(The first 9 pages of the book)
THE
KIRKPATRICK
MEMORIAL;
OR,
BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCHES OF FATHER AND SON,
REV. JACOB
KIRKPATRICK, JR.,
PHILADELPHIA:
WESCOTT & THOMSON.
1867
Transcribed from the original book complete with
spellings and terms of the times by John P. Kirkpatrick for genealogical
purposes.
Σ 2000-2004 John P. Kirkpatrick
John P. Kirkpatrick
RR 1 Box 253-A
Ellsinore, MO 63937
Entered according to the Act of
Congress, in the year 1867, by
ELIAS COOK,
In the Clerks Office of the District
Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
WESTCOTT &
THOMSON,
Stereotypers, Philada.
THE
EDITORS PREFACE.
The
present memorial volume is not the result of a sudden thought. It has a history. Declining health induced the Rev. Jacob Kirkpatrick, Jr., to
resign, in 1857, the pastoral charge of the Third Presbyterian Church, Trenton,
N.J. Both pastor and people saw no hope
of his recovery. Many of his friends,
sorrowing that they should hear his voice no more in the pulpit, felt that it
would be consolation, if he might still preach to them through the press. They requested the privilege of publishing a
small volume of his sermons. He
modestly declined, shrinking, as he had ever done, from publicity.
In
now publishing a few of his sermons, no violence is done to his last
wishes. It is true, that while
lingering at his fathers house, waiting for the Heavenly call, he requested
that his manuscripts might be burned.
But his father interposed. At
length he consented, saying in effect, to Dr. Kirkpatrick, You can do with
them as you think best. Let them be
used in any way, in which they may do good.
Soon
after his decease the Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick sent the manuscripts to a friend to
be at his disposal. This the father
would never have done, had not the fullest consent been given by his son, whom
he so ardently loved, and whose dying wishes were regarded with profound
sacredness. Various events
providentially delayed the publication of the intended volume. The idea was quite abandoned until, in May
1866, Dr. Kirkpatrick was called to his rest.
It was then thought that a memorial should be published, of these two
beloved ministers whose loss was widely felt in the Presbyterian Church. After due consultation it was resolved to
publish a memorial on the present plan.
The
editor was requested to supervise the work, and the Rev. George Hale, D.D., of
Pennington, N.J., to prepare the biographical sketches, to which he
appropriately gives his own preface. To
the many friends who have aided him the editor offers his thanks.
In
the editors hands were placed more than two hundred manuscripts of sermons and
lectures; some of them mere outlines, some half written, with wide blanks to be
filled up at a future day, and others quite complete. Very few of them present a fully written peroration. In making his appeals, Mr. Kirkpatrick was
usually guided by a few catch-words, or phrases, many of which do not now revel
what was in his mind.
This
imperfection in the manuscript may indicate the perfection of his study and his
preaching. His power of extemporaneous
address was remarkable. He did not
sacrifice it in the pulpit. How many of
his most eloquent utterances are lost, except as their effect remains upon the
memories and the soul of his hearers!
Many persons will not find, in this collection, the sermons they
expected, for they were never written beyond the mere first draft. Such were the discourses on The Wonderful,
the Counselor, The Lamb of God, The Crucified Saviour. The fact that his sermons upon the Divinity,
the life, the sufferings, and the atonement of Christ, were delivered from a
brief outline, may be taken as a proof of his familiarity with the great themes
of gospel theology. On no other subjects did he appear so free
in the resistless march of his thoughts.
His
sermons were largely of an awakening character, rather than consolatory. He earnestly sought the conversion of
sinners, the reclaiming of the fallen, the arousing of the Church, and the
reviving of the spiritual life in the hearts of Gods people. The published specimens are to be read as
the sermons of a young pastor, in the regular course of his preaching. They were not prepared for special
occasions. They have been selected from
the mass, on the plan of furnishing the best specimens of different years, the
most practical, and the most varied in their style and thought.
None
of the sermons bore a title. The editor
has endeavored to supply this want. He
has been scrupulously careful to maintain the integrity of what was
written. The portraits have been
engraved by an eminent artist from photographs, representing the deceased as
they appeared in their more vigorous days.
The
largest credit, for the successful publication of the work, is due to Elias Cook,
Esq., of Trenton, N.J., the guardian of the only and orphan child of the Rev.
Jacob Kirkpatrick, Jr. He assumed the
entire pecuniary responsibility, sparing no pains to make it a fitting memorial
of the departed; one of whom was to him as a paternal counselor, and the other
a beloved pastor.
If
the reading of these biographical sketches shall lead any to embalm the names
of the commemorated dead, by imitating their Christian example, and if the
meditation of these sermons shall be blessed of God to any, who mourned when
the voice of the preacher was silenced by death, happy will be the reward of
those to whom its preparation has been a labor of love.
C O N T E N T S.
----------------
PAGE
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.
3
PREFACE BY THE BIOGRAPHER.
11
THE KIRKPATRICK MEMORIAL.
I. THE KIRKPATRICK FAMILY.
13
II. THE REV. JACOB KIRKPATRICK, D.D.
33
III. THE REV. JACOB KIRKPATRICK, JR.
. 78
SERMONS.
I. GODS GLORY IN REDEMPTION.
. 123
II. MOTIVES TO EFFORT.
. 141
III. OPPORTUNITIES LOST
160
IV. THE HUMAN LEVEL.
177
V. THE TWO FORMS OF SORROW.
195
VI. DO YE NOW BELIEVE!
214
VII. THE SEVERE DENIAL OF SELF.
234
VIII. LESSONS FROM THE MANNA.
... 251
IX. THE DUTY OF SPECIFIC PRAYER.
. 270
X. THE FUTURE SATISFACTION.
. 288
NOTE: This is a representation of the ORIGINAL
CONTENTS PAGE, and the page numbers do not correspond with the pages on this
transcribed document. A NEW CONTENTS
PAGE follows this page with the correct numbering of pages.
N E W C O N T E N T S.
----------------
PAGE
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR.
3
PREFACE BY THE BIOGRAPHER.
7
THE KIRKPATRICK MEMORIAL.
I. THE KIRKPATRICK FAMILY.
8
II. THE REV. JACOB KIRKPATRICK, D.D.
14
III. THE REV. JACOB KIRKPATRICK, JR.
. 25
SERMONS.
I. GODS GLORY IN REDEMPTION.
. 36
II. MOTIVES TO EFFORT.
. 41
III. OPPORTUNITIES LOST
45
IV. THE HUMAN LEVEL.
49
V. THE TWO FORMS OF SORROW.
54
VI. DO YE NOW BELIEVE!
59
VII. THE SEVERE DENIAL OF SELF.
64
VIII. LESSONS FROM THE MANNA.
... 68
IX. THE DUTY OF SPECIFIC PRAYER.
. 73
X. THE FUTURE SATISFACTION.
. 77
THE
KIRKPATRICK MEMORIAL
PREFACE.
The
necessity for the early appearance of this volume denies to the writer of these
sketches the power to follow the advice, which the poet Horace gives to the
author of a book --- Prematur nonum in
annum. With an abler hand and a
longer time to collect and verify facts, this part of the volume would have
been more nearly complete and therefore more satisfactory; but it is sent forth
as it is, in the hope that some things stated may prove gratifying to the
numerous friends of this excellent father and his most worthy son.
The
compiler takes this method of expressing his grateful acknowledgements to the
Hon. Andrew B. Cobb, of Parsippany, William Annin, Esq., of Liberty Corner, the
Hon. H. N. Congar, Secretary of State for New Jersey, and other friends, too
numerous to be named here for the facilities they have afforded him, and the
information they have imparted.
Pennington,
Nov. 14, 1866. G.H.
The original book is extremely hard to find and as such, since there is an increased interest in the research of ones family, this transcription from the original book is undertaken. The complete content from the original book is contained in this transcription, to include the type of language used by the original authors and editors. Please note, the complete spelling and grammar from the original is contained in this transcription, to include misspellings and sentence structure.
Ellsinore,
MO; 27 April 2000 J.P.K.
THE
KIRKPATRICK MEMORIAL
I.
THE
KIRKPATRICK FAMILY.
The Pilgrim Fathers of the May Flower, who landed at Plymouth in 1620, with those who shortly afterwards fled to New England from the persecutions of the Old World, laid the foundations of this great nation. Their work, by the blessing of God, will abide; and the record of what they have done must make up an essential part of our national history, not soon to be blotted out. But there were others, holding the same Calvinistic creed, inspired with the same Christian heroism, and animated with an equally ardent love for civil and religious liberty, like the Protestant emigrants from Holland and the Huguenot refugees from France, who have rendered material aid in moulding our free institutions. Perhaps sufficient credit has not yet been given to the Presbyterian emigrants from Scotland and the north of Ireland, known as the Scotch and Scotch-Irish, for the powerful influence for good, which they have exerted. Well-trained in the School and Kirk of their native home, familiar from childhood with the Bible and the Catechisms of the Westminster Assembly, and disciplined by the fierce persecution for their loyalty to the crown and covenant of King Jesus, they have not only contributed much towards giving character and stability to the Presbyterian Church, but they have ever been found among the firmest and most intelligent supporters of evangelical religion, popular education and good government. To mention no others, how familiar among us have become such names as Tennent, Witherspoon, Doak, Nisbet, Alexander, Mason, Wilson, Brown and McDowell.
Of
this class of our citizens were many of the families who, in the early part of
the eighteenth century settled near Baskingridge, Somerset County, New Jersey,
one of which was,
THE
KIRKPATRICK FAMILY.
The Hon. Walter Kirkpatrick, a cousin of the late Dr. Jacob Kirkpatrick, at his decease, left in his own hand this statement to wit:
The
Kirkpatrick family possessed estates in Nithsdale, [Scotland] in the ninth
century. The first on record is Ivone
Kirkpatrick in the time of David I. He
was a witness to a Charter of Robert Bruce.
He had a grandson Ivone and from him descended a long line of Lords of
Closeburn. Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick,
Gentleman of the Privy Chamber of James VI., obtained a patent of Freedom of
the whole kingdom. He died in 1628, and
was succeeded by his son Thomas, whose grandson Thomas was created Baronet of
Nova Scotia. [This order was founded by
James I. in 1611, and is given by
patent], March 26, 1686. He married
Isabella, daughter of Lord Torpishen; afterwards he married Sarah, daughter of
Robert Ferguson, Esq., of Craigdarock, by whom he had a son Rodger; and
thirdly, he married Grizzel, daughter of Gain Hamilton, Esq., of Raplock. He was succeeded by
II.
Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, who married Isabel, daughter of Sir William Lockhart,
of Carstairs, and was succeeded by
III. Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, who married Susannah
Grierson, of Capuncet, August 29, 1748.
Fire consumed his mansion, family papers, and everything except the
tower. He died October, 1771, and was
succeeded by
IV. Sir James Kirkpatrick, who married Miss
Jaudine, and died June 7, 1804, and was succeeded by
V. Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, the present Baronet.
THE
KIRKPATRICK ARMS.
Ar,
a sattier and chief az.
The
last charger with 3 cushions or
Crest,
a hand holding a dagger
In
paledistilling drops of blood.
Motto,
I make sure.
Seat,
Closeburns Dumfries.
The
name of the immediate ancestor of that branch of the family which this volume
is a memorial was ALEXANDER. He was
born in Watties Neach, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. He removed with his family to Belfast, Ireland, after the birth
of his son David, in the latter part of the reign of George I. probably about
the year 1725, that he might enjoy greater liberty of conscience and additional
religious advantages. In the spring of
1736 he embarked at Belfast for America, and after a stormy passage of thirteen
weeks landed at New Castle, Delaware.
The passengers and crew were almost starved owing to the unexpected
length of the passage. David, who was
then twelve years old, speaking of this to a grandson in after years said: The firs thing I got to eat after we got on
shore was corn, in the state which we call roasting ears, and without roasting
or boiling I ate it till the milk of the corn ran down both sides of my mouth,
and I have never eaten anything since that tasted sweeter. The narrative by the grandson adds: They
crossed the Delaware at Philadelphia, and wandered up through the State of New
Jersey (which was partially settled) till they reached Boundbrook, and from
that they went over the mountain. This
incident he (the grandfather) used to tell me, and smile at they were all on
foot there was no road other than the Indian path. In the path before them they saw a land-tortoise, speckled,
sticking up his head; and as they had heard of rattlesnakes, they thought that monster
must be one; so they turned out in
the woods and went away round leaving his torkleship in full possession of
the path. When they came to a spring of
water at the side of what has since been called Mine Brook, there they settled
down, built in log house and went to work.
The spot was well chosen, about two miles west from the present site of Baskingridge in Somerset County, New Jersey. It embraced the southern slope of Round Mountain in a well-timbered region, with unfailing springs of pure water, the rich meadow-land through which Mine Brook runs with a sufficient fall of water for a mill-seat, and with these material advantages, a charming picturesque view of the adjacent region. The spring of water is still there, marking the site of the original log-house, and until within a few years could be seen the remains of the apple trees planted by Alexander Kirkpatrick and his sons. This improvement many of the early proprietary leases required. In a lease of one hundred and thirty-seven acres, (which it may be remarked was a minor portion of what the family eventually obtained by title in fee simple) granted November 23, 1747, to Alexander Kirkpatrick, he agrees to plant an orchard of at least one apple-tree fro every three acres, and in case this lease shall continue beyond three years, then (to) plant one apple tree for every six acres, all regular in one orchard, and to keep up the number planted, and to keep the orchard in good fence.