DUTCH REFORMED.

BY W. C. BROWNLEE, D. D.,

OF THE PROTESTANT DUTCH REFORMED CHURCH IN NEW YORK.

In presenting this brief detail, I shall,

I. Give a sketch of the history of our church;

II. State its doctrines;

III. Its government;

IV. Its form of worship;

V. Its statistics.

I. The Dutch Reformed Church is the oldest church in the United States which adopts the Presbyterian form of church government. Its history begins with the history of New York and New Jersey. It is a branch of the national Church of Holland; and is formed exactly on its primitive, simple, and scriptural model, in every point.

The struggle in Holland for religion and liberty was severe and protracted. But, by wisdom and piety in the cabinet, and by a succession of gallant achievements in the field, against the arms of the bigoted and ferocious Spaniard, the Dutch by divine aid secured their national independence and the enjoyment of the Protestant religion. From this era the Dutch became a great and powerful nation. Commerce, literature and religion flourished to an extraordinary degree. And to our days, Holland has been pre-eminently distinguished for her devotion to religion and literature. Hence her primary schools, her academies, her universities, and parochial churches, and hence the number of her learned men, and her pious and devoted ministers in the national church. In the midst of her extensive commercial enterprises she did not lose sight of the Christian duties she owed to those with whom she traded. Her ships, which visited all lands, were instrumental, in the hands of her pious sons, of carrying the glorious gospel to many countries. The East Indies and the adjacent islands, the West Indian Islands, and our own continent, bear lasting

proofs of this in the existing monuments of the fruits of the labours of her missionaries and pious immigrants.

The Dutch West India Company were the first who carried the ministers of the gospel from Holland to our shores. This was done in answer to the petitions of the pious immigrants who had settled in this province, then called New Amsterdam. And as the members of the Dutch West India Company were citizens of Amsterdam, these petitions were, of course, put into the hands of the ministers of that city, as the fittest persons to select good and suitable pastors for the rising churches abroad. By these ministers was the whole management thereof brought before the Classis of Amsterdam; and they promptly undertook the important charge of providing an able ministry for America. The ministers, thus provided, were ordained and sent as missionaries to these shores, by that classis, with the consent and approbation of the Synod of North Holland, to which that classis belonged. And under their paternal and fostering care, and the labour of the able ministers who came among them, these churches grew and increased in number and strength continually.

This minute detail was necessary to throw light on an important. matter, out of which arose consequences, in future of the deepest interest to our church. It reveals the reason why the Dutch American churches were brought into such close connexion with the Classis of Amsterdam, and through that classis, with the Synod of North Holland, to the entire exclusion of all the other classes and synods of the national church. And it shows why, in process of time, this connexion brought about the entire dependence, and the implicit subordination of these American Dutch churches to that classis and that synod. So much so, that they claimed the entire and exclusive right of selecting, ordaining and sending ministers to these churches. They went farther; they claimed the exclusive power of deciding all ecclesiastical controversies and difficulties which might arise in all the Dutch churches in the provinces.

This was, at first, casually, and by a silent understanding, vested in that classis, by the young and weak churches here, and not objected to by the other synods in Holland, or by the older and more experienced ministers. This dependence was not at first anticipated; and what was only casually allowed, was afterwards claimed by the Classis of Amsterdam with unyielding obstinacy; and it was maintained successfully by a party here, as well as by the members of that classis who had so long held the authority, and who deemed that supervision essential to the well being of the churches here. It is difficult to suppose that such godly ministers as belonged to the Classis

of Amsterdam could wish to retain the reins and authority so stiff over a body of ministers, and over so many churches, whose members were so far removed from and beyond their actual cognizance and supervision. Besides, it was a matter of surprise that they should so long submit to the trouble, and take on them the painful responsibility of regulating the affairs and doings of those churches, whom they could not call before them; and of trying cases in the absence of the accused, and without the benefit of witnesses, unless at great expense and ruinous loss of time to all parties. Besides, had even the Classis of Amsterdam moved, at an early period, the North Synod of Holland to constitute an American classis subordinate and connected, like the other classes of that synod, a vast amount of good would have been gained, and an immense amount of evil avoided. Had that been done at an early day, the two parties, with their great contentions, would never have been known, and the painful divisions and controversies would have been spared to the Reformed Dutch churches, and their reproach among the other denominations and their injury utterly prevented. And had the ministers here united to maintain this happy policy, their good-will would have been induced to yield to their vassalage. But, instead of this, those ministers who came from Holland cherished their home attachments, and maintained the unbounded authority of the old Classis of Amsterdam, who had sent them out, and had loaded them with so many favours, to superintend their churches and to decide on their appeals. They used all their influence to preserve that connexion with the old classis and its vassalage. They represented the American churches as very weak and destitute, and as utterly incapable of acting independent of their ecclesiastical fathers in Holland, and even of supplying their own wants.

It must be admitted that there was the greatest cause of gratitude on the part of the colonial young churches. They had never been weaned, and they were supported chiefly by the old country, not only the churches here, but also those in the East Indies, and in the West India Isles. They had kept up a regular and cheering correspondence; and had lavished their generous charities in making their missionaries comfortable. And those noble deeds the Dutch classis had also extended to the German missions, and especially to the German churches in Pennsylvania. For, through the same classis, were ministers sent from Germany to supply the Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania. And what is most praiseworthy, a fund was formed, and put at the disposal of the classis, to defray the expense of the German missionaries for their journey to Holland and their voyage to America. The Dutch churches here, however, paid the expenses of their own

ministers, and thus left the whole fund at the disposal of the classis for the benefit of the German churches and missionaries.

All these circumstances combined to keep up here a strong party of ministers, who were natives of Holland, in favour of this dependence on Holland, and also to the continuance of their vassalage to the Classis of Amsterdam.

These composed the Conferentie party, who afterwards carried out their peculiar principles so far; they advocated the unlimited, power of the fathers in Amsterdam over these churches; they clothed them. with something bordering on infallibility. Some of them ventured even to maintain that they were the only legitimate source of ministerial power and authority, and insinuated that no ordination was valid, except it had been performed by the Classis of Amsterdam, or had, at least, its solemn approbation.

Such were the claims of the Conferentie party: and they were maintained by them, in the face of but a very feeble opposition, until the year 1737.*

That feeble opposition came from those who afterwards assumed the name of the Cœtus party. They were willing to yield a just tribute of gratitude, and a definite submission to the church in fatherland. But they had deeply felt the inconvenience and serious difficulties, not to say degradations, of being placed in this implicit subordination and entire control, so inconsistent with the Christian liberty of presbytery. They had been deeply affected with the evils growing out of the mortifying necessity of sending all the cases of ecclesiastical controversy, and difficulties in discipline, to Holland, to be adjudicated there, where none of the parties could be on the spot to give testimony, or plead their own cause. And it was no

* In the violent contentions of those days, this principle was, in no few instances, carried out into actual practice. But it is due to truth to say, that the case of Dominie "Niewenhyt," has not been correctly stated by Smith, in his "History of New York;" and by Dr. Romeyn, in his “Historical Sketch," published in the Christian's Magazine; and by Dr. Gunn, in his "Life of Dr. Livingston."

Dr. Dewitt has, by his researches in the documents preserved in the Dutch, enabled me to correct their errors. This "Niewenhyt" at Albany, was in fact, Dominie "Niewenhuysen," of the church of New York. Nicholas Van Rensselaer came over under the auspices of the popish Duke of York, and was suspected, at the time, of coming into this new province to further the cause of Popery. But Dominie N. took this fair and justifiable ground, that "although Van Rensselaer, having the license and ordination from the English bishop of Salisbury, was truly invested with the office of the Christian ministry: yet, nevertheless, this gave him no claim, nor qualification whatever, to settle as a pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church." Hence he resisted Van Rensselaer's settlement in the Dutch Church in Albany, although he was summoned to answer for his conduct, before the Erastian governor and council.

small ground of complaint, that parents must be subjected to the painful separation, for years, from their sons sent to Holland for education for the ministry; not to mention the burden of expense to which they were also subjected, by sending abroad those who were educated here, to be ordained in Holland to the holy ministry. In a word, the Conferentie party maintained the high importance of Holland education, and ventured to uphold the exclusive validity of Holland license, and Holland ordination. The Cœtus party advocated the necessity of a home education, a home license, and a home ordination. These, they said, were equally good for them, and equally valid for every purpose, as those in fatherland.

This may be considered the first period of the Dutch Reformed Church in this land. It extends from the first organization of the church, unto the year 1664, when the province was invaded and seized by a British army, and placed under the government of the Duke of York and Albany, who was afterwards James II., and who abdicated the British throne.

During this period, the church of New Amsterdam, now New York, was established; also, the church in Albany, in Flatbush, in New Utrecht, in Flatlands, and Esopus, now Kingston. The collegiate church of New York was organized as early, it is believed, as 1619. This is so stated in a manuscript of the late Dr. Livingston, on traditionary documents. And in another, he stated that a document is still extant, containing the names of members of that church, in 1622.* In the sketch of the history of the Dutch Church by Dr. Romeyn,† it is conjectured that the collegiate church was organized first. But Dr. Livingston, in one of his manuscripts, has said that “in Albany they had ministers as early as any in New York, if not before them." The authentic records, now in possession of the collegiate church, commence in the year 1639, and in them we find the acts of the Consistory, and bating some omissions, a list of ministers, elders, and deacons, with the members, together with the baptisms, and marriages, from that period. And these records have been continued down to this day.

The first minister in New York was the Rev. Everardus Bogardus, whose descendants are among us at this day. It would appear that he had been a pastor for a long period; but we can find no correct date of his arrival here, nor the length of the time of his ministry. There is a tradition, among his descendants, that he became blind, and returned to Holland. This may in part be true; for I am in

* Dr. Gunn's Life of Dr. Livingston, pp. 79, 81.

+ In the Christian's Magazine.