allowing him to be qualified by the Coetus. 1754 The Synod of North Holland strictly forbids ordinations in the East (Indies). Let him John A. van Muyden, Depp. h. t. Praeses. In our Classical Assembly, Amsterdam, May 6, 1754. ACTS OF CLASSIS OF AMSTERDAM. The Classis of Amsterdam to Rev. Gerard Haeghoort, May 6, 1754. Vol. 31, page No. 29. .... To Rev. Gerardus Haaghoort. Rev. Sir and Brother: In answer to your letter of Jan. 15, 1754, we inform you of our grief at the unsuccessful result of our advice on the members of your congregation. The Classis hoped it was a matter of little importance, and that you had acted according to your promise. Having no means of force to use, we can only employ those of love, earnest persuasion, good advice. It was therefore extremely foolish for you to use such language as you did use on this subject, criticising the Correspondence or non-Correspondence of the Classis with certain individuals. The Classis will bear and suffer many things from you, having compassion on you. We know that persecution sometimes causes a man to lose his temper; but we hope that tribulations and reproaches may lead you to humiliation; for we fear that the lack of this is also one reason of your many troubles. The Classis therefore advises you to see the hand of the Lord in all this. Humble yourself, therefore, and pray for the grace of God. Having done this sincerely and with lowliness of They died of smallpox at sea. 1754 spirit, and in the fear of the Lord, then quietly use your best powers in the service of the Lord. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. We are, Rev. Brother, In the name of the Classis of Amsterdam, John A. van Muyden, Depp. Cl. ad res exteras, Praeses. In our Classical Assembly, Amsterdam, May 6, 1754. SECOND OFFER OF TRINITY CHURCH TO GIVE LAND FOR A COLLEGE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, MAY 14, 1754. "It is unanimously agreed by this Board that this Board will give for the use of the College intended to be erected a certain parcel of land belonging to this corporation, to erect and build the said Colledge upon; and for the use of the samethat is to say, a street of ninety feet from the Broadway to Church street, and from Church street all the lands between Barclay's street and Murray's street to the water side-upon this condition, that the President of the said Colledge forever for the time being, be a member of and in communion of the Church of England. and that the morning and evening service in said Colledge be the Liturgy of the said Church, of such a collection of prayers out of the said Liturgy, as shall be agreed upon by the President, or Trustees, or Governors of said Colledge."-Berrian's History of Trinity Church. page 101. Records, i. 123. LIVINGSTON'S TWENTY UNANSWERABLE REASONS. Livingston's Twenty Unanswerable Reasons against a Sectarian College read to the Trustees holding the Funds, May 16, 1754.-See these reasons under Nov. 1st. 1754. PETITION TO THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL FOR A COLLEGE CHARTER (New York Council Minutes, Vol. xxiii., pp. 181, et seq.) At a Council held at Fort George, in the City of New York, the 28th of May, 1754 Present: The Honorable James De Lancey, Esq., Lieutenant Governor, etc. Mr. Alexander, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Murray, Mr. Holland, Mr. Chambers, Mr. Smith His Honor laid before the Board the following Petition which was read and ordered to be Entered, viz: To the Honorable James De Lancey, Esq., Lieutenant Governor, etc., etc., etc.: That divers sums of money having been raised by several Acts of the Governor, Council and General Assembly of this province of New York, for the establishing a Colledge in the said province, Your petitioners, by Acts afterwards made, were appointed Trustees for putting the said moneys at interest, and to receive proposals, accept Donations, and procure Masters and Tutors, in order to make a beginning of the said Seminary according to the trust reposed in them. Your Petitioners further show unto your Honour, That in pursuance of the said Trust, they have endeavoured to get a proper Master and Tutor for the said intended Seminary, but find that as your Petitioners are enabled to give Salarys for seven years only, that they are under great difficulty to procure a fit and proper person to undertake the office of Master or head of the said Seminary. Your Petitioners further shew unto your Honour, that the Rector and Inhabitants of the City of New York in Communion of the Church of England as by Law established, being willing to encourage the said Good design of establishing a Seminary or Colledge for the education of Youth in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, have offered unto your Petitioners a very valuable Parcell of Ground on the West Side of the Broadway In the westward of the City of New York for the use of the said Intended Seminary or Colledge and are ready and desirous to Convey the said Lands for the said use on Condition that the head or master of the said Seminary or Colledge be a member of and In communion with the Church of England as by Law Established and that the Liturgy of the said Church or a Collection of prayers out of the said Liturgy be the Constant morning and evening Service used in the said Colledge forever, which said parcel of Land so offered by the said Rector and Inhabitants Your petitioners Considering as the most proper place for erecting of the said Seminary or Colledge upon and That their obtaining his Majesty's Charter to them or such others as Your Honour shall think proper for the said trust, will the better enable your petitioners, in conjunction with those Your Honour shall incorporate by His Majestie's Charter, to provide a proper master or head of the said Seminary, and tutors for the education of youth, and thereby greatly tend to promote and further the intent and design of establishing a Seminary or Colledge for the education of youth among us. Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray, That in order to promote so good a design, and the more effectual obtaining a grant of the said parcel of land for the use and benefitt of the said Seminary or Colledge, that your Honour would be pleased to grant your petitioners, or to such other persons as Your Honour shall think proper, His Majestie's Charter of Incorporation, with such priviledges as to Your Honour shall seem meet, the better to enable them to prosecute the said design of establishing a Seminary or Colledge for the instruction of youth. And your petitioners shall ever pray. New York, May 20th, 1754. Wm. Livingston, -Petition from N. Y., Col., MSS. lxxviii., 120. Ordered, that the said Petition be referred to a Committee of the gentlemen of the Council, or any five of them, and that they make report with all convenient speed. [See May 30th.] CORRESPONDENCE FROM AMERICA. Elder Daniel Durye and others to the Classis of Amsterdam, May 21, 1754. Rev. Sirs : Portfolio "New York", Vol. ii. To the Very Reverend Classis of Amsterdam: As the Classis is still in the dark about this matter, I find myself under the great necessity to throw more light upon it. 1, therefore, the undersigned, bear witness, in behalf of Rev. Arondeus, as to that second confession-sermon, which the Commissioners of the Coetus told him he might preach, that Rev. Arondeus was willing to do that, so as to give satisfaction; but that the Commissioners from New York, Revs. Ritzema and de Ronde, and the com 1754 1754 missioned elders, themselves prevented his making that second confession. I myself was present. And why? Because they were convinced that Rev. Arondeus was not an illegal intruder, and sought not to be obliged to make a confession as though he were. Rev. de Ronde even declared to me, that he would rather have his head cut of, than make a confession of the kind which the Coetus had imposed on Arondeus. Witnessed thus by me, elder of Jamaica, in Queens County, on Long Island, in North America, in the Province of New York. May 21st, 1754. Daniel Durye, Commissioner. We, the undersigned, elders of Queens County, testify that this is the truth in regard to that second confession-sermon, to be allowed, as mentioned above by Daniel Durye; that the Commissioners themselves stopped it, and that Rev. Arondens was willing to preach it for the sake of giving satisfaction. Cornelius Voorhees Jer. Van der Bilt Jermias Van der Bilt No. 213. II Received July 22, 1754. REPORT ON THE PETITION FOR A CHARTER FOR A COLLEGE IN NEW YORK, MAY 30, 1754. (SEE PETITION, MAY 20.) At a Council etc., the 30th of May, 1754. Present (the same as above). Mr. Smith, Chairman of the Committee to whom by order of the 28th Instant, was Referred the Petition of the Trustees mentioned and appointed in and by an Act for vesting in Trustees the Sum of three thousand four hundred and forty-three pounds, eighteen shillings, raised by way of Lottery for erecting a College within this Colony, praying his Majesty's Grant or Charter for Incorporating the said College Reported that the Committee had considered of the same, and were humbly of Opinion, that his Honor do grant to proper persons his Majesty's Letters Patent for incorporating the said College according to the purport and prayer of the Petition; and that his honor would be pleased to direct the Attorney-General te prepare a Draft of the said Letters Patent or Charter, to be laid before his Honor in Council for the approbation of the Board. Which Report on the Question being put, was agreed to and approved of. And thereupon it was ordered by his Honour, with the advice of the Counci that a copy of the said Petition and the proceedings in Council upon the said Petition, be prepared together with a warrant to his Majesty's Attorney-General directing him to prepare a Draft of the said Letters Patent or Charter, according to the purport and prayer of the said Petition, and it is further ordered that the said Draft, when so prepared, be laid before his Honor in Council for the approbation of this Board. PROTEST AGAINST A SECTARIAN COLLEGE. Protest of the Minority of the Committee, (two out of five). appointed to report on the establishment of a College in New York, to be supported by the public funds, and giving preference to one Denomination of Christians therein. May 30, 1754. Mr. Alexander and Mr. Smith dissenting to the Report of the Committee, desired leave to enter their dissent with their reasons, which being granted, the said reaso were read, and are in the words following: We whose names are underwritten being two of five of his Majesty's Council for this Province, who in the said Committee dissented from the opinion then give by the Honorable Joseph Murray, Edward Holland and John Chambers, Esquires, we also having proposed that the said Petition should remain for further ecesideration of the said Committee, before report should be made thereon, and the sed Committee having determined against our opinions in that point also, and carried the proposal in the negative, have therefore, thought fit for the justification of our loyal intention towards his Majesty's service, and our hearty concern for the best good of his Majesty's subjects in this Province, and our true respect and deference to his Honour the Lieutenant Governor and the Honourable Board of his Majesty's Council, with all humility herein to set forth the grounds and reasons why we are of opinion that the said petition with the exclusive clauses therein contained ought not to have been granted. Previous whereto we beg leave to declare that in the political light in which we consider the intended College, it appears to us that any constitutional preferment by act of Government within this Province of one Denomination of Protestants exclusive of others to any office that concerns the education of youth (a matter extremely interesting and important) will be injurious to the common rights of this people, naturally endanger the producing of factions and parties, tend to destroy that harmony which at present subsists among them, raise and maintain perpetual jealousies, feuds, animosities, divisions and hatred among his Majesty's subjects within this Province, put it in the power of the party preferred to oppress the rest, and tend to the advancement of particular interests and designs, rather than the public good. And although we are of opinion that the state of this province ought to have been fully considered in a time of more leisure than our preparation for his Majesty's service on the publick affairs at Albany, and our business on the Circuit would admit of, yet we thought it our duty at this time, notwithstanding these disadvantages with regard to the present petition to observe more particularly, that it appears to us, First. That the far greatest part (we suppose seven-eighths) of the freeholders and inhabitants of this Province are Protestants of religious denominations different from those of the Church of England established by Law in South Britain, who are all zealously attached to the distinguishing characteristics of their own respective parties, and notwithstanding their different opinions in religion, are all well affected to his Majesty's person and Government and the Protestant succession in his Royal House, and are good and profitable members of the community, and (at least) as to the far greatest part of them, have not hitherto been disqualified by any Act of Legislature, for public service in any office either Civil, Military or Literary within this Government. Secondly. That the free indulgence of liberty of conscience and an equal enjoyment of civil rights allowed to Protestants of all denominations, and the impartial distributing of offices of trust to Protestants of sufficient qualifications to discharge such offices, within this Province, has greatly tended to its present growth and prosperity, and that its future strength and support as a Frontier Province against the common enemy very much depends upon the preservation of those liberties and rights without the least violation or infringement. Thirdly. That the College established by the Charter proposed, being evidently intended to draw to it the application of the public funds, raised for the erecting a College or Seminary of Learning within this Province, will contract the scheme of public education within narrower limits than appear to have been designed by the present public acts of legislation and will prove a manifest infringement upon the rights of the people, who are all equally interested in the money raised for the purpose. Fourthly. We conceive that a charter granted with such exclusive clauses, will prove a public greviance, and tend to disoblige the far greater part of the people of this province, who will be disposed to think that this government treats them unkindly in judging them unfit to be trusted in the education of their own youth, in abridging their natural and civil rights and liberties in an article of the highest importance. That it will tend to drive away the far greatest part of the youth of this province into the neighboring colonies for an education, and transfer a considerable part of our wealth to the support of foreign colleges, will tend to prevent strangers from settling among us, obstruct the increase of the value of our lands and his Majesty's Revenues by Quit-Rents, and in the event have an unhappy tendency to continue this province as a frontier against the French in a weak and defenceless state. Wherefore we are humbly of opinion against the grant of the present petition (among other reasons that may be collected from the premises) more particularly that it appears to us. 1754 |