LENG: ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF STATEN ISLAND 117 
Drisius was born in Holland about 1600; he had prior to 1652 
preached there and in England, becoming capable of preaching in 
English and French as well as Dutch. In 1652 he came to New 
Netherland, and after visiting Virginia on diplomatic work, was 
pastor of the Dutch Church in Manhattan until his death in 1673, 
which followed after three years of aged feebleness. He was 
already 63 years old when he crossed the bay in winter and summer 
to administer the Lord’s Supper to the 12 or 14 families on Staten 
Island. This picture of the venerable Dutch preacher who first _ 
served the cause of religion here should begin our ecclesiastical his- 
tory instead of one confessedly imaginary of an alleged Walden- 
sian Church that probably never existed, and certainly not in 1650. 
Before proceeding with the ecclesiastical history of the remainder 
of the 17th century I must ask you to compare the facts concern- 
ing Drisius with the story as told by Clute and copied y later 
historians. In Morris 2: 275 you will find: 
“Rev. Samuel Drisius, who was one of the pastors of the Dutch 
Church in New York, from 1652 to 1682, preached regularly once 
a month to the Waldenses on Staten Island from about 1660 on- 
ward.” ‘There are 4 errors in this short statement: 1, Drisius hav- 
ing died in 1673 could not have been pastor of the Dutch Church 
nine years later; 2, he preached every two months not once a 
month; 3, he started in 1663 not 1660; 4, he preached to the French 
not the Waldenses. Such a comparison will serve as an apt illus- 
tration of the danger of accepting traditional history as authentic. 
Following the certainty of Drisius having preached on Staten 
Island in 1663 we have found nothing equally definite until 1681, 
though there is reason to believe that other pastors in New York, 
Long Island, and New Jersey may have furnished, as Drisius did, 
an occasional supply. On June 25, 1681, Rev. Casparus Van 
Zuuren, pastor at Long Island from 1677 to 1684, wrote to the 
Classis of Amsterdam: “I have likewise been requested to ad- 
_ minister the Communion for the congregation on Staten Island.” 
On Sep. 15, 1681, he also wrote: “ our preacher is burdened with 
the services . . . on Staten Island” ; and on Oct. 30, 1681, he 
gage ‘re Inenve . o 5 Om Siac Islernal eloorte tity 5 6 5 iaoemne 
