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1851504
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
LLEN COU
3 1833 02248 3363
PARISH STATISTICS
CHRIST CHUECH,
_EJ_ IZABETH, N. J.,
FIFTH ANNUAL ADDRESS
THE RECTOR.
EASTER MONDAY, 5 APRIL, XS_5_
NEWBERRY
LIBRARY
CHICAGO
PRINTED BY "THE CONGREGATION.
Ncu>-Uork:
PUDNEY & RUSSELL, PRINTERS,
No. 79 JOHN-STREET.
1858.
1851504
! !L„~ H0F™A;f- E^ENE AUGUSTUS. 1829-1902.
" KntK^f Statistics °f Christ church. Eliza-
beth. H.J., and fifth annual address of the ro-
tor. Easter Monday. 5 April. 1853.. Now York
Pudnoy.1858.
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'pfRISH STATISTICS
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^ 'CHRIST CHURCH,
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ELIZABETH, N. J.,
/
FIFTH ANNUAL ADDRESS
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THE RECTOR.
EASTER MONDAY, 5 APRIL, 1858
NEWRtrry
Lib ^RY
CHICAGO
Clergy of tl)c panel).
THE REV. EUGENE AUGUSTUS HOFFMAN, M. A.,
RECTOR.
THE REV. WILLIAM ROBERT EARLE,
THE REV. JOHN MARTIN HENDERSON, B. A.,
DEACONS.
The Rev. Clarkson Ddnn has rendered most acceptable service in
the parish during the past year, cheerfully supplying the Rector's place
whenever occasion required. He leaves us, to take charge of Grace
Church, with the kindest wishes of all the congregation.
PftQ M ©0 IP AL§ @F TKlg §©K1®©L©0
HENRY HOPKINS LANE,
CLASSICAL SCHOOL.
#
MISS HELEN BROWN,
PARISH SCHOOL.
A
OFFICERS OF THE PARISH,
ELECTED EASTER MONDAY, 5 APRIL 1858.
WARDENS.
CHARLES HOWARD EDWARDS,
WILLIAM CHANDLER DAYTON.
VESTRYMEN.
JOHN JOSEPH CIIETWOOD,
HENRY SELBY HAYWARD,
FRANCIS BARBER,
JAMES WALDEMAR HAYWARD,
JAMES CARNIGHAN CARTER,
CHARLES R. CORNWELL,
JOHN CLARK DAVIS.
CLERK OF THE VESTRY.
JAMES WALDEMAR HAYWARD.
TREASURER.
CHARLES HOWARD EDWARDS.
DELEGATES TO THE DIOCESAN CONVENTION
WILLIAM CHANDLER DAYTON,
JOHN JOSEPH CIIETWOOD,
JAMES CARNIGHAN CARTER.
To whom shall we go? Thou hunt the words of eternal lift
Mother ! I am sometimes told,
By the wanderers in the dark,
Fleeing from thine ancient fold,
1 must seek some newer ark.
Thou art worn, they say, with years,
Qucnch'd the lustre of thine eye,
Whence no blessed beam appears
Bright with radiance from on high.
Mother ! then I humbly say
To the Minded sons of stiife,
•' Whither shall I go away !
She hath precious words of life,
She hath watched with tender care,
Led me through life's stormy ways,
Taught me many a hallowed prayer,
Many a fervent hymn of praise.
" Weeping by the blood-staia'd cross.
She hath whisner'd at my side,
4 Sou ! count ev'rything but dross,
So thou win the Lamb Who died !'
She will guide me o'er the wave,
Pointing to the rich reward,
Then, at last, beyond the grave,
Give me, faithful, to her Loitu.' "
Mother ! cau I ever turn
From thy home, thy peaceful ark,
Where the lights celestial bum,
When all else beside is dark ?
Rather, those who turn away
Let me seek with love to win,
Till Cubist's scatter' d sucefl astray
To tliv fold are Eaiher'd iu."
Kiev. 15. D. WlNSLOW
ADDEESS.
My Brethren of the Congregation:
We commemorate to-day the fifth anniversary of the organi-
zation of this parish. This is my fifth annual address. Not
to say that I stand before you with devout gratitude and
humble joy for the success which has crowned our efforts in
the past year, were to be unfaithful to myself and unworthy
of the blessing which Goo hath bestowed. To have raised the
amount of money, which has been raised in this parish within
the past year, to pay off an old debt, while we have sustained
our current expenses, would have been at any time a great
work. But when it has been done in the midst of a commer-
cial crisis, such as never came upon the country before, —
falling upon rich and poo.r alike, destroying confidence, para-
lyzing trade, checking the wheels of the manufacturer, leaving
the harvests to dwindle away in the barns in which they were
gathered because there was no one to pay their freight to the
market, and crippling everybody and everything, — when it has
been done in a year like this, I know not how to speak of it as
I ought. I can but leave on record to-day the history of our
labors, that we may thank God for His prospering, and that
we and others may take courage in every venture for Christ
and for His Church.
A little more than fourteen months since, this Church was
encumbered with a floating debt large enough to have broken
up a congregation of twice our size. There is no need to enter
now on the causes which brought it upon us. I had almost
said that no Church debt can be justified, much less one that
jeopardizes property consecrated unto Gon. It harassed and
depressed the wardens and vestry. It kept strangers from
uniting themselves with the parish. It aroused the worst fears
in the congregation, and it cast a dark cloud over every effort
to enlarge our borders, or to increase our usefulness in the
Church's cause. One of your vestry and myself met the
Bishop, by appointment, to determine what was to be done.
After long and anxious consultation the conclusion was arrived
at, that we must either make an assignment of the property to
the creditors, or else enlist the sympathies of every member of
the congregation in one united effort to raise the money, which
was required for the liquidation of the debt. The question
was laid before the vestry, and not without serious fears as to
the result (in consequence of the large sum needed,) it was
resolved to make the effort The congregation were invited to
meet in the school room, immediately after the evening prayer,
on the thirtieth day of January, 1857. The night was dark
and rainy ; comparatively but few assembled. Yet, on that
night depended, humanly speaking, the very existence of this
parish. It were needless to conceal the anxiety with which
your Rector and vestry met you on that occasion.
The statement of our wants was laid before you, and a pro-
position made that all present should pledge themselves
to give or collect within one or two years, a specified amount,
according to their several abilities. The readiness with which
the call was responded to, was as remarkable as the amount
pledged. The prosperous gave as God had prospered them ;
and the widow's two mites, with all their self-denial, were
really there. The hearts of all were stirred, the spirit of every
one made willing, and they brought a willing offering unto the
Lord. No one had even dreamt that there was such energy
and unanimity in the parish. And when it was announced
that more than three thousand dollars had been pledged upon
the spot, and the beautiful doxology of Bishop Ken had been
sung, with one accord, more than one eye was moist, and many
a heart poured forth a thanksgiving to Him to Whom all praise
is due.
A plan of monthly meetings of the whole congregation, was
then adopted, to be continued until the debt should be entirely
liquidated. At each of these meetings further pledges were
secured, and the spirit which manifested itself at first, seemed
to increase with the necessities of the case. Money was paid
in month after month, and the claims against the parish ra-
pidly cancelled. The floating deht amounted in all to the large
sum of $9257 9C ; of this, on Monday last, $7812 8G, had
been paid into the hands of the Special Treasurer. In order to
close the matter before Easter, the balance (•'$1445 10) was then
assumed by the individuals who had made the pledges, and the
Church relieved from all further annoyance in consequence
of these claims. It only remains for the individuals who have
assumed these claims against the Church, to collect the balance
of their pledges, and the parish will be placed in a position
where its success and usefulness are beyond a question.
Well may we thank God for the result. Sincerely may we
bless His holy Name, that He has put it into our hearts to do
this holy work. For beyond and above all that it has insured
to the Church, of pecuniary prosperity, and security for our
children's welfare, it has been filled with blessings for our-
selves. In the appropriate words of our Special Treasurer, " It
has taught us self-reliance. It has taught us diligence and
earnestness. It has taught us to cull upon God more earnest-
ly. It has taught us to love one another more. It has taught
us to bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of
Ciiiust. We have become one in heart, and mind, and action.
We have labored and struggled together. Shoulder to
shoulder we have advanced. The poorest have lent their
aid, and the weakest has proved a valuable auxiliary. The
drops of water, and the grains of sand, have been gathered
together, and the result has been a river of plenty, and a land
of rest."*
* It lias often been said of this and other Free Churches, that tlicy are sup-
ported by a fesv wealthy individuals. It may not be, therefore, without interest
to state that in this case, at least, this is not true ; and I have reason to believe
that an examination of other cases would reveal a like result. The average
amount of the subscriptions for the liquidation of the floating debt, was between
five and ten dollars ; and the average amount of the pieces of money dropped into
the plate, at the offerings, is but ten cents. The latter may in part be accounted for
by a custom which prevails very generally in this parish, of each family dividing
!
8
Let us now remember the words which fell from the lips of
the Psalmist, when his people offered so willingly for the Tem-
ple of the Lord : " Who am I, and what is my people, that we
should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all
things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.
For we are strangers before Thee, and sojourners, as were all
oar fathers. Our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there
is none abiding. 0 Loud God of our fathers, keep this forever
in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of Thy peo-
ple, and prepare their heart unto Thee."
But while we have done so much for our temporal prosperity
in paying oil' this floating debt, what record has the past year
left of practical parochial work? The statistics, which, under
such extraordinary pressure of other claims upon our time and
means, might naturally be expected to be less than last year,
show in every particular a gratifying increase. There have
been :
98 Baptisms, (11 adults, 87 infants).
29 Confirmed.
131 Communicants, (no deaths, G removed, 38 added).
5 Marriages.
12 Burials.
2 Churchings.
25 Sunday-school Teachers.
291 Sunday-school Children.
50 Children in the Classical and Parochial School.
30 Children in the Sewing School.
30 District Visitors.
The offerings received during the year have been :
For the Support of the Clergy, and Expenses of the Parish $1,388 Ql
" " Poor 519 G2
" " Sunday School 78 50
their offering among all the members of it, that every one may put some thing into
the plate ; but taken in connection with the preceding fact, proves that our Free
Churches are supported by the working classes.
.
For the Parochial Schools 321 25
" " Missions of the Diocese 3G 51
" " Domestic Missions of the. Church 70 50
". " Foreign do do GO 25
" Sundry ohjects not included in the above 3 Id 89
Total $£,853 70
For the Floating Deht G.G7G 59
Amounting in all to $0,530 35
The offerings for the poor, through the alms chest, have been
considerably larger than in any previous year ; and in addition
to them there have been many articles of clothing and
food sent to the Rectory for distribution. One lady sent us
four dozen articles of clothing, made entirely by her own
hands ; two others have adopted the beautiful custom (of
which I would fain see many followers,) of sending each Sat-
urday morning a loaf of bread to the Rectory to be given lo
the poor ; and the Christmas dinner for every poor family con-
nected with the parish was provided chiefly in the same way.
The time would fail me to tell you of the joy which your
alms have brought to many sinking hearts. I have never wit-
nessed such scenes of suffering as the past winter has revealed,
and I trust we may never look upon the like again. I could have
taken you to family after family, who less than twelve months
since would have scorned the idea of begging or asking an
alms from any one, who were compelled, from want of bread
to relieve the hungering cries of their children gathered around
a tireless hearth, to sell article after article of their clothing,
until they were left with scarce enough to cover their naked-
ness. A kind Providence sent us a mild winter, which averted
open violence from our cities. But, I verily believe, that had
it not been for your alms and the unwearied labors of our de-
voted District Visitors, there would have been cases of death
proceeding from cold and hunger, within the sound of our own
bell.
•
10
The offerings have been distributed in the following manner :
For Provisions $208 91
" Clothing and Materials 1 12 31
" Fuel , 5G 20
" Stove 3 25
" Work 3 88
u the assistance of poor scholars 30 50
" Bibles, Prayer Books, Tracts, and hooks for poor children 71 52
M the Travelling expenses of poor persons 1 13
•• Kent 0 00
" Burying the dead 27 50
Lent to poor persons to be returned 10 00
In cash 1-1 27
To pay balance due last year 9 29
Total $591 12
Received 550 G2
Balance now due the Rector $13 50
There have also been distributed 200 yards of muslin and
flannel, and 58-1 garments' of various kinds;* part of which
were made from remnants sent to us by merchants of this
place.
In addition to this, a Sewing School for the children of the
poor has been opened each Saturday morning. More than
twenty of the ladies of the parish have offered themselves as
teachers, three of them being present each week in turn ; and
the school bids fair to be of great use to the children of the
class for whom it is intended. Tickets are given to those who
are punctual and industrious, and it is proposed to distribute
garments to those who have been the most regular in their at-
tendance. A series of interesting and instructive reading is
also given to the children in connection with it.
* 28 comfortables, 1 bed-quilt, 2 sheets, 26 sacks and talmas, 51 petticoats, 51
dresses, 135 nrider-garments, 17 bouuets, 2 cloaks, 13 coats, IS jackets, 32 pairs of
trousers, 11 boys' caps, 3 vests, bl sundries, 52 pairs of boots and shoes, 15 pairs
of stockings.
11
A service has been held during the past year in the Poor
House, for the benefit of its inmates, every alternate Sunday,
by the Rev. Mr. Henderson ; and I have myself occasionally
preached there during the week, as my other duties allowed.
In connection with the offerings, we have received several
tokens of interest from friends outside of the parish. A gen-
tleman in Mississippi sent us the money to support two schol-
ars in the Parochial School, and a Prayer Book, which was
given at Christmas to the best scholar in the Classical School.
An unknown friend in London sent us an offering for the Sun-
day School. Another, who ratified his baptismal vows at our
altar in the Apostolic rite of Confirmation, after his return to Eng-
land forwarded to us a beautiful quarto Bible, from the Oxford
press, which is to be given, at the close of the Trinity term, to
the best scholar in our Day Schools, and also, a copy of Boyce's
valuable collection of Cathedral Music, bound in full calf, three
volumes quarto. And, through the kindness of still another,
a teacher has been secured to instruct the school children and
the congregation in sacred music. He meets the former on
Monday in each week, qnd the latter every "Wednesday, imme-
diately after the evening prayer. I trust that this privilege
will he generally embraced by the parishioners ; for no con-
gregation can worship God as it ought to do, where all do not
audibly join in the responses. Without this, there can be no
public worship, and the title on our Prayer Books, " The
Book of Common Prayer," is but a name, and nothing more.
And yet, this most pleasing feature of our worship is by no
means as carefully attended to in our congregation as it. de-
serves. The responses, it is true, have been increasing from
year to year; but yet they are very far from what they ought
to be, or might be made. Think, how cold and lukewarm our
worship would seem to those primitive Christians, of whom
Jerome could write, "They echo out the A?ncn, like a thun-
der-clap ;'' or Clemens Alexandrinus, " At the last acclama-
tion of their prayers, they raised themselves upon their tiptoes
(for on Sundays, and on all days between Easter and Whit-
suntide, they prayed standing,) as if they desired that the word
.
12
should carry up their bodies, as well as their souls, to heaven."
Consider what the worship of that Temple is, to which we all
hope to come. There, there is no silent voice, no listless
heart. There, no one thinks it enough to stand by, and see
others worship, nor yet to feel thankful in his heart. There,
" all angels cry aloud, the heavens, and all the powers therein."
To God, "the Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry."
And the sound of that worship, as heard by the inspired Apos-
tle, was " the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of
many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings." They
love to worship. They praise God with their whole hearts.
Their prayers are set forth as incense. And ours shall only re-
semble theirs when, with one heart, and with one voice, we
" sing unto the Lord, show ourselves glad in Him with Psalms,
and worship, and fall down, and kneel before the Loud our
Maker."
The parochial schools are at present in a better and more
satisfactory condition than they have been at any time since
they were opened. They number fifty children ; and with two
faithful teachers, whose hearts are in their work, they are
quietly doing an untold, amount of good to the lambs of
Christ's Hock, which the great day alone will reveal. 1 com-
mend them to your sympathy and your prayers. The terms of
admission, and the mode by which free scholars can be
educated, will be found on the back of the cover.
The interest on the funded debt of the parish has been fully
provided for by a few individuals; and the offerings will here-
after be devoted entirely to the support of the clergy and the
expenses of the parish. Everything is now arranged ■ in
admirable working order; the strictest economy is observed in
disbursing the money which is received; and I think we
may safely say, that there are few parishes of its size carried
on at so small a pecuniary cost.
It only remains that we give ourselves, with one heart and
one soul, to the work which the Lokd hath given us to do, and
to do it with our might. The success of the past year must
have convinced even the most doubtful of what willing hearts
and willing hands can do, if they only work with a will.
13
My beloved, consider the privileges which you now enjoy.
The best that our forefathers, in this place, once had, in which
to worship Goo, was a farmer's barn. When our Mother
Church, the venerable St. John's, was built, the few that were
faithful to the cause had to watch the walls by night, with
swords in their hands, lest the work of the preceding day
should be destroyed by the enemies of the faith ; a thing which,
it is recorded, happened more than once. And the lime is
within the memory of those who still stand by our sides, when
there was no priest to break for them the bread of life ; when,
for several years, the voice of prayer and praise was scarcely
heard ; when that venerable building in which this parish was
brought into life, was turned by the godless dragoon into a
stable for his horses ; when its grave stones were used as fire-
places to cook his food, with fires kindled from the frag-
ments of its seats and floor ; the organ pipes melted into
bullets ; while the faithful few met, with fear and trembling,
either at the old parsonage or some private house, to keep up
their attachment one to the other, and join, as they could, in
the common prayer of their Mother Church.
My beloved, we stand on holy ground. Just one hundred and
lifty years before our organization, it was claimed by the church.
On Wednesday, the third day of November, 1703, that zealous
Missionary, George Keith, preached in this place, at the house
of And. Craig, from this text : "And beside this, giving all
diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge."
(2 Pet. i. 5.) And when he came again in the next month, he
preached twice, at the house of Col. Tountly, from these words :
" Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people ; that ye should show forth the
praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His
marvellous light." (1 Pet. ii. 9.) Could we find two more
appropriate texts to inscribe upon our Chapel walls ? It was
in this diocese that Daily Prayer and Frequent Communion
were first established "apud Americanos?' as the brave old John
Talbot, the worthy companion of Keith, quaintly writes from
14
Burlington, in the year 1724. And more than that, so long as
the Protestant Episcopal Church, in these United States, shall
last, it will ever he remembered that here the Apostolic Chan-
dler lived, and labored, and died. We are but grown up from
the seed which he sowed. lie labored and we have entered
into his labors. And if he could but be here to-day, how his
great heart would swell with devout joy, and with what thril-
ling words he would bid us God-speed in our good work! O
that we may inherit his mantle! O that we may possess
even a portion of that zeal which burnt in him for the cause
of Christ and His Church !
My beloved, consider the work that lies before us now.
Watch the city that is gathering about our doors. See how
the congregation already begins to press for more room.
Think of the population which must be leavened with Christ,
or perish with Satan. Think of the souls which are to be
saved. Think of your children, and your children's children,
to whom this altar may be the savour of life unto life. l\e-
member that the great Apostle hath said, "If any provide not
for his own, (in spiritual as well as temporal things,) and
specially for those of his'own house, (or as the margin of the
Bible has it, those of his own kindred,) he hath denied the failh,
and is worse than an infidel." And see to it that you are as
faithful to those who shall come alter you, as Keith, and
Brook,* and Vaughan,* and Chandler were to you.
But the question is often asked, because our plan is not yet
generally comprehended, " How can a congregation which has
neither pew rents, nor endowment, support its clergy and pay
the current expenses which are incident to public worship ?"
And the reply, which may as well be made now as at any time,
is, that we adopt the Divine plan ; we rely simply and solely
on the Apostolic mode, believing that God knows best how
His Church ought to be supported, and will send His blessing
* Faithful and zealous Missionaries in this place, under the appointment of the
venerable Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, to which,
under God, the Church in this country is indebted for "a long continuance of
nursing care, and protection "
1851504
15
to those who faithfully persevere in it. We dare not sell the
exclusive use of any portion of His house to individuals, no
matter how well it may, in a worldly sense, be said to pay ;
much' less will we resort to worldly trickery and worldly de-
vices, to grasp from others what we ought to give out of that
which God hath lent to us; nor do even so-called "char-
ity sermons," when, at some special gathering, "the popular
preacher of the day" is induced to use his gifts to extort from
Christian men and Christian women that which they will not
give from love to God, find much favor here. We are not
willing so to conceal from Christians the duty which they owe
to us, and to the world, for their Lord's sake. We have a
simpler way. We have a better plan. We have a wiser sys-
tem. It may have been forgotten or concealed from view, by
long established worldly usages and mistaken principles, and
cost us labor to bring it forward, and demand our faith to wait
until men will give heed ; but we know it to be Divine, and we
believe that those who walk by faith in the way of Holy
Scripture and the Church, are much surer to find God's bles-
sing than those who seek out for themselves by-paths of their
own choosing.
The great Apostle Paul, as though his prophetic eye foresaw
what would come to pass in these latter days, has left on
record in his Epistles, which are the heritage of the Church
for all time, frequent allusions to the principles which ought to
govern Christian liberality and Christian charity. And no
man can read them, or hear them in our offertory sentences,
with the most ordinary attention, without being struck with
the difference of his views and those which now-a-days so com-
monly prevail. And lest we should rest in vague generalities,
and forget to put his principles into practice, he takes cars to
lay down the precise rule for our adoption. It is contained in
less than five lines ; yet, it comprises the whole of our duty,
and sets forth the three great canons, or rules, which should
govern Christian liberality — the lime, (lie persons, and the mea-
sure. He is writing to the Church in Corinth. And you will
observe, he is not proclaiming his private opinion, nor giving
1G
his advice, nor exhorting them to adopt a plan which he be-
lieves to be the most expedient. lie speaks by authority ; he
gives order as to what is to be done. Hear his words :
" NOW, CONCERNING THE COLLECTION FOR THE SAINTS, AS
I HAVE GIVEN ORDER TO THE CHURCHES OF GaLATIA, EVEN
SO DO YE.
" UPON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, LET EVERY ONE OF
YOU LAY BY HIM IN STORE, AS GoD HATH PROSPERED HIM,
THAT THERE BE NO GATHERINGS WHEN I CO.ME."
And 0, if Christians would but let this simple direction sink
deep into their hearts, and make it the rule of their Christian
liberality, what a change would come over the Church! " The
discovery of the law of gravity did not produce a greater
change in the philosophy of the world, than the obedience to
this simple rule would produce in the moral condition of the
world. The discovery of steam, with all its wondrous powers,
and extraordinary effects, and wondrous changes, would not
match the results of this one simple principle, were it only
carried out into the conduct of professing Christians." The
wretched, beggarly appeals for Ciiuist, and for His poor perish-
ing souls, which now fill our religious papers, and take up so
much of the time of your pastors from their spiritual labors,
would never more be heard. The poor would be cared for ; the
naked clothed ; the hungry fed ; the sick visited ; the school,
the hospital, and the infirmary be clustered around every
Church ; the clergy be supported in reality, as well as in name ;
the Bishops no longer go bending and faltering to their work,
lest the simplest ventures for Christ should involve them in
debt; and the Church, as of old, go forth, conquering and to
conquer, ''fair as the moon, clear as the sun. and terrible as
an army with banners."
First, the time is specified — upon the first day of the
week. It is founded upon that proverb of good management :
" To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose
under the heaven." It assumes the duty ; it fixes the time, and
makes it so frequent, — every Lord's day, — that it may shut out
spasmodic efforts, and special appeals. The Apostle was a
wise master-builder. lie knew full well the effect of sudden
■
17
excitement on the human mind. The duty was too important
to be forgotten. It must be kept ever before the Church. He
felt for our poor humanity. Mark the day chosen. It is "the
first <fay of the week? The Lord's holy day — the day which
lie hath, made, and on which every Christian heart rejoices,
and is glad. The giving of our substance is a religious duty ;
and the Apostle would connect it with our worship. lie
chooses the time, when, like St. John the'divine, we are most
likely to be " in the spirit," when we are told of the mercies of
redeeming love, when the mind is under the best influences,
when heaven is brought down to earth, and our hearts are
drawn up to heaven. How much better than to leave it to be
done at any, or no time. How much wiser to trust to the
steady work of principle, than to excitement. How much easier
to give one dollar a week, than twenty-five at the end of six
months. How much surer to fill the Church's treasury. And
how much safer to remember the duty, week by week !
Secondly, our attention is called to the persons on whom this
duty falls — let every one of you — that is to say, every one
to whom the epistle is addressed — i. e., " to them that are sanc-
tified in Christ Jesus; called to be saints, with all that in
every place call upon the name of Jesus Ciikist, our Lord" —
every one to whom the gospel is preached, and for whom
Christ made Himself poor. It is as though he had said, your
very profession of Christianity binds you to be liberal towards
God. If you belong to Christ — if you have pledged your all
to Him — if you value the souls which He came to save, you are
bound to make every sacrifice you can to save them. It is a
spiritual duty binding on all who are His ; the testimony of
your hearts and hearts how highly you prize His salvation ; the
obligation resting on each one to do what he can for the support
of the gospel. Say not that your mite will make no differ-
ence ; think not your offering too small to be accepted by the
Church. As well might the dew refuse to fall, because it
does not fill the rivers ; or the drops of rain remain in the
clouds, because each one does not swell the sea. It is the very
reason why every one should give. The everlasting hills were
18
piled grain upon grain ; the ocean fills by the little rills that
trickle down their sides ; and continents have been built by
little coral insects. If each one would do what he could, there
would be enough, and to spare.
And thirdly, we are told the proportion : — " Let EVERY ONE
OP YOU LAY BY HIM IN STOKE AS GOD HATII PROSPERED HIM."
How simple the rule ! How easily determined ! How tender
it is of the necessities of the poor, while at the same time it
opens a channel for the rich. How wise is the spirit of God !
Let not our hearts raise dilliculties, where there are none ; nor
make objections against the very simplicity of the gospel. You
may have the wealth of the Indies, or you may be compelled to
live from hand to mouth. It makes no difference. The rule is the
same. It is as applicable to the one case as to the other. It bids
you add up at the end of the week, (or if your business is such
that this is not possible, as often as you can,) how much God
hath prospered you ; and then having fixed upon the propor-
tion which it is your duty to give, be it the tenth or more, to
devote it carefully and conscientiously to Him. I,t is systemat-
ic, as everything else in religion is. It works by rule. It is
founded upon fixed principles. Jt takes you just as you are,
comes down to your every-day life, applies itself as readily to
the farmer as to the merchant, and stands by your side from
youth to hoary age, lest mammon should gain possession of
your hearts, and worldliness grow up in them, as you grow
in age, and grow in wealth. It will stand in the way of self-
indulgence. It will clash with selfishness. It may, at times,
be irksome to the human heart. But blessed be the man that
walks by its rule. He will find the blessedness of giving ; he
will be delivered in the time of trouble ; what he layeth out
shall be paid him again ; and to his heart the windows of hea-
ven will be opened to pour out a blessing.
Need I say, that this is precisely the plan which we pur-
sue, and to which, more than all else, we owe our outward pros-
perity ? On the first day of every week, the treasury of the
Lord is opened, that every one may lay by him in store — the
store where moth and rust doth not corrupt, nor thieves
• 19
break through and steal-a portion of the bounty with which
God hath crowned his lot. We ask it not as a gift. We make
no demand. The Church, as the Gospel, is free to all, who
have souls to be saved. We merely bid you to your duty fur
your own sake. In those few sentences of God's own Word,
read to you in the Offertory, we simply remind you of Zac-
chaeus, who gave the half of his goods to the poor ; of the ne-
cessity laid upon those who preach the Gospel to live of the
Gospel ; of the love which God bears to the willing heart ; and
of the good foundation laid up against the time to come in
eternal life, for those who are ready to give and glad to dis-
tribute. What could be simpler? What could be easier?
What could be more certain ? What could be more beautiful ?
Stewards, you are, of the Lord of heaven and earth. Freely
He has given to you ; freely give to Him. " As ye abound in
everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all
diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this
grace also. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor,
that' ye through His poverty might be rich." It is His own
appeal. You know what He has done for you : and now,
what will ye do for Him 1 Oh, blessed privilege ! He will
accept from us that which is His own, and pour it back into
our bosoms an hundred fold, and then receive us with His own
dear welcome, " Well done, good and faithful servant ; thou
hast been faithful over a few things, 1 will make thee ruler
over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
Grant it to us, and to all the Church, God of our salvation, for
Thy dear Son Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
THE
NEWBCRRY
LIBRARY
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21
APPENDIX.
TABULAR VIEW OK STATISTICS, 1854-8.
Baptisms 48 .
C onfirmations 15.
Communicants 49 . ,
Marriages 2 .
Burials 7 .
Churchings 0 .
Catecliists, (Sunday-school) 13.
Catechumens, (Sunday-school) 150 . .
Classical and Parochial School 0 . .
Sewing School 0 .
District Visitors 0 .
1855.
1856.
1657.
7..
. 38...
78....
12..
. 5...
22.
64..
. 78...
102....
3..
. 5...
3....
12..
. 9...
25....
0..
. 3...
0 ...
16..
. 18...
20....
172..
.152...
220
40..
. 41 ..
55 ... .
0..
. 0...
0....
0..
. 17...
18....
1858.
98
29
134
5
12
2
25
291
50
30
30
©fferinga.
1854. 1855.
For the support of the
Clergy, and current ex-
penses of the Parish. $245 93
For the Poor
For the Sunday-school.
For Parochial Schools.
For the Missions of the
Diocese
For Domestic Missions.
For Foreign Missions.
For the Episcopal Fund
of the Diocese 70 90 14 29
Forlnlirm and Disabled
Clergy of the Diocese 24 41
For N. Y. Bible and
Prayer Book Society 13 88
1856.
1857.
1858.
'45 93
$449 63
$085 89 $1245 58 $1388 21
23 55
328 21
122 29
457 64
549 62
38 72
40 79
75 03
132 06
78 50
10 00
76 23
304 29
93 02
321 25
66 24
10 85
10 00
36 54
58 42
43 20
156 50
217 50
70 50
31 50
03 20
1 00
22 00
00 25
42 50
6 33
22
1851. 1855. 1850. 1857. 1858.
For the P. E. Tract
Society 13 88
For the Gen. Prut. Kjii.s.
S. S. Union, &, Church
Book Society 30 00
For (J race Church,
Elizabeth Port ... .... 20 00
Fur Sundry objects 20 00 3178 9 64 400 00 348 89
For the Building Fund
and Floating Debt... 950 00 552 12 5 07 1136 27 6676 59
Total... $1G55 02 $1707 GS $1370 50 $3812 90 $9530 35
Amount of offerings, de-
ducting sums specially
offered for the Build-
ing Fund, and Floating
Debt $705 02 $1155 5G S13G5 09 S2G7G G3 $2853 70
Average weekly offerings
for the support of the
Clergy, and current
expenses 5 91 12 75 14 91 23 7G 27 21
Average weekly offer-
ings, exclusive of the
Building Fund 13 tSl 22 22 26 25 5147 54 88
.
23
flarisl) Dates.
18 5 3.
'27th March. — (Easter Day.) The Parish organized in the Sunday
School Room of St. John's Church, by the election of two
"Wardens and seven Vestrymen from that congregation, the
meeting having been called by the rector of the Church, the
Rev. 11. C. Moore.
5th April. — The Rev. Eugene Aug. Hoffman unanimously elected
Rector of the newly organized Parish.
10th April — Second Sunday after Easter. — First service of the parish by
the Rector elect, in the Lecture Room of the First Presbyterian
Congregation.
23d April. — The Parish duly incorporated under the name of " The
Rector, Wardens and Vestrymen of Christ Church, in Eliza-
beth Town."
There were at this time connected with it twenty-five com-
municants, fourteen Sunday School teachers, and forty chil-
dren.
4th July. — A lot purchased for the Church, on the corner of Jersey and
Bridge streets, at a cost of $4,500.
9th July. — Richard Upjohn & Co. appointed architects.
23d August. — Corner-stone of the Chapel, or School-house, laid by the
Bishop of the Diocese.
1st September. — A Classical School for boys opened by the Rev. James
Adams.
1854.
27th February. — The plan of Free Seats unanimously adopted by the
Wardens and Vestry.
1st April. — The Rev. James Adams resigned, and was succeeded by the
Rev. Franklin Babbitt.
A temporary wooden School building, twenty feet by fifty,
erected on the Church lot, at a cost of §1,000.
'
24
13th July. — The Chapel dedicated by the Bishop of the Diocese, assisted
by the Rt. Rev. Jona. M. Wainh right, D.D., D.C.L., Prov.
Bishop of New-York. The service used was set forth for the
occasion. The corner-stone of the Rectory laid atG p.m., by the
Bishop of the Diocese, with an appropriate service.
14th July. — The Rev. Eocene Aug. Hoffman, M.A., instituted, by the
Bishop of the Diocese, into the Rectorship.
Morning and Evening Prayer said daily in Chapel, and three
services each Loan's day.
18 5 5.
2d January. — Parish School for girls opened by Miss M. 0. Derry.
1st April. — II. E. Phelps, M.A., appointed Principal of the Classical
School.
29th April. — IIobart Ciietwood ordained Deacon.
19th November. — The Rev. Jos. S. Mayers appointed Rector's Assis-
tant.
1st Decemuek. — The plan of District Visiting adopted.
18 5 0.
1st January. — Charles S. Spencer appointed Principal of the Classi-
cal School.
1st May. — Miss Ellen Collins appointed Principal of the Parish
School.
1st September. — H. H. Lane appointed Principal of the Classical
School.
1857.
13th October. — William Robkrt Earle ordained Deacon, and ap-
pointed to assist the Rector.
19th November — Advent Sunday. — Weekly Euchrist established.
1858.
1st February. — Miss Helen Bkown appointed Principal of the Pariah
School.
28th February. — John Martin Henderson ordained Deacon, and ap-
pointed to assist in the Parochial work.
Cth March. — Sewing School for the children of the poor established.
;
< -
f ttMir f mires in the ^ItajreL
IXA-IXiY.
9, A.M. The Morning Prayer. 7j, P. M. The Evening Prayer.
stJisriD.A.-ys.
10J, A. M. Divine Service, Sermon, and Holy Communion.
3, P. M. Sunday School, in the Chapel and Parish School Rooms.
•1}, P. M. The Evening Prayer, and Catechising "openly in the Church."
7}, P. M. [7j in the Summer months.] The Second Evening Service, and Sermon.
HOLY ID^YS.
CHRISTMA8, CIRCUMCISION, EPIPHANY, ASCENSION AND THANK80IVINO.
101, A- M. Divine Service, Sermon, and Holy Communion.
. *
ASM-WEDNESDAY AND 000D FRIDAY.
10$, A. M. Divine Service, Sermon, and Ante-Communion Service.
i DAILY IN THE HOLY WEEK.
12, M. Litany, Lecture, and Ante-Communion Service.
7\, P. M. Evening Prayer, with a Lecture.
[. . saints' days.
12, If, (Litany, on proper days,) Lecture, and Ante-Communion Service. >-
A Lecture or Sermon, every Friday, after the Evening Prayer.
. " Teachers' and Bible Class every Thursday, at 8, P. M.
SCHOOLS.
The Day-Schools, in connection with the Tamil, are open throughout the year,
with the exception of Christmas and Eatster week, and the month of August —
Children are received at any tamo. %
The Classical School is limited to thirty scholars, and the charges are from Five
to Eight Dollars per term, according to the studies pursued.
The Parish School for Girls, receives also Boys under ten years of age. The
charges are $1 60 per term, or fifteen cents per week, in either case payable in
adoancc.
Yocal Music is Jaught fajflboth Schools by competent Instructors, without extra
charge ; and no en'ort is sp9HTd to fit "the children to do their duty in that state of
£& life unto which it shall please! God to call them.
&£'" ■ ' '"' ' ' •'.■*"•' '
Free Scholars maybe placed in either School at the lowest terms above named.
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