THE TOWN OF MOUNT PLEASANT. 539 



styled in the church records " verse doctrinae minister," (minister of the 

 true doctrine.) This gentleman continued to supply the church until 

 the commencement of the Revolution.' 1 



From this general account of the church, we proceed to give a few 

 extracts from its original records. The oldest book is thus entitled, 

 " Het notitie der Christeutycke Kerck op de Manner op Philipsburgh ; " 

 that is, " The Memorandum Book of the Christian Church of the 

 Manor of Philipsburgh." Upon the back of this volume is the follow- 

 ing motto: — 



" Endraght maakt magt, raaar twist verquist." 

 "Unity makes might, but discord squanders." 



The first line of the above was originally adopted as the national 

 motto of the United Netherlands, in 1578, "when the seven northern 

 provinces united for mutual interest and defence, which union actually 

 proved the precursor of their deliverance and establishment as a nation/ 



The preface of the original book runs thus, viz. : 



" To give the kind reader a right idea why, and at what time, this 

 church book, or particular memorandum according to Christian church 

 order, is made, to be for the satisfaction Of every one. Also, first with 

 regard to his Royal Majesty of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, 

 Defender of the Faith, &c. has pleased towards the year of our Lord 

 Jesus Christ, 1680, by prerogative, consent and license to give to the 

 . Hon. Lord Frederick Philipse to purchase freely as or for hereditary 

 purchase, a parcel of land or valley, so, and as it is situated in the county 

 of Westchester in America, beginning at the river of Spyten Devil's kill, 

 running north along the river, until the kill of Kitchawong, &c, &c, as 

 in the license and patent is contained, which is called Philipsburgh; to 

 indicate further in what manner and good affection these first Christian 

 inhabitants have shown in the middle of heathenism, and with and about 

 heathens to live, as true Christians, having first thought good and highly 

 necessary, on the Lord's day, to gather together, and in a place for that 

 purpose fit, to pray together, God the Lord with their whole heart to 

 praise, and thank Him with psalms and hymns, &c. 



" Furthermore it was also thought very necessary to look for a Reformed 

 preacher, and to want him to preach three or four times in the year, 

 and to administer the holy sacraments, and that the congregation might 

 become participant thereby, and so much the better by the grace of God, 

 with the covenants of His holy sacraments, according to the true Chris- 

 tian Reformed religion. 



" And as the Hon. servants of the church experience that up to this 

 time, being the 3d day oPNovember, in the year of our Lord 17 15, there 

 are no church memorandum, it has appeared necessary and good to us 



a One of the sons of the Rev. T. Ritzema was a Colonel under Washington at New Yorfe, 

 and tried for treason in August 1776 ; when he left the American cause and became a com- 

 missioned officer in the British service. This gentleman, prior to the Revolution, kept a 

 :military school at Tarrytown. 



b Pro. N. Y. Hist. Soc. p. 56. 



