Project Gutenberg's The Kirk on Rutgers Farm, by Frederick Bruckbauer

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Title: The Kirk on Rutgers Farm

Author: Frederick Bruckbauer

Illustrator: Pauline Stone

Release Date: May 2, 2008 [EBook #25293]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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The Kirk on Rutgers Farm

[Illustration: Church of the Sea and Land]

THE

KIRK

on

Rutgers Farm

_By_

Frederick Bruckbauer

_Illustrated by_

Pauline Stone

NEW YORK
Fleming H Revell Company
1919

[Blank Page]

_To the
Men and Women
who gave
that the old church
might remain at
Market and Henry Streets_

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INTRODUCTION

It is evident that the preparation of this volume has been a labor
of love.

Of the sanctuary which, for one hundred years, has stood on the corner
of Market and Henry Streets, the author, like many others who have put
their lives into it, might well say:

"Thy saints take pleasure in her stones,
Her very dust to them is dear."

The story of "The Kirk on Rutgers Farm" is one of pathetic interest. In
its first half-century it sheltered a worshipping congregation of staid
Knickerbocker type, which, tho blest with a ministry of extraordinary
ability and spiritual power, succumbed to its unfriendly environment and
perished.

In its second half-century it became the home of a flock of God, poor in
this world's goods, but rich in faith, to whom the environment even when
changing from bad to worse, was a challenge to faith and valiant service.
Those of us who in our unwisdom said a generation ago that it ought to
die judged after the outward appearance. Those who protested that it
must not die, took counsel with the spirit that animated them, saw the
invisible and against hope believed in hope.

Not the least impressive pages of this book are the pages which record
the names of ministers and other toilers for Christ, who in this field
of heroic achievement have lived to serve or have died in service.

The author has very skilfully co