Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-06-24
OLD SWEDES 1888 YEARS OLD
An INTBREs rING ADDREsS ny
DIR. MARTIN.
Tho Sermon Preached In the Old
BuildlnR On Trinity Sunday, I69S
In t773 Two Sermons I'm Three
Preached in English.

In t573 Two Sermons In Thre.
Preached In English.
Old Swedes church celebrated its 1851
anniversary Sunday morning. A larg,
congregation was in attendance and thu
exercises We're interesting. The chance
was decorated with bouquets and po
flowers and in front of the chance
window was the inscription Holy, Holy
Holy Lord. 1898, 1886" lettered in gold
on blue groundwork. The Rows. d. D.
Hefter of Reading, Jesse Higgins and
Charles Breck, d. d., participated in the
Introductory services. The Rev. Henry
b. Martin, M. D., delivered an interesting
historical address.
In his opening remarks DIR. Martin
said ''The first sermon preached in Old
Swedes Church was from Psalms 1876, 8.
One hundred and eighty-eight years ago
to-day, Trinity Sunday, this building was
opened by solemn service of dedication
| to the worship of the triune God. Well
may to-day be called our dedication festi-
val We carry our thoughts back through
all these eveiitful years to that bright day
| in June, when the solemn service was
held in here and this building, all new,
| was set apart to the worship of the living
Father, Son and Holy Ghost Here,
| on that day, we're assembled many hum
dreds Of people to hear the gospel Of
peace and salvation, to present their chill
dren for the holy sacrament OF regener-
alton, and to be fed themselves
with the bread and wine of life
in the holy sacrament of thanksgiving
and refreshment. One hundred and
nj oh oa,Af NnaNlr, Ntuo
turiesi A long time in this new world of
ours, if not in the old. A noble congre-
CATION of living men, and women, and
children was gathered here, as we are
now gathered, they TO dictate and conse-
crate this, the new, house of prayer, as
well as to receive the wonderful grace
which comes through the two sacraments
which are necessary to salvation; we to
celebrate the anniversary of that blessed
day in this, our old, house of prayer
old to us, but then new to them, and to re-
ceive, ourselves, to. day with them, though
they have gone long ago, the same bread
of life and wine of refreshment which
giveth life to the soul, for we believe in
the communion of saints. ..-s
"Angels and living saints, and dead,
But one communion make,
All join In Christ, the living Head,
And of His love partake."
How busy had those pious, liberal
Swedes been in collecting materials and
in building this house for the worship of
the God of their fathers. May their
spirit, their zeal, their hberality descend
upon us, that we may keep the work here
alive and active. How busy must those
Christians have been in all the weeks and
months preceding the first Trinity Sunday
spent within these hallowed walls. We
can easily imagine the scene: Great piles
of stone, some of it having been brought,
we are told, by the women in their strong,
heavy aprons, for then, as now, Christian
women were ready TO lend their aid and
perform even more than their share of the
work of Christ's church militant here
upon earth. Sand, lime, mortar were
ready at hand and the sound Of the axe,
the saw and the hammer, and cheerful
voices of men were heard reverberating
from rocks and hills, across streams
and wales, and through the dense neigh
boring forests. They built for the future
and these venerable walls today stand a
monumt mt to attest their zeal aud thor
oughness. They built for the benefit of
generations unborn, for the ages to come.
1t was great church in those days, and
very famous-it is great to-day, and Just
rs famous. II stands alone, among all
the temples of our land, in that IL is
the most ancient house of God now occu-
pied for regular and continuous divine
service. Well may we foster an excus-
able pride in that fact. To this house,
in the faraway past, came the pious of
both sexes for public worship from miles
around even the people of the neighbor-
ing state, New Jersey, were wont to come
over the river in boats regularly every
Sunday. Our forefathers were a God
fearing, church-loving and church-going
people. They thought il no task, but Joy
and privilege to come from afar to hear,
regularly each Sunday, the word of eternal
life and unite in prayer, and praise, and
thanksgiving to Almighty God. To them
the words of the poet applies;
"And then, said they, one thing there Is
That we Of the Lord desire,
That ever while we on earth shall live
We will of the Lord require
That we may dwell In His temple blest
AS long as our life shall be,
And the beauty fair of the Lord of Hosts
In His house of glory see." ---..
Referring to the first church built in
this locality by the Swedes DIR. Martin
said il stood on the Delaware river, about
mile and half southeast of OldSwedes
Church. II was built of logs, and was
abandoned when Old Swedes Church was
erected. The Rev. Erick Biork was the
pastor then in charge, and in letter,
written by him about that time, he said
shortly after his arrival he persuaded the
Is s,,a
place than that where the first church
stood, Christina, and he Immediately
commenced the work, though with little
money. The first stone was laid in the
north corner, May 28th, 1898.
According to Mr.. Biork's account, DIR.
Martin continued, there was a belfry at
the east end of the church. The pulpit
was on the north side and the chancel,
which was circular, was where it now is.
There was no gallery at first, it being
added subsequently to accommodate the
increasing congregation. The pulpit and
chancel rails are of black walnut. They
were painted many years ago, evidently
TO save them from the rayages of the
wood worm. Sixty-four years after the
church was built the vestibules or but
tresses were added, to support the walls,
which had begun TO spread at the top,
forced out by the timbers of the roof.
The first bell was hung on the vestibule
which is now used as robing room.
Tradition says it was originally hung in
large walnut tree. It was afterwards
broken and the belfry taken down, The
present tower and belfry were built
just 81 years ago. The pulpit
was removed from the north side of the
church and put upon the altar about the
first of this century, the base or support
having become worm-eRten and insecure,
but it was strange idea, that of putting
| il on the altar, but there it remained until
three years ago, when il was removed to
its present position and the altar restored
TO its legitimate use. The altar is of brick
and mortar and not of stone, us was
supposed. II had fallen out of level and
could not be Strengthened without damage
| to it, 30 the present wood casing aud
marble slab were built around and over il.
The gallery was built in 1878. IL was
entered by stairway from the large
vestibule on the south side. The present
stairway is very modern, very inconvenient
and q great eyesore. In 1878 the rector
was authorized by the vestry TO preach in
the English language two Sundays in
three.
After describing the dedication service,
from notes furnished by DIR. Burr, the
present senior warden, DR.. Martin said
regular services have been held in Old
Swedes Church without interruption for
the past four years and over, except for a
short time for repairs, under the faithful
and devoted oversight of the Rev. Mr..
Higgins. Old Swedes must be classed
amongst the self-supporting congrega-