given in this institu
tion. The teachers, if not clergymen, must be pro
fessors of religion, or at least, must subscribe their
assent to the doctrines contained in the above-mention
ed Confession and Catechism."
" 2. As it is not probable that so many youths, de
signed for the ministry, will offer themselves for ad
mission in this college, as to occupy the time and
exercise the talents of the teachers, let a select number,
designed for any other profession (say 20, 30, 40, 50)
be admitted, speciali gratia, who shall be subject to all
the rules and regulations of the college. The age at
which students are to be admitted, is to be not less
than 14 years."

282 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.-
"3. Let there be four professors, who shall be ap
pointed as follows : 1. The professor of theology, by
the General Synod of the Church, which appointment
the trustees shall approve. 2. The professor of bibhcal
criticism, in the same way. 3. The professor of eccle
siastical history, in the same way. 4. The professor of
mathematics, etc., by the trustees alone. 5. Let the
three theological professors be thus appointed by Gen
eral Synod, who shall specify their departments in
theological studies: their other services to be regu
lated by the trustees. 6. Let the two funds be blended
in one, with an understanding that Synod will raise,
annually, half the support of the professors whom they
appoint." The committee then add, that they " are fully im
pressed with the utility of such a plan, as calculated to
answer the great end contemplated by the Reformed
Dutch Church, in furnishing the Church with a pious
and able ministry. They recommend it to the serious
attention of Synod, and suggest the propriety of ap
pointing a committee, to lay it before the trustees of
Queen's College, for their consideration."
A committee was accordingly appointed to confer
with the Board of Trustees, on the subject of the
above plan, which there can be no doubt had been
originally drawn up, and was now proposed by the
Doctor. " The relief of this aged and venerable teacher, the
plan of the school, its respectability and usefulness,
together with the reputation and interests of the Church
at large," it had been previously judged, required "the

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 283
establishment of, at least, another professorship ;" and
the Consistories of the churches in Albany and New-
Brunswick, having made certain liberal proffers toward
the object, for a term of years, this Synod resolved to
appoint an additional professor. Pursuant to this reso
lution, the Rev. John Schureman was chosen professor
of pastoral theology and ecclesiastical history. The
appointment was accepted.
A circumstance occurred at the present meeting of
the Synod, wliich is thus noticed in the minutes : " Seve
ral gentlemen informed the Synod, that as a testimony
of the high respect which they entertain for the Rev.
Dr. John H. Livingston, they have requested him to
permit Mr. Ames, of the city of Albany, to take his
portrait, wliich they design to present to the Board of
Superintendents, for preservation in the Theological
Hall, in New-Brunswick. Resolved unanimously, that
the thanks of this Synod be presented to those gentle
men, and that they have liberty to deposit said portrait
in the Theological Hall."
The plan of the theological college was formally
acceded to by the Board of Trustees, and at an extra
ordinary session of the Synod, convened in the autumn
of this year, all the details of the same were digested
and settled ; but the following year, the trustees found
themselves under the necessity of informing the Synod,
that owing to the inadequacy of their funds, they could
not "support the present establishment of professors
and teachers in the college." This being the fact, it
was not possible immediately to carry the plan into
complete operation, and the literary exercises of the
institution were in consequence discontinued.

284 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
While he instructed his " dear young men," as he
was wont to call them, with an ability, diligence, and
zeal, which the Board of Superintendents, in their
annual report upon the state of the school, frequently
commended in strong terms, and while he sought, in
every practicable way, to render the institution under
his care more extensively useful, the Doctor devoted
much of his attention to the general interests of the
Church. One illustration of this is found in his disser
tation upon the question relative to the lawfulness of a
marriage with a deceased wife's sister — a question
which had often occasioned considerable discussion in
the several judicatories of the Church, and which was
yet, as many beMeved, involved in no little difficulty.
He was fully convinced of the unlawfulness of the con
nection ; and in the spring of 1816, gave to the public
a pamphlet, containing a very elaborate argument
in support of the then existing law of the Church upon
the subject. A copy of this pamphlet, entitled " A
Dissertation on the Marriage of a Man with his Sister-
in-law," he presented to the Synod. The Synod re
turned their thanks for the book, and resolved that it
should be deposited among their archives.
It has been seen that the Doctor rather discounte
nanced the design which had been formed in New- York,
to transfer the school to that city. His views became
afterwards somewhat changed, in consequence, proba
bly, of the disappointment of his calculations with re
spect to the theological college. The thing was now
again seriously intended ; and at the same time, some
gentlemen at the North contemplated the establishment
of a theological school within the bounds of the Par-

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 285
ticular Synod of Albany. Upon both these projects
he was consulted ; and his hope of seeing his expecta
tions realized at New-Brunswick being almost annihi
lated, he lent an indulgent ear to both.
The following letter relating to them, will be perused
with interest : " New-Brunswick, Dec. 3, 1816.
" My Dear Friend : That it is practicable to es
tablish a theological seminary in the city of New-
York, I never doubted ; to obtain it was always my
wish and object. But after waiting and toning, with
out the countenance and assistance either of the public
or even any individual, I at length desponded, and
sunk under the weight of an institution which had
pressed upon me alone so many years. No friend, no
brother, to strengthen my hands, console my heart, or
encourage me in my labors ; no compensation to me,
nor any provision devised for a successor in the work ;
I was under the necessity of dismissing any further ef
forts, and suffering the institution finally to fall, or to
remove to some other place, at the sacrifice not only of
interest, but of every thing dear and precious to my
heart. It was to me a species of martyrdom, which
nothing but a zeal to promote the prosperity of the
Church, could suggest, and a humble confidence in the
presence and approbation of my Divine Master, could
have enabled me to sustain."
" The experiment has been made ; and while con
curring events in Providence indicate that the place in
which the institution is now fixed is not the most eligi
ble, it has served at length to arouse the public mind,
and excite efforts to make suitable arrangements for an

286 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
honorable and permanent establishment. If this ob
ject may be attained, if this end may be effected by my
coming here, I shall be finally reconciled to the losses
and griefs I have sustained, and will consider my suf
ferings and labors to be crowned with ultimate success.
Nothing, therefore, upon my part can arise to frustrate
you, and the faithful friends who associate with you,
in the plan for removing the institution to New- York."
"Last summer, when nothing but mere conversa
tion for bringing the theological college to New- York
had yet taken place, I expressed, without the least re
serve, my approbation to have an institution erected at
Schenectady, especially if it could be exclusively ef
fected by the northern interest. If it must sink at
Brunswick, I would wish it to arise anywhere, rather
than to witness its total failure. But I have not com
mitted myself by any promise, either express or im
plied. I said to them in the north, as I say to those
in the south, that I will wait to see what the Lord may
please to do in behalf of this work ; and wherever and
whenever I may be convinced it is his will I should
remove, I feel ready and disposed to go ; but without
such conviction, I shall assuredly remain where I am."
" The communication you made in your last es
teemed letter is very interesting and acceptable. You
and your worthy associates well know the magnitude
of the object; you fully estimate what is honorable
and safe, and I am confident the Committee will pro
pose, and all will adopt, the most prudent, effectual, and
speedy measures for accomplishing the plan. My pray
ers are for you, and I trust and am sure, that my God
will bless whatever shall be subservient to his glory,

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 287
and for the best interests of his Church. Go on, and
prosper ! The Lord be with you all, and honor you
in being made his instruments to promote his glorious
work !"
"My children unite in love to you and your dear
family. I bless you and all yours, and am ever
"Your faithful friend and servant,
" J. H. Livingston.
' "I. L. Kip, Esq."
In another, to the same individual, dated Jan. 28,
1817, he further observed: " The details of the proceed
ings of yourself and worthy associates, excited my ad
miration, and prompted an adoring view of the pro
cedures of Divine Providence. I know that the Lord
will fulfill his gracious designs of good and prosperity
to our Reformed Church. There are permanent and
large blessings in store. I have waited long to see and
realize them. If the steps I have taken shall prove the
means of exciting his people to exert themselves ; if
they shall ultimately lead to that point of prosperity,
which will be an answer to our prayers and hopes, my
soul will rejoice, and the long train of privations, self-
denial, and species of martyrdom I have suffered, will
be abundantly compensated in the prosperity of our
precious Zion."
At his own request, the whole plan which his friends
in New- York had adopted in this interesting affair, was
soon after laid before him ; but to some parts of it he
was strongly opposed, particularly to one which related
to the formation of a Board of Trustees, to have the
charge of the moneys that might be raised. In his

288 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
letters upon this exceptionable point, he maintained,
with great force and zeal, the abihty and the right
of General Synod to manage their own pecuniary con
cerns, without the intervention of a Board of Trustees.
The plan was then modified, in conformity to the views
he had expressed, and suitable exertions were made to
obtain such an amount of subscriptions under it, as
would give it a claim to the serious attention of the
Synod. The next May, he wrote his friend as follows :
" With much satisfaction, I noticed in your esteemed
letter, the great exertions you have made, and what
you intend still to do. Your subscriptions are indeed,
thus far, very great, and a good index to your pros
pects. I know well the difficulty which you have ex
perienced in bringing forward this arduous business,
even thus far. Nothing has certainly been neglected
upon your part ; and whatever may be the issue in
Divine Providence — whether it shall be judged safe
and expedient to remove the institution to New- York,
upon the provisional proposals which are now suggest
ed, or to continue it where it still is at New-Brunswick —
you will assuredly not lose your strenuous labors, nor
your gracious reward. It will be said of you, as of
David : ' Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build
an house for my name, thou didst well, in that it was
in thine heart.' The Lord, I hope, will bless you for
this, whatever may be the issue ; and I trust the spirit
which is now aroused will prompt all who wish to
build that house, to unite with vigor and zeal in pro
moting the institution, whether it shall remain where
it now is, or be removed. It is a great and common

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 289
cause. No partial views or objects can be consulted,
or will be admitted. Divine Providence will fix the
point ; and in that point, wherever it may be, all our
combined efforts, without further distraction or division
of sentiment, must cordially concentrate. For myself,
free from all prejudice or private interest, I will wait
to see what our Divine Redeemer will direct his Church
to determine ; and in that determination, I shall, through
grace, calmly acquiesce."
The General Synod, at their meeting in June of this
year, (1817,) had the apphcation of the Particular Synod
of Albany, and that ofthe New- York Association, duly
presented for their consideration. With respect to the
first, it was resolved, for reasons stated in the preamble
to the resolution, " That the request of the Particular
Synod of Albany, to establish a theological school
within their bounds, is altogether inexpedient, and
therefore be not granted." Touching the second, as the
proposals of support to the seminary, in case of its be
ing transferred to New- York, were considered liberal,
a committee was appointed to ascertain whether the
trustees would, " in case of said removal, consent to de
vote the proceeds of the moneys already put into their
hands in trust by the General Synod, and the proceeds
of the moneys donated by the late Rev. Elias Van
Bunschooten, so far as they'7 could " do it consistently
with the terms of his original grant, to the support of
the school in New- York, or in any other place in which
General Synod think it may be most prosperously sup
ported." But, notwithstanding the appointment of this com
mittee, the friends of a removal were pretty well con-
13

290 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
vinced, it would appear, by what they had seen and
heard in the Synod, that their apphcation would not
succeed. For, in answer to a letter which he had re
ceived from his esteemed correspondent, a few weeks
after the adjournment of Synod, the Doctor thus wrote :
" Your observations upon the situation of our institu
tion, are prudent and weighty. The enumeration of
so many formidable 'nothings' suggests serious dis
couragements, and raises prospects not very flattering
to those who fervently wish to promote the best inter
ests of the Church. A divided sentiment in regard to
the best means, and most of all, a lukewarm zeal for
obtaining the great end in view, have hitherto paralyzed
every effort in this great business. Our forlorn Zion
may surely adopt the sad complaint of the prophet :
" There is none to guide her among all the sons whom
she hath brought forth ; neither is there any that taketh
her by the hand, of all the sons that she hath brought
up." The people are universally able and willing to
give, but there is no uniform, no efficient plan laid be
fore them, to concentrate their offerings."
" But if all other exertions, when laid in the balance,
should ultimately amount to ' nothing,' let not that
reproachful term be inscribed upon your noble design.
Go on. You have proceeded too far now to recede.
Only let it be in Christian forbearance, and perfect
good humor, while you adhere scrupulously to the
established old maxim, that in every question, the ma
jority must always decide. If all our works be done
in love, and with mutual confidence, they will certain
ly end well. Terrific and appalling as every thing re
specting our valuable establishment at the present mo-

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 291
rdent may appear, my hope and expectation are not
reduced to despair. All these fearful nothings will yet
produce a something that shall gladden our hearts, and
bring down blessings upon our children. The Lord
reigneth. There are prayers before the throne, of an
cient date, which are not yet answered, but will most
assuredly prevail. The Shepherd of Israel will watch
over his flock, and raise up such helpers as shall unite
in sentiment, and prove successful in accomplishing his
high purposes. And I wish to persevere in consider
ing you and your worthy associates as standing among
the foremost of such helpers. There I rest my hope.
I know we must be active and faithful in the use of
suitable means, and that the whole disposal of them is
of the Lord. I wait to experience his mercy. I am
deeply interested in the result. I have made greater
sacrifices to advance this establishment than any other
individual, and all my comforts and usefulness are at
stake." "As to my private sentiments, although they are
matured, as it regards what I esteem the best place for
the institution, and the most productive methods for
bringing it to perfection, yet I cheerfully submit to the
decision of the majority of my brethren, and without
obstinately insisting that others shall think exactly as
I do, I will cheerfully acquiesce and cooperate with
them, wherever, by such indications in his holy Provi
dence, the Lord shall convince me that I must go or
remain, there shall be my dwelling."
In another letter, dated Oct. 1, 1817, there is the fol
lowing paragraph : " Yesterday, and the day before,
the Board of Trustees here have been in session, and

292 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
formed such decisions as in their wisdom they judged
proper. I intended to give you the sum of their de
liberations and resolutions ; and, indeed, waited with
my answer to your kind letter for that purpose. But
an authenticated copy is ordered to be communicated
to the conferring committee, and I believe our worthy
friend Isaac Heyer, who returns this day, has the copy.
I refer you, therefore, to that document, and to his ob
servations. The Lord, I trust, will overrule the vari
ous efforts of the friends of our Zion, for good ; and
the different views, with respect to the means, which
have prevailed among those who equally aim at the
same end, will be made ultimately to produce the great
and desired object."
The Synod met, pursuant to adjournment, in the lat
ter part of the present month, and put the question re
lative to a removal of the school at rest. The trustees
had refused to give their consent to such removal, and
so long as that consent was denied, the Synod believed
that their covenant with the Board required the con
tinuance of the Institution at New-Brunswick. This
being their view, the application from New- York was,
of course, dismissed ; and would have been dismissed,
no doubt, had the promises of support been ever so lib
eral and satisfactory.
When apprised of the result, which, if not altogether
unexpected, it is probable was not altogether the most
pleasing one that could have happened, the Doctor
showed no uneasiness, expressed no disapprobation;
but, on the contrary, appeared to be quite satisfied, and
evinced the same generous devotedness and zeal that
had heretofore marked the whole of his conduct.

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 293
A short extract from a letter to his friend in New-
York, written Nov. 15, 1817, must here be pre
sented : "I have not yet seen any copy of the acts of
the last adjourned Synod, but I understand it was the
full and decisive resolution of the members to establish
the theological institution at New-Brunswick, while
strenuous exertions are to be made for obtaining a ne
cessary support. What those exertions are to be, and
whether they will prove productive and sufficient, I do
not know. But it seems, that in the present situation
of the institution, an honorable opening is now before
you and your pious associates to do something that
will be good and great, and independent of precarious
contingencies, whatever may be the issue of the present
efforts, and wherever the institution may be finally
fixed. I will not mention to what I refer, but cheer
fully leave to yourself the honor of first suggesting, as
well as accomplishing, the whole of such a noble and
generous plan. I will only say, it would add a wreath
of reputation to your name, and, what is of infinitely
higher importance, it would make glad the city of our
God. The whole might be brought to perfection, not
withstanding any objections from different interests,
and even could be put into operation immediately ;
and when thus accomplished, might be afterwards,
with more splendid effect, presented to the Synod,
with an assurance of their approbation, gratitude and
praise." And in another, dated March 3, 1818, he observed :
" What a kind Providence will yet effect in favor of
our important institution, and what will be the final
result of the different opinions of those who are all

294 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
equally united in wishing to promote its highest inter
ests, I do not know. He who has all hearts under his
almighty control, who loves his Church more than we
do, and whose thoughts are not as our thoughts, will
assuredly take care of his own cause, and make all
work for good. The tributary streams of various
opinions will finally concentrate, and an union of
strength and prosperity crown the faithful wishes and
strenuous efforts of his dear people."
Thus much of his correspondence upon this subject
has been submitted, because it was deemed important
to exhibit precisely the course he adopted, in all pro
ceedings that affected an institution in which both the
Church and himself had so deep an interest. Hence
forth he seemed to consider the school as permanently
fixed at New-Brunswick.
The General Synod of this year (1818) elected the
Rev. Tho. De Witt, to succeed the late Dr. Schureman
as Professor of Biblical Literature and Ecclesiastical
History ; the appointment, however, was not accepted.
Inconsequence, the Board of Superintendents deemed it
their duty to provide temporary instructors, and they
accordingly appointed the Rev. (afterwards Dr.) James
S. Cannon, to teach ecclesiastical history, church gov
ernment, and pastoral theology ; and Mr. John S.
Mahon, to teaeh the Hebrew and Greek languages.
The services of these gentlemen, in their respective de
partments, gave great satisfaction.
Early in the ensuing autumn, death again entered
his dwelli&g, and removed from him one of his grand
daughters, the wife of the Rev. B. Hoff, in the twenty-

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 295
second year of her age. Of this afflictive event, he
gave a hasty account to his friend Mr. Kip, the same
day it occurred, in the following letter :
" New-Brunswick, Sept. 5th, 1819.
" My Dear Friend : After indulging the hope that
our precious Sarah was gradually reviving from her
tedious indisposition, and would again enjoy her former
health, a decisive event has prostrated our fond expec
tation, and finished what appertained to my amiable
child. In the course of last week, she evidently began
to lose strength ; yet her vigor and cheerfulness strug
gled against disease, and prevented her from complain
ing. Our fears were not yet alarmed. Yesterday
morning she sat at breakfast with us, but soon laid
down, to rise no more in this life. During the evening
and night she was rapidly declining, and this morning
at daylight, without a struggle, groan, or motion, she
gently fell asleep in the Lord. I never saw a death
so easy and tranquil. Her reason continued to the last
moment. She could speak but little ; but all, I trust,
was well."
" You can judge of our feelings. Mr. H. is supported
through grace, in his grief. The children are overwhelm
ed with grief. My heart is pierced ; but I trust the Lord
will uphold and comfort us in our distress. I drop
this line to communicate the event, and because I know
you sincerely sympathize with us."
" We send our tender love to you and the family. I
bless you and all yours, and am, most affectionately,
my dear friend, "Your servant and friend,
"J. II. Livingston."

296 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
To this painful dispensation of Divine Providence,
soon succeeded another of a similar nature, in the
decline and death of his second granddaughter. Under
date of February 6, 1819, he again wrote : "My dear
Eliza is daily consuming. Shes is reduced to a mere
skeleton. Her power of digestion appears to be wholly
lost. The sustenance she receives is little or nothing.
It is astonishing that with so little food she still sur
vives. We have cause to fear that some sudden prostra
tion of her little remaining strength will close the scene.
Yet she sits up, walks through the house, and is with us
at the table ; but she appears sensible of her situation,
and I hope and pray the Lord will prepare my pre-.
cious child for her great change. She is my only
remaining companion in my family here, and the
dispensation of Providence is severely felt. My
heart replies, It is my father — it is my Saviour — his
blessed will be done. It is all right. He does all
things well. Oh ! if my name be written in the Book of
Life !" And in April he communicated the sad tidings
of her departure. New-Brunswick, April 5, 1819.
"My Dear Friend: The scene has closed. My
dear Eliza rests. She died this morning, at ten o'clock.
Without a struggle, or the least apparent agony, she
gently sunk into the bosom of her Divine Shepherd and
Saviour. Her mind has been uniformly serene. She
knew her change was approaching, but was not terri
fied. Without fear or unbelief, she seemed cheerfully
to commit her departing spirit into the hands of the
precious Jesus."

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 297
" I send my love to you and all yours. Remember
me at the throne of grace. I have only time to bless
you and assure you that
"I am yours,
v " J. H. Livingston."
The Lord had now added grief to his sorrow ; but
the Lord, nevertheless, was his strength and his fortress,
and his refuge in the day of affliction. The foregoing
letters afford pleasing evidence of his pious resignation
and strong faith, under these repeated and heavy strokes.
At his advanced period of life, he keenly felt the shock
of successive bereavements, but his Christian confidence
did not fail. And although often suffering under the
increasing infirmities of age, he continued, without any
serious interruption, the discharge of his official duties.
The Board of Superintendents, in their report of this
year, in speaking of him, thus expressed themselves :
" With gratitude to the great Head of the Church, the
Board inform Synod, that the health and usefulness of
their venerable Professor Livingston are still continued ;
and that at his advanced age, he is, with his usual de-
votedness and abihty, blessing the Church, by commu
nicating to her successive mimsters that theological
information for which he is so eminently distinguished."
They further stated that they had " respectfully re
quested the Rev. Dr. Livingston to publish his Lec
tures, as a measure calculated to be of vast advantage
to the students, to the institution, and to the Church
at large." With this request the Doctor did not see
fit to comply.
At the close of their report, the Board expressed a
13*

298 memoir of john henry Livingston.
wish that the vacant professorships might be filled as
soon as possible. The Synod accordingly proceeded
forthwith to fill one of them, and elected the Rev.
(now Dr.) John Ludlovc the Professor of Biblical
Literature and Ecclesiastical History. This gentleman
discharged the duties of his office with distinguished
ability, and with the full confidence of all the churches
in his growing usefulness, until 1823, when, to the
great regret of the Synod, he considered it his duty to
accept a call which he had received from the North
Dutch Church of Albany. The Rev. (afterwards Dr.)
John De Witt was then chosen his successor.
The desire of seeing this school suitably endowed
and established before he should be taken from the
Church, prompted him the following year to make one
more effort to awaken some zeal in its favor. In a
letter to his friend, who has been so often mentioned,
he observed : " It is said the night is darkest just be
fore daylight. With the opening dawn, the gloom
and shades will be dispersed. I hope against hope,
and am assured that I shall not be confounded or
ashamed with the result. Why some withdraw their
subscription, and the most appear discouraged or luke
warm, I do not know. I leave it in his hand, and to
his holy disposal, who will finish his own work, and do
all things well."
Under the influence of this confidence, that the work
was of the Lord, and would not be suffered to fail, he
again wrote to the same person, some time after, in a
letter bearing date Dec. 21, 1820 : " It certainly can
answer no purpose to waste our time and strength in
lamentations, or to expect that mere* talking and form-

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 299
ing plans, without putting them in execution, will
ever produce the great end in view. It was a wise
measure in the Synod to form a Board, in whose wis
dom and energy the great concerns of the theological
institution should be vested ; and better men could
not be found than those who constitute that corpora
tion. But what have these good men effected? The
dispute and contest with the trustees of Queen's Col
lege has, indeed, been carried on, and it is not yet de
cided. But, after all, what is the amount of this whole
dispute ? What is the paltry sum the trustees assert
to be liquidated ? And, indeed, what is their whole
fund, and even the Van Bunschooten legacy, which is
out upon bonds that are not paid? The whole — all
that is in the hands of the trustees — if it was all put
into your hands, would be but a drop of the bucket ;
it would not be sufficient to support one professorship.
Would it not be better, instead of spending your time
and energy in prosecuting this dispute, to form some
enlarged plans for creating and enlarging a substantial
fund?" " The only foundation upon which a public insti
tution can safely rest, is a fixed fund, whose interest
will be equal to the support. To depend upon cent
societies, and occasional contributions, is futile and un
certain. The plan to be adoped is to raise that fund ;
but how to raise it is, indeed, the question. Our
brethren, the Presbyterians, raise it, and we might
raise it in the same way. They employ agents. Their
Synods resolve to raise a professorship, which requires
$25,000, and they have raised it. And we can do the
same ; if our corporation will exert their influence and

300 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
energy, employ agents, and recommend each Synod to
raise one professorship, it will be done. We have suffi
cient strength of members and of wealth to accomplish
every thing that is necessary ; but they must be directed
and efficacious plans formed and executed, to bring
their strength and wealth to their proper point. * * *
But, surely, in the city of New- York, on Long-Island,
and here, in the Jerseys, within the bounds of the
Synod of New- York, we might find twenty men who
would give or loan $250 to the Synod, and one hundred
more who would give $100, and so down to lower
sums, by which we might form an aggregate of
$25,000 ; at any rate, we ought vigorously to make the
trial. * * * * Unless more energetic measures
are taken than have been during the present year, a
dissolution of the institution must inevitably follow."
This was the last measure the pious father suggested
to save from ruin, and place upon a firm foundation,
an institution which had been so long the object of his
prayerful solicitude, and the prosperity of which he
viewed as intimately connected with the prosperity of
the Church, and the glory of the Redeemer's kingdom ;
and this last measure he had the pleasure to see adopted
and crowned, under the Divine blessing, with the de
sired success.
In 1822, it was represented to the General Synod,
that certain members of the Church were persuaded
" that one hundred subscribers might be obtained for
$250 each, for the purpose of endowing a professorship
in the theological college ;" and a committee was
accordingly appointed to solicit subscriptions to the
object, who prosecuted the work assigned them, with

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 301
great diligence and zeal. The Doctor opened the sub
scription list with his own name, for $500, and at the
next meeting of Synod, it appeared that a sum sufficient
for the purpose specified had been subscribed in the
southern section of the Church.
Persons were then appointed to endeavor to procure
subcriptions in the Synod of Albany, for the endowment
of a third professorship, and the liberality of this part
of the Church proved in the end fully adequate to the
object contemplated. But the Doctor himself saw only
the auspicious commencement of this second enterprise
in the good cause. He had seen enough, however, to
convince him that the cause had triumphed, that this
school of the prophets would no longer subsist upon a
scanty and precarious charity, but would be henceforth
amply supported, and remain for ages to come, a foun
tain whence should issue streams to make glad the city
of God. His expectations, therefore, were not finally
disappointed, and he could now go down to the grave,
assured that he had not labored in vain. He would
fall as a courageous, persevering, skillful commander
falls upon the field of combat; when, after many arduous
struggles, after many disheartening repulses, after trying,
apparently to no purpose, all possible plans; when he is
ready to give up all as lost, and just at the point of
death, he hears at last the thrilling shout of victory,
and exclaims, / can depart in peace — all is well.
After the death of Dr. Livingston, the hterary exer
cises of the institution (now called Rutgers College, in
honor of a citizen of New- York, well known for
his patriotism, piety, and munificence) were revived
by the General Synod ; and under the auspices of the

302 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
pious and learned Dr. Milledoler, the president and
divinity professor, and of his two able colleagues, Drs.
John De Witt, and James S. Cannon, (appointed a
professor in 1826,) with their associates, a professor of
languages, and a professor of mathematics, both highly
distinguished for their talents and competency in their
respective departments, the institution rapidly attained
a high rank. It ought not to be forgotten, however,
that for this revival of the college, the Church is in
debted, in no small degree, to the talents and enterprise
of the late Rev. Dr. Selah S. Woodhull, a man who
was excelled by few in energy, zeal and perseverance,
and whose vigorous exertions in behalf of the college,
during the short period he was connected with it, as
well as his many able services in the Church for a series
of years, ought not to be left unnoticed. (See Appen
dix J.)
Dr. Livingston was, as has been said, a warm friend
of the various rehgious and benevolent institutions of
the day. He was, however, not insensible to the just
claims of denominational societies, and, while cherishing
a catholic spirit of cooperation with all who hold the
Head, was anxious to see the Church he held so dear
actively engaged in the distinct and independent prose
cution ofthe Master's cause. This fully appears in the
following extract from a letter, dated Jan. 29, 1822,
acknowledging his election to the post of Vice-Presi
dent of the Missionary Society of the Reformed Dutch
Church, a new society which owed its existence to the
exertions of the Rev. Paschal N. Strong. (See Ap
pendix K.)
" When I read your last very acceptable and affec-

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 803
tionate letter, I was under the impression that you in
tended soon to write again, and explain more minutely
the constitution and the contemplated operation of the
Missionary Society you have lately organized, and for
this I have waited. But it seems I was mistaken, and
I can not postpone any longer to thank you for the
communication, and to express my cordial concurrence
in what has been done. While all the orthodox
Churches are constituent parts of the one great family
of which our Divine Redeemer is the glorious Head and
Lord, each denomination is under the most imperious
obligation to make the most strenuous exertions to pro
mote his cause; and it seems this can be most effectually
promoted by uniting their distinct efforts and resources,
each in their own districts, but all subservient to the
same end, with mutual love and fraternal confidence,
without dissension, opposition, or discord. It is evi
dently upon these principles you have proceeded in
forming a society wliich will be subservient to the
common interests of the Gospel, while it will be under
a control which we are persuaded will insure the pre
valence of sound doctrines, and enlarge the boundaries
of our beloved Church. I very sincerely acquiesce in
what you have done, and thank you for the place you
have given me in the direction, and very cheerfully
assure you that I shall be happy to promote its success,
to the utmost of my power."
To the Society for Meliorating the Condition of the
Jews, he was a decided and zealous friend, but his
views of its true policy differed materially from those
of a majority of the directors, who then contemplated

304 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
the establishment of a colony of converted Jews in this
country. Upon this subject, he addressed a long letter
(afterwards published in the Magazine of the R. D.
Church) to the President of the Society, the late Peter
Wilson, LL. D., dated July 24, 1823, in which he took
a luminous view of the whole question, and advanced
many cogent arguments to prove the inexpediency of
the proposed colony. This letter, though written in
the 78th year of his age, is a production of distinguished
ability. The soundness of its views is well attested by
the fact that they have long since been adopted by the
Society. A number of facts have been related already, illus
trating the depth and fervor of his personal piety. But
towards the close of life, he seemed habitually to con
verse in heaven, to forget things which were behind,
- and to reach forth unto eternal things with increased
ardor. In his ordinary intercourse with his friends,
and in almost all his epistolary correspondence of the
time, there was abundant evidence of a highly devo
tional frame of spirit, and great readiness to depart and
be with Christ.
" My health, within some time past," he said in one
letter, " is greatly advanced. I feel free from those
complaints which, during the past year, have distressed
me ; and my soul is engaged, more than ever before, to
redeem the time, which with me is short — to grow in
grace, and in the knowledge of my blessed Lord and
Saviour, and to finish my course with joy, and in
creased faithfulness and usefulness." In another : ' ' For
myself I feel great tranquillity respecting the issue. My
course is probably nearly finished, and I expect and

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 305
hope soon to change my trials and tears, my sighs and
conflicts, for high hallelujahs and perpetual praises."
And in another : " My health is gradually becoming
better and more confirmed, yet I feel very feeble, and
am not yet restored to my former vigor. Perhaps I
shall never be. It is all right. I have had a long
day, and a good day ; and if at evening time it shall be
light, the mercy will be great, and I shall commit my
departing spirit into his hand who has redeemed me,
without distracting fears or unbelieving doubts."
An additional evidence of this heavenly temper of
mind is given in the following memorandum, found
among his private papers : "May 30, 1823.
"My birth-day. I was born May 19, Old Style,
1746, and am this day seventy-seven years old. I have
upon this solemn, and to me very interesting period,
set apart the day for fasting, and prayer, and thanks
giving." " After renewing my covenant with God my Re
deemer, with deep humiliation and repentance, my soul
found peace, and I was helped to cast all my burdens
upon the Lord, and hope in his salvation. I have
never passed a day with equal fervency of devotion,
and my exercises closed with a pointed application of
the precious promise, Hosea 14 : 4, 'I will heal their
backslidings, I will love them freely ; for mine anger
is turned away from him.' "
" I know whom I have believed, and am per
suaded that he is able to keep that which I have com
mitted unto him against that day. I enter upon my

306 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
seventy-eighth year with humble faith, and hope, and
joy." For another year, it pleased the great Head of the
Church to preserve the health of his servant, and to
permit him to continue his useful labors. The Board
of Superintendents, in their report upon the state of
the school, for the year ending with May, 1824, thus
express themselves in part : " We rejoice with thank
ful hearts, in being enabled to state to General Synod,
that, under the smiles of a gracious Providence, the
theological college has been kept in successful opera
tion through another year, and the prescribed course of
instruction has been regularly, diligently, and success
fully pursued. Through divine mercy, the life of our
venerable senior Professor has been spared, and so firm
has his health been, that, in his seventy-eighth year, he
has been enabled to attend to every lecture in its sea
son, without feeling it to be a burden; nay, with the
alacrity and dehght which ordinarily belong to much
earlier life."
His health remained after this uniformly good, until
about the commencement of the following year. He
then, in a letter to his son, of January 6, 1825, com
plained of some indisposition, but did not apprehend it
to be of a serious nature : " For several days past, I
have had, at times, a pain in my left side, which is
frequently severe, and afterwards less violent. To
what cause to attribute it, or what name to give it, I
do not know; Dr. T  supposes it will require
bleeding, and he is to call to-day for that purpose. It
may be so ; yet I am not fully convinced that the loss

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. • 307
of blood would be beneficial. Old men do not need
depleting, but rather nourishment. From the symptoms
of this pain, which is not always stationary, but often
moves, I am apt to think it is a rheumatic affection.
I never had the rheumatism until this winter, but it is
now. often very sharp ; and I think this pain in my
side may be of that kind. The Lord, who has promised
never to leave nor forsake me, will take care of me,
and make this also to work for my good."
" By a letter from New- York, I find that my old
friend, Col. Rutgers, is sick, and old Mrs. Laidlie sup
posed to be dangerously ill. When my fellow travel
lers are near their home, I can not be very distant from
it. I know whom I have believed, and whom I have
served from my youth up ; and I am persuaded he will
keep what I have committed to him."
About a week after, and only a few days before his
lamented decease, he addressed two more letters to his
son, to testify his sympathy in the death of an infant
member of the family ; and as it is probable they were
the last the good man ever wrote, the compiler pre
sents them entire. " New-Brunswick, Jan. 13, 1825.
" My Dear Son : With tender love and much sym
pathy, I assure you of my participation in your afflic
tion and grief. Oh ! if I were now with you, I would
embrace you both, and press you to my paternal bosom ;
I would join my tears with yours ; I would soothe
your sorrows, and direct you to the precious fountain
of substantial comfort, the only source of true consola
tion. He who wounds can also heal. Afflictions are
dispensed for our good ; and if we see his hand, and

308 • MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
with humble resignation adore and believe, they will
ultimately become blessings. He can, and he actually
does, make all things work for good to them who love
God, and serve him.
"When I received your letter of Saturday, (on Mon
day evening,) I was much alarmed, and waited anx
iously for your next, which came to hand last night.
While life remained, hope might be indulged ; but the
quinsy is a dreadful disease, especially to children, and
I feared it would terminate, as it has done, fatally.
" Sweet lamb 1 Her sufferings were not as long as
often is experienced ; but they have proved.the means of
her removal from a world of pains and sorrows ; and
she is translated to a better world, where there is no
crying nor death, but all is joy and rest, and ever
lasting and uninterrupted peace. I firmly believe that
all who die in infancy, before they are capable of actual
sinning, are saved through and by the Lord Jesus ;
for those who have sinned in mature age, bitter re
pentance and firm faith are indispensable."
" She was an amiable and lovely child. All who
knew her bear this testimony of her — a sweet little
angel ! From our mutual distant residence, I am pre
cluded from an intimate acquaintance, and have only
seen them at their baptism. But I shall see little Sarah
in glory.
"Now, my dear children, mourn as Christians.
When griefs roll heavily on, when you seem to be
sinking as in deep waters, attend to the sovereign com
mand and affectionate exhortation of our blessed Lord
Jesus. Go, says he, into your chamber, shut the door,
and there, in humble and fervent prayer, call upon your

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 309
heavenly Father ; and He who seeth in secret will re
ward you openly. Pour out your hearts before God in
prayer. He is a refuge and help to all who look to
him with broken hearts. The Lord will teach you to
pray. Read the 46th Psalm. It begins with faith and
hope, and it closes, v. 10, with the solemn exhortation,
Be still, and know (hat I am God. Read also the 12th
chapter to the Hebrews. Both of you must read it
with patience and attention. If the Holy Ghost en
ables you to understand and believe that word, it will
do your souls good. None but God can help and de
liver you. To him you must come. He calls, and has
long called you. Blessed be his name for the promise,
that he who cometh, he will in no wise cast out.
"I am glad to observe that you had recovered from
your late indisposition ; this was a tender mercy previ
ous to your impending affliction.
" I pray for you both very often every day. I bless
you most tenderly, and wish to comfort you. The
Lord spare the remainder of the dear flock.
" Again, and again, I bless you, and am
" Your loving father,
" J. H. Livingston."
"New-Brunswick, Jan. 15, 1825.
" My Dear Son : The concluding solemnities are
accomplished. By your last letter, I see that the re
mains of our late dear little Sarah are deposited where
they will remain for ever, hidden from our view, until
the trumpet of the great Archangel will summon all
the dead to appear and come to judgment. Then
those who died in infancy will shine in the robes of the

310 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
Redeemer's righteousness ; and all of mature age will
appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every
one may receive the things done in the body, accord
ing to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
2 Cor. 5 : 10. Then we must render an account for the
talents we have improved, and for the talents we have
buried and misimproved.
" Awful day of solemn decision 1 We can not fly
nor escape from God. Now is the day of salvation.
The door of mercy is not yet shut. Afflictions are a
call from God. Begin where you first departed. Re
turn to him, and he will return to you. Fly to the
Lord Jesus for refuge, and by repentance and faith,
give yourself to the Divine Saviour, and you will find
peace. Your troubled heart will rest, and he will help
you, even in your temporal wants. You will never
find rest, nor comfort, nor deliverance, until you seek
God in prayer, and come to Jesus.
" I must constantly mention this to you, whether you
understand or relish it or not, for there is no peace out
of Christ, and you will find it so.
" I know you now feel greatly afflicted. I help you,
my dear child, to bear your burdens. I am afflicted
with and for you, and most fervently pray that you
may obtain grace to support and comfort you, under
present as well as impending evils.
" I am glad you have written to the dear boys, and
communicated the mournful event to them. They will
also feel much affected with our grief. Tell my dear
F  that she must look to the Divine Redeemer. He
will comfort her, and give peace to her mind. He
hears us when we pray ; and when we read his word

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 311
he instructs us to know and feel its meaning. With
the heart we believe unto righteousness, and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation. The Lord,
I hope and trust, will give her substantial consolation,
and you will both experience his supporting grace and
sanctifying influence.
"The winter has hitherto been remarkably mild.
My health continues good, excepting the pain I men
tioned in my left side. It has in part subsided. I have
not yet been bled for it ; it is not constant, but some
times returns, especially when I speak much in my
lectures ; yet its continuance is not long.
" Now my dear, my sweet, my beloved children, I
mourn with you. I help you to bear your burdens ;
my heart and love are with you. I bless you both
most tenderly, and all the precious flock, and am your
loving father, J. H. Livingston."
Between the date of this letter and the Thursday fol
lowing, (the 20th), on the morning of which day he was
found sleeping in Jesus, there was no visible change in
the state of his health. During the most of the interim,
he enjoyed apparently his usual strength and spirits,
and on Wednesday a more than ordinary degree of
both, as was remarked by some of his friends. In the
morning of this day, he paid several visits ; when re
turned home, he delivered a long lecture to the stu
dents upon the subject of Divine Providence ; and the
evening he spent in conversing with his reverend col
league, chiefly upon divine things, with unusual cheer
fulness and animation. After an interesting family ex
ercise, in which he appeared to draw very near to God,

312 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
and to remember every object dear to him, he retired
to his chamber, making no complaint of indisposition ;
but the next morning, at the time he was accustomed
to perform the same duty, he was no more. His spirit
had taken its flight, and mingled with the spirits ofthe
just made perfect, around the throne of the Lamb in
heaven. One of his little grandsons, who had slept
in the room with him, but had seen or heard nothing
previously, to excite a suspicion of what had happened,
now called him, and said : " Grandpa ! it is 8 o'clock."
But there was no response nor sign of his awaking.
The family then became alarmed, and it was soon dis
covered that he had ceased to breathe. The precise
moment at wliich he expired could not, of course, be
known ; but there was some reason to suppose that the
event had not taken place long, or more than an hour
before that sad discovery was made. He lay as one
in a sweet sleep. His perfectly composed countenance,
the natural position of his hands and feet, the un
ruffled state of the bed-clothes, all told that his dissolu
tion had been without a struggle and without a pang.
In the manner of his removal, a persuasion which
he had often expressed, was singularly verified. Till
toward the close of his life, he had suffered much
from a dread of the pain he would have to endure, when
his soul should be breaking loose from her earthly
tabernacle, and frequently prayed that he might be deli
vered from the distressing apprehension. He was at
length delivered from it ; and what was very remark
able, said afterwards more than once, that when the
hour for his departure should arrive, he beheved he

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRrjNSWICK. 313
would go off in a sudden and easy manner. So,indeed,
he went off, as circumstances indicated ; and,
" So fades a summer cloud away ;
So sings a gale when storms are o'er ;
So genHy shuts the eye of day;
So dies a wave along the diore."
The next Sabbath, his remains were committed to
the house appointed for aU living, with suitable solem
nities, in the presence of a large concourse of persons,
who, notwithstanding the unpleasantness of the weather,
which at the time was very unfavorable, had come toge
ther from New- York and elsewhere. The corpse was
taken into the Dutch Church during the performance
of a service, appropriate to the solemn occasion, by the
Rev. Dr. MUledoler, and was then interred. On the
following Sabbath, a number of pulpits were hung with
mourning ; and in several churches in the connection,
funeral sermons were preached, some of which were
afterwards published.*
On the 16th of February, 1S25. the General Synod
of the Reformed Dutch Church convened in extra ses
sion at Albany, when the following resolution, relative
to the death of Professor Livingston, was unanimously
adopted: "Whereas it has pleased the gread Head of the
Church to remove, by death, on the 20th of January
* The Se-naons published were those of the Rev. Dr. De Witt, of
New-Brunswick; the Rev. Mr. (now Dr.) N. J. XIarselus, of Green
wich. New- York ; and the Bev. Mr. (now Doctor) C. C Cuyler, cf
Poughkeepsie. 1-1

314 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
last, our late venerable friend and father in the Lord,
the Rev. John H. Livingston, D.D., S.T.P., in the 79th
year of his age, the 55th of his ministry, and 41st of
his labors as professor of theology ; this Synod, deeply
impressed with the sentiment that believers, and espe
cially able and faithful ministers of the Gospel, are the
salt of the earth, and that it is a Christian duty to la
ment their loss and cherish their memory, do resolve,
that they deeply lament the providence which has
removed a man greatly beloved and highly useful;
that they desire in humble submission to be still, and
know that God hath done it ; that they bless the God
of Israel, who hath spared him so long, made him so
eminently useful, and given him so easy and happy a
passage to the kingdom of glory, full of years, full of
honors, and full of faith ; that they will ever cherish
the most respectful and affectionate regard for a name
and memory so dear."
Pursuant to another resolution of the same Synod,
a monumental stone was subsequently erected over the
grave of the Professor, with this inscription in the Latin
and English languages: Sncrrtf
TO THE M EM OEI
OF THE
Rev. JOHN H. LIVINGSTON, D.D., S.T.P.,
Born at Poughkeepsie,
State of New- York,
Mat 30, 1U6.
Educated for the ministry
at the University of Utrecht, in Holland.

PROFESSOR AT NEW-BRUNSWICK. 315
Called to tub Pastoral Offioh of the
Reformed Dutch Church in New- York, 1110.
Appointed bt the General Synod
OF THE
Reformed Dutch Church in America,
THEIR
Professor of Didactic and Polemic Theology,
in 1184;
and elected to the
Presidency of Queen's College,
N e w- Je r s e y,
in 1810.
there, in performance of the duties of his office, and blessed
in the enjoyment of mental energy, high reputation,
and distinguished usefulness, he suddenly but
sweetly fell asleep in jesus, january
20, 1825, in the 19th year of his age,
the 55th of his ministrt,
and the 41st of his
professoral LABORS.
in him, with dignified appearance, extensive erudition, almost
unrivalled talents as a sacred orator and professor, were
blended manners polished, candid, and attractive, all enno
bled by that entire devotion to his saviour which became
such a servant to yield to such a masteri.
In tokeK of their Gratitude for his Services,
and Veneration for his Memory,
the General Synod have ordered this
Monumental Stone to be
erected.

316 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.

CHAPTER X.
HIS GENERAL CHARACTER.
"When any attempt is made to portray the excellen
cies of one who was great and useful in his day, it is too
often supposed to imply a design to set him forth as a
perfect character. No such object is sought in the present
instance. The subject of this memoir had his share of
human infirmity; but he was, notwithstanding, an emi
nently devout Christian, who followed hard after God,
and whose life was a bright and continuous display of
the power of divine grace upon the heart. The short
comings sometimes attributed to him, were exaggerated
by a misconception of his natural character and peculiar
circumstances. Dr. Livingston was a tall and well-formed man, of a
grave countenance, of an easy and polished address.
There was something in his appearance calculated to
impress even a passing stranger, and make him feel that
here was a man who challenged more than ordinary
attention and respect. This was sometimes mistaken by
others as an evidence of self-elation and haughtiness,
and this view, as counterbalanced by other well-lknown
traits in his character, was well expressed by the gentle-

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 317
man who was once overheard to say of him : " That's
the proudest man and the humblest man ; the pohtest
gentleman and the greatest Christian I know." Dr.
Livingston's pride was not inconsistent with humility,
with true politeness, or with lofty attainments in piety.
It was, therefore, not the sin wliich God hates. Such a
pride as consisted in a consciousness of what was be
coming himself, he indeed possessed; and he well knew
how to maintain, at all times and in all places, the
dignity of his official character as an ambassador of
Christ. But no one could show less of the pharisaical
spirit, which says : " Stand by thyself for I am hoher
than thou;" and no one could exhibit in his habitual
deportment towards others, even of the lowest estate,
especially if they were disciples of Christ, a more kind
and affectionate temper of heart.
It was sometimes discoverable in conversation, that
the Doctor estimated highly the advantages of his
foreign education. To hear him express his opinion of
the merits of those distinguished divines at whose feet
he had placed himself when in Holland, one was half
inclined to believe that he thought all others mere
novices in comparison, and that he greatly underrated
the theological knowledge which had not been obtained
in some of the celebrated schools of Europe. When it
is considered, however, that his Holland friends treated
him with marked attention, and that he was a favorite
with the professors of the University, from whom, both
before and after his return to America, he received very
gratifying marks of respect, the manner in wliich he
occasionally referred to the instruction he had enjoyed,
was certainly very excusable ; and the more so, as new

318 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
and strange doctrines were almost daily issued from the
press, which being frequent topics of discourse, naturally
led him to recommend old divinity as the best, and to
censure, in pretty strong terms, the insipience of modern
times. He was thought by some to be fond of praise, and
there is foundation for the opinion. Expressions of
gratitude and approval from men of character and piety
were grateful to him, but not in a very inordinate
degree. He had too much genuine humility to relish,
and too much penetration to be deceived by, extravagant
compliments. As is the case with all men of promi
nence and popularity, his patience was often tried by
sycophants, to whom, for the time being, he was com
pelled to yield a passive attention, but the silence or
even the courtesy of a gentleman under such circum
stances can not fairly be resolved merely into gratified
vanity. In the opinion of a few, the Doctor displayed what is
called the pride of years. Now it is true that he did not
believe that young men, however respectable for talents,
knew more than their fathers in the Church. And
when any of them urged with great confidence and
zeal sentiments which in his view affected the estab
lished doctrine or practice of the Church, he would
treat their course rather as a sally of puerility than as
the result of deep research and ripe experience. The
manner of an opponent in debate would sometimes
provoke him to a little piquancy of reply. Still he was
never known to fail in tenderness and respect to the
very youngest of his brethren, when engaged in either
private or public dispute with them, if they treated him

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 319
with the consideration due to his age and character, and
station. And if ever his feelings were wounded by any
incidental personal observations, a suitable acknowledg
ment instantly soothed them, and reinstated the offender
in his affections.
It it scarcely necessary to advert to the surmise of a
few that he was of a covetous disposition. That he con
sidered it a Christian duty to take care of his own ; that
he was somewhat exact in pecuniary transactions ; that
he was willing to receive a proper remuneration for
ministerial or professional services, is not denied ; but
these facts indicate no inordinate desire for gain. In
his house he was hospitable ; in benefactions to the
poor, though he made no parade with them, few went
beyond him ; and to benevolent or religious societies,
he cheerfully gave of his substance. Let the reader
recollect the number of years during which he served
the Church as professor gratuitously; his removal to
Long-Island, in compliance with the request of the
Synod, at the sacrifice, voluntarily made, of the half of
his ample support in the city ; his subsequent removal
to New-Brunswick, at an advanced age, when the
moneys subscribed for his maintenance there were far
from being sufficient for the purpose, and were yet in a
precarious state ; and his own liberal subscription of
$500 for the endowment of another professorship ; and
he will see ample evidence of a spirit the farthest re
moved from the love of filthy lucre. Enough has now
been said upon the subject of his infirmities, whether real
or supposed; he certainly was not without some; he was
himself very sensible of many, and bewailed their influ
ence; but amidst the excellent qualities, intellectual and

320 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
moral, for which he was distinguished, they were seldom
so visible as to excite particular notice.
The prominent features of the Doctor's character
have been incidentally pointed out in the preceding
account of his life, but it is proper that, in this chapter,
they should be collectively and fully exhibited.
Doctor Livingston was naturally of a mild and affec
tionate disposition. No one could be long in his com
pany without discovering the kindness and tenderness
of his heart ; and while he was so easy and endearing
in his manners that the small as well as the great, the
poor as well as the rich, felt quite at home in his pre
sence, he was so polished and dignified, that both were
equally restrained from the use of any improper free
doms, or impertinent and offensive behavior. In the
reception and entertainment of his friends, to the very
last, he displayed the ardor and sprightliness of youth,
and was attentive without irksome ceremony, cheerful
without levity, and communicative without repressing
in the least that free interchange of remark, so essential
to agreeable conversation. It was impossible that he
should not be a leading person in every social circle ;
but he assumed no overbearing air, to put others to
silence, and fix the eyes of all upon himself. There
was an urbanity about him, which, notwithstanding his
evident superiority, set at ease the thoughts and feel
ings of the plainest or humblest individual in the com
pany, and invited him to take part in the conversation
of the moment ; and scarce any one had a better talent
in giving to an occasional conversation, whatever might
happen to be the subject of it, such a turn as was cal
culated to subserve the advancement of religion. He

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 321
was, moreover, the tender husband, the affectionate
father, the faithful friend.
To the natural sweetness of disposition and engaging
courteousness, which made him so captivating in the
intercourse of private life, he added a finely endowed
and cultivated mind. He was not distinguished, in
deed, for fertility of imagination, or for originality and
sublimity of thought ; but he had a sound, acute, dis
criminating, comprehensive intellect — one of more than
ordinary capacity and force, and well furnished with
various and useful knowledge. His reading was ex
tensive. He was a man of general science, and was
intimately acquainted with the Latin, Greek and He
brew languages, and the several branches of polite lit
erature. But in professional learning, he was unques
tionably preeminent, and had scarce a compeer in the
country. Theology was his favorite study ; and whether
he conversed, or preached, or lectured, he showed that
he was deeply versed in the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven, that he was perfectly familiar with every part
of revealed truth, and could illustrate and defend it
with singular ability, that he had read, with great care,
many of the best works upon every subject of theolo
gy, and thoroughly studied the sacred Scriptures.
And with all his various and profound learning, was
connected a deep, experimental acquaintance with the
power of saving grace. He was a divine taught of
God ; he was a Christian. But to enter somewhat
more into detail, some of his leading traits of character
may be specified.
I. Doctor Livingston was eminently a man of dis
cretion. 14*

322 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
Throughout the whole course of his public life, in
trivial as well as important matters, in private inter
course, in ecclesiastical assemblies, and in the perform
ance of pastoral or professoral duties, he discovered
an extraordinary measure of sound practical wisdom.
His circumspection, as to all he said or did, was by
some indeed thought excessive, and to show constitu
tional timidity, and it is possible that upon some occa
sions, he may have carried it too far ; but it proceeded
from principle, from a desire to keep a conscience void
of offence towards God and towards man; in other
words, he habitually felt the influence of the fear of
God, and consulted the best interests of the Redeemer's
kingdom. He certainly did not possess that bold and
adventurous spirit which does not hesitate to encounter
the greatest apparent dangers, or essays to bear down
all opposition ; yet he evinced no want of resolution
and courage in supporting the doctrines and discipline
of the Church, or in prosecuting steadily, amid mani
fold discouragements and formidable obstacles, plans,
the accomplishment of which involved the future wel
fare of the Church. In the discernment of characters,
in seeing at once what would be the consequences of
the adoption of any proposed measure, and in suggest
ing the best means for effecting an important object,
he was surpassed by few ; and however his discretion
may have been sometimes misconstrued, it was one of
his most prominent virtues, and a virtue, without the
exercise of which he never could have succeeded in
terminating the celebrated quarrel which at the com
mencement of his ministry divided the Church. In the
difficult situation in which he was then placed, and often

HIS GENERAL OIIAUACTKU. 828
afterwards, in oirouinstanoes of peculiar perplexity, he
exhibited a moderation, a judgment, a prudence, which
prevented many troubles, and led to great and bene-
iiciul results.
II. Anothor of tho characteristics of this oxoellent
man, w;us a decided and warm attachment to ovangeli«
cal truth.
Uo^ lovod the doctrines of graoo, and he 'taught
them as thoy arc rovealed iu tho Gospol, in dl his
pulpit discourses, professond lootuivs, and more private
catechetical or conversational instructions. Though
not ignorant of tho idle and pernicious speculations
zealously disseminated under different names, in every
ago of the Church, they constituted uo part of his
oreed. Ho could not enduro to soo men pretending to
bo wiser than God, and attempting to explain away
doctrines above tho comprehension of finite minds, but
oloarly deliverod in tho sacred onicles. He firmly
beliovod in tho depravity and ruin of our natural shite,
and that it is only by tho interposition aud death of
tho Lord Jesus Christ, tho eternal Son of God, that par
doning mercy is extended to any of tho lost children of
Adam. Ho believed that tho great and good Shep
herd gavo his lifo tor tho sheep ; that ho died tho just
for tho \u\just ; and that tho saints were from the
beginning chosen of God to salvation, through saneti-
lieution of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Uo
bolibved that tho elect sinner is accepted as righteous
in tho sight of God, only through tho finished right
eousness of tho Redeemer, imputed to him and reoeiv-
od by fivith ; that hia hoort is renewed by tho super-

324 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
natural and irresistible influence of the Holy Ghost ;
and that the work thus begun by omnipotent grace, is
by the same grace carried on and completed ; in- other
words, that he is kept by the power of God, through
faith, unto salvation. He believed in the necessity of
practical godliness as the genuine fruit of living, sav
ing faith ; and he further beheved, that all who should
be found destitute at last of that holiness which the
Gospel'requires, would be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord and from
the glory of his power. The doctrine of salvation by
grace, through ' the sacrifice of Christ, and all the
truths connected with this grand article of the Gos
pel, he ardently embraced, and steadfastly maintained,
as the faith once delivered to the saints; and the
preservation of orthodoxy in the Dutch Church is to
be attributed, in no small degree, to the orthodoxy
of him who, for so considerable a period, presided over
her school of prophets, and who remained untainted
and unshaken by the errors which were so prevalent
in former years. The full extent ofthe blessing enjoy
ed in the possession of such a man to prepare those
who are to proclaim the riches of Christ to dying sin
ners, can not easily be estimated. To comprehend it
we must take into view not only the benefit of his
ministrations to the hundreds and thousands who heard
the Gospel from his lips, but also the results flowing
from the ministry of the one hundred and twenty
young men whom he trained for the sacred office, some
of whom at this moment are among the brightest orna
ments of the Church, and eminent for their success in
winning souls to Christ.

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 325
The doctrines he prized to such a degree, he taught
with a pecuhar unction, simphcity, and force. When
he preached, he commanded the deepest attention. His
noble appearance, imposing action, singular but impres
sive gestures— graceful enough in him, however awk
ward they would be in another person — and the agree
able modulations of his voice, soft and tender, or grave
and authoritative at his pleasure, fixed every eye upon
him when he was in the pulpit, and opened every ear to
catch what he might utter. But, apart from his interest
ing manner of preaching, his sermons were generally so
well digested, discovered such a knowledge ofthe human
heart and ofthe operations of divine grace, were so richly
fraught with evangelical sentiment, and contained so
many searching appeals to the conscience, that he could
not be heard with indifference or inattention.
The genuine exercises of a Christian he could por
tray with a masterly hand, and in healing the wounded
spirit, strengthening the weak hands, enlightening and
encouraging those that walked in darkness, his pulpit
addresses were extensively owned of his divine Master.
It was his dehght to preach Christ as the way, the
truth, and the life, and to exhibit, in all their importance
and loveliness, the precious blessings purchased by the
blood of the cross ; and many of his pious friends can
recollect, how naturally, and how affectingly ofttimes,
when descanting upon the riches of redeeming grace,
he would relate what the Lord had done for his own
soul. He usually preached, as has been remarked before,
from brief notes or skeletons ; and having a ready com
mand of thought and of suitable expression, bis dis-

326 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON
courses, while methodically arranged, were so perspicu
ous, so plain, so free from all scholastic starciness, as
to be adapted to the capacity of the most illiterate of
In teaching theology as a science he was not less
successful in presenting such exhibitions of the different
parts of his own well-arranged system, so as to give his
students a clear and connected view of divine truth, and
promote in them the cultivation of personal piety. He
had, in fact, a peculiar talent in bringing his instructions
within the comprehension of the dullest intellect, and of
exciting in the heart correspondent devotional feelings.
It is not surprising, therefore, that his preaching was
popular and useful, and that his students have been
found, in general, when they entered into the service of
the sanctuary, thoroughly indoctrinated, skillful in
handling the word of righteousness, and zealous in their
great work.
TTT. This venerable man was remarkable for a certain
captivating tenderness in his deportment towards young
persons. Rarely, perhaps, is a pastor more respected and loved
by the youth of his charge than Dr. Livingston was by
the juvenile part of his congregation, during his minis
try in the city of New- York. Whenever and wherever
he met with any of these lambs of his flock, his atten
tions to them were of the most kind and winning na
ture. By calling them his children, by gently laying
his hands upon the head and blessing them, or saying
a few words expressive of his affectionate concern for
them, and by other similar acts of endearment, he

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 327
gained their esteem and love, and made impressions
upon their minds which could not soon be forgotten,
and which, through the divine blessing, were the means
of drawing a number to Christ. There are still living
some of his catechumens, who cherish to this day a
pleasing recollection of his paternal and insinuating
manner at the weekly recitations of the catechism.
The same attractive, tender attention he uniformly
showed to his students, or "dear young gentlemen," as
he used to frequently style them. He treated them as
his children. When they visited him, he received them
with gladness ; when they took leave of him, he gave
them a father's blessing. In all his intercourse, he
evinced, in different ways, the deep and earnest
sohcitude he felt to have them grow in grace, and
become able and faithful ministers of the New Testa
ment. In reference to this fact, the Rev. N. J. Mar-
selus, D.D., who studied theology under him, thus
speaks in a sermon preached upon the occasion of his
death : " Nor is there so much as one, who has enjoyed
the benefit of his instructions, but can testify with what
affection and tenderness he often exhorted his students
to cultivate personal religion and growth in grace, to
estimate duly the value of souls, to become well
grounded in the truth, to hold fast the form of sound
words, and to contend earnestly for the faith once
delivered to the saints. And frequently, in reference
to those whom he had fitted for the ministry, would
he use that declaration ofthe beloved apostle : 'I have
no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in
the truth.' "
IV. In contemplating the character of Dr. Livingston,

328 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
the uniformly elevated state of his devotional feelings
claims a special notice.
Estimable as he was in many other respects, this con
stituted his crowning excellence. A more lively disci
ple of the blessed Jesus than he was, is seldom to be
found. His heart was ever full of Christ, and out of
the abundance of his heart his mouth spake. The most
common occurrences served to call forth from him some
suitable expressions of the pious fervor of his soul ; and
no man could more happily or more naturally inter
weave with his discourse upon ordinary subjects, reflec
tions of a serious nature.
One or two little incidents, illustrative of this trait
in his character, it may not be amiss to relate :
The Doctor and the ex-Elng of Spain happened once
to be fellow-passengers on board of one of the North
River steamboats. As the Doctor was early in the
morning walking the deck, and gazing at the refulgence
of the rising sun, which appeared to him unusually at
tractive, he passed near the distinguished stranger, and
stopping for a moment, accosted him thus : " How glo
rious, sir, is that object !" pointing gracefully with his
hand to the sun. The stranger assenting, he imme
diately added: "And how much more glorious, sir,
must be its Maker, the Sun of Righteousness!" A
gentleman, who overheard this short, incidental con
versation, being acquainted with both, introduced them
to each other, and a few more remarks were inter
changed. Shortly after, the Doctor again turned to the
ex-king, and, with that air of polished complaisance for
which he was so remarkable, invited him first, and then
the rest of the company, to attend a morning prayer.

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 329
It is scarce necessary to add, that the invitation was
promptly complied with.
At another time, when the Doctor was journeying,
he invited his fellow-travellers to unite with him in an
address to the throne of grace. One of them — a lady —
was much displeased at the invitation, and refused to
attend the exercise. Erom an adjoining apartment,
however, she heard the good man's prayer, which made
such a deep and lasting impression upon her mind, as
ultimately induced the important inquiry, What must
I do to be saved ? Some considerable time after the
occurrence, this lady called to see the Doctor, at his
house in the city. She had come on from the South,
where she resided, for the purpose, it is presumed, of
spending the summer in a more healthy climate. The
Doctor did not recognize her at first, but upon her
relating, very minutely, the circumstances of her beha
vior at that accidental interview, he remembered her ;
and great was his joy, now that he saw her a peninent
sinner, and understood from her that the prayer which
she had despised had been answered in her conversion.
A word in season, how good is it ! And how often
might its goodness be felt and seen, if every follower,
and especially every ambassador, of Christ, would avail
himself of every suitable opportunity presented in pro
vidence, in conversation and prayer, to commend reli
gion to sinners.
But it must not be supposed that it was only when
exposed to the observation of worldly persons, that the
Doctor's demeanor was so consistent with his profession.
He was the devout Christian at home as well as abroad.
In his daily conversation with the members of his fa-

330 MEMOIR OF. JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
mily ; in ordinary intercourse with his friends ; in ex
changing a few words with a person in the street ; in
visits to the afflicted ; in private or official interviews
with the students ; in all his correspondence, whether
it was designed to promote friendship, or related simply
to business ; in short, in all the different relations and
circumstances in which he could be seen, the fervor of
his piety was seen likewise.
He loved his Bible. The testimonies of the Lord
were his dehght and his counsellors. He consulted
them daily ; not because it was necessary for him todo
so for professional purposes, for in him the Latin adage,
Bonus textuarius est bonus theohgus, was fully exempli
fied. He was a good textuarist, well furnished with
texts of Scripture to support all he taught, and could
with admirable ease and point at any time employ
the language of Scripture in common discourse. But
that he might cultivate religion in his own heart, he
regularly perused the sacred volume. The writer was
one day in the Doctor's study, and taking up the
Bible, to look at a certain passage, the venerable
man put this question to him : " Do you read that book
much ?" and then observed : " It is a precious book ; I
read it every day, and though I have read it again and
again, I never open it but I discover something new in
it — something that had not occurred to me before;"
and further, said he, "I find it very profitable, and it
is my constant practice to select a part of what I have
been reading to engage my meditations through the day,
when I have leisure."
He was habitually attentive to the duties of the
closet. He was truly a man of prayer. He spent

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 331
as a familiar friend of his has said, not less than two
hours every day in the secret discharge of this import
ant duty ; and so constantly did he appear to be lifting
up his soul to God, towards the close of his life, when
ever he was alone, that one of his little grandchildren,
who had closely observed him, said once to a female
friend : " Why, Miss  , grandpa prays seventeen
times a day !"
The general character of Dr. Livingston, as given in
the foregoing remarks, is amply sustained by the testi
mony of his contemporaries of different denominations.
Some of these are subjoined.
The following is extracted from a letter of the Rev.
Robert Forrest, of the Associate Reformed Church.
" My acquaintance with Dr. L. was chiefly confined
to five years, from 1804 till 1809, when residing chiefly
in his neighborhood. I had frequent opportunities of
enjoying his society. * * As a theologian, his great
forte lay in that which was systematical and practical.
He had studied, with the utmost diligence, the writings
of those distinguished men who reflected so much
honor upon Holland and Geneva during the seven
teenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries.
It did not appear to me that Dr. L.'s talents qualified
him io have been a successful controvertist ; but in the
faculty of illustrating the Christian system, and in ex
hibiting its spiritual and moral tendencies, for the in
struction of theological students or a Christian congre
gation, he certainly had few, if any, superiors among
his contemporaries. In the devotional manner in which
he illustrated the system of divinity, and the interest

332 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
which he never failed to excite, he certainly far ex
celled (judging from their writings) the divines of the
Church of Holland. It appeared to me that Dr. L.
had a very respectable acquaintance with the original
languages of Scripture, as well as with history and
chronology." The late venerable Dr. Ashbel Green, of Philadel
phia, in his letter, thus expressed himself:
" I had occasional intercourse with the late venera
ble and reverend Doctor Livingston, for more than
thirty years. Yet this intercourse was not frequent ;
and I have often expressed regret that I never had an
opportunity to hear him deliver a sermon, or perform
any pubhc rehgious service. But I knew enough of
him, not only from his pubhc character, and the testi
mony of some of his pupils, and other intimate friends,
but from personal observation, attentively made in a
number' of most gratifying interviews, to esteem him
as one of the holiest of men and most erudite divines
of the age in which he lived. His fund of theological
knowledge was unusually great, and his method of
communicating it, even in common conversation, pecu
liarly happy and pleasing. There was, in his inter
course with his friends, a sustained dignity of demeanor,
united with courteous, affectionate, and even familiar
manner, such as I think I have never seen, in the same
degree, in any other individual ; and these qualities of
the accomplished gentleman received in him their
highest charm, from a savor of genuine Christian piety,
which seemed to accompany all that he said or did. I

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 333
seldom left his presence without finding that I had ac
quired some useful knowledge, and a stronger desire to
make improvement in the Christian life. Such is, truly,
my recollection and estimate of the great and good
man whose biography, I am glad to hear, is to be given
to the pubhc."
The following is from the Rev. Jacob J. Janeway,
D.D., the late Professor of Didactic and Polemic Theo
logy, in the Western Theological Seminary of the Pres
byterian Church :
" The name of the Rev. Dr. John H. Livingston
I shall ever hold in affectionate and grateful remem
brance. It was my happiness to sit under his instruc
tion from my early years of boyhood till I received my
licensure to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
" No one could look at him without admiring the
nobleness of his person. His presence was very com
manding, calculated to impress on the mind of behold
ers a degree of reverence. His manners were polished
and courtly. He was a real gentleman, as well as a
Christian divine. In his later years, when age had im
parted additional dignity to him, his appearance was
that of a venerable patriarch. He was very affection
ate to his friends. In my last interview with him at
his residence, a short time before his death, he, in con
sequence of an incorrect view of my conduct, supposed
he had reason to complain of inattention to his wishes,
in regard to a matter that interested his feelings. Hav
ing administered a reproof before I had opportunity to
explain, he subjoined: ' But I love you still.' This was

334 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
one of the last expressions of affectionate regard which
it had been my happiness and honor often to receive
from him.
" His colloquial powers were remarkable. He used
them not for the purpose of attracting admiration, but
in doing good. They, as well as all his intellectual
faculties, were consecrated to the glory of his Master.
Possessing, in consequence of such a gift, a pecuhar
facility in addressing persons on the subject of religion,
and giving to conversation a pious turn, he did not fail to
embrace every suitable opportunity for its best exercise.
While pursuing in Holland his preparatory studies for
the ministry, his attention was one day attracted by a
young man in the company in which he was dining.
After dinner, he arose from his seat, and tapping the
youth on the shoulder, invited him to walk with him
in the garden. He drew his attention to the great sub
ject of his religion, and endeavored to awaken his con
science. The conversation was blessed : the young
man became pious ; and, like another Watts, he filled
the country with psalms and hymns in praise of God.
Dr. L. was eminently pious and devout. He hved
near to the throne of grace. His gift in prayer was
great. He used a holy familiarity with God. He
drew nigh to the mercy-seat with reverence ; but he
pleaded with the freedom and confidence which a child
uses with a parent whom he reveres and loves. He
once remarked, that the prayers of an advanced
Christian are distinguished, not by going over the lofty
titles of Jehovah, but by using the tender appellation of
' Father.' The encomium passed on one who was
translated to heaven without being subject to the

ms GENERAL CHARACTER. 335
pains of death, might truly be apphed to him : ' He
walked with God.' Our venerable father was not, hke
the patriarch, translated bodily to heaven, yet the
separation of his soul from his body was so easy, that
he appears to have been exempted from the pains of
dissolving nature. He fell asleep in Jesus.
" Among the preachers of his day, Dr. L. held a dis
tinguished rank. His discourses were at once doc
trinal and practical, instructive and experimental,
pungent and consoling. So familiar was he with
divine truth, that he could preach in a profitable man
ner with little or no preparation. On one occasion, I
heard him deliver, in the morning of the Sabbath, an
excellent discourse on the providence of God; and
afterwards he told me he had selected his text while
eating his breakfast, and said : ' These thoughts have
passed through my mind an hundred times.' Expe
rienced Christians were particularly attracted to his
ministry, because he was able, from the rich treasury
of his own Christian experience of divine things, and
intimate acquaintance with personal religion, to bring
forth in all his discourses something for their edifica
tion. " It may not be generally known to those who can
recollect the deep base tones of his voice, that they
were originally very different. He once told me, that
his voice resembled that of the late venerable Doctor
Rodgers : it was treble in a high degree, and in utter
ance required a painful exertion. He felt the necessity
of changing it, and was induced to attempt it by the
following circumstances: 'I was,' said he 'while in
Holland, amusing myself one day with playing on a

336 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
violin. I was struck in observing the distance to
which the sound seemed to be conveyed, when the
base chord was touched. I tried it again, and from
that moment determined to change my voice. He suc
ceeded. " Soon after his return from Holland, Dr. L. was
appointed to the office of Professor of Theology in the
Reformed Dutch Church. For the duties of this office,
when I had the advantage of attending his lectures, he
Was eminently qualified, and second to no man in this
country. He was learned and extensively read in
theological books, especially those written in the
Dutch and Latin languages. With the Greek and
Hebrew he was acquainted ; and so familiar with the
Latin, that as he once informed me, while in Holland
pursuing his studies, he used to dream in that lan
guage. At the time I prosecuted my preparatory
studies, the professor retained his pastoral relation to
the collegiate churches in New- York ; and yet, incum
bered as he was with ministerial duty, he delivered
during six months in the year, three lectures a week,
and attended to the compositions of his students. His
lectures were not written ; and during the delivery of
them, he indulged us with the privilege of interrupting
him by proposing questions that occurred at the
moment to our minds. Such interruptions occasioned
no embarrassment to him. He kindly answered the
inquiries, and then proceeded with his lecture. After
his removal to New-Brunswick, and his entire devotion
to the duties of his professorship, I can not doubt that
his lectures were much improved, and that his pupils
enjoyed superior advantages.

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 337
" Strong attachment to teachers may render us par
tial to them. But much as I revere the memory of
my late venerable preceptor in theology, I think I
have written nothing but the truth ; and when I add,
that he was a great and a, good man, to whom the Dutch
Reformed Church is much indebted, I utter an eco-
mium to which hundreds who knew Doctor Livingston,
will cordially subjoin their testimony.
" I wish I could pay a better tribute of praise to the
talents, the worth, the excellence and piety of one
whose memory will always be dear to me. Such as it
is, I submit it to your discretion, to be used in any
way you please, for the honor of that venerable man,
who deserves to be honored, and who, doubtless, has
received from his Lord and Master an honor far supe
rior to any that mortals can record."
The communication from the pen of the late Rev.
Dr. Miller, Professor of Ecclesiastical History and
Church Government in the Theological Seminary at
Princeton, N. J., is in these words :
" Rev. and Dear Sir : In attempting to comply
with your request, that I would communicate to you
my impression of the character of the late truly excel
lent and venerable Professor Livingston, I experience
mingled feelings of pleasure and embarrassment. Of
pleasure, because I can never call to my recollection
the imao-e of that invaluable man and divine, without
rejoicing that I ever knew him ; and because I consid
er it as a privilege to be favored with an opportunity of
making the humblest contribution towards embalming

338 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
his memory. Of embarrassment, because it is difficult to
divest myself of the feeling, that for one so much his
junior in age and standing, to appear as a witness of
his worth, will be thought by some liable to the charge
of presumption or vanity. Yet, as you call upon me,
I will speak. And as I belong to a different eccle
siastical denomination from that with which he was
connected, and as I never owed him any other obliga
tions than those which his personal excellence, and the
pleasure and instruction which I frequently derived
from his conversation, imposed, my testimony may, .
perhaps, be regarded as disinterested and impartial."
" My acquaintance with Dr. Livingston began when
he was far advanced in life, and when I was, I had al
most said, in my clerical boyhood. On my first visit
to New- York, in 1792, my friend and my father's
friend, and soon afterwards my colleague, the Rev. Dr.
Rodgers, (whose name I can never mention without
associating with it some epithet of honor, and some
emotion of filial affection,) introduced me to him as one
whose acquaintance and friendship he deemed pecu
liarly worth cultivating. At my first interview with
him, I was struck with his venerable and commanding
figure ; his truly gentlemanly deportment ; his conde
scending kindness to the young and inexperienced ; his
instructive conversation ; his unusual familiarity with
every thing relating to bibhcal and theological in
quiries ; his deep spirituality ; and his evident disposi
tion to encourage youthful candidates for the sacred of
fice. And, although there was something in his man
ners which, at that time, impressed me rather unplea
santly, as characterized by a courtliness approaching

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 339
to the pomp of formality, yet the disagreeable impres
sion from this source became less and less, as my ac
quaintance with him became more intimate ; until it
was, at length, forgotten amidst the predominant influ
ence of his varied and rich excellence. From that
time until his death, I continued to seek and enjoy
much intercourse with him ; and was called to act with
him on a variety of interesting occasions, and, to the
last, I am constrained to say, with a growing convic
tion of the value of his character, both as a friend and
as a minister of Christ.
" The characteristic of this venerable man which
most deeply impressed me at my first acquaintance
with him, and which continued to deepen its impres
sion on me, up to my last interview with him, was his
ardent, habitual piety. I know not that I ever met
with a man whose daily and hourly conversation indi
cated a mind more unremittingly devout, or more
strongly marked with the exercises of the deeply ex
perimental Christian. His maimer, indeed, of conduct
ing conversation on practical rehgion, was his oun, and
would not have set well on many other men. Yet, I
think, I never withdrew from his company, without
carrying with me the impression that I had been con
versing with a man who walked more by faith, who
was favored with a larger measure of the assurance of
hope, and who enjoyed more intimate communion
with God, than most even of those who are deemed
fervently pious. So far as I had an opportunity of ob
serving, this characteristic of my friend appeared abroad
and at home, in the house and by the way, in sitting
down and in rising up, with a constancy and promi-

340 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
nence which could not fail to convince every one that
it was the inwrought habit of his mind.
"As a mature and accomplished theologian, Dr. Liv
ingston was greatly and justly distinguished. Of his
eminent advantages for study in foreign universities, he
had richly availed himself. And I have seldom seen
a divine who appeared more ' at home' in every spe
cies of theological and bibhcal discussion which could
be started in his presence. I have witnessed instances
of this, when it was manifest that the discussion was
altogether unexpected to him, and when it was impos
sible he should have made any preparation for it,
which, with all my previous respect for his attain
ments, greatly surprised me. It sometimes appeared
to me, indeed, that he had not been so careful to seek
an intimate acquaintance with the later theological
writers and bibhcal critics, as his early habits of dili
gent and inquisitive study might have led one to anti
cipate. But with the best English and Dutch, and es
pecially with the best Latin writers on theology, both
systematic and expository, who occupied the attention
of theological inquirers at the date of his studies in
* * * Utrecht, he had a depth and familiarity of ac
quaintance truly uncommon. It was, indeed, his
opinion, that no one can be entitled to the character of
a theologian, without being in some good degree fami
liar with the old systematic and topical writers of the
Reformed Churches, who flourished on the continent
of Europe in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and beginning
of the eighteenth centuries. He thought there was an
extent of learning, and a vigor, depth, and complete
ness of discussion in their works so remarkable that no

mS GENERAL CHARACTER. 341
man ought to consider himself as having learned the
substance of all that can be said for or against any given
point in polemic theology, who is ignorant of what
those distinguished men have written. I was never so
happy as to hear or to read any of the lectures de
livered by Dr. Livingston from his official chair. But
the unvarying testimony of those who had enjoyed the
privilege, was not only decisively, but very strongly in
favor of them, as manifesting uncommon accuracy and
maturity of theological knowledge. If, as I have often
understood, they did not abound so much in references
to the works and opinions of different divines as might
have been gratifying to some inquisitive listeners, they
indicated so much discrimination, judgment, and clear
ness, as to convince every hearer that he had read ex
tensively and thought much, and was well qualified to
instruct on every subject which he undertook to eluci
date. " As a preacher, our venerable departed friend de
servedly enjoyed a high reputation. He seldom, or
never, I believe, wrote his sermons fully out ; and very
often, more especially towards the close of life, preached
without writing at all. Hence he was by no means re
markable for that terse, polished, rhetorical style of ser
monizing in which some distinguished preachers have
succeeded so admirably. The great excellence of his
preaching consisted rather in the solidity and excel
lence of tne matter than in the refinement of the man
ner. He was generally diffuse, and sometimes circuit
ous in his expositions and illustrations ; but generally
rich in thought ; always solemn and experimental ;
sometimes in a high degree powerful; and seldom

342 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
failed to keep up, and to reward to the last, the atten
tion of all classes of his hearers, especially of the more
deeply pious. I have more than once heard him la
ment, that while so many preachers were well fitted to
become instruments of awakening, convincing, and
converting the impenitent, so few were well qualified
to build up believers. He considered the gifts and
graces peculiarly adapted to this department of minis
terial work are comparatively rare, but inestimably
precious. And although he did not claim these quali
fications for himself, yet, if I mistake not, he was re
garded by others as possessing them in a remarkable
degree, and as more strikingly adapted to build up
the people of God in knowledge, holiness, and comfort,
than to alarm the careless. His delivery in the pulpit
always struck me as peculiar. There was a vivacity
and a force about it, even in very advanced life, not
often witnessed in the youngest preachers. To some,
indeed, the amount of his gesture appeared to be excess
ive. But after hearing him a few times, it became so
perfectly manifest that it was all natural to him, that it
ceased to impress otherwise than agreeably.
" This excellent man was a great enemy to metaphy
sical and philosophical preaching, and often remarked,
that if men even became real Christians under such
preaching, they walked in trammels, and never seemed
to enjoy the riches and simplicity of the grace which is
in Christ. He, therefore, seldom employed much of
human argument in his discourses. They consisted,
almost exclusively, of plain, simple Bible truth, in
Bible language. And he seemed, especially towards the
close of life, to have a conviction, every day increasing

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 343
in depth and weight, that this method of preaching the
Gospel is the only one which promises to revive pure
and undefiled religion, or to do much good to the souls
of men. To adopt this conclusion, and to act upon it,
has ever been, I believe, the final result of the most
enlightened wisdom, and the richest experience of the
best ministers the Christian Church has ever seen.
" The native powers of Dr. Livingston's mind were
clear, orderly, solid and vigorous ; rather adapted to in
vestigation and instruction than to dazzle or to astonish.
In his physical temperament, if I mistake not, he was
cautious and timid rather than bold. This feature in his
character had, perhaps, an important influence on his
whole history. It prevented his appearing more fre
quently before the public as an author, for which his
few printed works show him to have been well qualified.
His sermon before the New- York Missionary Society is
one of the few which will be inquired for long after the
occasion which gave it birth has been forgotten. And
his volume on the marriage of a deceased wife's sister,
which espouses the side of this question commonly taken
by the majority of the orthodox, undoubtedly does
honor both to the head and the heart of the writer. The
natural temperament, above alluded to also, I have no
doubt, sometimes interfered with that decision and enter
prise which are so important to the highest success of a
minister of the Gospel.
" Great decision and enterprise of character in an
ecclesiastic, when guided by ambition, are, no doubt,
equally criminal and mischievous ; but when guided
by Christian benevolence and disinterested zeal, lead to
the happiest results. Eminent as the usefulness of this

344 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
great and good man was, it would probably have been
still more eminent, had he possessed a larger measure
of those quahties which fit their possessor to venture
on difficult undertakings, and to encounter the most
formidable opposition with untiring activity, and with
calm fixedness of purpose. He was much better adapted
to shine as the enlightened, pious, dignified and revered
head of a tranquil and flourishing institution, than to
cope with contentious spirits, to harmonize jarring ele
ments, to wield the boisterous passions, and conciliate
the conflicting plans of ardent partisans. Melancthon
was probably as pious as Jduther, and had, in some
respects, quite as much talent and more learning. But
he had less decision of character, less power over the
minds of men, and less of that pecuhar faculty which
appears to so much advantage in composing and uniting
heterogeneous materials. For Luther's mode of serv
ing the Church, Dr. Livingston was not so peculiarly
adapted as many men of inferior standing. His appro
priate line was that which the great Head assigned to
him — to train her rising ministry, and by his learning,
his fervent piety, his Christian dignity, his prudence,
and his retiring holy example, to prepare men to be
heralds of that kingdom which is ' righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.'
"He was a great lover of peace; and was ever found
the patron of peaceful measures, as far as this course
could possibly be pursued without the abandonment of
truth. To this, as I have already hinted, he was im
pelled by temperament as well as by principle. As he
was not well qualified himself 'to ride in the whirlwind,
and direct the storm,' so he regretted to find the spirit

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 345
of controversy, or of theological or ecclesiastical innova
tion, reigning in any of his pupils, and never failed, as
far as possible, to repress it. He never appeared to me
to have the least tincture of that spirit which has ship
wrecked the faith and usefulness of many an ingenious
minister, and inflicted many a severe wound on the
peace ofthe Church. I mean the spirit of fondness for
novelties in doctrine or practice — an ambition to be hailed
as the author of some original scheme. No man, per
haps, of his talent and learning, ever loved more to
'inquire for the good old way,' and to 'walk in the foot
steps of the flock.'
" The social and domestic character of our departed
father was peculiarly exemplary. Indeed, in his mode
of discharging all the social and relative duties of
life, there was a mixture of the tenderness and loftiness
of Christian feeling and Christian principle, truly strik
ing. In the shortest interview of friendship, business,
or ceremony, as well as in the most common offices of
domestic affection, you plainly saw that you were in
the presence of a man who had seen much of the world,
whose feelings were habitully benevolent, and in whose
bosom the Christian character was predominant in every
thing. "In fine, Dr. Livingston was one of a class of minis
ters who have now nearly passed away. They were
emphatically of the ' Old School.' In using this ex
pression, I have no reference to any particular doctrines
of theology; though he himself often adverted with
pleasure to this sense of the phrase, as applicable to his
creed and preaching. But I refer to a certain style of
deportment and of character, which, if I mistake not,
15*

346 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
was far more common forty or fifty years ago, than at
the present day. The mimsters alluded to, with end
less diversity in other respects, were remarkable for
that pious gravity, dignity, and urbanity which evinced
that, in all situations and companies, they were mind
ful of their high calling, and under the influence of that
wisdom, prudence and spirituality which are from
above. They were no strangers to cheerfulness, and
were often even facetious and sportive. But their sport-
iveness was ever marked by Christian dignity and deli
cacy. It was apparent that they respected themselves,
and respected their office. They did not let themselves
down in company by undue familiarity, by levity, by
coarse or unseasonable anecdotes, or' by a rude invasion
of the feelings of others. And you never departed
from the company of one of them, without being made
to feel that you had been conversing with a man of
God, who Hved and acted for another and a better world.
To this class of ministers belonged our late venerable
friend. Wherever he appeared, he threw around him
an influence which repressed frivolity, impiety, and
profaneness. This he effected, not by an. air of gri
mace or sanctimoniousness, not by moroseness or aus
terity ; but by that grave, elevated, apostolical style of
manners which all saw and felt, and before which
profligacy, and even brutality, were awed into tempo
rary decorum. Of this I have known instances, in his
case, which if I were able to describe them with a
graphic spirit, approaching to the manner in which
they addressed themselves to the eye and ear when
they occurred, would greatly instruct as well as amuse.
But I can not thus describe them, and shall not attempt

HIS GENERAL CHARACTER. 347
it There is so much in looks, tones, and gestures,
which can not be expressed in words, and which yet is
deeply powerful, that you will readily understand why
I shrink from the task.
" Such impressive examples are extremely rare. At
least they are rare among that portion of the Christian
ministry in the United States with which I am best
acquainted. I do not doubt, indeed, that we have
among the present race of evangelical ministers, as
large an average amount of piety, zeal, and unwearied
labor as among any that ever adorned our country.
But unless I am deceived, as ministers have multiplied
in our country, that tone of official gravity and dignity
which I have attempted to describe, which flows from
a happy mixture of habitual seriousness, prudence, be
nevolence, and the delicate perception of what is proper,
and which is so much adapted to make both a pleasing
and a useful popular impression, has been perceptibly
reduced. " For the reasons of this fact, if it be a fact, I shall
not, at present, attempt to inquire ; yet I can neither
doubt that it is so nor forbear to lament it. When,
therefore, I received the intelligence that our venerable
friend was no more, amidst the many tender and inter
esting emotions which filled my mind, I could not help
reoretting that one of the most truly respectable and
commanding examples ofthe style of character to which
I have referred, had departed from the view of the
American Church.
" But I am carried to an improper length, by my
affection and veneration for this excellent man, and
must stop. May that God whose he was, and whom

348 MEMOIR OF JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON.
he so faithfully served, preside over your undertaking,
and enable you to form a memorial of his useful life
which shall be a rich blessing to the Church of Christ !
Nor can I form a more friendly wish for the Church,
or for our beloved country, than that our theological
seminaries may send forth, from year to year, many a
herald of salvation, resembling him whose history you
are charged with compiling."
"If the foregoing hasty sketch should, in the least
degree, subserve your purpose, it will give me cordial
gratification. I regard it as equally an honor and a
pleasure, to record this testimony in favor of an emi
nently useful servant of Christ, whom I knew well,
whose memory I love to cherish, and with whom 1
hope, by the grace of God, to be for ever united in a
better world.
" I am, my dear sir,
" With very great regard,
" Your friend and brother in the Gospel,
" Samuel Miller.
" Princeton, Nov. 15, 1828."
These ample testimonies, which might easily have been
increased, indicate the exalted reputation of Dr. Liv
ingston. By the favor of God he held on the even tenor
of his way to the very last, without a single blot upon
his good name. During his long life he was accompa
nied by the love of his friends, the reverence of his
pupils, the confidence of the Church, and the general
esteem of the community. Having served his genera
tion by the will of God, he at length fell on sleep ; but
precious memorials of his wisdom, piety, and zeal re-

his general character. 349
main behind. The remembrance of John H. Living
ston, of his virtues, his talents, his services, and his
example, will always be gratefully cherished. God, in
whose hand alone it is to make great, raised him up and
qualified him for the singularly iiseful, responsible, and
honorable part which he acted in his day. And the
Church in whose communion he lived and died, and to
whom he was made such a benefactor and ornament,
will give the glory where it belongs, and say : " Now,
therefore, our God, we thank thee and praise

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX A.
THE REV. JOHN LIVINGSTON OF ANCRUM.
The following brief sketch of this godly man's life is given for
the most part in his own language. He was born in Monyabroch,
in Stirlingshire, June 21, 1603.
" I observed," ho says, in a narrative of his life, written by himsolfj
" the Lord's great goodness, that I was born of such parents, who taught
me somewhat of God, so soon as I was capable to understand any thing;
I had great cares about my salvation, when I was but yet very young ;
I had the advantage of the acquaintance and example of many gracious
Christians, who used to resort to my father's house, especially at com
munion occasions. I do not remember the time or means particularly,
whereby the Lord at first wrought upon my heart When I was but
very young, I would sometimes pray with some feeling, and read the
word with delight ; but thereafter did often intermit any such exercise;
I would have some challenges and begin, and again intermit. I re
member the first time that ever I communicated at the Lord's table was
in Stirling, when I was at school, where sitting at the table, and Mr.
Patrick Simpson exhorting before the distribution, there came such a
trembling upon me that all my body shook, yet thereafter the fear and
trembling departed, and I got some comfort and assurance. I had no
inclination to the ministry, till a year or more after I had passed my
course in the college ; and that, upon this occasion, I had a bent desiro
to give myself to the knowledge and practice of medicine, and was very
earnest to go to France for that purpose, and propounded it to my father.

352 APPENDIX.
that I might obtain his consent, but he refused tho same. Also, about
the same time, my father having boforo purchased some land in tho
parish of Monyabrooh, the rights whereof were taken in my namo, and
that land by ill neighbors being in a manner laid waste, and Sir Wil
liam Livingston of Kilsyth, one of tho lords of session, being very desir
ous to buy that land, that he might build a burgh of barony upon it at
Burnside, my father propounded that I should go and dwell on that land
and marry : but finding that that course yrould divert me from all study
of learning, I refused that offer, and rather agreed to the selling of it,
although I was not yet major to ratify the sale. Now, being in those
straits, I resolved that I would spend a day alone before God, and
knowing of a secret cave on the south side of Mouse water, a little
above the house of Jervis wood, over against Cleghorn wood, I went
thither, and after many to's and fro's, and much confusion, and fear
about the state of my soul, I thought it was made out unto me, that I
behooved to preach Christ Jesus, which if I did not, I should have no
assurance of salvation. Upon this, I laid aside all thoughts of France,
and medicine, and land, and betook me to tho study of divinity.''
He preached his first sermon January 2, 1625, when about the
age of twenty-two. The succeeding five years were spent partly
in the diligent pursuit of his theological studies at home, in his
father's house, and partly in visiting different places, preaching
occasionally, and cultivating an acquaintance with some of the
most eminent ministers and professors of the Church of Scotland.
In the course of this period, he received a number of calls from
vacant congregations ; but the opposition of those in power, and
other difficulties that occurred, prevented his assuming the pas
toral office.
One of these occasional services, the memory of which, after
the lapse of two centuries, is still fragrant in the Church of God,
occurred on the 21st of June, 1630.
The occasion was ono of more than ordinary interest and
solemnity ; the circumstances under which he was constrained
to preach were somewhat remarkable ; and the happy fruits of
the spirit which accompanied and followed the sermon were truly
astonishing. Rarely has any single sermon been attended with
such memorable and glorious results, since the days of the
apostles.

REV. JOHN LIVINGSTON OF ANCRUM. 353
Gillies, in his Historial Collections, gives the following account
of the occasion and the sermon :
" As the kirk of Shotts lies on the road from the west to Edinburgh,
and is at a good distance from any convenient place of entertainment,
some ladies of rank, who had occasion to pass that way, met, at different
times, with civilities from the minister at his house, which was then
situated where the public inn is now. Particularly once, when through
some misfortune befalling their coach or chariot, they were obliged to
pass a night in the minister's house ; they observed, that besides its in
commodious situation, it much needed to be repaired. They, therefore,
used their interest to get a more convenient house built for the minister
in another place.
" After receiving so substantial favors, the minister waited on the
ladies, and expressed his desire to know if any thing was in his power,
that might testify his gratitude to them. They answered it would be
very obliging to them, if ho would invite, to assist at his communion,
certain ministers whom they named, who were eminently instrumental
in promoting practical religion. The report of this spreading far and
near, multitudes of persons of different ranks attended there, so that for
several days before the sacrament there was much time spent in social
prayer. " It was not usual, it seems, in those times, to have any sermon on
the Monday after dispensing the Lord's supper. But God had given so
much of his gracious presence, and afforded his people so much com
munion with himself, on the foregoing days of that solemnity, that they
knew not how to part without thanksgiving and praise. There had
been, as was said before, » vast confluence of choice Christians, with
several eminent ministers, from almost all the corners of the land, that
had been many of them there together, for several days before the sacra
ment, hearing sermon, and joining together in larger or lesser companies,
in prayer, praise, and spiritual conferences. While their hearts were
warm with the love of God, some expressing their desire of a sermon
on the Monday were joined by others, and in a little the desire became
very general.
"Mr. John Livingston, chaplain to the Countess of Wigtown, (at that
time, only a preacher, not an ordained minister, and about twenty-seven
years of age,) was, with very much ado, prevailed on to think of giving
the sermon. He had spent the night before in prayer and conference ;
but when he was alone in the fields, about eight or nine in the morning,

354 APPENDIX.
there came such a misgiving of heart upon him, under a sense of un-
worthiness and unfitness to speak before so many aged and worthy
mimsters, and so many eminent and experienced Christians, that he
was thinking to have stolen quite away, and was actually gone away
to some distance; but when just about to lose sight of the kirk of
Shotts these words, ' Was I ever a barren wilderness, or a land of darkness?'
were brought into his heart with such an overcoming power as con
strained him to think it his duty to return and comply with the pall to
preach ; which he accordingly did with good assistance, for about an
hour and a halfj on the points he had meditated from that text, Ezek.
34: 25, 26, Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall
be clean : from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse
you. A new heart also will I give you, and a, new spirit will I put
within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and
I will give you an heart of flesh."
''¦ As ho was about to close, a heavy shower coming suddenly
on, which made the people hastily take to their cloaks and mantles, he
began to speak to the following purpose : ' If a few drops of rain from
the clouds so discomposed them, how discomposed they would be, how
full of horror and despair, if God should deal with them as they deserv
ed ; and thus he will deal with all the finally impenitent. That God
might justly rain fire and brimstone upon them, as upon Sodom and
Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain ; that the Son of God, by
tabernacling in our nature and obeying and suffering in it, is the only
refuge and covert from the storm of divine wrath due to us for sin ;
that his merits and mediation are the alone screen from that storm, and
none but penitent believers shall have the benefit of that shelter.' In
these, or some expressions to this purpose, and many others, he was led
on about an hour's time) after he had done with what he had premedi
tated) in a strain of exhortation and warning, with great enlargement
and melting of heart."
The same historian goes on to state some facts, showing the
powerful and permanent effects of this sermon upon many of the
hearers ; but instead of extending the quotation, it will not be
amiss to present a brief extract from the work of another, in con
firmation of the above account, especially as it contains a more
general view of the effects produced. Mr. Fleming, an author of
unquestioned veracity, in his work upon the fulfilling of the
Scriptures, says :

REV. JOHN LIVINGSTON OF ANCRUM. 355
"I must also mention that solemn communion at the kirk of Shotts,
June 20, 1630, at which time there was so convincing an appearance of
God, and down-pouring of the Spirit, even in an extraordinary way, that
did follow the ordinances, especially that sermon of the Monday, June
21, with a strange unusual motion on the hearers, who in a great multi
tude were there convened, of divers rank, that it was known, which I
can speak on sure ground, near five hundred had at that time a dis
cernible change wrought on them, of whom most proved lively
Christians afterwards. It was the sowing of a seed through Clyddisdale,
so as many of the most eminent Christians in that country could date
either their conversion, or some remarkable confirmation in their case,
from that day; and truly this was the more remarkable, that one, after
much reluctance, by a special and unexpected providence, was called to
preach that sermon on the Monday, which then was not usually prac
tised; and that night before, by most ofthe Christians there, was spent
in prayer, so that the Monday's work might be discerned as a convinc
ing return of prayer."
Mr. Livingston says himself, in reference to this memorable oc-
sion: " The only day in all my life wherein I found most of the presence of
God in preaching, was on a Monday after the communion, preaching in
the church-yard of Shotts, June 21, 1630. The night before I had been
in company with some Christians, who spent the night in prayer and
conference. When I was alone in the fields, about eight or nine o'clock
in the morning, before we were to go to sermon, there came such a,
misgiving of spirit upon me, considering my unworthiness and weakness
and the multitude and expectation of the people, that I was consulting
with myself to have stolen away somewhere, and declined that day's
preaching, but that I thought I durst not so far distrust God; and so
went to sermon, and got good assistance, about one hour and a half,
upon the points which I had meditated on, Ezek, 34 : 25, 26. And in the
end, offering to close with some words of exhortation, I was led on about
an hour's time, in a strain of exhortation and warning, with such liberty
and melting of heart, as I never had the like in pubhc all my lifetime.
Some little of tho stamp remained on the Thursday after, when I
preached in Kilmarnock, but the very Monday following, preaching in
Irvine, I was so deserted, that the points I had meditated and written,
and which I had fully in my memory, I was not, for my heart, able to

356 APPENDIX.
get them pronounced ; so it pleased the Lord to counterbalance his
dealings, and to hide pride from man. This so discouraged me, that I
was resolved for some time not to preach, at least not in Irvine; but
Mr. David Dickson would not suffer me to go from hence, till I preached
the next Sabbath, to get (as he expressed it) amends of the devil. I
staid and preached with some tolerable freedom."
Shortly after that signal blessing upon his labors, this eminent
servant of Christ received and accepted a unamimous call from
the church of Killinchie, in Ireland, where he was made, in some
degree, useful to an ignorant but tractable people. And about
this time, a similar extraordinary manifestation of divine power
attended his preaching upon another Monday after communion,
at Holywood, upon which occasion it is said that a much
greater number were converted. Under these two famous ser
mons, indeed, it was calculated that the good work of the Spirit
was either begun or revived in the hearts of no less than fifteen
hundred persons. But he now became an object of bitter perse
cution : was proceeded against for non-conformity, and deposed.
The effect of this arbitrary and cruel measure was, to induce him
and a number of his friends to think seriously of emigrating to
New-England. A vessel was built for the purpose ; and they
actually set sail for America ; but encountering from the moment
of their departure, violent adverse winds, and being driven back
at last, after a lapse of nearly two months, to the port whence they
had loosed, the design was altogether abandoned. In 1638, he
settled in a place called Stranraer, in Scotland; and for ten
years he exercised his ministry here with .great comfort, and
some measure of success. He had not been long in this place,
before some of his parishioners expressed a wish to be present
at his morning family exercises. To gratify them, as his house
could not conveniently accommodate all who might desire to
attend, he assembled them every morning in the church, by the
ringing of the bell, and spent about half an hour with them in
singing, expounding the word of God, and prayers.
While he retained this interesting charge, he was several
times sent by the General Assembly ofthe Church of Scotland to
visit some vacant parishes in the north of Ireland. Each mis-

REV. JOHN LIVINGSTON OF ANCRUM. 357
sionary tour occupied three months ; and, " for the most
part of all these three months," he says, " I preached every day
once, and twice on the Sabbath ; the destitute parishes were
many ; the hunger of the people was become great ; and the
Lord was pleased to furnish otherwise than usually I was wont
to get at home. I came ordinarily the night before to the place
where I was to preach, and commonly lodged in some religious
person's house, where we were often well refreshed at family exer
cise ; usually I desired no more before I went to bed, but to make
sure the place of Scripture I was to preach on the next day. And
rising in the morning, I had four or five hours myself alone,
either in a chamber or in the fields ; after that we went to the
church, and then dined, and then rode some five or six miles
more or less, to another parish.
From Stranraer he removed in 1648, to Ancrum, in Teviotdale.
With the people of this place he continued a number of years,
beloved and useful ; but the intolerant spirit of the time, which
could brook no ministerial services not conformed to prelatical
rule, at length procured his banishment, with that of several
other eminent ministers, from the kingdom of Great Britain.
In April, 1663, he fled to Holland, and settled in Rotterdam.
His wife and two of the children followed him towards the close
of the year, but five children remained in Scotland.
Having now considerable leisure, though he preached frequent
ly to the Scots' congregation in this city, he diligently cultivated
the study of the Hebrew language, and attempted to prepare for
publication a volume containing the original text of the Bible in
one column, and the several vulgar translations in another. The
design was approved by Voetius, Essenius, Nethenus, and Leusden ;
and having spent much time in comparing Pagnin's version with
the original text, and with other later translations, such as Mun-
ster's, Junius's, Diodati's, the English, but especially the Dutch,
the latest and esteemed the most accurate translation, he sent
his manuscripts to .Dr. Luesden, in compliance with a request of
that learned professor, expecting they would be printed and pub
lished in Utrecht. It is not known what became of the work ; but
shortly after it was put out of his hands, he rested from his labors
on earth, and entered into the joy of his Lord. He died August

358 appendix.
9, 1672, aged 69 years, having resided in Rotterdam a little
over nine years.
This man of God, the principal events of whose life have been
thus rapidly traced, was, as before observed, the common ancestor
of the Livingstons in this country. To be descended from a person
of such piety, zeal and distinguished usefulness in the Church of
God, is assuredly a greater honor than to inherit a princely name ;
and the time will come when all men will so regard it — when the
respect now paid to a connection with the wise, mighty, and
noble of this world will be transferred to a kindred with those
whom the Scriptures denominate the excellent of the eabth.
Such a descent even at present is not wholly without its temporal
blessings. A good mam, lewoeth an inheritance to his children's
children ; and a history of many of the descendants of Mr. Liv
ingston would afford a fine illustration of the truth of Solomon's
declaration. In Smith's History of New- York, the following
notice is taken of him and his family, as then known in this
country :
" Mr. John Livingston, one of the commissioners from Scotland to
King Charles II., while he was an exile at Breda. He was a clergy
man distinguished by his zeal and industry, and for his opposition to
Episcopacy became so obnoxious, after the Restoration, to the Enghsh
court, that he left Scotland, and took the pastoral charge of an English
Presbyterian church in Rotterdam. Sis descendants are very numerous
in this province, and the family im the first rank for their wealth, morals,
and education. The original diary, in the hand- writing of their common
ancestor, is still among them, and contains a history of his life."
The work from which this quotation is made was published in
1756 ; and up to this day, the femily has maintained the same
elevated station in society : the name of Livingston has been,
generally speaking, associated with all that is respectable in cha
racter and honorably connected with the literature, jurisprudence,
and politics of the State and the nation.

REV. JACOBUS THEODORUS FRELINGHUYSEN. 359

APPENDIX B.
THE REV. JACOBUS THEODORUS FRELINGHUYSEN.
The following narrative is abridged from an interesting and
instructive paper, entitled "The Hollanders in New-Jersey,"
read by the Rev. Dr. Messier, of Somerville, N. J., before the
New-Jersey Historical Society, September, 12, 1850 :
Jacobus Theodoras Frelinghuysen was born in the year 1691, in
West-Friesland; ordained at Embden, in East-Friesland, in the year
11\1. In the preface to one of his sermons, he says that he was not a
Hollander by birth, but was induced to preach in the Netherlands lan
guage by the advice of his worthy instructor, the Rev. Otto Verbrugge,
late Professor of Theology and the Oriental Languages at Lingen, now
[1733] sottled at Groningen. The way in which he was led to come to
America is thus related : A call for a minister from certain churches in
New-Jersey was sent to the Classis of Amsterdam, and a pious minister,
named Sicco Tyadde, took great interest in getting an evangelical man
to accept this call. At the time when he was making inquiries, Mr-
Frelinghuysen happened, while on a journey, to pass through the town
where he lived, and to spend the night at the house of one of his
elders. Being invited, at the proper season, to conduct the worship of
the family, he consented, and, after reading a portion of the Scriptures,
gave a brief exposition, and concluded with prayer. The elder was so
pleased with his remarks and his whole deportment that, in the morn
ing, he exacted of him a promise to make his house his home on bis re
turn, and then hastening to his pastor, exclaimed : " I have found the
man to go to America." In due time, Mr. F. returned, and after con
sultation, agreed to accept the call. The matter appeared to him a
distinct indication of the will of Providence, and he willingly forsook

360 APPENDIX.
for ever his home and kindred, in order to carry the ordinances of the
Gospel to strangers in the wilderness.
He arrived from Holland in the spring of 1720, and assumed the
pastoral charge of the churches of Raritan, New-Brunswick, Six-Mile-
Run, and North-Branch. His field of labor was large and by no means
inviting. The population was sparse, the settlements many miles apart,
the primeval forest unbroken, the roads little more than bridle-paths, the
streams without bridges, and the people in the condition which might be
expected after having been for thirty or forty years without churches,
schools, or any ofthe established institutions of religion. Hisplace of resi
dence was about three miles west of New-Brunswick, from which, as a
centre, he made excursions, preaching and catechising the youth, alter
nately in the different churches. Here the Rev. Gilbert Tennent, who, in
1121, became pastor of the Presbyterian church at New-Brunswick,
found him, and wrote, in a letter to the Rev. Mr. Prince, of Boston, that
' his labors were much blessed to the people of New-Brunswick and places
adjacent, especially about the time of his coming among them. When I
came there, which was about seven years after, I had the pleasure of
seeing much of the fruits of his ministry ; divers of his hearers, with
whom I had opportunity of conversing, appeared to be converted per
sons, by their soundness in principle, Christian experience, and pious
practice ; and these persons declared that his ministrations were the
means thereof. This, together with a, kind letter which he sent me,
respecting the necessity of dividing the word aright, and giving to every
man'his portion in due season, through the divine blessing, excited me
to greater earnestness in ministerial labors.' Similar testimony is
borne by Whitefield, who, in his journal of 1739, speaks of an extensive
revival of religion as the effect of his labors in New-Brunswick and that
vicinity. A full account of this revival can not be given, for the mate
rials have almost all perished. It certainly was very extensive and
powerful. The results of it were long visible in the character of the
people, and doubtless are even yet working for good.
The most striking features of Mr. Frelinghuysen, as a preacher, wero
his evangelical spirit, the frequency with which he insisted on the ne
cessity of regeneration, and his vehement denunciations of formalism.
On these points, many of his people were at variance with him, and
angry controversies arose, which distracted the Church, and embittered
his latter days. But he never quailed, although attacked in the civil
courts, before the colonial authorities, through the press, and by com
plaint to the Classis of Amsterdam. He went straight forward in his

REV. JACOBUS THEODORUS FRELINGHUYSEN. 361
course, without regard to fear or favor, and in the end was triumph
antly sustained. He published, at various times, small volumes of ser
mons, nearly all of which have been collected and translated by the
Rev. Williaiil Demarest, of Boundbrook, N. J., and will be published
during the present year. They are eminently orthodox, spiritual, and
pungent, and reflect great credit upon his memory as an able and faith
ful minister of Christ. The exact time of his death is not ascertained,
nor is the place of his burial certainly known.
His pure and fervent piety was eminently blessed in his family
circle. His children were all Levites — five sons devoting themselves to
the sacred office, and two daughters marrying ministers. Theodorus, the
eldest, was settled at Albany, N. Y., about the year 1746, where his min
istrations were very useful and acceptable. After some years, he made
a visit to Holland, for the purpose of obtaining funds to establish a lite
rary and theological institution ; but on his return home, was lost at
sea. The second, Joaxxes, who was distinguished for pulpit elo
quence, succeeded his father at Raritan, in August, 1750, but finished
his earthly labors in September, 1754, being then in the 28th year of
his age. The next two sons, Jacobus and Ferddjandus, were both
carried off by small-pox, while at sea, on their return from Holland, in
1753. The youngest, Henricus, was settled at Rochester, Ulster
county, N. Y., in 1756 ; but in the course of little more than a twelve
month, fell a victim to the same disease wliich took away two of his
brothers. His remains were interred under the church at Marbletown,
where he had been ordained. All died in early life, and left no issue, ex
cept Joannes, whose son, Frederick, served as a colonel in the war of
the Revolution, and afterwards represented New- Jersey in the Senate of
the United States. He left three sons, of whom the only survivor is
now the president of Rutgers College, the Hon. Theodore JFreling-
huysen. Of the daughters, one, Ajwa, was married to the Rev. Wil
liam: Jackson, long settled at Bergen ; the other, Margaret, became
the wife of the Rev. Thomas Romets, who resided first on Long-Island,
and afterwards at Minisink. Mrs. Romeyn died early, but left a son,
Theodorus Frellvghtjtseh Romeyn, who became a minister, and suc
ceeded the Rev. Dr. Hardenbergh, in the same charge at Raritan to
which his grandfather and his uncle had successively ministered. He,
however, although a young man of unusually fine promise, died in
1785, within less than eighteen months from his installation.

1(3

362 APPENDIX.

APPENDIX 0.
THE CIVIL SUIT ABOUT THE RIGHT OF VOTING, 1765.
The annexed account of this trial is taken from a copy made and
duly authenticated for the use of the Rev. Dr. Westerlo, of Albany,
and his Consistory. Mr. Theodore Van Wyck, of New- York, the
gentleman who procured the copy for Dr. W., observes in the let
ter which accompanied it, that the arguments or pleadings in the
cause occupy no less than forty-eight pages, (folio,) written in a
small hand. The counsel for the plaintiff were the king's at
torney, Mr. Duane and Mr. Kissam; and "the chief of their argu
ments was, that the members had a right to vote by" the "char
ter, and that, in depriving them of that privilege, the Consistory
had forfeited their charter." The counsel for the defendants
were William Smith, Whitehead Hicks, William Livingston, and
Mr. Scott, whose "arguments run upon the Constitution of the
Church, and the invariable way of choosing elders and deacons.
They proved by several eminent authorities, that if even a people
had had a right to elect officers by virtue of a charter, ******
by suffering such officers by themselves to elect others for a long
time, that the said people had forfeited and lost their right of
voting. They likewise proved, that in such a case tho law sup
posed there might have been By-Laws made with consent of tho
people, to invest the election only in the corporation, which law
might be lost or forgot ; but, in either case, the people, by not
annually attending tho election, lost their privilege."

THE RIGHT OF VOTING. 363
Abstracts of the Trial between Abel Hardenbrook, plaintiff, in behalf
of the Dutch party so called,) and the Elders and Deacons of the
Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the city of New- York, defend
ants, commenced upon the said Elders and Deacons refusing the other
members of the said Church" a " vote for Church officers."
" Supreme Court in the City op New-York,
•'April Term, Friday, 26, 1765.
" At eleven of the clock in tho morning came on the trial of Abel
Hardenbrook, plaintiff, against John Bogcrt, Esq. aad others, defendants,
when the following jury, out of the panel which was struck the 19th
inst., appeared upon call, and were sworn to try the cause, namely :
Samuel Verplanck, Thomas White,
John Starr", Cruoer, JonN Shoals,
David Clarkson, William Bedlow,
Robert Griffen, John Provoost, Esq.
Lawrence KoRTRieHT, Lewis P^intard,
Beverly Robinson, Walter Rutherford.
"After a trial of twenty-one hours, in the course of which many evi
dences were examined, the judge gave the following charge," (omitted)
" to the jury, to bring in a special verdict upon matters of law, to be
determined by solid argument before the court, but recommended to
find three matters of fact upon evidence, namely :
"1st. That the plaintiff had made a lawful demand of his vote by
Jacobus Stoutenburg.
" 2d. That the majority of the members assembled on that day, ap
peared to have been on the side of the plaintiff to vote.
" 3d. That the minister of the Dutch Church had a vote in the elec
tion for elders and deacons.
"All which the said jury brought in accordingly, as will appear by
tho following notes, which are exactly transcribed from a copy of 'Mr.
Bangor, taken from the original verdict of the jury :
" New- York Supreme Court.
¦¦ Abel Hardenbrook against John ) N f ^ ^
Bogcrt, jun., Esq., and others, j r
"Tho jurors, upon thoir oath, on the trial of tho issuo aforesaid, do
find:

364 APPENDIX.
" 1st. That King William the Third, by his letters patent, under tho
great seal of tho province of New-York, bearing date the 11th May, in
the eighth year of his said Majesty's reign, in the year of our Lord 169G,
did grant unto the ministers, elders, and deacons of the Reformed Pro
testant Dutch Church ofthe city of New-York— prout :
" 2d. That the Lieutenant-Governor, the Council, and General Assem
bly of the province of New- York, by a certain act made and passed the
12th of December, 1753, entitled an act to enable the minister, elders,
and deacons of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the city of
New- York, to sell and dispose of their lands, tenements, and heredita
ments, in the county of Westchester, commonly called and known by
the name of the Manor of Fordham, and also for granting unto them
some further liberties and privileges for the better management of then-
affairs, and the well ordering of their said church, did enact — prout :
" 3d. That his late Majesty King George the Second, by his con
firmation under seal, dated 25th February, 1755, did confirm the saiil
act — prout :
" 4th. That the defendants were the major part of the elders and
deacons of the said church in the city of New- York, on the third
Thursday of October, 1763, one of the days of election of elders and
deacons appointed by the said charter, and so, being elders and dea
cons, on that day were assembled at the said church to proceed to an
election of elders and deacons for the said church for the then ensuing
year. "5th. That the plaintiff, on the said Thursday of October, 1763, and
long before, was a member of the said church and corporation, duly
admitted, and also a member in communion of the said Reformed Pro
testant Dutch Church, and an inhabitant of the said city of New- York ;
and so being a member and inhabitant, did on the same day personally
attend at the said church, before the election, nomination, or appoint
ment; did then and there demand and require of the defendants to
permit him, the said plaintiff, to give his voice for electing elders and
deacons for the said church for the ensuing year, to be chosen pursuant
to the said charter.
"6th. That the said defendants did then and there, upon such demand
and requests so made, refuse to fake, receive or allow the voice of the
plaintiff to be given, and did then and there prevent, obstruct, and
hinder the plaintiff from giving his vote at the said election, for the
electing, nominating, or appointing the elders and deacons of the said
church for the year ensuing, or any of them.

THE RIGHT OF VOTING. 365
" Tth. That the said defendants did then and there, elect, nominate,
and appoint elders and deacons of the said church for the year ensuing,
the plaintiff being present at the said church, without taking tho plain
tiff's vote in the said election, and without previously, or at anytime
that day. proposing er naming to the members or the plaintiff attending
at the election, the persons nominated by the defendants for elders and
deacons of the said church for the ensuing year.
" Sth. That of the members in communion of the said church, and in
habitants within the said eity. then and there attending at tho said
church, the majority attended to give their voices as members fer elect
ing the elders and- deacons of the said church for the ensuing year."
[The reason of this was, that the members, on the side of the Consistory,
did not then attend in a body as ther did the following year, to approve
of the election.]
"9th. That the Dutch churches in Holland are governed by the
rules established in the national Synod of Pert, held in 161 $ and 1619.
" 10th. That the said Synod of Port, by the 2 2d article of the said
rules, did establish — prout :
- llth. That the said Synod of Dort did at the same time establish
the national rule or confession of faith, the 3 1st article whereof is —
prout :
- 12th. That the usage of the Dutch churches in Holland respecting
elections of elders and deacons has long been for the elders and deacons,
ar.d every minister present at their election, to elect their officers by the
uiajoritv ol* their voices, without the vote of other members : and not to
propose the persons to be elected elders and deacons to the members of
the churches respectively before, nor at the time of the election, nor
until the Sunday next following such election, when it is the usage to
publish their names to the respective congregations, and on the two
nest succeeding Sundays— eaeh Sunday calling on the people to object
against their being admitted and confirmed, if they have cause; and tho
usaee also is. that if any good objection be made and supported, the
elders and deacons so objected to. are not admitted to the office ; but
the Consistorv judge of the validity of the objections, and if they con
ceive them sutn.-reut, proceed to a new electron.
•• 13th. That if no objections be made by the members, by the third
Sunday alter tho elections, the elders and deacons so chosen are con
firmed in and admitted to their respective offices, and that they are not
elders and deacons until such eonrrirn-.auen and admission.

366 APPENDIX.
" 14th. That the usage and practice with regard to the proposing,
confirmation, and admission, objecting against and setting aside of
elders and deacons respectively, in the said Dutch Church at New-
York has hitherto been conformable to the usage and practice of the
churches of Holland last mentioned, and that the elders and deacons
of the said church in New- York, agreeable to the regulations of the
churches of Holland above mentioned, are not admitted to their
respective offices until such proposal, made for three successive Sundays
after their election, and confirmation thereupon.
" 15th. That this province was conquered by the Dutch, and after
wards, in  , was yielded by treaty to the crown of England.
"John Bogert, jr., and others, )
Ads. Abel Hardenbrook. j
" And the jurora aforesaid, upon their oath aforesaid, do further say,
that the province of New- York is part of the country formerly called
New-Netherland3, and was, before the surrender of the same to the
crown of England, subject to the States General of the United Provinces
in Europe, and was settled by subjects to the States General.
" 2d. That antecedent to the said surrender, there were churches in
the said province, and that all the churches in the same were supplied
with ministers from the United Provinces of the national established
Church there, sent out by and subject to the ecclesiastical government
of the Classis of Amsterdam.
"3d. That the churches of the national establishment of the said
United Provinces in Europe, and especially those within the district of
the said Classis, have always had a succession of elders and deacons,
chosen from time to time by the majority of the elders and deacons of
the said churches respectively, and ministers present, without the
voices of the other members of the same churches.
"4th. That the Dutch churches in this country, antecedent to the
said surrender, were governed in a manner conformable to the practice
and usage of the national established churches of the United Provinces
in Europe, and the offices and places of the elders and deacons of the
same have always been, upon every vacancy and avoidance, supplied
by tho election, nomination, and appointment of the majority of the
elders and deacons in office, without the voices of the other members
of the same.
" 5th. That the same government, usage, and practice, was continued
from the said surrender, in the Dutch Church of the city of New-York,

THE RIGHT OP VOTING. 367
until the same was incorporated by the letters patent above-men
tioned. " 6th. That for above sixty years past, after the grant of the said
letters patent of incorporation, there had been a constant succession cf
elders and deacons in the said church, so incorporated, chosen by the
majority of the elders and deacons of the same church for the time
being, without the voices of any of the other members of the same, in
the nomination and appointment of elders and deacons.
" 7th. And the jurors aforesaid, upon their oath aforesaid, do further
find the article of capitulation at the surrender of this province in the
year 1664 — prout :
" 8th. And the jurors aforesaid, upon their oath aforesaid, do further
say, that, according to the constitution and directions of the Reformed
Churches in Holland, approved and instituted by the National Synod
of Dort, the elders and deacons of the said churches do, with the
ministers present, annually nominate and appoint the next succeeding
elders and deacons, without the consent, approbation, voice, or election
of any of the other members of the said churches, then had in the said
nomination and appointment.
" 9th. And the jurors aforesaid, upon their oath aforesaid, do further
say, that the plaintiff in this action, since the date of the said charter,
has been nominated and appointed three several times to the respective
offices of elder and deacon of the said Reformed Prote3tant Dutch
Church of the city of New- York, by the then present elders and deacons
of the said church, without the consent, approbation, voice, or election
of any of the other members of the said church, then had in the said
nomination and appointment, which respective offices he did accept of;
and act in the execution of; and that he has, since the date of the said
charter or letters patent, at three several times nominated and appoint
ed, together with the elders and deacons of the said church, then in
office with him, and without such consent, approbation, voice, or elec
tion, as aforesaid, of the other members of the said church, to succeed
in said respective offices.
" 10th. And the jurors aforesaid, upon their oath aforesaid, do further
say, that it was the practice, usage, and custom of the Reformed Pro
testant Dutch Churches in the United Netherlands, before and at the
time of the said articles of surrender, and of the reformed Protestant
Dutch Church in the said letters patent of incorporation mentioned,
ever since until the day of the exhibition of the plaintiff's bill, for the
respective ministers for tho time being of the said churches, on

368 APPENDIX.
the three Sundays next succeeding every respective nomination and
appointment of the elders and deacons of the said respective churches,
to notify and declare such nomination and appointment to the several
congregations in which the said elders and deacons were respectively
nominated and appointed, in order to know whether any cf the mem
bers ofthe said churches dissent from or disapprove of such nomination
and appointment and in default of such dissent and disapprobation, to
set apart, confirm, and ordain such elders and deacons in and to their
respective offices.
"If tLe law is for the plaintiff, we find for the plaintiff and five
pounds ten shillings damages.
¦¦ If the law is for the defendants, we find for the defendants.
-F.lid 2SO. AprH, 1765. '¦ Xew-Yo&k. Aprii 30&. 1765.
'¦ The preceding, wrote on eight pages in folio, is a true copy of the
original special verdict given in the cause, Abel Hardenbrook against
John Bogerrc. jr„ and others.
Examined by  .
'- Signed, Geo. Bastxbd^ D. C. C. C."
(Copy.)

THE CHARTER OF QUEEN 'S COLLEGE. 369

APPENDIX D.
THE CHARTER OF QUEEN'S COLLEGE.
TnE lottor in which it is assorted that a charter had boon
granted for this litorary institution, it will bo observod, is dated
Soptombor, 1767. But tho charter of Quoen's (now Rutgers)
Colloge, which was originally established by the (Actus party, is
dated March 20, 1770. To account for tho discropanco botwoon
tho letter and tho cliartor, as to tho date of this instrument, it is
presumod that only an institution of a secondary rate was at first
contoniplatod, and that tho difficulties hinted at in tho two next
sontoncos abovo delaying tho accomplishment of tho enterprise,
it was afterwards determined to make it a college, for which a
now charter was granted, or tho old one, with tho necessary
alterations and additions, now datod.
The following is a part of tho preamble to tho Collci/c Charter,
which will he soon to contain nothing that could have been justly
doomod offensive or exceptionable.
"¦Whereas, our loving subjects, being of tho Protestant .Reformed
Religion, according to tho constitution of tho Reformed Churches in tho
United Provinces, and using tho discipline of tho said churches, as
npprovod and instituted by tho National Synod of Dort, in tho year
161 S and 1619, aro, in this and tho neighboring provinces, very numer
ous consisting of many churches and religions assemblies, tho min
isters and elders of which having taken into serious consideration the
manner in which tho said churches might be properly supplied with an
able, loomed, and well qualified ministry; and thinking it necessary,
and boing very dosirous that a college might be erectod for that pur-
16*

370 APPENDIX.
pose within this our province of New- Jersey, in which the learned lan
guages, and other branches of useful knowledge, may be taught, and
degrees conferred ; and especially, that young men of suitable abilities
maybe instructed in divinity, preparing them for the ministry, and sup
plying the necessity of the churches; for themselves, and in behalf of
their churches, presented a petition to our trusty and well-beloved
"Wilham Prankliu, Esq., Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over
our province of New-Jersey, in America ; setting forth that the incon
veniencies are manifold, and the expenses heavy, in either being sup
plied with ministers of the Gospel from foreign parts, or sending young
men abroad for education ; that the present and increasing necessity for
a considerable number to be employed in the ministry, is great ; that a
preservation of a fund for the necessary uses of instruction very much
depends upon a charter, and therefore humbly entreat that some per
sons might be incorporated in a body politic, for the purposes aforesaid :
and we being willing to grant the reasonable request and prayer of tho
said petitioners, and to promote learning for the benefit of the com
munity, and advancement of the Protestant religion, of all denomina
tions ; and more especially to remove as much as possible the necessity
our said loving subjects have hitherto been under of sending their youth
intended for the ministry to a foreign country for education, and of being
subordinate to a foreign ecclesiastical jurisdiction : KNOW ye, therefore,
that considering the premises, WE do of our special grace, certain know
ledge, and mere motion, by these presents, will, ordain, grant, and con
stitute, that there be a college, called Queen's College, erected in our
said province of New-Jersey, for the education of youth in the learned
languages, liberal and useful arts and sciences, and especially in divinity ;
preparing them for the ministry, and other good offices ; and that the
trustees of the said college, and their successors for ever, may and shall
be one body corporate and politic, in deed, fact, and name ; and shall
be called, known, and distinguished by the name of the Trustees of
Queen's College, in New-Jersey.
" We do by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, create,
ordain, constitute, nominate, and appoint the Governor or Commander-
in-Chief, the President ofthe Council, our Chief Justice, and our Attor
ney General of said colony, for the time being, Sir W. Johnson, Bar
onet, and Joannes Henricus Goetschius, Joannes Leydt, David Mau-
rinus, Martinus Van Harhngen, Jacob R. Hardenbergh, and William
Jackson, of our said colony of New- Jersey; Samuel Verbryk, Barent
Vrooman, Maurice Goetschius, Eilardus Westerlo, John Schuneman,

THE CHARTER OF QUEEN'S COLLEGE. 371
of our province of New- York; and Philip Wyberg and Jonathan
Dubois, of the province of Pennsylvania; Hendrick Fisher, Peter
Zabriskie, Peter Hasenclever, Peter Schenck, Tunis Dey, Philip French,
John Covenhoven, Henricus Kuyper, of our colony of New-Jersey,
Esqrs. ; and Simon Johnson, Philip Livingston, Joannes Hardenbergh,
Abraham Hasbrook, Theodorus Van Wyck, Abraham Lott, Robert
Livingston, Levi Paulding, John Brinckerhoff, Nicholas Stilwill, Har-
tinus Hoffman, Jacob H. Ten Eyck, John Haring, Isaac Vrooman, Bar-
nardus Ryder, of our province of New- York, Esqrs., trustees of our said
college, in New-Jersey."

372 APPENDIX.

APPENDIX E.
THE PLAN OF UNION.
As the Doctor himself was, without doubt, the author of this
plan, or of the greater part of it, and as its adoption had an im
portant influence over the state of the Church — an influence that
renders that adoption one of the most memorable and propitious
events recorded in her history — the reader will probably be gra
tified to see the whole of it.
PRELIMINAHIES.
" Whereas certain misconceptions concerning the bond of union be
tween the Churches in this country and those in Holland, have been
the unhappy causes of the past troubles : In order, therefore, to prevent
these in future, and in consequence of the advice and direction of the
reverend Classis of Amsterdam, in their last letter to us, we unite our
selves in one body, and we agree with each other to regulate our church
government, and union with the mother Church in Holland, in the fol
lowing manner :
I. Adherence to the Constitution of the Church.
We adhere, in all things, to the Constitution of the Netherland Re
formed Church, as the same was established in the Church orders of tho
Synod of Dordrecht, in the years 1618 and 1619.
II. Consistories.
" The Consistories shall always be appointed, and their business con
ducted, agreeably to the Constitution ofthe Netherland Churches.

THE PLAN OF UNION. 373
IH. Organization of the Superior Church Judicatories.
"In addition to the above, we organize or establish, according to the
counsel and advice of the reverend Classis of Amsterdam, approved in
the Synod of North-Holland, such ecclesiastical assemblies as are consist
ent with the government and constitution of the Netherland Church, and
our relation to the same ; which judicatories shall be distinguished by
such names as shall hereafter be determined.
IV. Number of these in general
" These judicatories shall be two in number, which we provisionally
call the Particular and General Assembly, till their names shall be more
particularly agreed upon.
V. Matters to be discussed in the Particular Assemblies.
" In the Particular Assemblies, all matters regarding the interests of
subordinate congregations, and which can not be determined by the con
sistories, shall, in the first instance, be regularly brought forward, and
acted upon, (even to the suspension of ministers for improper conduct,)
before they can be brought up to a higher tribunal.
VI. Members of these Assemblies.
"At these Assemblies, each minister, with his elder, belonging to the
same, and furnished with suitable ecclesiastical credentials, shall attend
at the proper time and place. With respect to absentees, special regu
lations may afterwards be made.
VII. Number of these Assemblies.
" These Assemblies shall be five in number. This number may, nev
ertheless, hereafter be increased by the General Assembly, and the placo
of meeting changed, as circumstances shall require.
YIH. Tliree in the Province of New-York, and two in New- Jersey.
"Three of these Assemblies shall be held in the province of New-
York, and two in the province of New- Jersey.
IX. One in the City of New- York.
» In the province of New- York, one shall be held in the city of New-
York; to which shall belong all the Low Dutch Reformed churches,

374 APPENDIX.
whatever their language may be, on Long-Island, in the city and coun
ty of New- York, and in the county of Westchester. Whether tho
churches in the county of Richmond shall belong to this Assembly, is
not yet determined. X. One in Kingston.
"Another shall be held in Kingston, to which shall belong the
churches of Dutchess and Ulster counties, and the congregation of the
Camp. XI. One in Albany.
" A third shall be held alternately in Albany and Schenectady, to
which shall belong the churches in the counties of Albany, Gloeester
and Cumberland. XII. One in Brunswick.
" In the province of New-Jersey, one shall be held at New-Brunswick,
to whiclvshall belong the churches in the counties of Richmond, Mon
mouth, Middlesex,- Somerset, Hunterdon and Sussex.
XIII. One in Backensack.
" The other shall be at Hackensack, to which shall belong those of
the counties of Bergen, Orange, Essex, and Morris.
XIV. Time of Meeting.
" These Assemblies, on account of the distance of the respective mem
bers from each other, shall not hold more than one ordinary meeting in
each year. The particular time of meeting is deferred to a future op
portunity. XV. Correspondents.
" When these Particular Assemblies shall correspond with each other,
and in what manner, is also deferred.
XVI. General Assembly.
"In addition to the above, a General Assembly shall be held
every year, composed of delegates from each Particular Assembly.
XVII. IIMembers of the same.
" To this reverend Assembly shall be delegated, from each Particular
Assembly, two ministers, each with an elder, furnished with suitable
credentials.

THE PLAN OF UNION. 375
XVHI. Place of Meeting.
" The meetings of this General Assembly shall be held alternately at
New-York and Kingston; the reverend Assembly, shall, nevertheless,
have liberty of appointing a third place of meeting in the province of
New-Jersey. XIX. Time of Meeting.
" The time of meeting shall be considered hereafter, and appointed in
the most suitable season, and so as to be most convenient for the Parti
cular Assemblies. XX. Examination, Preparation, and Peremption.
" For this General Assembly, with the approbation of the reverend
Synod of North-Holland, and the reverend Classis of Amsterdam, we
assume the long-wished-for right of examining candidates for licensure
and for the ministry ; and also further to qualify those who are lawfully
called, as the same is practised in the Netherlands. A list of all those
who have been examined and ordained, as also of the newly-settled
and removed ministers, shall be kept in our yearly acts, and sent over
with a request to the reverend Classis of Amsterdam, that they may
be carefully inserted in the register of ministers, and numbered by them
among the North- American preachers in both provinces
XXI. Matters to be treated of in the General Assembly.
" All church matters which can not be determined in the Particu
lar AssembHes shall, when regularly brought up, receive their complete
and final decision in the General Assembly. In some particular cases
the following rules shall be adopted :
XXII. Union with the Church of Holland.
" To preserve in the best possible manner the bond of union with our
hi°-hly esteemed mother Church, (which we greatly desire,) there shall
first be sent, eV6ry year, a complete copy of all the acts of our General
Assembly, signed by the Proeses and Scriba for the time being, to tho
Classis of Amsterdam, as duly named by tho Synod of North-Holland
for that purpose. XXIII. Appeals concerning Doctrines.
" Secondly, Whenever differences may arise on important doctrines
amonCT the brethren, whether ministers or communicants, a decision on

376 APPENDIX.
which might be matter cf grievance to some, the case in difference shall
be left to the judgment of the reverend Classis, or if need be, to the
reverend Synod of North-Holland, according to whose decision the
General Assembly, as well as the condemned party, shall conform or
act. XXIV. Depositions.
" In case a minister, on account of doctrine or life, shall be deposed,
and conceive himself aggrieved by such deposition, he shall have tho
liberty of laying his case before the reverend Classis of Amsterdam, or
through it before the reverend Synod, for their judgment, whether he
may be called again or not ; and the General Assembly, with the de
posed minister, shall be bound to submit to the judgment of the reve
rend Classis. In the mean time, however, in consequence of the length
of time required for deciding such an unhoped-for case, the congrega
tion of the deposed minister, if they request it, shall be furnished with
another pastor. XXV. Approbation of Calls.
" It is agreed, that the approbations of the calls of candidates, on
their exam, peremp., shall be given to the General Assembly, but that
of ministers, considering the wants of the Church, shall be given to the
Particular Assembly to which the calling congregation belongs.
XXVI. Visitation of the Churches.
"Concerning the visitation of churches, there shall be particular
regulations adopted in the General Assembly which is to be organ
ized. XXVII. Extraordinary Meetings.
" Extraordinary meetings of the General and Particular Assemblies
may be held for the examination and decision of matters which, for
urgent reasons, can not be deferred till the ordinary meeting. These
meetings may be called by the last Presses and Scriba of the respectivo
assemblies. XXVIII. Professorate.
" Concerning the professorate, we will act according to the advice of
tho reverend Classis of Amsterdam, namely: we will provisionally
choose one or two professors to teach didactic, clenchtic, exegetic, etc.,
theology, according to the received doctrines of our Low Dutch Re
formed Church, to which office we, according to the judgment of the

THE PLAN OF UNION. 377
Classis, will choose, on favorable terms, such divines from the Nether
lands as are of acknowledged learning, piety, and orthodoxy, and im
mutably attached to the Netherland formulas of union, said Classis
having promised to recommend suitable characters.
XXIX. Further Regulations respecting the Professorate.
" The professor or professors above mentioned, as soon as the wished-
for reconciliation in this country is obtained and finally established,
shall be chosen and called, on a sufficient salary, though not without
the approbation of the General Assembly, with this provision, that such
professor or professors shall not stand in any connection with English
academies, but shall give lectures on theology, in their own dwellings,
to such students only who can produce testimony that they have studied
two or three years at a college or academy, under approved teachers,
and improved themselves in preparatory studies, such as the languages,
philosophy, etc. Such professor or professors shall also preach once
every month or fortnight, in Dutch or English, as well to assist the
minister of the place where he or they reside, as to afford the students
a good model of preaching, in consequence of which, the reverend
professor or professors, shall be subject to the Particular and General
Assemblies, in the same manner as is already specified, particularly of
the ministers. XXX. Provisional Exception.
" Nevertheless, since we, according to the condition stipulated by the
Classis, can cherish no hopes of reaping the fruits of the above-mentioned
professorate for a long time to come, we are of opinion, as there are
now a number of students with one or other minister, who probably
will in a short time be fitted for the exam, prepar., that these students
ought, in consequence of the great need of the churches, to be provi
sionally examined at the next meeting of our General Assembly.
XXXI. Schools under the care of the Churches.
" Finally, the respective congregations shall hereafter make it then-
business to establish public or private schools, in which, under the
direction of Consistories, instructions shall be given, as well in the
languages as in the fundamental principles or doctrines of the Reformed
Dutch Church, as the same are taught in our Low Dutch churches.

378 APPENDIX.
GRIEVANCES. ARTICLE I.
" Concerning those congregations who have two Consistories and
two ministers,' it would be desirable that they should unite in one body ;
but where this is impracticable, matters shall remain in statu quo, till
means and opportunities shall be found, in God's providence, to lead to
this union. ARTICLE II.
" To those congregations who have one minister, but two consistories,
it is earnestly recommended that they unite in one Consistory. The
reverend brethren shall likewise avail themselves of every opportunity
which offers, by brotherly exhortation, to effect the same ; as also for
those congregations which are situated as stated in the first article
whilst we cordially supplicate the God of peace to remove all remaining
grievances from such congregations. ARTICLE III.
" Since, during the past troubles, some persons have been ordained
for the holy ministry, whose examination and ordination is not deemed
valid by some of the brethren, yet for peace' sake, rather than that the
contemplated union should not be accomplished, these brethren agree,
that every one whom the reverend Ccetes acknowledges as an ordained
minister, shall be considered as such, and in that capacity take his seat
in our Assemblies, not doubting but the reverend Classis of Amsterdam
will agree with us in this particular. ARTICLE IV.
"Since the reverend Classis of Amsterdam, in one of their last letters,
express themselves favorably of the Rev. Hermanus Meyer, from which
it plainly appears that they would fondly see a reunion between him
and his congregation, if it were possible; we are of opinion, that incase
that reverend brother accedes to the aforesaid articles of union, and sub
jects himself to this arrangement, such subjection is a sufficient ground
to give him, as our esteemed brother, a seat and voice in the above-
mentioned Particular and General Assemblies, whilst the reverend Assem
blies, as soon as they are organized in the manner specified, with the

THE "plan of union. 379
advice of the reverend Classis, will offer their friendly aid for adjusting
the differences between him and the congregation of Kingston, in caso
the wished-for union between them i3 not previously accomplished.

CONCLUDING ARTICLES.
I. Exception.
" The preceding articles shall not be binding in cases where they are
hostile to any privileges granted by charter to any church.
II. Binding force of these Articles.
"As soon as these articles are constitutionally received and approved
by this Assembly, each member shall provisionally give the other the
hand of brotherhood or fellowship, in hopes that the reverend Classis and
our respective congregations will approve and ratify the same, but they
shall not be obligatory before such approbation of them shall be given
by our respective congregations and the reverend Classis.
ARTICLE III.
" Since the Committee have the satisfaction to be unanimous in thoir
opinion on these articles, subject, however, to superior judgment, it is
their cordial desire and prayer, that this reverend Assembly may adopt
the same, that the long-wished-for union may, if possible, be effected
according to these articles, which may the God of peace and love grant
of his mercy.
" New- York, October 18, 1771.
" Signed by the above-mentioned Committee."

380 APPENDIX.

APPENDIX F.
THE REV. DR. HARDENBERGH, FIRST PRESIDENT OF
QUEEN'S COLLEGE.
(Abridged from the Rev. Dr. Messler's " Hollanders in New-Jersey.")
Jacobus Rutsen Hardenbergh was born at Rosendale, Ulster
a co., N. Y., in tho year 1738. He was the son of Joannes Har-
' denbergh, the chief owner of the manorial patent which embraced
the whole of Sullivan and parts of Orange and Sullivan counties.
He was not favored with the same advantages in early life as his
contemporaries, but such was the force of his mind and the ardor
of his application, that he rose to distinguished eminence and in
tho words ofthe Rev. Dr. Romeyn, " was justly esteemed a great
divine." He began his theological studies at Raritan, N. J.,
under the direction of the Rev. John Frelinghuysen, and after his
early and lamented death, married his widow, a woman of
extraordinary endowments of mind, and of very fervent piety,
whose memory, under the familiar name of " Yeffrow Harden
bergh," is still fragrant in the hearts of the pious people of that
region. He completed his theological studies at Schenectady
under the Rev. Dr. Romeyn, and was ordained in 1757. He was
then called to the charge of five congregations in Somerset
county, N. J., namely: Raritan, Bedminster, North-Branch,
Noshanic and Harlingen, among whom he commenced his labors
in May, 1758. The two last mentioned churches withdrew from
the others in 1761 and called a separate minister, the late Rev.
Jno. M. Van Harlingen. During the next year Mr. Hardenbergh

REV. DR. HARDENBERGH. 381
paid a visit to Holland, and is said to have been tho first minister
ordained in America who ever preached in the churches of the
Fatherland. On his return he was made D.D. by the trustees of
Nassau Hall, Princeton.
His ministry at Raritan, which lasted for twenty -five years,
afforded abundant evidence of his energy and zeal; He was
faithful and unwearied in his efforts to stem the dissoluteness
which naturally followed from the disorders of the Revolutionary
contest. As for the contest itself, he was a sterling patriot and
took no pains to conceal his sentiments, but supported the cause
both by his oratory and his pen. He was a friend of Washing
ton, who, when at his head-quarters in the neighborhood, often
visited the Dominie at his parsonage. This made him a special
object of hate to the Tories, and he was compelled for a long
time to sleep with a loaded musket beside his bed. But he
escaped unharmed and remained on his post until near the close
of the war. He was a member of the convention which framed
the first Constitution of New-Jersey. In 1781 he resigned his
call and removed to Mombacus, now Rochester, Ulster Co., N. Y.,
where he labored for several years with his accustomed fidelity
and zeal.
Dr. Hardenbergh, having been ordained by the Ccetus, was of
course a warm supporter of that party. Anxious to secure and
establish the independence of the Church, he was unwearied in
his efforts to provide the means for the instruction of a ministry
at home. It was principally through his influence while settled
at Raritan that the charter of Queen's College was obtained in
1770 from the colonial Governor of New- Jersey. Hence when
the struggle of the Revolution was over and the return of peace
allowed the friends of the institution to proceed with their
measures to endow and organize it, it is not strange that he was
called to be its first president. In obedience to the call he left
his paternal halls in 1786 and removed to New-Brunswick, where,
in connection with his duties in the college, he held the office of
pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church. But the labors of the
station proved too severe for his enfeebled constitution, and he
died of pulmonary disease on the 30th of October, 1790. His
dust mingles with that of Condict, Livingston, DeWitt, Woodhull,

382 APPENDIX.
and Cannon, who like him died while laboring to advance the in
terests of the institution at New-Brunswick. " His piety was
ardent; his labors indefatigable; his ministry greatly blessed;
and when he died he was universally lamented." — (The Rev. Dr.
Romeyn, in the Christian's Magazine.)

REV. THEODORIC ROMEYN, D.D. 383

APPENDIX G.
THE REV. THEODORIC ROMEYN, D.D.
The Rev. Dr. T. Romeyn was one of the brightest ornaments
and most useful mimsters of the Dutch Church. In vigor of in
tellect, learning, piety, and zeal, there were few superior to him ;
and the letters of Dr. L. to him afford a strong attestation of his
eminent worth, and of the great influence which he had in their
assemblies. Of four or five, Dr. Westerlo, Dr. Hardenbergh, Dr.
Meyer, Dr. Romeyn, and Dr. L., whose heads, and hearts, and
hands, had been very remarkably united in some of the most im
portant business of the Church, and who had labored with equal
zeal and perseverance to promote her best interests, the latter
was now the only one left.
The following tribute of respect to the memory of Dr. Romeyn
is given in a volume of the sermons of his distinguished son, the
late Rev. Dr. J. B. Romeyn, of New- York, as an extract from the
funeral sermon preached on the occasion of his death, by his
colleague and successor, the late Rev. John H. Mier. (See Vol.
i. page 194.)
"Tho Rev. Dr. Romeyn possessed a mind strong and energetic and
more than ordinarily comprehensive, capable of viewing things in then-
natures, their connections, their dependencies, and ends. His appre
hension was quick, his understanding clear and informed. His judg
ment was sound and mature, and his memory remarkably retentive. In
tho application of these powers of mind, he was chiefly bent upon his
professional studies. In these ho -most delighted, and labored most of

384 APPENDIX.
all to excel. He was versed in the circles of general science, well read
in history, and had made no mean attainments in the philosophy of the
human mind.
" In the discharge of his ministerial functions, he proved himself an
able minister of the New Testament, a watchman that needed not be
ashamed. As he had loved the doctrines of grace, and had experienced
their power and influence on his own heart, so also he insisted upon
them in his public ministrations. His theme uniformly was Christ and
him crucified. His manner was bold, intrepid, and daring. In the exe
cution of his duties he was neither daunted nor moved. He was the Bo
anerges of the day. When he reproved, the sinner trembled. When
he pronounced Ebal's curses against the wicked, it was like the thun
ders of Sinai. He, however, was not incapable of the pathetic. Ho
could, at times, move the heart and melt tho audience into tears. His
discourses were solid and interesting, oftthmes enlivened by historical
anecdotes. In the introduction of these he was peculiarly happy. He
always entered deep into his subject. His delivery was animated and
unaffected, without ostentation, and becoming his subject. He aimed
at nothing but what was perfectly natural.
"In his intercourse with the world, he supported a becoming dignity.
Independence of sentiment marked his path through its busy rounds.
He knew not how to dissemble. Ho was polite to all, familiar with
few. This rendered the circle of his intimates contracted, and the num
ber of his confidential friends small. In his conversation he was inte
resting, always instructing. His family in him have lost an affectionate
relative, a watchful guardian, and a great example ; the Church a pil
lar, and society an ornament."

REV. DR. G. A. KUYPERS. 385

APPENDIX H.
THE REV. DR. G. A. KUYPERS.
Gerardus A. Kuypers was born of Holland ancestors in the
island of Curacoa, Nov. 16, 1766. He was brought to this
country in early childhood by his father, the Rev. Warmoldus
Kuypers, and received his education in the Academy at Hacken-
sack, N. J., under the late leaAed and pious Dr. Peter Wilson.
His theological studies were pursued under the superintendence
of his father, and of the Rev. Drs. Romeyn and Meyer. Having
been licensed to preach the Gospel by the Particular Synod of
New- York in October, 1787, in the following June he was or
dained to the ministry and installed as a collegiate pastor of the
Reformed Dutch Church of Paramus. Upon a second invitation
from the church of New- York, he became one of its pastors in
connection with the Rev. Drs. Livingston and Linn, his ser
vices being confined to the church in Garden street, where he
was installed as preacher in the Dutch language, by Dr. Living
ston, on the first Lord's day in May, 1789. He continued to
preach in the Dutch, of which he was a finished master, until 1803,
when that language was disused in the services of the sanctuary.
From that time he ministered in equal measure with his col
leagues in all the edifices used for public worship until the month
of June, 1833, when it pleased the Master to call him home. Du
ring his ministry of more than forty-four years he was contem
porary with ten colleagues, five of whom preceded him to the
inheritance above. At the time of his death, he was the senior of
17

386 APPENDIX.
all the pastors of all the denominations in the city of New>
York. It appears by the discourse of the Rev. Dr. Knox, preached
upon the occasion of his death, (from which the preceding details
have been drawn,) that Dr. Kuypers was a man of sound and
well furnished mind, of singularly retentive and accurate memo
ry, of rare self-control, and of a holy, humble, and consistent life.
He was a profound student of the Bible, warmly attached to the
doctrines of grace, and a richly evangelical and practical preacher.
His pastoral gifts were excellent, and his profiting in them ap
peared unto all. He was a man of peace and prudence, even to a
proverb. His end was such as became his life : it was peace-
assured, serene, overflowing peace.

REV DR. ABEEL. 387

APPENDIX I.
THE REV. DR. ABEEL.
John N. Abeel was a native of the city of New- York. Having
made sufficient progress in preparatory studies, at a school in
Morristown, N. J., he entered Princeton College ; and his course
in this institution completed, he commenced the study of law in
New-Brunswick under the late Judge Patterson. In the office of
this gentleman he remained about a year, when, being made ex
perimentally acquainted with the power of divine grace, he left
it and put himself under the care of Dr. Livingston, to study the
ology. Shortly after, receiving the appointment of a tutor of
Princeton College, he repaired thither, and while engaged in the
duties of this station, prosecuted and finished his preparations for
the ministry, under the celebrated Dr. Witherspoon. He was li
censed to preach the Gospel by the Classis of New- York, in the
month of April, 1793. His first settlement was in the second
Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, as a colleague with the
Rev. Dr. Green ; but in the fall of 1795, he accepted a call from
the church of New- York, and removed to this city, where he la
bored in the Gospel, until the commencement of the disease
which terminated in his death. He died in January, 1812, in
the forty -third year of his age. This eminent servant of Christ
was indeed a "beloved minister." His eloquence in the pulpit,
mild, interesting, and persuasive in an uncommon degree ; his
amiable disposition and unassuming manners ; his affable and in
structive conversation; his unaffected piety; his fervent zeal,

388 APPENDIX.
greatly endeared him to the people of his charge, and to the
Church at large. Many precious souls received the grace of God
under his faithful preaching, who will be his glory and his joy in
the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ ; and his great and suc
cessful exertions in behalf of the theological school ought never
to be forgotten.

REV. DR. SCHUREMAN.

APPENDIX J.
THE REV. DRS. SCHUREMAN AND BRODHEAD.
DR. SCHUREMAN.
John Schureman was born Oct. 19, 1778, in the neighborhood
of New-Brunswick. As soon as he was sufficiently initiated in
the learned languages, and other preparatory studies, he became
a member of Queen's College, and was admitted to the degree of
Bachelor of Arts in that institution, Sept. 30, l795,*when he was
not yet seventeen years of age. He pursued the study of theolo
gy under Dr. Livingston, and, in 1800, was licensed to preach
the Gospel. About a year after, he was ordained to the service
of the sanctuary, and installed pastor of the Reformed Dutch
Church at Bedminster, N. J. In 1807, he accepted a call from
the Reformed Dutch Church at Millstone, N. J., and in 1809, he
was called and installed one of the pastors of the Collegiate Re
formed Dutch Church in New- York. He had not been settled long
in the city, before he found his health to fail him, and this contin
uing to be the case more and more, upon receiving an invitation to
occupy the vacancy in Queen's College, occasioned by the death of
Dr. Condict, he resigned his pastoral charge, and removed to New-
Brunswick, in 1811. The college was, for the present at least,
irrecoverably depressed, and all the efforts he could employ to
improve its state, proved unavailing ; but his removal was, by
the divine blessing, the means of restoring his health. In Janua
ry, 1813, he was installed in the pastoral charge ofthe Reformed
Dutch Church in New-Brunswick ; this situation, however, the
failure of his health again soon compelled him to relinquish. In

390 APPENDIX.
October, 1815, the General Synod, as stated above, appointed
him professor of ecclesiastical history, etc., and in May, 1818, his
earthly house was dissolved, and he was translated to an house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, in the 40th year of
his age. His character was well drawn in a few words, in a
letter addressed to the Rev. Dr. Gunn, shortly after his death, by
Dr. Livingston.*
" You knew him. He was mild and pleasant ; discerning and firm ;
steadfast, hut not obstinate ; zealous, but not assuming. The frequent
hemorrhage of his lungs and the habitual weakness of his constitution
prevented him from close and intense studies ; yet he was a good
belles-lettres scholar. His style was correct and pure ; and he made
such progress in the official branches of his professorship, that his
lectures upon ecclesiastical history and pastoral theology were highly
acceptable, and very useful. The suavity of his manners and the pro
priety of his conduct endeared him to the students, and recommended
him to the respect and affection of all who knew him. He was grow
ing into extensive usefulness, and had he Hved, and progressed as he
began, would have become a treasure to the Theological College."
He was truly one of the excellent of the earth, and furnished
with such gifts, natural and acquired, that had his life been
spared he would doubtless have become very distinguished in the
department assigned him. The Church greatly deplored the
loss sustained in his death ; and the following was the expres
sion of the sentiments of the General Synod, in reference to the
event :
" The death of the late professor, Rev. Dr. John Schureman, is an
event which, however it may have been his incalculable gain, is deeply
to be deplored by us. So amiable were his manners, so undoubted his
piety, so acceptable his services, and so flattering were the prospects,
as to his usefulness to the Church, that we can not but mourn that such
a man is removed from our institution. But it is the Lord's will, and
wo are to be resigned ; besides, the cause of our college we trust is tho
Lord's cause, and wo aro assured that it shall be promoted." At the
next session of Synod, it was resolved, " that a plain tombstone bo
erected ovor his grave, with a suitable inscription, declaring tho import-

REV. DR. BRODHEAD. 391
ant station he occupied in tho Church, and the esteem which this body
will long cherish for one whoso praise was in all the churches."

DR. BRODHEAD.
The following sketch of Dr. Brodhead's life and labors is
abridged from the narrative given at his funeral, June 8, 1855, by
the Rev. Thomas DeWitt, D.D.
" Jacob Brodhead was born at Marbletown, Ulstor Co., N. Y., on
the 14th of May, 1782, of an old New- York family. His father was an
officer in the Revolutionary army, and was present in command of a
company of grenadiers at Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga. In-1794
young Jacob commenced to study tho languages under the Rev.
Abraham Van Home of Rochester, and at different periods subsequent
ly continued his studies at Schenectady and Kingston. In November,
1199, he entered the junior class in Union College, and was graduated in
the spring of 1801. He pursued his theological studies at first under
the Rev. Dr. Frasligh, at Hackensack, N. J., and afterwards under his
uncle, the Rev. Dr. Theodoric Romeyn, at- Schenectady ; during the
latter period he also held the office of tutor in Union College.
" In April, 1804, he was licShsed to preach by the Classis of Albany,
and immediately received a* call to the Reformed Dutch Church at
Rhinebeck Flats, where he was ordained and installed in the following
October. In the same month he was married to Eliza, daughter of John
N. Bleecker, of Albany.
" The general character of Dr. Brodhead, and the popularity of his
public services, attracted attention from other parts of the Church. Iu
November. 1809, he received a call from the Collegiate Reformed Dutch
Church in this city, which he accepted ; and on the -morning of Sunday
the 11th of December following, he and the Rev. John Schureman
were installed as colleagues with Doctors Livingston, Kuypers, and
Abeel. The same afternoon Dr. Brodhead preached his introductory
sermon in the Middle Church, from the text in 2 Cor. 12: 14: 'Fori
seek not yours, but you.'
"Dr. Brodhead's ministrations in the Collegiate Church wero very
acceptable and useful, and ho won his way into the affections' and
respect of the people, many of whom still hold his labors here in grate
ful remembrance. He was active and earnest, as well in the Church as

392 APPENDIX.
out of it. Having been appointed in 1811, during the war, by Governor
Tompkins, chaplain of a regiment of artillery, he constantly visited the
troops at their station in the performance of his duty. In 1812, he was
elected one ofthe trustees of Queen's (now Rutgers) College ; and it is
but just to say, that no one of his associates in that Board, during the
many years he held a seat in it, surpassed him in devoted and intelli
gent service in behalf of the institution.
" A new enterprise, however, had been started, for the extension of
the Reformed Dutch Church in the State of Pennsylvania ; and Dr.
Brodhead was appealed to, as the agent to carry it into effect. In the
summer of 1813 he was urgently solicited by the congregation in
Crown street to go to Philadelphia, and undertake the establishment of
the first Reformed Dutch Church in that city. He yielded to these
solicitations, res igned his position in the Collegiate Church, and went
to Philadelphia in September of that year. In his labors in that sphere
he was eminently successful. He took a high stand at once among the
clergy in that city. The venerable Bishop White, Dr. Milnor, and Mr.
Boyd, of the Episcopal Church ; Dr. Green, Dr. Potts, and Dr. Janeway,
of the Presbyterian ; Dr. Helmuth, Dr. Staughton, and other eminent
ministers of other denominations, were among his warmest friends.
The Rev. Joseph Eastburn, well known as " Father Eastburn," the
seaman's friend, was very intimate with him, and frequently assisted
him in his pulpit services. A second Reformed Dutch Church was
organized under Dr. Brodhead's auspices, and for several years was
ministered to by the Rev. David Parker. Another was established in
Spring Garden, which was ministered to, during his residence in Phila
delphia, first by the Rev. Brogun Hoff, and afterwards by tho
Rev. Jacob C. Sears. The congregation and the membership of
the Crown-street Church continually increased until they became strong
and prosperous. The blessing of the Head of the Church rested upon
his ministry during its continuance there for twelve years, in which time
he declined several invitations to other places, among which was Mar
ket street, in this city, where a new Reformed Dutch Church had been
organized. He was also strongly urged to accept a call from the Van-
dewater-street Church; and overtures were made to him to become
President of the Theological Seminary at Carlisle.
"In the spring of 182G, Dr. Brodhead returned to New- York,
having accepted a call from the Reformed Dutch Church in Broome
street, which was then in a weak condition. Old friends greeted his
return warmly ; and many flocked to attend his preaching. His church

REV. DR. BRODHEAD. 393
was soon filled. Nor did he neglect the calls of duty and benevolence
in various departments. Among other efforts of this character, he took
an active part in the first steps toward the foundation of the present
New- York University. He remained the acceptable and useful pastor
ofthe Broome-street Church until October, 1837 ; when, for the benefit
of his wife's health, and having purchased a country residence on the
margin ofthe Hudson river, he removed to Saugerties, in Ulster county,
and accepted a call from the church at Flatbush, in its vicinity, a few
miles north of Kingston.
" In the spring of 1841, after much solicitation, Dr. Brodhead was
prevailed upon to give up his residence in the country, and become the
minister of the Central Reformed Dutch Church iu Brooklyn, in which
charge he continued until October, 1846, when he relinquished it. From
this time he resided alternately at Brooklyn, New- York, and Spring
field, with different branches of his family, almost constantly performing
ministerial services for vacant churches, or in aid of his brethren. In
October, 1854, he visited New- York, and remained with his only son
during the winter. He preached once on each Sunday during the
winter, in the Broome-street Church, which was then vacant, and in
the Collegiate churches. His last sermon was preached in the Ninth-
street Church, on the first Sunday in March, upon the parable of tho
Pharisee and Publican, Luke 18 : 9, etc.
" Soon afterwards his health failed, and he returned to his daughter's
residence at Springfield towards the end of April, in the hope that a
change of air would be beneficial. In this he was disappointed. Dis
ease "rapidly advanced and took firmer and deeper hold. But the love
of that truth which he preached so earnestly in life, was strong in
death. He looked serenely at the approach of the destroyer with firm
confidence in Christ, until at last, on the morning of Wednesday, the
6th of June, surrounded by his surviving family, he gently and peace
fully fell asleep in the faith and hope of that Saviour whom he had
loved and served.
" The piety of Dr. Brodhead, springing up in early life, was deep
and tender. It was not impulsive and spasmodic, but springing from
the living fountain— ' the well of water within the soul, springing up
into everiasting Ufe'— and it was steady and even, expanding and deep
ening in its onward course. It intermingled with all his studies, labors,
and Associations in life, and stamped the character of his ministerial
and pastoral services. His sentiments were strictly and decidedly
evangelical, in close conformity to the Church of his fathers, which he
17*

894 APPENDIX.
loved and served. They were ever prominent in his preaching, clothed
in the mould of experience and practice. He was distinguished by the
great tenderness of feeling which characterized his preaching and his
pastoral intercourse with his people. Those who attended his minis
trations remember how often, in the fullness of his emotions, his voice
faltered, and tears flowed forth, as he besought smners to be reconciled
unto God, and dwelt upon the love and grace of Christ. His manner
was simple, chaste, animated, and effective. His prominent character
istic was that of a ' son of consolation ; ' but, knowing the ' terrors of the
Lord,' he could employ them in order to 'persuade men.' His appeals
to the impenitent were often most bold and pungent, but they were
ever in the spirit of Paul, who said : ' Of whom I have told you often,
and tell you even now, weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross
of Christ.'
"Dr. Brodhead combined the strongest and most uncompromising
attachment to the doctrines and order of his own Church, with an en
larged charity towards, and the kindest friendly intercourse with, evan
gelical Christians of different denominations. His spirit was large,
loving, and catholic. The courtesy and amenity of his manners, tho
faithfulness and acceptableness of his preaching, and his benevolent
pastoral intercourse, left a sweet savor of affectionate regard in every
church where he ministered ; and in his visits to them afterwards, and
in supplying his old pulpits, he was ever most ardently greeted. Not a
ruffle of feeling in all his pastoral charges was ever found. He has
now received the end of his faith — the salvation of his soul.

REV. ELIAS VAN BUNSCHOOTEN. 395

APPENDIX K.
THE REV. ELIAS VAN BUNSCHOOTEN.
The following notice is abridged from the Rev. Dr. McClure's
article in the New-Brunswick Review, February, 1855 :
" Elias Van Bunschooten [this mode of spelling the name is adopted
because it is the one which is found on his college diploma, and which
he was wont to use himself] was born at New-Hackensack, Dutchess
county, N. Y., on the 26th of October, 1138. AU that is known of his
early education is, that he was honorably graduated from Nassau Hall,
in October, 1768. He afterwards studied for the ministry with the
Rev. Harmannus Meyer, of Kingston, and the pupil reflected honor on
his worthy instructor. Living tradition speaks of Mr. Van Bunschoo
ten as a scholar and lover of learning. This is also indicated by the
collection of books he left at his death. The venerable tomes of Dutch
and Latin divinity and commentary, show plainly enough what were
his favorite studies. It is, perhaps, a still better proof of his proficiency
that persons residing on the field of his later labors ascribe the present
high state of mental and moral culture there very much to the influence
of his able and learned ministry.
" He was licensed to preach in 1773. His first settement in the min
istry was at Schaghticoke, on the Hudson, where he labored in the Gos
pel for several years. We know not why he left that place in 1785
The rest of his life was spent in missionary labor, in the beautiful Kit-
titiny Valley, which, with a breadth varying from ten to twenty miles.
extends more than a hundred miles from the Delaware to the Hud
son. This valley has a water-shed each way, the Paulin's kill and the
Wall kill having their sources near together — the former running into
the Delaware, and the latter into the Hudson. This valley comprises

396 APPENDIX.
nearly the whole of the counties of Warren and Sussex, in New-Jersey,
and of Orange and Ulster in New- York. It is one of the finest and
healthiest grazing and dairy regions in this country, but was very
thinly peopled at the close of the Revolutionary war. Though lying
mostly within fifty or a hundred miles of our great commercial empo
rium, this was then a frontier region.
"May 11, 1785, Mr. Van Bunschooten received a call from three
consistories, combined in one charge. He accepted the call on the
9th of July, and was duly installed on the 29th of August, by his old
and intimate friend, Dr. Jacob R. Hardenbergh. His parochial charge
extended to the magnificent length of fifty miles, through which the
settlers' axes had forced a few rough horse-tracks. One of these three
preaching stations was Magagkamack, near the romantic spot now
known to travellers over the Erie railroad as Port Jarvis. Another of
these stations was Minisink, and the tliird was Walpack, occupying an
angle of the Delaware, where three States — New- York, New-Jersey,
and Pennsylvania — corner on each other. His stipend of a little more
than a hundred pounds, was raised by the three congregations in un
equal proportions. There is a local tradition, that a deacon who collected
his pittance in Minisink, defaulting in payment, mortgaged his farm to
the dominie as security. Tho mortgage was foreclosed after he had
ceased to minister in that place, and was given to the church for a par
sonage. " It was while he tended this triple charge, that the Clove church
was formed. This place had its name from the Dutch kloof, a valley
cloven by a stream ; and it makes a part of the wealthy township of
Wantage. It was here that he closed his useful life. The inhabitants,
to the number of fifty-eight, in an instrument bearing date August 21,
1787, petitioned the reverend Classis of New-Brunswick to organize a
church among them. In this paper they say : ' Our ancestors, a few
in number, who formerly belonged to the Low Dutch Reformed Church,
settled our country about forty years since. During part of that time
the Rev. Mr. Thomas Romine, by permission of his church-council and
people of tho Minisinks, preached some of his time amongst us. By
his leaving there, we again became destitute, till the Rev. Mr. Bun
schooten was installed in Minisinks congregations, who labored some
time amongst us ; and whose labor, to appearance, has been attended
with the blessings of God, so as we have upwards of thirty communi
cant members amongst us.' On the 16th of September, the Classis took
order for the formation of the new church, and appointed Mr. Van

REV. ELIAS VAN BUNSCHOOTEN. 397
Bunschooten to attend the duty and to ordain the officers. This ac
cordingly took place, with due and deliberate slowness, on the 16th
day of April, in the following year. The church was constituted with
fifty members, of whom the males were equal in number with the
females. " He seems to have taken up his abode at the Clove in 1792, though
still dispersing his efforts as widely as before. In 1799, at a meeting
of the three consistories of Minisink, Walpaek, and the Clove, it was
agreed to separate. His field was now reduced, though still quite ex
tensive, to the latter congregation, having for an out-station Magag-
kamack; or, as it was called in common parlance, ' Over-the-moun-
tain.' In a communication to the Classis, at this time, the Consistory
of the Clove solicit that the separation of the congregations may not
disturb the pastoral relation between the Consistory and Mr. Van
Bunschooten; 'forasmuch,' say they, 'as he is willing to serve us as
many Sabbaths per year as we can reward ; for we are persuaded we
can not obtain a sufficient support for a minister of the Gospel with a
family; besides, our evangelic preacher has purchased a farm, and the
days that the Lord will suffer him to live, he means to spend amongst
us.' "Here he ' wrought with labor and travail,' like the unmarried apos
tle, and rejoiced to see some increase of his spiritual children, giving
him 'a name better than that of sons and daughters.' He seems to
have enjoyed a precious season of revival in 1803, during the spring
and summer of which year forty-two were added, by confession, to the
communion of the Church. In consequence of his advanced age, he
ceased from acting as pastor, after the commencement ofthe year 1812,
though still retaining the confidence and affection ofthe people. Here,
by the blessing of God upon his inherited industry and frugality, Mr.
Van Bunschooten rapidly increased his worldly substance. From the
accumulations of his later years, he was enabled to become a bountiful
benefactor of the Church of his fathers, as well as to leave to his favorite
nephew, who was the staff of his old age, a fair domain of some seven
hundred acres of hill and dale, together with other possessions, which
still remain, with ample additions, in the possession of that estima
ble and honored family. May they follow him also to the possession of
a better heritage on high.
"His public ministrations were performed, as occasion required,
either in Dutch or English. He spoke extemporaneously, though he
wrote out a very brief outline of the course of remark to be pursued.

398 APPENDIX.
These ' skeletons' are all in the Dutch language, and amply show that
the strain of his preaching was highly evangelical. He was clear and
distinct in argument, and altogether Scriptural in his matter. He did
not ordinarily use loudness of voice, or much of what Cicero calls the
' sermo corporis ;' but still delivered the Gospel message with an ear
nest and holy unction. We doubt not there rests upon him the ' bless
ing of many who were ready to perish.'
During his last illness, which was somewhat protracted and painful,
he was patient and submissive, and died in that peace of God he had
so long proclaimed, as an ambassador of Heaven in a rebellious world.
He died in January, 1810, and was buried at the Clove ; but in 1817
tho General Synod of the Dutch Church, in grateful memory of their
benefactor, procured the removal of his remains to the church-yard of
the First R. D. Church in New-Brunswick, where they now rest under a
durable monument, with a suitable inscription. His donation was, so far
as is known, the first endowment in our country for theological educa
tion, so far as we are informed. By it, sixty Christian ministers at
least, among whom are the honored names of Abeel, Thompson, and
Pohlman, are computed to have been aided in their preparation for their
work."

REV. PASCHAL N. STRONG. 399

APPENDIX L.
THE REV. PASCHAL N. STRONG.
Paschal Nelson Strong was born at Setalkel, township of
Brookhaven, Long-Island, on the 16th of February, 1793. His
preparatory studies were pursued under the care of the Rev.
John McDonald, of Albany. He entered the Freshman class of
Columbia College in the autumn of 1806, being then only thir
teen years of age ; but such was the completeness of his prepara
tion, that he at once took rank at the head of the class, a posi
tion which he maintained until his graduation in 1810, when he
received from the faculty the highest academical honors of the
institution, and from his class-mates the appointment of valedic
tory orator. Soon after, he entered the theological seminary of
the Associate Reformed Church, then under the care of that dis
tinguished man, the Rev. John M. Mason. D.D. On the comple
tion ofthe prescribed course of study, in the spring of 1815, he was
licensed to preach the Gospel by the Presbytery of New- York.
On the 14th of July, 1816, he was (in connection with the
Rev. John Knox, D.D.) ordained and installed as one of the pas
tors of the Collegiate Church of New- York. In this station he
continued to labor with great ability and acceptance until the
month of December, 1824, when, his health having become im
paired, he sailed to the island of St. Thomas, for the purpose of
recruiting. But the voyage was stormy, and severe exposure
aggravated his disease. After his arrival, he occasionally rallied,
but gradually grew worse, until April 7, 1825, when he entered
into rest. His ministry was comparatively short ; but few men

400 APPENDIX.
have ever left behind them such deeply-traced memorials of pow
er and zeal. Many of his old parishioners, even after the lapse
of more than thirty years, speak with affectionate pride of his
rare and fervid eloquence.
The following notice of his character is taken from the conclu
sion of a sermon, preached on the occasion of his death, by the
Rev. Dr. Knox, one of his colleagues :
" His disposition was amiable. He was tenderly attached to his
family. His manners were courteous. His spirit was resolute and
generous almost to a fault. His mind was gifted in more than an or
dinary degree ; and his opportunities of improvement were not neglect
ed. With a memory peculiarly tenacious, and the power of precise
and accurate discrimination, for one of his years, his attainments, espe
cially in classical and critical learning, may, without exaggeration, be
pronounced eminent. In scholarship he excelled, and critical research
was with him a favorite employment.
"He wrote with elegance and force. His discourses were clear, ac
curate and tasteful; his style copious and adorned; his voice melo
dious ; his enunciation easy and natural ; his preaching evangelical and
faithful."

REV. DR. WOODHULL. 401

APPENDIX M.
THE REV. DR. WOODHULL.
Selah S. Woodhull was born in New- York, August 4, 1786.
When only twelve years of age, he had the misfortune to
lose both his parents. He was at that time a member of the
Freshman class in Columbia College, but was immediately re
moved to Yale College, where he completed his academical
course. Soon after he was graduated, he commenced the study
of theology, under his uncle, the Rev. John Woodhull, of Freehold,
N. J., and prosecuted it with such zeal and success that he was
licensed to preach the Gospel by the presbytery of New-Bruns
wick when only in his nineteenth year. He was first settled as
a pastor in the Presbyterian church at Boundbrook, N. J. ; but
after laboring there for about a year, was called to succeed the
Rev. John B. Johnson in the charge of the Reformed Dutch
Church of Brooklyn, where he was installed in the autumn of
1806. Here he labored for nearly twenty years with great po
pularity and usefulness. Being endowed with an unusual facuL
ty for business, he soon became a prominent member of the
judicatories of the Church, and had a large share in devising
and executing almost all the important arrangements connected
with the transfer of the theological school to New-Brunswick.
He was also for many years the able and indefatigable Domestic
Secretary of the American Bible Society.
In 1825 he was appointed Professor of Ecclesiastical History,
Church Government, and Pastoral Theology in the Theological
Seminary, and of Metaphysics and the Philosophy of the Human

402 APPENDIX.
Mind in the College. He accepted these appointments, and re
moved to New-Brunswick in the autumn of the same year. For
the duties of this position he was exceedingly well qualified, and
he entered upon them with such zeal and energy as to excite the
highest hopes of his future usefulness and success. But these
hopes were soon extinguished by his decease in the following
February. The news of his death was received with great and general
sorrow. His congregation gave a substantial exhibition of their
sense of his ministerial faithfulness to them and their affectionate
regard to his memory, by a liberal gratuity to his widow. The
General Synod took the following action : " This Synod Resolve,
That while they humbly submit to the inscrutable Providence
which has so soon and so suddenly called him away from these
important stations, in the prime of life and in the midst of the
fairest prospects of usefulness, they can not but lament, and they
do deeply lament, the loss which the institution and the Church
have sustained in his death. And as tho piety, talents and ac
quirements of one so highly valued justly claim some public token
of respect, this Synod further Resolve, To have placed over the
grave of Professor Woodhull a neat plain monument, with a suit
able inscription, commemorative of his character and worth."
This monument was erected, and now stands in the church-yard
at New-Brunswick.

INDEX

Abeel, Eev. Dr., notice of, 88T : called to
New-York, 219.
Address of the Classical Letter from Am
sterdam noticed, 183.
Albany, church formed there, 45; Dr.
L.'s residence there, 151.
Ancestry of Dr. Livingston, 12-15.
Associate Eef. Church, correspondence
with, 172.
Attachment of Dr. L. to evangelical truth.

Baptism by sprinkling in a Baptist church
111.
Basset, Eev, -John, D.D., Professor of
Hebrew. 232.
Bedford, Dr. L.'s residence at, 219; re
moval from, 220.
Bogardns, Rev. Evcrardus, first minister
in New-Netherlands, 45.
Bonnet, Professor, 78; chief instructor of
Dr. It., 80 ; recommends him as pro
fessor, 146.
Bork, Eev. Christian, converted under
Dr. L., 154.
Brodhead, Eev. Dr., called to New-York,
241 ; notice of, 391.
Bunyan's " Grace Abounding" alarms
Mr. L., 23.

Call to the ministry, Mr. L.'s anxiety con
cerning, 37, 38.
Clapp, Eev. Thomas, President of Yale
College, 17.
Classis of Amsterdam controls the Ame
rican churches, 48 ; deemed tho only
valid source of ordination, 49 ; approves
of the Coetus, 51 ; sends Dr. Laidlie to
New- York, 62 ; licenses Dr. Livingston,
125 ; tries to reconcile Ccetus and Con
ferentie, 137

Classis, proposal to form one in A.merica,53.
Colonizing converted Jews, Dr. L.'s letter
on, 304.
Condict, Eev. Lewis, D.D., 259; death of,
263. '
Craumel, Bartholomew, Esq., 18 ; Mr. L.
studies law with, 19.
Ccetus proposed, 50 ; formed, 51.
Conference at Utrecht, 1(J9.
Conferentie, members of, 54; name as
sumed, 54.
Consistory of New- York call an English
preacher, 62 ; have a civil suit against
them, 65; call Dr. Livingston, 124;
invite a convention of ministers and
elders, 133; excuse Dr. L. from part of
his services, 219 ; consent to his remov
al to New-Brunswick, 248.
" Consolers ofthe Sick," 44.
Convention of 1771, 139; of 1773, 144; of
1775,147; of 1784, 367.
Constitution of the Chnrch prepared by
Dr. L. and Dr. Eomeyn, 194 ; adopted
by the Synod, 199.
Conversion of Dr. Livingston, 28 ; of a
stranger by him, 103; of a student at
law, 104; of a doctor of philosophy,
105-108 ; of a young man, 334 ; of Eev.
C. Bork, 154 ; of a lady, 329.

Death of an Infant, Dr. L.'s letterg upon,
307, 309.
Degree of D.D. conferred on Mr. Living
ston, 180 ; Tres. Daggers request to seo
the diploma of, 143.
De Eonde, Eev. Mr., opposes English
preaching, 88; death of, 164.
De Witt, Kev. Thomas, appointed Profes
sor in Theo. Sem., 294; account of Dr.
Brodhead quoted, 391.
De Witt, Eev. John, appointed professor,
^-98 ; sermon quoted, 144.

404

INDEX.

Discretion of Dr. L., 321.
Divinity of Christ, Dr. L.'s conflict con
cerning, 25.
Doddridge's " Eise and Progress" useful
to Mr. L., 24.
Dutch Missionary Society, 302 ; Dr. L.'s
approval of, 303.

Elsuerus, Professor, 96 : his prayers, 99.
English language introduced into the
Church, 57; controversy it occasions,
61, 65, 83-89 ; induces many to become
Episcopalians, 67.
Episcopal Church established by law in
New- York, 58; Mr. L.'s views of, 70.
Erskine, Dr. John, letters of 169,170.
Ex-king of Spain's interview with Dr. L.,

Flatbush, Dr. L.'s residence there, 177,
180, 182.
Fletcher, Governor, bigotry of, 57.
Forrest, Eev. Eobert's letter on Dr. L.'s
character, 331.
Frelinghuysen, Eev. J. T., nottco of, 359 :
his children, 361.
Froeligh, Rev. Sol. D.D., appointed Pro
fessor of Theology, 226.
Funeral service, published by Dr. L., 260.

Garden-street . Church, reopened, 164;
Dutch preaching in by Dr. Kuypers, 385.
Graham, Eev. Chauncey, teaches young
Livingston, 16.
Green, Dr. Ashbel's letter on Dr. Living
ston, 332.

Hardenberg, Eev. J. E.'s letter to Dr. L.,
141 ; Dr. L.s letter to him, 187 ; notice
of, 380.
Holland, residence of Livingston of An
crum there, 357 ; i -f Dr. Livingston, 95 ;
state of religion in 1814, 278.
Holy days, Dr. L.'s vi-^ws of, 122 ; usages
concerning, 123.
Huff, Mrs. B., death of, 294.

Inaugural oration, Dr. L.'s., 163.

Janeway, Eev. Dr.'s lottcr on Dr. L.'s
character, 333.
Journal of Dr. Livingston burned, 152.
Justification by faith, Dr. L.'s conflict
concerning, 26.

Kennicott, Dr. L.'s visit to, 130.
Kent, Eev. Moss, Mr. L.'s tutor, 16.
Kingston, Dr. L.'s residence thorc,150.

Knox, Eev. John, D.D., his account of Dr.
Kuyper's quoted, 386 ; of Kev. P. N.
Strong, 400.
Kunzie, Eev. Dr., notice of, 210.
Kuypers, Eev. Dr., notice of, 385 ; called to
New-York, 182.
Laidlie, Eev. Dr., account of, 62 ; called to
New-York, 62 ; usefulness, 64 ; first in
terview with Dr. Livingston, 75 ; let
ters from 90, 91 ; death of 164.
Latin language, Dr. L.'s familiarity with,
97, 336.
" Line of Influence,1' 154.
Linn, Eev. Dr., called to New-York, 181 ;
retires from active service, 236; death,
236 ; Dr. L.'s opinion of, 181.
Livingston of Ancrum, sketch of, 851.
Livingston, Henry, 15.
Livingston, John H., born, 162 ; educated,
17 : in college, 18 ; studies law, 19 ; is
converted, 28 ; studies theology, 37 ;
goes to Holland, 77 ; studies at Utrecht,
80; usefulness there, 103; meets Dr.
Witherspoon, 112; licensed, 125; ob
tains degree of D.D., 130; called to
New-York, 126; ordained, 128; re
turns to America, 131 ; success, 134,
178; presides in Convention ol 1771,
139 ; marries, 149 ; resides at Kingston,
150 ; Albany, 151 ; Poughkeepsie, 154 ;
returns to New-York, 162; apDointed
Professor of Theology, 167; rem ves to
Long-Island, 219 ; returns to New-
York, 227; selects psalmody, 184; re
vises constitution, 194; missionary zeal,
239; made President of Queen's Col
lege, 245 ; goes to New- Brunswick, 256 ;
procures Van Ben Schooten fund, 250 ;
publishes a funeral service, 260 ; again
revises psalmody, 261 ; has assistant
professors, 283; health declines, S06;
death, 312; funeral, SIS; epitaph, 814;
character, 816.
Livingston, Philip, 147.
Livingston, Mrs. Sarah, marriage o£ 149 ;
death of, 271 ; epitaph, 275.
Livingston, Eobert, sketch of, 14.
Lott, Abraham, letter from, S3.
Ludlow, Kev. Dr., chosen Professor of
Biblical Literature, 298.

Maclure, Eev. Dr., hia article in North-
British Eeview quoted, 154.
Marriage of a deceased wife's sister, Dr.
L. publishes on, 234, 843.
Marselus, Eev. Dr., his sermon quoted,
827.
Mason, Eev, Dr. John, notice of, 210.
Meyer, Kev. Dr. Hermanus, notice of,
193.
Miller, Eev, Dr.'s, character of Dr. L.,
337.

INDEX.

405

Messier, Eev. Dr.'s, Hollanders in New-
Jersey, quoted, 359, 3S0.
Methodists, Dr. L.'s opinion of, 191.
Missions, Dr. L.'s zeal for, 239 : sermons
on, 289, 343.
Murray, Lindley and John, letters from,
211, 212.
New-Netherlands, first sett.emen of, 43 ;
character of the settlers, 46.
North-Dutch Church bnilt,120; opened,
125.

Organization, progress of in the Dutch
Church, 107.

Plan of Union, 372.
Prayer, Mr. L.'s early fondness for, 21 ;
afterward, 98, 828, 330 ; answers to, 63,
82 ; means of a lady's conversion, 829.
Presbyterian ChuTch, Mr. L.'s views of,
70 ; correspondence with. 172.
Providence, interposition of, 34; tempta
tion to deny, 99.
Psalms and hymns, first selection of, 1S4 ;
second, 261.

Queen's College, origin of charter of, 369 ;
proposed union of with Princeton, 203 ;
revived in 1807, 239 ; covenant of trus
tees of with Synod, 239 ; Dr. L. Presid
ent of, 259 ; plan to convert into a theo
logical college, 276, 281 ; failure of the
plan, 283 ; name changed to Eutgers,
301 ; prosperity of, 302.

Eenslacr, his case noticed, 49, 50.
Eitzema, Eev. Mr., his prudence, 88 ;
thought of as divinity professor in
King's College, 115.
Eodgers, Eev. John, D.D., Dr. L.'s inti
macy with, 210.
Eomeyn, Eev. Joremiah, appointed Pro
fessor of Hebrew, 234.
Eomeyn, Eev. John B., Dr. L.'s letter to,
232; his letter to Dr. L., 278.
Eomeyn, Eev. Theodorick, notice of, 383 ;
called to Now- York, 178; aids to pre
pare the constitution, 194; appointed
Pres. of Queen's College, Professor of
Theology, 226.

Schorelenburg, Eev. Mr.. 79; Dr. L.'s
visits to, 80, 81.
Schureman, Eev. Dr., notice of, 3S9 ;
called to Now-York, 241 ; to professor
ship in Seminary, 283.
Scriptures, Dr. L., searches, 9

Scudder, Dr. John, notico of his conver
sion, 154.
State University, Dr. L.'s letter concern
ing, 165.
Strong, Eev. P. N, notice of, 399 ; founder
ofthe Dutch Miss. Society, 302.

Tenderness of Dr. L. to the young, 326.
Theatre, Dr. L's opinion of, 73, 74.
Theological school formed in New- York,
, removed to Flatbush, 177 ; to Bed
ford, L. I., 219; to New-York, 227;
Slan altered, 227, 283; removed tu
"ew-Brunswlck, 240 ; a second pro
posed, 284, 269 ; endowed, 300, 301.
Trustees in Dutch Churches, Act of Legis
lature concerning, 175 ; Dr. L. gets it
filtered, 177.

Union College, Dr. L.'s letter concerning,
174.
Utrecht, the University of, 78, 95.

Yan Aarsdaalen, Eev. Simeon, called to
New- York, 171.
Yan Benschooten, Kev. Elias, notice of,
895 ; Dr. L.'s letter to, 250 ; his bequest,
256 ; loss of his brother, 34, 35.
Voice, Mr. L.'s naturally weak, 121, 885.

Webster, Eev. Dr., notice of, 193 ; has Dr.
L. for colleague in Albany, 151 ; Dr.
L.'s letter to, 155; death of, 193.
West-India Company favor churches and
schools in New-Netherlands, 45.
Whitfield, sermon affects Dr. L., 32;
meets Frelinghuysen, 860.
Witherspoon, Dr., meets Dr. L. in Hol
land, 112; confers as to a connection
of the Dutch Seminary with Princeton.
114, 119.
Woodhull, the Eev. Dr.', notice of, 401.

Yale College, education at, 17; Mr. L.
onters, 17; is graduated, 18.

3 9002 00749 3118

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