Leaders of the Dutch Reformed Church of the Netherlands offered Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen (1691-1747) an intriguing proposal. They needed a young, enthusiastic minister to lead four small churches in Raritan. Theodorus assumed Raritan was an adjoining Dutch province. Not quite! They wanted him to go to Raritan Valley in New Jersey! Although Theodorus initially agreed to go, he reconsidered and consulted the Bible for guidance. He became convinced that the Psalm, “Those who honor the Lord keep an oath even when it hurts and do not change their minds” (Ps. 15.4), applied to his situation. Theodorus announced to the ship’s captain, as they sailed for Colonial America, his intention “to stir up a new reformation in America.” He made good on his word to stir things up! The Dutch who had migrated to America came primarily for economic gain, not religious motivation. While they attended Dutch churches, they were sorely lacking in zeal. Theodorus had little patience for empty formalism. He preferred spontaneous prayers over liturgy, preached with considerable passion, exercised church discipline, and called people in no uncertain terms to repentance. He was true to his motto: “I seek not praise; I fear not blame.” One historian observed, “Never before had people of this valley witnessed such force, earnestness, and passion in the pulpit.” His detractors accused him of false teaching. When pressed for specifics, their charges collapsed like a house of cards, and the real reason for the conflict surfaced. It was a case of mismatched expectations: a passionate, strong-willed pastor assigned to lukewarm churches. It took fifteen years for the parties to reconcile. Theodorus came to recognize his character flaws yet also didn’t back down. He persevered to become a leader in America’s first Great Awakening. His five sons became ministers (his two daughters also married ministers), two of whom chartered Queens College (now Rutgers University), his grandson was a member of the Continental Congress, and his great-grandson a U.S. Senator. A portion of a prayer included in a book of his sermons leads us to pray:
Theodorus Frelinghuysen
O, good Shepherd, (although I am the chief of sinners and the least of thy servants), inasmuch as it has not only pleased Thee to thrust me, insignificant son of man, into the harvest, but also to be with me (since through thy grace I am what I am), but especially because Thou hast been with me in so many distresses in this strange land, continually delivering me. Truly, the deliverances of thy countenance are too multiplied –thy blessings upon my weak ministrations, person, and family are too numerous to be reckoned up in order. All the favors Thou has shown me, even in the time of trouble, lie as so many bonds of obligation upon my soul so that I am compelled to exclaim, “What shall I render unto Thee for all Thy benefits: Lord, I am your servant and will, by thy assistance, be faithful unto death, going in the strength of the Lord, fighting the good fight of faith, gladly suffering and enduring in the knowledge of our solemn covenant, ‘I am the Lord’s.'”
Sermons by Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, 1856.
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.