STATE OF THE CHURCHES IN NEW NETHERLAND; ANNO 1657. Reverend, Pious, Learned Sirs, Fathers & Brothers in Ch'ro Jesu. Your Reverences' letters, the one of the 13th June 1656 and the other of the 15th Feby of this year, reached us in safety, and we have seen thereby with special gratification, the fatherly affection and care which your Rev: evince for the prosperity of this early growing Congregation. We have equally perceived therefrom the trouble taken by your Rev. & by the Honble Lords Majores to prevent the injuries which threaten this community by the encroachments of the heretical spirits; and likewise your Rev. desire to be made acquainted with the Condition of the Churches in this country. In the harvest of the year 1656 we answered and wrote to you more fully on this subject, but having received no acknowledgment of that letter we doubt if it reached your hands, wherefore this will serve the same purpose. Last year the Lutherans gave out here that they had the consent of the Lords Majors or Directors to call a Lutheran Parson from Holland. They therefore petitioned the Honble Director and Council for permission to hold in the meantime their conventicles thus to prepare the way for their expected and coming minister. Though they began to urge on so stoutly we, nevertheless, (being animated and cheered by your letters) hoped for the best though dreading the worst which even now has arrived: For though we could not anticipate that the Noble Lords Majors could have given any consent, yet it notwithstanding came to pass that a Lutheran Preacher, named Joannes Ernestus Goetwater, arrived in the Ship the Mill, to the great joy of the Lutherans and especial discontent and disappointment of the congregation of this place; yea of the whole land even of the English. We, therefore, went to the Honble Director General & the Burgomasters & Schepens of this city and presented the accompanying petition. Whereupon it followed that they cited the Lutheran Parson before their Honors; demanded of him with what intention he was come here, and what he had as a commission and credentials. He answered, that he had come to be Lutheran Preacher here, but he had no other commission than a letter from the Lutheran consistory at Amsterdam to the Lutheran congregation nere. Whereupon he was informed by the Honble Authorities here that he should abstain from all church service or from holding any meeting, and not to deliver the letter from the Lutherans at Amsterdam which he had brought with him, without further order; regulating himself in the meantime according to the Placards of this Province enacted against private conventicles, which he promised to do; but he was expecting further order and commission by the first ships. In the meanwhile, we already have the snake in our bosom. We would have been glad that the Lords Regent had opened the letter of the Lutheran consistory in order to ascertain from it the secret of the mission. But they have as yet been unwilling to do this. We demanded also that the Noble Lords Regent should send the Lutheran Minister back in the same ship in which he arrived inasmuch as he came hither without the consent of the Noble Directors, in order to put a stop to their work which they seem to intend to push forward with a hard Lutheran pate in despite and opposition of the Regents; for we suspect that he came to see if he will be permitted and suffered here, and to found other progress thereupon. But we know not what we shall accomplish herein. Last year Dominie Gideon Schaats wrote to your Reverences concerning the congregation in Renselaers and Beverwyck, as he also shall again do. The condition of the congregation there is most favorable; it grows stronger apace so as to be almost as strong as we are here at Manhatan. They built last year a handsome preaching house. On the south River it has been hitherto very poorly, as regards Religion and the Church. 1st Because we had there but one little fort, and therein but one commissary with 10 or 12 men in the Companys service, merely for the purpose of carry on some trade with the Indians. 2ndy In the year 1651 the fort, called Nassouw was abandoned and razed, and another named Casimir erected somewhat lower and more toward the Sea, and somewhat better garrisoned, and strengthened by divers freemen who commenced a village. But the Swedes increasing in numbers troubled & oppressed our people daily, and after they had taken Fort Casimir from us, they harrassed & vexed our nation so sorely that the South river was at once abandoned. But our people retook that Fort Casimir again in the year 1655. It was provided with a right strong garrison of our people and contained divers free people there with dwellings. So one was appointed who should read every Sunday something out of the Apostiles, which has as yet been continued, and the Lutheran Minister who was here was sent to Sweden. Two miles from fort Casimir up the river, stands another fort, named Christina which was also taken at the same time by our People, & the Preacher, together with the Swedish garrison, was sent away. But as many Swedes and Finns to the number at least of 200 were dwelling two or three miles up the river above Fort Christina, the Swedish governor insisted in the Capitulation that one Lutheran minister should be retained to instruct the people in their own tongue. This their request was too easily granted. 1st because trouble had broken out at Manhatan with the Indians, and men required quick despatch, and to hasten back to the Manhattans to repair matters there. 2nd Because we had no reformed Preacher to establish there or who understood their language. Now this Lutheran Parson is a man of a godless and scandalous life, a rolling rollicking unseemly carl, who is more inclined to look into the wine-can than to pore over the bible, and would rather drink a kan of brandy for two hours than preach one, and when the sap is in the wood then his hands itch and he becomes |