II. FOR THE PRESERVATION OF ORDER.

1. Every enrolled member shall be bound to be present at the Cœtus, unless prevented by a legitimate hindrance.

2. In the lack of an acting elder, a Consistory may depute a former elder.

3. Every member shall preserve silence, that the Cœtus may the better deliberate.

4. In the meeting, each shall keep his own seat in the Circle, and not speak except in his turn; or else pay twopence.

5. Whoever, without the permission of the President, comes in after the opening prayer, shall pay sixpence; if he is absent from the whole session, he shall pay a shilling; if from the Cœtus entirely, six shillings; and in case of the officers, these fines shall be doubled. Every one shall abstain from invective and injurious words, under penalty of not less than twopence, and not more than six shillings.

III. OF THE EXAMINATIONS.

1. The examinations shall be conducted by the President and the Clerk; i. c., by him whose regular turn it is to be Clerk, and strictly according to the determination of Sept. 7, 1747.

2. The examination being satisfactorily finished, the President shall ask the person examined,

(1.) Whether he declares with a good conscience before the Lord that he sincerely believes what he has professed?

(2.) The Formulas of subscription for ministers shall be read to him, as contained in the Post Acta, Syn. Dord., 1618, 1619, p. 83. (3.) Then he shall be asked if he "will always conduct himself in the strictest manner according to all that is contained therein, especially according to the XXXVII Articles of the Netherlandish Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of the Dordracene Synod."

Thus shall he, in the presence of the Rev. Assembly, make the appointed attestation, and then add,

“And in case, hereafter, I take up any opinion contrary to the doctrine of the Reformed Church, I now promise that if I do not subject myself to the Coetus in subordination to the Classis of Amsterdam, but do and teach otherwise than the Low Dutch Reformed Church has determined irrevocably to hold and maintain, that I, ipso facto, by the very deed, shall be deprived of all my ministerial office, and all the fruits and privileges thereof; which I now confirm with my own hand in the presence of you all." Which he shall immediately do.

(4.) Then shall he also promise, in all sincerity, to govern himself by the Church Orders usual in the Netherlandish Church, and to adhere inviolably to the Coetus while he is in these provinces; and to conduct himself according to all its rules, as subordinate to the Rev. Classis of Amsterdam.

IV. IN REGARD TO CHURCH VISITATION.

This shall be conducted according to the determination of the Sept. 10, 1747. The President shall ask each minister and elde 1. Whether the Lord's Supper is duly administered among at the proper season, and with previous visitation of the familie a preparatory discourse?

2. Whether the prescribed preaching on the Catechism an catechising of the children are attended to?

3. Whether the names of the members of the church, of the ba children, and of persons united in marriage, are properly recorde 4. Whether the ministers, elders, and deacons faithfully disc the duties of their several offices?

5. And whether the minister receives the amount promised t in his call?

V. OF THE QUESTOR OF THE CETUS.

1. Every year a Questor shall be chosen, properly to receive pay out the revenues of the Cœtus.

2. On leaving office, he shall give a proper account of receipt expenditures to the Cœtus, or to those whom it deputes for the pur shall hand over the cash-box; and shall state what the Coetus ow

VI. OF THE REVENUES OF THE COTUS.

1. Students admitted to the preparatory examination shall b hand pay to the Questor four pounds, New York currency; and same amount afterwards, when they receive their testimonials.

2. In the case of those admitted to the final examination, the gregations which have called them shall pay to the Questor tw pounds, New York currency.

3. All fines shall come into the treasury of the Coetus, and be livered by the Directors to the Questor.

VII. OF THE BOOK OF THE COETUS.

The Questor shall provide an ordinary blank book, in which Fundamental Articles, the Rules of the Cœtus, the subscriptions the members, and all our important acts and letters, shall be care recorded.

Since all this recording will require much time and labor, the Co thinks fit to appoint an Extraordinary Clerk, who shall be compens for his toil. For this purpose, they have unanimously chosen D Du Boise or if he should be unable to serve. Dom. Ritzema.

shall be recompensed for his trouble, according to the pleasure of the Cœtus.

[Here follow the signatures, as given in the subscribers' own hand in the original book.]

For the Congregations of Marbletown, Rochester, & Wawarsing.

Joannes Gerretse,

For the Congregations of Staten Island.

Dam Lancks,

For the Congregation of Stone Arabia.

Roelof Terhune,

For the Congregation of Gravesend.

[On the next page the following signatures are found attached to a new heading, viz.:]

The Rev. Assembly of Ministers and Elders under the Classis of Amsterdam, met in the Consistory Chamber of New York, October 9, 1765, having read again the Fundamental Articles of the Cœtus, together with the regulations for holding the same, herein before recorded, give their full consent thereto, and desire to hold their assembly on no other ground. But, as they have now altered the name of

Coetus into that of an Assembly of Ministers and Elders under the Rev. Classis of Amsterdam, they have thought good to subscribe the foregoing points anew.

JOANNES RITZEMA, V. D. M.

LAMBERTUS DE RONDE, V. D. M.
JOANNES SCHUYLER, V. D. M.
ULPIANUS VAN SINDEREN, V. D. M.
JOANNES CASPAR FRYENMOET, V. D. M.
BENJ. VAN DER LINDE, V. D. M.
JOANNES CASPar Rubel, V. D. M.
GERHARD DANIEL COCK, V. D. M.
JOANNES MICHAEL KERN, V. D. M.
ISAAC RYSDYCK, V. D. M.

Elders.

RYNIER VAN GIESEN, Hackensack.
REM REMSEN, Kings County.
JEREMIAH VAN DER BILT, Kings Co.
DAVID TERHUN, Permis, [Paramus.]
PETER SCHERP, Komp, [Camp.]

HENRY WHITEMAN, New York.

ISAAC BRINCKERHOFF, Veskel, etc., [Fishkill.]
CORNELIUS PERSEN, of Kingston.

V.

Transactions of the Third Catus,

BEGUN SEPTEMBER 27, 1748.

FORENOON.

MEMBERS PRESENT.

Dom. Curtenius, with Elders: from Hackensack, John Zabriskie; from Schraalenbergh, Carol De Baun.

Dom. Haaghort, none; but from Paramus, Albert Van Dien.

Dom. Du Bois, Dom. Ritzema, with the Elders, C. Bancker and Abraham Van Wyck.

Dom. Van Sinderen, with the Elder, Abraham Lott.

Dom. Schuyler, with the Elder, Dirck Hagedoorn.

An Elder from New Brunswick-Henry Fisher.

MODERATORS.

Dom. Curtenius opened the meeting with prayer. Dom. Haaghoort

SEPTEMBER, 1748.

XXIII

was chosen President; Dom. Curtenius, Clerk; and Dom. Du Bois, Clerk Extraordinary.

1. Letter from the Classis.-Dom. Du Bois having delivered the letter of the Rev. Classis to the ministers, it was read, and the whole Cœtus expressed their great satisfaction with it, and directed copies of it to be sent to the disaffected, to induce them to come in.

2. Reading of Minutes.-All the records in the Coetus Book were read, (which it took a long time to do,) and approved.

3. Gravamina-The persons from Kings County delivered their charges against Arondeus.

4. Calls.-Messrs. Goetschius, Van Sinderen, and Leydt delivered their calls.

AFTERNOON.

At the opening of the meeting, Dom. Erickson appeared with his Elder, John Luyster, and Dom. Meinema without an Elder.

1. Visitatores Libri.-Dom. Haaghoort and Dom. Ritzema were chosen examiners of the Catechism of Dom. Frelinghuysen, [of Albany.]

2. Approval of Calls.--The mecting approved the calls of Dom. Goetschius for the second minister of Hackensack, of Van Der Linde for Paramus, and of Leydt to New Brunswick.

3. Arondeus. The complaints from Long Island against Dom. Arondeus were taken up, and it was determined to request Dom. Arondeus to meet us on the coming Thursday, to hear the complaints against him, and, if possible, to effect a reconciliation in a becoming

manner.

SEPTEMBER 28-FORENOON.

1. It was directed that the Classical Letter should be copied into the book of the Cœtus.

2. Examination.-Messrs. Goetschius, Van der Linde, and Leydt delivered their propositions, and were examined by Messrs. Curtenius and Haaghoort; wherein the assembly was satisfied, after consuming two hours in the same.

AFTERNOON.

1. The committee deputed by Jamaica, Hempstead, and Newtown appeared before us, and the Coetus promised to assist them in every proper way, according to their ability; to write to their opponents, and to consider the matters of these congregations.

2. Tappan.-The elders and deacons of Tappan desired to be recognized as a member of the Coetus. The elders had handed the letter of the Classis to Mutzelius himself, and requested him to promise that