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Early Church Customs
The dedication sermon was preached in Dutch and understood by many of the congregation. Mr. Versteeg, in,
his translation of the Church Records states that Dutch
ceased to be the language of the pulpit and of the
church records May 26th, 1793, when Mr. John Cornelison was ordained and installed as pastor, although in
some instances English and Dutch were used alternately in the
records as late as 1805. Old residents tell me that they have heard occasional sermons in Dutch at a very
much later date. In "The Annals of the Classis and Township
of Bergen," Domine Taylor states that "singing in Dutch was
discontinued about 1809, but preaching in Dutch continued for some time later."
Two of the hymns sung at the dedication of the new
church were composed by Mrs. Anna R. Taylor, wife
of the pastor, the Rev. Benjamin C. Taylor. In the
early days the Bergen Reformed Church required of
the applicants for membership a very rigid examination
before the minister and consistory in Bible history,
evidences of the truths of Christianity, and the Doctrines of the Church as set forth in the Heidelburgh
Catechism. The young people went at least once, a
week to "Catechism" to the pastor, the Voorleezer or
an elder, until perfectly familiar with the Catechism.
In the early Dutch Churches on Long Island there was an
officer called Krank-besoecker - Sick Visitor, also sometimes
called Zieck-trooster - the Sick Consoler, or Comforter;
undoubtedly the same office existed in the early Bergen
Church, but if so whether it was filled by the Voorleezer or
some other member of the congregation I cannot say. The
name of "Sick Consoler" is very suggestive of kindly
brotherhood, expressing much more than the modern name of
the same office.
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