Within the time of Romeyn's services a schism occurred in the Dutch church, in consequence of the subordinate state of the church to the Classis of Amsterdam, in Holland, in respect to ordaining ministers there, &c., which having become burdensome to many who had to go there to become authorized to preach the gospel, measures were taken to have a Classis established in this country for that purpose. This created two parties, one of which, termed Conferentie, was in favor of continuing according to former practice, and the other, termed Coetus, were advocates of a Classis formed in this country to examine and ordain men to preach the gospel. Of the former, Romeyn was a moderate adherent, probably in consequence of his ordination in Holland, yet the people of his congregations generally attended to his preaching and were not as violent partisans as many people were in some other parts of our country; and it is probable his services would have continued, if a few of the most influential ruling members of his church, who were of the Coetus party, had not projected means to end his services in the year mentioned. From this time, a term of thirteen years elapsed in which these congregations had no regular preacher, but probably had a few supplies before the Revolutionary War commenced, during its continuance, and after it ended. In the year 1785 the Rev. Elias Van Benschoten entered on his ministerial services for the three congregations of Mahackemeck, Minisink and Walpack, in each of which he preached every third Sunday, in both the Dutch and English languages and generally performed half in each tongue; and required of the young people as their duty, to commit to memory in the English tongue the Heidelberg catechism, in such portions as he directed to be answered at each time of his preaching in the congregation, either on the same Sunday or on one of the days of the same week, at which time he gave explanations of that portion of the catechism. He retired in 1795, [FN] and removed to a farm or tract of land he had purchased, situated east of the Shawangunk mountain, in the northerly part of New Jersey, on which he made great improvements and granted it to Mr. Cooper, a nephew of his by marriage, subject to payment by installments, and his money he bestowed for educating youths for the ministry, &c. ($17,000 given to the General Synod of Reformed Dutch Church for this purpose in 1814.) * * * * * [FN] Mr. V. B. moved to his farm in the Clove near Deckertown, N. J., in 1792, where he preached to the church organized under his ministry. He likewise preached occasionally to the churches in this valley until 1799. He died at the Clove in 1815. Van Benschoten was a man well calculated for the rudeness of the time in which he officiated in those congregations.