443 HISTORY OF 



tablishment of Schools in America, by the Highest Ecclesias- 

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

 ed Synod of Amsterdam, Schoolmasters were sent out for the 

 instruction — and German Bibles and other 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 Coetuale proceedings of the Reformed church in Hol- 

 land, for the year 1760, we find 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 

 tliat time to the month of May, 1760, one hundred, instructed 

 forty young persons in the confession of faith, and received 

 them as communicants. At present sixty children attend the 

 school."* 



For years anterior to the time we are 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 Calvinistic in their doctrines, they were necessarily able 

 and astute polemics. Called upon as they were daily 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 worthy of remark here, that all the proceedings, reports, &c., of the 

 Synods of this Church were, until toward the close of the ]8th Century, con- 

 ducted in the Latin or Dutch languages : The report spoken of in the text) 

 is in the Dutch and as follows, viz: 



" Wy maken den et begin met Lancaster. Nadien Domine Stoy. A. D. 

 1758 in de Maand Octob : daar hen quam, zoo vond hy omtrent een hundred 

 Huishoudingen, die tot die Kerke behooren. Hy heelft zint die tyd tot de 

 Maand Mey 1760 daar gedoopt 116 Kinderen ; 40 jongs personen in di& 

 Geloofe Belydenisse onderweercn, en tot Ledematen aangenomen, In die 

 School gan tegenwoordig 60 Kindere : 



•j-The Rev. Henry M. Muhlenberg, for a long time the pastor of the Lu- 

 theran Congregation at Philadelphia, spoke the Latin with great fluency, 

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

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

 and Hebrew. 



