443 HISTOKY OP 



tablishmcut of Schools in America, by the Highest Ecclesias- 

 tical bodies of these two Churches in Europe. By the Reform- 

 ed Synod of Amsterdam, Sclioolmastcrs were sent out for the 

 instruction — and German Bibles and otlier religious books for- 

 warded to meet the wants of the community not only at Lan- 

 caster but throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. 



In the Ca3tuale proceedings of the Reformed church in Hol- 

 land, for the year 1700, we iind a Report dated May 20, A. D* 

 1760, in which, among other things, it is stated as follows: ^ 

 "We begin with Lancaster. After Mr. Stoy came here, A. D. ,^. 

 1758, in the month of October, he found about one hundred ^ 

 families that belonged to the church. He has baptized since ^o 

 that time to the month of May, 17C0, one hundredy^lnstruc!M- 

 forty young persons in llic confession of faith, and received 

 them as communicants. At present sixty children attend the 

 school."* 



For years anterior to the time wc arc writing of, the minis- 

 ters of the German Reformed church in America as well as in 

 Europe, were among the most learned of all Divines. Essen- 

 tially Calvinislic in their doctrines, they were necessarily able 

 and astute polemics. Called upon as they were dail)^ to combat 

 the errors of the Romish, and to explain the difference and 

 defend their doctrines from those of the Lutheran church — 

 which also ranked among its ministers men of great learning 

 and erudition — f they were constrained to search the Scrip- 



*It is worlliy of remark licro. that all the proceedings, reports, &c., of the 

 Synoils of tliis ( 'liDrcli wore, until toward the close of tiic ] 8lh Century, con- 

 (lucteil in llie Latin or Dutch languages: 'J'hc report spoken of in the text, 

 is in tli<> Dutch iJniJ as follows, viz: 



" Wy niaken den et liecin met Lancaster. Nadien Domine Stoy. A. D. 

 1758 in dc Maand Octuli: daar hen (luani, zoo vond liy onitrent een hundred 

 IIuislioudiiiKcn, die tol die Kerkc Ix luioren. Ily lieclft /int die 1yd tot de 

 Maand Mey 17G0daar gedoopt 116 Kinderen ; 40 jongs personcn in die 

 Ocloofe Uelydenisse ondcrweeren, en tot Ledeniaten aangcnomen. In die 

 School gan legenwoordig GO Kindcre: 



■jTlie Kev. Henry M. Mulilenlierg, for a long time the pastor of the Lu- 

 theran Congregation at I'liiladelphia, spoke the Latin with great fluency. 

 He also preached in tiie Sweedish, Dutch, German, French and English 

 languages. He wan a profound linguist, and was familiar with the Greek 

 und Hebrew. 



