Honeyman Manuscript

Dr. Honeyman Manuscript
Pages 98-99

Contributed by Keith R. Sagers

FOREWORD

There are two sources of Zion information; one is from the letters that Muhlenberg (and occasionally others) wrote to the hierarchy in Halle, Germany, the second is the documents still held by Zion. The manuscript by Dr. Honeyman drew heavily from these sources. The original Honeyman Manuscript is on microfilm at three locations in New Jersey (one being the Hunterdon County Historical Society). These pages 98-99 are from the microfilm of the original manuscript. I included them because Johann Adam's name appears (last line, p. 98) in what appears to be a quote of a Muhlenberg correspondence. This established for me that Muhlenberg personally knew Adam.

Zion keeps the [original] documents in two cardboard boxes in an upstairs closet. They can't afford to have them preserved professionally and the pastor said they refused to give them to the [Huntingdon County Historical Society] for preservation.

--Keith R. Sagers

Page 98

among them, which only the lapse of time could soothe and remove, and that perhaps but partially. The clergyman who preached the principal sermon at the dedication of our Zion church married his house-girl, who had formerly kept a cake-stand in the public market; and although nothing could justly be said against her moral character, yet her education and social position were not of a high order, and the rash step of selecting a wife from one of the ignorant families of his congregation brought him so much trouble and embarassment that he was, within the space of a year, obliged to vacate his pastoral office. Nothing is truer than that ministers are public characters, as well as servants of the Most High; and wives should always be chosen by them with reference to the requirements of their public position.

We have failed to meet with any further notice of Mr. Weygand until the assembling of Synod at Providence, June 17th, 1750. He is then mentioned as being present, with three elders, at least two days beforehand, probably to consult privately with Muhlenberg and Brunnholtz on the subject of his pastoral difficulties.

"On the 16th (Saturday)," says Muhlenberg, "we proposed to Mr. Weygand, by way of examination, some Latin questions for him to answer. In the evening appeared the three [this is an error of memory, for there were but two, as the secretary's report shows] prominent church elders who, some weeks before, had formulated in writing the eight heads of complaint of which we have heretofore spoken. They protested his ordination, and likewise succeeded in bringing the men who had come with Mr. Weygand over to their side. The names of the five protesting elders, as we find them written in the Synodical Minutes, were Balthasar Pickel, Johann Mohlig (Welick), Laurenz Rolofsen, Jacob Schubmann (Shipman), and Adam Vackerodt. We preach-

Page 99

ers, together with Mr. Weygand and these men, went to a place by ourselves and conferred until a late hour of the night. We closely examined both parties, and sharply reprimanded Mr. Weygand touching those matters wherein he had offended and most grievously sinned. The three [two] last men insisted upon this, that he should not be ordained for their congregations at the present time: they said they wanted to see first whether he improved; if so, then he could be ordained ar Raritan at the time their new church-building was consecrated. We durst not force the ordination in the face of the elders' opposition. The protestation brought great embarressment to Mr. Weygand, as it did to us - but the more to Mr. W. because it had been spoken of everywhere that he would be ordained. It was a very heavy punishment for him, but he had brought it upon himself by his frivolous conduct."

On the second day of its meeting, Mr. Weygand preached a sermon before the Synod. At one time during the session each congregation represented in the body was requested through its delegates to state the relation in which it stood to its pastor. The Raritan delegates said that "they had nothing against Mr. Weygand's teachings, and would keep him longer."

The ancient Augustus stone church of Providence ("the Trappe"), Montgomery Co., Pa., in which this Synodical convention was held, though no longer used as a house of worship, still stands, and is cherished as a venerable specimen of the internal and external style of church architecture that prevailed in the time of its erection.

Once only, afterward, do we meet with a mention of Weygand's deferred ordination, and that is found in a letter written by Rev. Peter