{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_66265/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_66265","id":"gutenberg_66265","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66265","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - Religious","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Sabbatarians -- History"],"text":"Transcriber's Note:\n\nObvious printer errors have been corrected. Hyphenation has been\nrationalised.\n\nSmall capitals have been replaced by full capitals. Italics are\nindicated by _underscores_.\n\nIn Chapter I, Section III (A Sketch Of The History Of The Abyssinian\nChurch) \"Hinglar\" and \"Kinglar\" may refer to the same individual.\n\n\n\n\n A HISTORY OF THE SABBATARIAN CHURCHES.\n\n\n\n\n A GENERAL HISTORY OF THE SABBATARIAN CHURCHES: EMBRACING ACCOUNTS OF\n THE\n\n ARMENIAN, EAST INDIAN, AND ABYSSINIAN EPISCOPACIES IN ASIA AND AFRICA,\n\n THE WALDENSES, SEMI-JUDAISERS, AND SABBATARIAN ANABAPTISTS OF EUROPE;\n\n WITH THE SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST DENOMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.\n\n BY MRS. TAMAR DAVIS.\n\n\"The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the\nremnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the\ntestimony of Jesus Christ.\"\u2014REV.\u00a0xii.\u00a017.\n\n PHILADELPHIA: LINDSAY AND BLAKISTON. 1851.\n\n\n Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, BY LINDSAY AND\n BLAKISTON, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court, for the Eastern\n District of Pennsylvania.\n\n C. SHERMAN, PRINTER.\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nAt the present time, when the Sabbath controversy is engaging so much of\nthe public attention, and when Sabbath Conventions and Sabbath Unions\nare being chronicled almost monthly, I consider it unnecessary to offer\nany apology for the introduction of the following work to the public\nnotice. My reader need not fear a repetition or recapitulation of the\narguments generally employed in favour of the sabbatical institution, as\nit refers either to the first or the last day of the week; neither will\nhis attention be wearied by prolix and verbose details. It has been my\naim to collect, collate, and condense facts, as much as appeared\nconsistent with perspicuity. I have not taken any new stand with regard\nto the Sabbath question. The Seventh-day Baptists have, from the first,\ncontended that the Sabbath was changed, not by Christ or his Apostles,\nbut by ecclesiastical synods and councils. This could only be proved\nconvincingly by reference to the practice of those churches who were\nremoved by distance or otherwise beyond the pale of such authority. That\nthe Armenian, East Indian, and Abyssinian Episcopacies were so removed,\nand that they absolutely refused to succumb to the authority of the\nLatin or Greek prelates, sustaining in consequence the most cruel and\ndesolating wars, is an undeniable historical fact; no less so the truth\nthat during all this time they have been living witnesses against\nAnti-Christ, as the observers of the ancient Sabbath, which practice\nthey learned from the Apostles, or their immediate successors.\n\nWith respect to the History of the Seventh-day Baptist denomination, I\nam not unaware of the imperfections that may be detected in it. But I\nmust excuse my own defects by a just complaint of the blindness and\ninsufficiency of my guides; and may also observe that, with reference to\nnearly every portion of the work, I have been the pioneer in the field\nof research.\n\nTHE AUTHOR.\n\nApril, 1851.\n\n\n\n\nTABLE OF CONTENTS.\n\n\n                                                                    PAGE\n\n Preliminary Observations,                                            13\n\n CHAPTER I. SABBATARIAN CHURCHES IN ASIA AND AFRICA.\n\n The Armenian Church,                                                 18\n Sabbatarianism of this Church,                                       30\n Ancient Christians of India,                                         33\n Their Sabbatarian Character,                                         39\n The Ethiopic Church,                                                 40\n Its Sabbatarian Character,                                           54\n\n\n CHAPTER II. SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS IN EUROPE.\n\n Waldenses, Albigenses, etc.,                                         62\n Their Doctrinal Sentiments,                                          69\n Testimonies to their Sabbatarian Character,                          70\n Their Persecutions,                                                  84\n Further Accounts of their Sabbatarianism,                            88\n Semi-Judaisers\u2014their Origin,                                         95\n Their Sabbatarianism,                                                97\n Their Churches in Russia, Poland,                                    99\n Sabbatarians of Holland,                                            103\n Sabbatarians of England,                                            107\n The Natton Church,                                                  114\n The Cripplegate Church,                                             118\n The Mill-Yard Church,                                               122\n\n\n CHAPTER III. SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS IN THE UNITED STATES.\n\n General History,                                                    130\n Churches in Rhode Island,                                           145\n Churches in Connecticut,                                            162\n Churches in New Jersey,                                             166\n Central Association,                                                174\n Western Association,                                                190\n Southwestern Association,                                           198\n Northwestern Association,                                           202\n\n\n CHAPTER IV. SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS IN THE UNITED STATES, CONTINUED.\n\n Keithian Seventh-day Baptists,                                      211\n German Seventh-day Baptists,\u2014General History,                       215\n German Seventh-day Baptists,\u2014Particular History,                    233\n\n\n\n\nPRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.\n\n\nThe word Sabbatarian, whether bestowed by their enemies as a term of\nopprobrium upon those who observed the seventh day of the week as the\nSabbath, or whether assumed by themselves, is, nevertheless, peculiarly\nappropriate, and very distinguishing of this particular tenet in their\nsystem of religious faith. Neither do we hesitate to employ it in a very\nextensive sense, as comprehending all those religious communities,\nwhatever may be their names, modes of worship, or forms of\necclesiastical discipline, who refrain from secular employments upon the\nlast day of the week, and observe the same as holy time. There cannot,\ntherefore, be any impropriety in considering the Abyssinian and Armenian\nChurches as sabbatarian organizations, although the former has become\ngreatly corrupted in worship and doctrine, and exhibits few traces of\nthe purity and simplicity of primitive Christianity.\n\nWe claim for sabbatarian institutions a very high antiquity, and a\nmultitude of the most illustrious exemplars; from that grand sabbath\nproclaimed over the new-born world by the Eternal Father, and observed\nby angelic and seraphic intelligences, to its second ordainment amid the\nsmoke and thunders of Sinai, and its subsequent observance by kings,\npriests, sages, and witnesses for the truth through so many ages, to\nHim, the Great High Priest of the Covenant, who sanctified the law and\nmade it honourable. It is incontestable that our adorable Lord and his\nApostles observed the seventh day of the week, and it was not until a\nlong time subsequent to the close of their earthly pilgrimages that the\nreverence due to this holy time was transferred, in any Christian\ncommunity, to the Dominical day.\n\nThe first Christian church established in the world was founded at\nJerusalem under the immediate superintendence of the Apostles. This\nchurch, which was the model of all those that were founded in the first\ncentury, was undoubtedly sabbatarian. In the second and third centuries,\naccording to the testimony of Mosheim, it was very generally observed.\nDuring the fourth and in the commencement of the fifth centuries, it was\nalmost universally solemnized, if the veracity of Socrates, the\necclesiastical historian, may be depended upon.\n\nWe have every reason to believe, however, that from the first, or,\nindeed, at a very early period, a superstitious veneration was paid in\nsome places to the first day of the week. It is certain that, before the\nclose of the first century, the original purity and simplicity of\nChristianity had become greatly defaced and deplorably corrupted by the\nintroduction into its doctrines of the monstrous tenets of a\npreposterous philosophy, and into its ceremonies of a multitude of\nheathen rites. Identical with this was the appointment of various\nfestivals to be observed on particular days. These days were those on\nwhich the martyrs had laid down their lives for the truth, the day on\nwhich the Saviour had been crucified, and that also on which he rose\nfrom the dead. We have no reason to suppose that the observation of the\nfirst day dates back any earlier than that of Friday, or those\nanniversary festivals which were introduced to commemorate the descent\nof the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, and the feast of Easter. All were\nthe fruits of as dark, fabulous, and superstitious times, as have ever\nbeen since the resurrection of Christ. It seems to have been the policy\nof the rulers of the church at this period, to assimilate Christianity\nin its rites and festivals to the manners of Paganism, and in its\ndoctrines to the tenets of a corrupt yet seducing philosophy. For such a\ncourse of conduct various reasons may be assigned. In the first place\nthey were pleasing to the multitude, who were more delighted with the\npageantry and circumstance of external ceremonies, and the frequency of\nholidays, than with the valuable attainments of rational and consistent\npiety, or with a sober and steady course of life.\n\nIn the second place, we have reason to believe that the bishops\naugmented the number of the religious ceremonies and festivals in the\nChristian worship, by way of accommodating it to the prejudices and\ninfirmities of both Jews and heathens, in order to facilitate their\nconversion. These people were accustomed to a round of pompous and\nmagnificent ceremonies in their religious service; and, as they deemed\nthese rites an essential part of religion, it was natural for them to\nregard with indifference, or even with contempt, any service whose forms\nwere divested of all specious and captivating appearances. As their\nreligion allowed to them a multitude of festivals, the bishops supposed,\nand not without reason, that they persisted in their idolatry on account\nof the ease, pleasure, and sensual gratifications thereby enjoyed,\nconsequently the rulers of the church adopted certain external\nceremonies, and appointed festivities, in order to allure the senses of\nthe vulgar, and to make them more disposed to embrace Christianity. The\neffect of this course of conduct was most pernicious. It effaced the\nbeautiful simplicity of Christianity, and corrupted its natural purity\nin order to extend its influence; thus making it lose that practical\nexcellence for which no popular esteem could ever afford compensation.\nIt may be allowable, it may even be commendable, to accommodate\necclesiastical as well as civil institutions, in certain cases, to the\ninfirmities of mankind, and to make some concessions, some prudent\ninstances of compliance to their invincible prejudices, but all these\nshould be of such a nature as not to derogate from the majesty of the\ndivine law, or to substitute for the ordinances of God the observances\nand institutions of fallible men.\n\nThe multiplication of festivals and holidays would naturally bring the\nSabbath into neglect, but what contributed more than anything else to\ndestroy its influence over the minds of men, was the almost universal\nabhorrence in which the Jews were held. We are informed that multitudes\nof Christians, in the time of Adrian, abandoned all the rites and\ninstitutions of their religion that bore any resemblance to the Jewish\nritual, for fear of being confounded with that people, who had become\nobnoxious to the prince, and were suffering the extremity of his\nvengeance. \"Let us have nothing in common with that odious brood, the\nJews,\" says Constantine, when issuing his edict for the observation of\nthe Dominical day. Subsequently, the sabbath was condemned for the same\nreasons by synods and councils; popes and kings rose up in judgment\nagainst it. Perhaps they feared also that its observation would remind\nthe people of that sacred volume, which the prelates chose, for their\nown convenience, to keep from the world, and in which their\ncondemnation, as followers of the most detestable vices, would be so\nstrongly marked. Moreover they were determined, in the plenitude of\ntheir arrogance, to give laws in both a temporal and spiritual sense; to\ngovern the consciences as they ruled the actions of mankind. Nor was\nthis all, some of these prelates actually aspired to stand, at least in\nthe eyes of the multitude, in the place of God,\u2014to divert the adoration,\nwhich should be paid to him, to themselves, or to the relics they had\nblessed, and the saints they had canonized. Would not the observation of\nthe sabbath have tended to recall the minds of men to the Maker of all\nthings, as the only true and proper object for religious adoration; to\nthe fact that he alone was the moral governor of the universe; his laws\nthe standard of perfection; himself of infallibility? History presents\nnumerous examples of kings and tyrants, who have assumed the attributes\nof Deity, and demanded the homage of mankind; but, perhaps, a more\nimpious imitation of his power, a more blasphemous assumption of his\nprerogatives, were never exhibited than in the conduct of these\nhierarchs. Did God appoint one mediator between himself and man,\u2014behold\nthe saints they canonized; did he bestow the Scriptures as his revealed\nwill upon the world,\u2014behold the canons of the church in which their\nauthority is superseded; and did he institute and command the\nobservation of the seventh day as a day of rest,\u2014they substitute an\nother in its place. The Sabbath is reprobated as a Jewish institution:\nit is a wonder that we hear nothing of a Jewish religion, as\nChristianity certainly originated with that people; of a Jewish Saviour,\nsince the Redeemer was of the offspring of David; and of Jewish\napostles, as not one of the twelve were of the Gentile race. We must go\nto the Jews for the Bible, in which is contained the knowledge of God,\nand the hope of the world; we must go to the Jews for examples of\ngodliness in the long, dark ages before the Christian era; why not go to\nthem for a sabbath likewise? The spiritual pride that opposes such a\nmeasure will not stand in the great and burning day.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I. SABBATARIAN CHURCHES IN ASIA AND AFRICA.\n\n\n SECTION I. HISTORY OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH.\n\nThe religious and political history of Armenia has, from the earliest\nages, been pregnant with great events; but, obedient to necessity; I\ncondense within a few pages what might fill as many volumes, and content\nmyself with giving an outline of the subject that some future historian\nmay amplify and adorn. In countries where there exists a union between\nthe church and the state, and the prelatic dignity is supported by royal\nauthority, the revolutions of the former are intimately connected with\nthe convulsions of the latter,\u2014the temporal with the spiritual affairs.\nBut the archiepiscopal see of Armenia appears to have preserved its\nancient form of discipline and doctrine in the most remarkable manner,\nnotwithstanding the changes of the royal and ducal dynasties in the\nstate, and its alternate subjection to Saracenic and Persian dominion.\n\nThe propagation of the gospel throughout Armenia is ascribed by ancient\nhistorians to St.\u00a0Bartholomew, who is said to be identical with\nNathaniel,\u2014that Israelite indeed. In Albanopolis, a city of this\ncountry, we are informed that the apostle suffered martyrdom; but his\nblood only watered the seed of divine truth, and caused a more glorious\nharvest of proselytes from the Zendavesta to the gospel,\u2014from the\nadoration of the host of heaven to the spiritual worship of their Maker,\n\"the King immortal, eternal, and invisible.\"\n\nNotwithstanding the penal edicts of the sovereign, and the opposition of\nthe Magian priesthood, Christianity flourished like a tree planted by\nthe rivers of water, and the rising generations of Armenia reposed under\nits salutary shade. Few religious sects have been extirpated by\npersecution. Religion shines brightest in the night of adversity; it is\nquenched and extinguished in the sunshine of courts. Zeal and\nintrepidity are always stimulated by the presence of an enemy. The\nChristians of Armenia received the crown of martyrdom, rejoicing that\nthey were accounted worthy to suffer for their attachment to the cross.\nAt last, however, the eloquence of a priest, named Gregory, succeeded in\nconverting the monarch and his principal nobility, who received the rite\nof baptism, and entered into the communion of the church. In consequence\nof this, Leontius, bishop of Cappadocia, consecrated Gregory bishop of\nthe Armenians, and their church became annexed to the episcopal\njurisdiction of the Antiochan prelate.\n\nThis circumstance, so fortunate in a temporal sense, proved highly\ndestructive to its spiritual repose. No longer assaulted, it became the\nparent of schism; and one Eustathius, an obscure priest, has given his\nname to history, by the success that attended his efforts to create an\nexcitement and faction in the church. The convention of a Council at\nGangra might condemn and excommunicate, but could not suppress this\nfaction, which poured forth legions of missionaries, and for a long time\ndisturbed the repose of the Eastern prelates. The doctrines of\nEustathius were neither heretical, nor his conduct in introducing them\ntruly reprehensible, although from their nature highly offensive to the\nspiritual dignitaries, who, to judge from their habits of life, found\nmore solace in wine and female intercourse than in religious exercises,\nand who were more solicitous to acquire wealth and preferments to enrich\ntheir physical heirs, than solicitous about the welfare of their\nspiritual progeny. Producing the example and judgment of Paul,\nEustathius boldly condemned the marriages of the priests, under any\ncircumstances, as productive of evil; but denounced second and third\nmarriages as abominable, and worthy of excommunication. The use of\nwine,\u2014in short, all sensual delights,\u2014he prohibited, as equally\nreprehensible in those who were set as exemplars and rulers of the flock\nof Christ. Eustathius was succeeded by Erius, a priest, and semi-Arian,\nwho not only protested against the multiplied marriages of the priests,\nbut declared that the bishops were not distinguished from the presbyters\nby any divine right, and that, according to the Holy Scriptures, their\nauthority and offices were identical. This tenet, of which the immediate\nconsequences would have been to reduce within certain limits the power\nof the prelates, raised a storm of opposition from that quarter,\nalthough it was highly agreeable to many good Christians, to whom their\ntyranny and arrogance had become insupportable. Erius also condemned\nfasts, stated feasts, prayers for the dead, and the celebration of\nEaster; but he urged a purer morality and a stricter observance of the\nSabbath. He had many followers, whose numbers were greatly augmented by\none Paul of Samosota, from whom they were called Paulicians.\nNotwithstanding the opposition of the prelates, who invoked the secular\narm to prevent the defection of their spiritual subjects, the tenets of\nthis sect struck deep root in Armenia and many of the eastern provinces,\nand finally the great body of Christians in the former country, withdrew\nfrom the Episcopal communion, and publicly espoused the sentiments of\nthe Paulicians. These were accused of breaking loose from the\nbrotherhood of the Christian world, and they were denounced by the\nbishops as the most odious of mankind. Whatever might have been the\ndenunciations of their adversaries, posterity, after a candid\nexamination of their tenets, must concede that they were principally\ndistinguished for an adherence to the strict letter of the sacred text,\nand for the primitive simplicity of their forms of worship. Their\necclesiastical institutions exhibited the most liberal principle of\nreason. The austerity of the cloister was relaxed, and gradually\nforgotten. The standard of piety was changed from absurd penances to\npurity of life and morals. Houses of charity were endowed for the\nsupport and education of orphans and foundlings, and the religious\nteachers were obliged to depend for temporal support upon the voluntary\nsubscriptions of their brethren and the labour of their own hands. To\nthese churches, famous throughout the East no less for the purity of\ntheir worship than their exemption from ecclesiastical tyranny, myriads\nof fugitives resorted from all the provinces of the Eastern empire, and\nthe narrow bigotry of the emperors was punished by the emigration of\ntheir most useful subjects, who transported into a foreign realm the\narts of both peace and war. Among the mountains of Armenia, and beyond\nthe precincts of the Roman power, they seemed to have found a new world,\nwhere they might breathe the air of religious freedom. The emperors,\nignorant of the rights of conscience, and incapable of pity or esteem\nfor the heretics who durst dispute the infallibility of holy councils,\nand refused to acquiesce in their imperial decisions, vainly sought, by\nvarious methods, to excite against them the indignation of their\nsovereign and the vengeance of persecution.\n\nDuring this time the Paulicians had increased in a wonderful manner. The\ndesire of gaining souls for God, and subjects for the church, has, in\nall ages, fired the zeal and animated the activity of the Christian\npriesthood. It must not be supposed that the Paulicians were less\narduous in the prosecution of their spiritual enterprises. Assuming the\ncharacter of travelling merchants, or in the habits of pilgrims, a\ncharacter to this day sacred throughout the East, they joined the Indian\ncaravans, or pursued without fear the footsteps of the roving Tartar.\nThe hordes encamped on the verdant banks of the Selinga, or in the\nvalleys of the Imaus, heard, with feelings of mysterious reverence, the\nstory of the incarnation; and illiterate shepherds and sanguinary\nwarriors forsook their flocks and deserted their camps to listen to the\nsimple eloquence of an Armenian pilgrim. Perhaps the exposition of a\nmetaphysical creed was no more comprehensible to the one than were\nlessons of humanity and repose to the other; but both were susceptible\nof the baser passions of hope and fear, and both could understand the\neffect that their rejection or adoption of the gospel would exercise,\naccording to the popular belief, upon their destiny in a future world.\nThe mysterious rites of Christianity were administered to multitudes,\namong whom a great Khan and his warriors were said to be included.[1] In\nother regions the Paulicians were no less successful. Unwonted crowds\nresorted to the banks of Abana and Pharpar, whose limpid waters seemed\nparticularly appropriate for the administration of the baptismal rite.\nThe bishops of Syria, Pontus, and Cappadocia, complained of the\ndefection of their spiritual flocks. Their murmurs, a principle of\npolicy, above all an implacable hatred against everything bearing the\nsemblance of freedom, induced the Grecian emperors to commence, and\ncontinue for nearly two centuries, the most terrible persecutions\nagainst the Paulicians. During these frightful convulsions, Armenia was\nravaged from border to border with fire and sword; its monarchy\u2014then\nheld by a younger branch of the family of the Parthian\nkings\u2014extinguished; its cities demolished, and its inhabitants either\nmassacred by the hands of their enemies, driven into exile, or sold into\nservitude. Great numbers fled for safety and protection to the Saracens,\nby whom they were hospitably entertained, and who permitted them to\nbuild a city for their residence, which was called Tibrica. This\nafforded them an opportunity for returning, with interest, the miseries\nthat they had suffered at the hands of the Greeks; for, entering into a\nleague with the Saracens, and choosing for their leader a chief named\nCarbeas, they prosecuted against the Greeks a war which continued during\nthe century, and in which the slaughter on both sides was prodigious.[2]\nDuring these convulsions several companies of the Paulicians passed into\nBulgaria, Thrace, and the neighbouring provinces, where their opinions\nbecame the source of new dissensions. After the Council of Basil had\ncommenced its deliberations, these sectaries removed into Italy, where\nthey became amalgamated with the Albigenses and Waldenses.\n\nArmenia, reduced from an independent kingdom to a ducal sovereignty,\nmaintained a real independence, though in nominal servitude. The Roman\nemperors, in the decline of their greatness, were content with the name\nof homage and the shadow of allegiance. A robe of rare texture and\ncurious workmanship, formed of the hair or wool by which the\nmother-of-pearl, a shell-fish of the Mediterranean, attaches itself to\nthe rock, was their annual imperial gift that purchased the nominal\nfealty of the Armenian satraps. But the Church, notwithstanding this\npolitical vassalage, preserved its independence. The Armenian priests,\nin consequence of their ignorance of the Greek tongue, were unable to\nassist at the Council of Chalcedon, but the doctrines of Eutyches, to\nwhich they still adhere, were propagated among them, perhaps, with a\nslight modification, by Julian of Halicarnassus. From the earliest ages\nthey have devoutly hated the error and idolatry of the Greeks. Like the\nprimitive Christians, they have ever exhibited an unconquerable\nrepugnance to the use or abuse of images, which, in the eighth and ninth\ncenturies, spread like a leprosy through nearly all Christendom, and\nsupplanted all traces of genuine piety in the visible church by the\ngrossest superstition. They are decidedly adverse to the adoration of\nrelics, the worship of the Virgin, or the observation of the feasts and\nfestivals of the Church. They regarded the Greeks as idolaters;\u2014the\nGreeks accused them of Judaism, heresy, and atheism, and to these\naccusations, with the feelings they engendered, may be ascribed the\nunrelenting animosity and persecution that they waged against each\nother, and which terminated only when the Grecian empire ceased to\nexist.\n\nArmenia has, in all ages, been the theatre of hostile operations. Times\nwithout number her cities have been plundered, her harvests consumed,\nand her flocks slaughtered, to gratify the cupidity or to satiate the\nhunger of armies, who, in the character of allies, were marching through\nher territories. The empire of the East has, in many instances, been\ncontested upon her fields; and, though generally in servitude, seldom\nhas she been permitted to enjoy the tranquillity of that state. Yet\nsubsequent to the firm establishment of the Saracen dominion in Asia,\nthey enjoyed a long period of prosperity and repose. When the Saracenic\nempire became supplanted by that of the Tartars, the consequences to the\nEastern Christians were most deplorable.\n\nThese ruthless conquerors destroyed, wherever they went, the fair fruits\nthat had arisen from the labours of the missionaries, extirpated the\nreligion of Jesus from several cities and provinces where it had\nflourished, and substituted the Mohammedan superstition in its place.\nThe Armenian churches, in particular, experienced the most deplorable\nevils from the ruthless and vindictive spirit of Timur Bec, or\nTamerlane, the Tartar chief. This implacable warrior, having overrun a\ngreat part of northern and western Asia, exerted all his influence and\nauthority to compel the Christians to apostatize from their faith. To\nthe stern dictates of unlimited power he united the compulsory violence\nof persecution, and treated the disciples of Christ with the most\nunrelenting severity; subjecting such as magnanimously adhered to their\nreligion, to the most cruel forms of death, or to the horrors of\nunmitigated slavery. Under the successors of Timur they were subjected\nto many vicissitudes, being alternately protected and oppressed,\naccording as the caprice of the reigning sovereign seemed to dictate.\nNevertheless, under the rod of oppression their zeal was intrepid and\nfervent, nor could the sunshine of prosperity warm in their hearts an\nundue love of the world, and render them careless or indifferent to the\ninterests of Christianity. In numberless instances they preferred the\ncrown of martyrdom to the turban of Mohammed, and have sacrificed the\ndearest of temporal interests,\u2014fame, wealth, and preferments, to a\nscrupulous adherence to the Christian profession, and a strict regard\nfor its duties. Once only within the last thirteen centuries has Armenia\naspired to the rank of an independent kingdom, and even then her\nChristian kings, who arose and fell, in the thirteenth century, on the\nconfines of Cilicia, were the creatures and vassals of the Turkish\nsultans of Iconium. About the commencement of the seventeenth century\ntheir state experienced a considerable change in consequence of the\nincursions of Shah Abbas, the great king of Persia.\n\nThis prince, justly apprehensive from the victorious approach of the\nTurks, ravaged that part of Armenia which lay contiguous to his\ndominions, and ordered the inhabitants to retire into Persia. It will be\nperceived that these devastations were not intended to evince hostility\nagainst the Armenians, but to retard and embarrass the advance of the\nTurks. Encouraged by the monarch, the most opulent of the Armenians\nremoved to Ispahan, where the Emperor appropriated a beautiful suburb\nfor their residence, and permitted them to enjoy every civil and\nreligious privilege, under the jurisdiction of their own bishop or\npatriarch. During the administration of this magnanimous prince these\nhappy exiles partook the sweets of liberty and abundance, but his death\nwas the signal for the triumph of their enemies. A storm of persecution\nsucceeded, in which the constancy of multitudes was shaken; indeed, so\ngeneral was the apostacy, that for a time it appeared probable that this\nbranch of the Armenian Church would be lost. These apprehensions proved\nto be groundless. To the abatement of the rage of their enemies\nsucceeded the restoration of their political rights. Their churches, in\nIspahan and other Persian cities, that had been demolished, were\nrebuilt, and their schools, which had been shut, were re-opened. It is\nsaid that, at present, many of the most luxurious seats in Persia are\noccupied by opulent Armenians. In Bagdad and Damascus they vend the\nmagnificent silks of Oriental manufacture, and preside over the creation\nof those exquisite fabrics that are the admiration of the world. In all\nthese cities they have meeting-houses, with burial-grounds attached, in\nwhich flowers of rare beauty and exquisite odours are cultivated. In\nthese burial-gardens, were it not for the presence of monumental marble,\none would forget the contiguity of death and decay. The splendid palms,\nthe glorious rose-trees, and the living song of birds, are anything but\ninspiring of melancholy thoughts.\n\nThe Bible was translated at a very early period into the Armenian\nlanguage, but, in 1690, the call for the Scriptures became so great that\nthe manuscript copies were not sufficient to supply the demand. To\nremedy this evil, it was decided by a council of Armenian bishops,\nassembled in 1692, to perpetuate and multiply that Holy Book, by the art\nof printing, of which they had heard in Europe. They first applied to\nFrance, but the Catholic church objected to printing and distributing\nthe Bible. It was accomplished, however, through the agency of some\nArmenian merchants, who had settled, for purposes of commerce, at\nLondon, Venice, Amsterdam, and many other European cities. This Bible\nagrees in a wonderful manner with the English version of the Scriptures,\nto which it is not inferior in correctness of diction and beauty of\ntypography. The religion of Armenia has derived few advantages from the\npower or learning of its votaries, but with the Bible in their native\ntongue, and being permitted to read and exercise their private judgment\nin its interpretation, it is not so very surprising that their church\nhas remained uncontaminated by Grecian, Roman, and Mohammedan\ncorruptions. It must not be supposed that the Roman pontiffs, ever\nzealous to enlarge the bounds of their jurisdiction, were mindless of\nengaging the Christians of the East to submit to their supremacy. On the\ncontrary, this was for a considerable time the chief purpose that\nexcited their ambitious views, and employed their labours and\nassiduities. But these attempts were unavailing, nor could any union\nbetween the churches ever be effected.\n\nThe residence of the Armenian patriarch is at Ekmiasin,\u2014three leagues\nfrom Erivan. Forty-seven archbishops, of whom each may claim the\nobedience of four or five suffragans, are consecrated by his hand. Many\nof these, however, are only titular prelates, who dignify by their\npresence the simplicity of his court. Their performance of the liturgy\nis succeeded by their cultivation of the ground; and, unlike the\nprelates of Europe, the austerity of their life and the plainness of\ntheir appearance increases in just proportion to the elevation of their\nrank. Throughout the fourscore thousand villages of his spiritual\nempire, the patriarch receives the tribute of a small but voluntary tax\nfrom each individual above the age of sixteen years. But this income is\nnot expended on luxurious living, being employed to supply the incessant\ndemands of charity and tribute. The Indian caravan, laden with its\nprecious commodities, usually halts in the vicinity of Erivan, which,\nthrough the influence of the wealth thus distributed, has become a\nsplendid and beautiful city, adorned with fountains, groves, and\nsplendid churches.\n\nBesides the churches in Armenia proper, there are congregations of the\nsame faith and forms of worship in Barbary, Egypt, Poland, Greece, and\nTurkey. They have churches also in nearly all the Oriental cities,\nbetween which a continual intercourse and communication is carried on by\nthe travelling merchants or pedlars of that sect, who are distributed\nall over the East. Decidedly intelligent, and frequently adepts in\nOriental literature, they are always found at the courts of the Eastern\nprinces, where they act in the capacity of interpreters. Armenian ladies\nare generally chosen to fill the station of favourite, or companion, to\nthe Sultanas.\n\nThe Armenian Christians are eminently qualified for the office of\nextending the knowledge of the gospel throughout the East; and the time\nis not far distant when they will prove the most efficient body of\nmissionaries in the world. Indeed, without the name, in a multitude of\ninstances, they have assumed their character and acted their part. It is\ntrue that they are unacquainted with the European habit of supporting\nexpensive missions in foreign countries, but like the Waldenses, they\ntravel as venders of merchandise, and embrace all opportunities to\nimpart instruction.\n\nThey carried the knowledge of the gospel into China, when that country\nwas inaccessible to Europeans; and long before the English obtained a\nfooting in India, they had erected churches in all the principal cities\nof that empire, in which the worship of God was maintained upon every\nensuing Sabbath. They are familiar with the Oriental languages, and\nacquainted with the habits of the people, who consequently feel no dread\nof their foreign character, but regard them from the first as brothers\nand friends. The first version of the Scriptures into the Chinese\nlanguage was made by an Armenian, named Joannes Lassar, whose knowledge\nof Oriental literature was really surprising, and who was no less\neminent for genuine and enlightened piety.\n\nTheir ecclesiastical establishment in Hindostan is very respectable. The\nbishop visits Calcutta, but he is not resident there. They have churches\nin Calcutta, in Madras, and in Bombay, which contain together about two\nthousand communicants. There are also churches in the interior. Of these\nthey have one at Dacca, another at Syndbad, and a third at Chinsurah,\nthat are large and flourishing. In these churches the greatest\nsimplicity prevails, and everything accords with the apostolic character\nof the worshippers. No magnificent altar, blazing with gold and gems, no\ngorgeous candelabra, no exquisite creations of painting or statuary, no\nimposing ceremonies; neither genuflexions nor lustrations; neither\ninstrumental harmonies, nor services performed with pompous parade and\nin an unknown tongue. The cross is the only ornament of their churches,\naccompanied with the Bible and the liturgy.\n\nFrom these prayers and texts are read by the officiating priest,\nsucceeded by an appropriate discourse, and the whole closes with singing\na psalm much in the style and manner of an anthem.\n\nBaptism, among the Armenians, is administered by immersion in rivers, or\nrunning streams, if such are convenient; when otherwise, in a room,\ncalled the baptistery, which is always contiguous to the church. They\nregard the sacrament as a memorial of the Saviour's passion,\u2014nothing\nmore,\u2014and administer it in both kinds to the laity. They reject the\nobservation of saints' days, or the festivals of Christ, but declare\nthat God, in his word, ordained the seventh day as a day of rest, which\nthey religiously observe.\n\nThe Armenians are not ignorant of the nature of experimental religion.\nMany individuals among them have exhibited examples of genuine and\nenlightened piety, and have expired in the triumphs of faith. Their\nmoral character, as might be supposed, far exceeds that of any other\nEastern people. The women are modest, dignified, and observant of their\nconjugal relations; the men are intelligent and affable. Their general\ncharacter is that of a wealthy, industrious, and enterprising people.\nTheir companionship is courted all over the East.\n\nThey occupy posts of honour and profit, they monopolize commerce, and\nhold the highest rank as artisans and manufacturists. Is not the hand of\nGod in this thing? Are they not designed, at some future period, to work\nwonders in the moral renovation of mankind? For that purpose, probably,\nthe everlasting arm has been beneath and around them for so many ages,\nand they have been preserved from the arts and allurements of the\ntempter. For that purpose, probably, they have been led into the cities\nand palaces of the Eastern countries.\n\nWhere are the seven churches of Asia, to whom was penned the mystic\nvisions of the Apocalypse? Where are the splendid cities in which they\nrose and flourished? Gone, gone, with the glory of Babylon and the\ntriumphs of Rome. Where is the church of Laodicea, in whose gorgeous\ncathedral the lordly prelates met to give laws to the Christian world\nand to anathematize Sabbath-keepers? Echo might answer, \"Where?\" since\nit is only remembered because consecrated by the historic muse. But the\nSabbath they execrated still exists; is still honoured and hallowed by\nlarge and flourishing churches, whose members are scattered over all\nparts of Asia. Churches, who have never bowed to Baal, who have remained\nuncorrupted by Rome, uncontaminated by Mohammedism; who amidst the\ndarkness of idolatry kept the lamp of Christianity replenished and\nburning; and in whose moral firmament the rays of the Star of Bethlehem\nhave never been obscured. That the members of these churches possess\nnatural facilities for the propagation of Christianity throughout the\nEast, that a foreigner could scarcely acquire by long years spent in\ntoil and study, must be evident to every discerning mind. But they are\nignorant of the art of printing; and although three editions of their\nBible have been issued at Amsterdam, and another at Venice, the supply\nhas by no means equalled the demand among themselves for that holy book.\nWhat they require are facilities for printing. A mission, with printers\nand printing-presses, established in the heart of that country, would\nprove of incalculable advantage;\u2014not to teach them Christianity: they\nare acquainted with its doctrines already;\u2014but to print their Bible, and\nother religious books, for distribution; to enrich their travelling\nmerchants, who are in continual motion from Canton to Constantinople,\nwith the precious wares of truth and wisdom; to inspire their zeal,\nawaken their energies, and secure their engagement in the glorious\nenterprise. Would it not be interesting to open a communication with\nthese ancient churches, whose foundation on the Rock cannot be doubted,\nsince they have withstood the wreck and ruin of eighteen centuries,\nneither extinguished by wars and desolations, nor contaminated by the\nfalse prophet or the beast? Would it not be delightful to hold\nintercourse with that venerable patriarch,\u2014the successor of a line of\nprelates extending back to the Apostle, that Israelite indeed, in whom\nwas found no guile? Surely that place is hallowed. Within sight of\nEkmiasin is Mount Ararat, where the world's gray fathers came forth to\nwitness the bow of the covenant, and whence the Sun of Righteousness\nshall yet arise to the benighted nations with healing in his wings.\n\nThe Armenians, though ignorant of the art of printing, have an abundant\nstore of literature. In the monastery of Ekmiasin, and in some other\nplaces, the accumulated lore of ages has been preserved in huge piles of\nmanuscripts, that would abundantly reward the labours of the scholar and\nthe antiquarian. They are not ignorant of the belles-lettres, and they\nhave produced some pleasing poets and rhetoricians.[3]\n\nThere are other ancient sects in the East who are represented as being\nobservant of the ancient Sabbath. Of these we might instance several\nbranches of the Nestorian fraternities, the Hemerobaptists, or\nChristians of St.\u00a0John, and the Jusidians. How far this may be the case,\nI have no data for determining. Some authors have also ascribed the\nobservation of the Sabbath to the Greek Church; but this, I believe, can\nonly be understood in a partial and limited sense. Many have been guilty\nof the incongruity of including in the term \"the Greek Church\" all the\nChristians of the East. Strictly speaking, that term was, and is, only\napplicable to those countries in which the spiritual authority of the\nConstantinopolitan prelate predominated.\n\n\n SECTION II. A SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT CHRISTIANS OF INDIA.\n\nThe introduction, rise, progress, declension, and extirpation of\nChristianity in India, is, with some partial exceptions, wrapped in\nprofound obscurity, yet many historians of abundant information and\nunimpeachable veracity are unanimous in supposing that India received\nthe gospel probably before Great Britain.\n\nRev. C. Buchanan says, \"There have lately been discovered Sanscrit\nwritings containing testimony of Christ. They relate to a prince who\nreigned about the period of the Christian era, and whose history, though\nmixed with fable, contains particulars which correspond, in a surprising\ndegree, with the advent, birth, miracles, death, and resurrection of our\nSaviour.\" The same testimony is given by Sir William Jones, whose\nacquaintance with Oriental literature has never been surpassed. Another\nlearned historian declares, \"That it may be proved by the Syriac\nrecords, that in the fourth century Christianity was flourishing in the\nprovinces of Chorasin and Mavaralhara; and from a variety of learned\ntestimony, that the gospel was introduced by the Apostle Thomas himself\ninto India and China, within thirty years subsequent to the ascension of\nour Saviour.\" La Croze in the clearest manner proves the antiquity of\nChristianity in those countries. In the epitome of the Syrian canons,\nSt.\u00a0Thomas is styled the Apostle of the Hindoos. He is uniformly styled,\nin the Syrian Chronicles, the first bishop of the East. Ebed Jesus says,\n\"India and all the regions around received the priesthood from him.\"\nAmru, the Syriac historian, traces both Thomas and Bartholomew through\nArabia and Persia into India and China. Many of the Syrian writers\nquoted by Asseman agree in stating that a few of the twelve, and many of\nthe seventy disciples went far and wide preaching the gospel through\nNorthern Asia.\n\nThe Bishop of Calcutta, Dr. Wilson, says, \"That the Christians of the\nMalabar Coast are the remnants of the ancient church of India, preserved\nin the midst of idolatry from the days of the Apostles.\"\n\nThese Christian settlements are located on the Malabar coast, in the\nsouth of India, and contain a population of probably 200,000. They are\nagricultural in their mode of life, and occupy a fertile and healthy\nterritory. They are spread along the Cunara. In Mangalore, Onore,\nBarcelore, and Carwar, they have flourishing churches. A large\nsettlement of these people were discovered by Dr. Buchanan in the\ninterior of Travancore. Their intelligence, the virtuous liberty of the\nfemale sex, and the whole aspect of society, seemed to indicate a\nProtestant country.\n\nFor the compilation of a history of this people we have scant materials.\nUnknown to the world they seem to have been most happily preserved from\nits troubles and dissensions. Their obscurity was the preservative of\ntheir peace and the badge of their purity. Yet we are informed by\nWilliam of Malmsbury, that these Christians were visited, towards the\nconclusion of the ninth century, by ambassadors from Alfred of England,\nwho paid their homage at the shrine of St.\u00a0Thomas, in the vicinity of\nMadras, and whose return, loaded with a cargo of pearls and the richest\ngums and spices, amply rewarded the enterprising sovereign, who\nentertained the noblest projects of discovery and commerce.[4] They\nasserted that the pepper coast of Malabar, and even the islands of\nCeylon and Socotara, were peopled with Christians, who were in happy\nignorance of the quarrels of princes and ecclesiastics. And that the\nbishops who presided over this multitude of churches were unambitious of\nworldly honours, and received ordination from the patriarch of the East.\nThis account, however, was received as an imposition upon the credulity\nof mankind, and was treated as such until the progress of modern\ndiscovery established the fact. The Portuguese, who circumnavigated\nAfrica, and dared the dangers of unknown seas, in order to gather the\nIndian spoils of gold and gems, found, not indeed the boundless wealth\nthey sought, but these companies of Christians who still preserved their\nfaith in its pristine purity. Superior in arts, and arms, and virtues,\nto the idolaters of Hindostan, they appeared to the astonished\nadventurers like another race. They occupied extremely neat and\nconvenient dwellings, shaded by the palm-tree, and contiguous to fields\nof tropical productions. The husbandman lived in peace and plenty, the\nmerchant grew rich by the pepper trade, the young men were admitted to\nthe service and society of the nobility of Malabar; and their simple\nvirtues demanded and insured the respect of the king of Cochin, and the\nZamorin himself. They were in allegiance to a Gentoo sovereign, but the\nreal administration of their laws, even in temporal concerns, was lodged\nin the hands of the bishop of Angumala, who could trace an uninterrupted\nsuccession of prelates to the apostle himself. He still asserted his\nancient dignity as metropolitan of India, and his jurisdiction extended\nover fourteen hundred churches, and embraced the spiritual care of\n250,000 souls. He was assisted by a sufficient number of priests and\nspiritual teachers, who administered consolation to the dying, and\nreproof or correction to the living. Their meeting-houses were not\ndifferent from ordinary dwellings. They had neither pictures nor images.\nThe doctrine of purgatory, the invocation of saints, the merit of\nrelics, and the observation of the first day, was unknown among them. On\nthe contrary, they rested and attended to divine worship upon the\nseventh day of the week, administered baptism to adults, and by\nimmersion, were not ignorant of the great doctrines of regeneration and\njustification, and possessed authentic manuscript copies of the Holy\nScriptures, which were publicly read in the churches every ensuing\nSabbath. They were not degenerated into that softness, effeminacy, and\nlicentiousness of manners, which generally distinguish the natives of\nSouthern India. They were chaste, and observant of their conjugal\nrelations; adultery was a crime unknown. Their priests were permitted to\nenter into wedlock once, with a pure virgin; they were scandalized and\ndisgraced by a second marriage, and a third could only be consummated at\nthe expense of excommunication.\n\nThe Portuguese were no less surprised at their profession than offended\nby their simplicity; but, what appeared most unaccountable, they were\nunacquainted with the spiritual and temporal majesty of Rome, and were\nignorant that, to St.\u00a0Peter's successor, all the kings and prelates of\nthe earth owed subjection and allegiance. They adhered, like their\nancestors, to the communion of the Nestorian Patriarch; their bishops\nhad for ages been ordained by him at Mosul, and thence had traversed the\ndangers of sea and land to their dioceses on the coast of Malabar. Their\nliturgy and sacred books were in the Syriac idiom. They were acquainted\nwith the names of Theodore and Nestorius, were strenuous advocates of\nthe doctrine of the two persons of Christ, but they manifested a pious\nhorror, when they heard the appellation \"Mother of God\" applied to the\nVirgin Mary. When her image was first presented to receive their\nadoration, they indignantly refused, exclaiming, \"We are Christians, not\nidolaters; we worship God.\" It was the first care of the Romish\nemissaries to intercept all correspondence with the Nestorian Patriarch,\nto forbid their observance of the Sabbath, and to compel them to admit\nthe baptism of infants. Their bishops and leaders were thrown into the\ndungeons of the Holy Office, which, under the auspices of Alexis de\nMenezes, had been established, and was in full operation. Their towns\nwere filled with Portuguese soldiers, their churches with images, and\ntheir pulpits by shaven monks. All the mighty engines of ecclesiastical\nauthority were brought to bear upon these defenceless people; all the\npassions of the human heart were alternately assailed, in order to\nconsummate their conversion to the faith of Rome. Is it a wonder that\nthe shepherdless flock succumbed, at least, for a time? that where, for\nages, the Sabbath had been observed, strange sounds of secular\nemployment should be heard upon that holy day? and that the communion,\nhitherto regarded as a symbolic memorial of the Saviour's passion, was\naccepted as a vicarious sacrifice? \"We confess our sins in prayer to\nGod,\" they exclaimed, when commanded to appear, for auricular\nconfession, before the priesthood. \"We keep the Sabbath,\" they replied,\nwhen told to observe the Dominical day. But ecclesiastical tyranny\nprevailed. Menezes, archbishop of Goa, announced to the synod of\nDiamper, over which he presided, that a union between the heretics of\nSt.\u00a0Thomas and the Holy Church had been piously consummated, the\nmemories of Theodore and Nestorius anathematized, and the see of\nAngumala bestowed upon a Jesuit, his minion and the worthy associate of\nsuch a prelate. For sixty years servitude and hypocrisy prevailed. For\nsixty years the mass was chanted on the Lord's day, and in an unknown\ntongue, in the chapels of Malabar. But the day for their liberation\narrived. The Portuguese empire in the East was overthrown by the courage\nand constancy of the Dutch. Of the latter, the Nestorians proved the\nmost valuable of allies; and no one acquainted with human nature can\nwonder that they were implacable enemies of the former. The Jesuits,\nthough loth to resign it, were incapable of defending the power they had\nabused. Forty thousand Christians in arms asserted, by the most powerful\narguments, their rights, and their attachment to the creed of their\nancestors. The Jesuits, with their minions, fled. The Indian archdeacon\nwas brought from a dungeon to the episcopal chair, which he filled until\na new primate could be solicited and obtained from the Nestorian\npatriarch of the East.\n\nThe churches were immediately purged of images and relics. The\nobservation of the first day was forbidden, and that of the Sabbath\nrestored. And to crown the whole, a great procession was formed, in\nwhich multitudes bearing palm-branches, and with all the ensigns of\nvictory and triumph, repaired to their chapels, singing the\nTrisagion,[5] where the service was performed in the ancient manner.\n\nSince the expulsion of the Jesuits the Nestorian creed has been fully\nprofessed on the coast of Malabar, and these ancient Christians have\nengaged the speculations of Europe and the civilized world. Dr. Buchanan\nrepresents their episcopal establishment to be equally respectable with\nthat of the English in India, and says, moreover, that they maintain the\nsolemn worship of God in all their churches upon the seventh day.\n\nAnother eminent author says, that \"their doctrines are those of the\nBible, and that they have been sorely tried in times past for keeping\nthe commandments of God.\"[6]\n\n\n SECTION III. A SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF THE ABYSSINIAN CHURCH.\n\nAbyssinia, or ancient Ethiopia, comprehends a vast region in the\ninterior parts of Africa, whose inhabitants, previous to the\nacquaintance of their Queen with the Jewish king Solomon, were involved\nin a dark and gloomy superstition, resembling in many respects the\nidolatrous worship of the Egyptians. The connexion and intimacy that\nsubsequently existed between the Jewish and Ethiopian courts resulted in\nthe conversion of this people to Judaism, in the profession of which\nthey remained until the time of our Saviour. It is also evident that\nconsiderable intercourse was carried on between Axuma, the capital of\nEthiopia, and the royal city of Judea, no less for commercial than\nreligious purposes. It is highly probable that business connected with\necclesiastical affairs, or perhaps the desire of witnessing and\nparticipating in the solemnities of Pentecost, had induced a dignitary\nof the Ethiopian court to visit Jerusalem, where, coming in contact with\nPhilip, he was converted to Christianity, and baptized by that apostle.\nThe subsequent fate of this distinguished personage, the impression\nproduced upon the mind of his royal mistress and her court by his\nconversion, or whether the propagation of Christianity throughout the\nrealm was effected by his instrumentality, are all mysteries over which\ntime has drawn an impenetrable veil.\n\nEcclesiastical historians are united in their testimony that, early in\nthe fourth century, Christianity became the established religion of the\nempire. This happy result was brought about by a train of singular\ncircumstances. It appears that Meropius, a merchant of Tyre, having\nundertaken a commercial voyage to India, was shipwrecked on the coast of\nEthiopia, when he was barbarously murdered by the natives, and his two\nsons carried as slaves before the Emperor. The intelligence, gentleness,\nand peaceable demeanour of the two brothers, of whom the older was named\nFrumentius, gained them many friends, and they were soon promoted to\nhigh offices at court. The brothers, being Christians, soon began to\nteach the natives, and the work of conversion went on rapidly. In a few\nyears, so great was their success, that the gospel had been preached\nthroughout the length and breadth of the land, and a thriving branch\nthereby united to the great Eastern church. Frumentius subsequently\nvisited the Patriarch of Alexandria, who received him and the message he\nbore with the greatest joy, loaded him with honours, and consecrated him\nthe first bishop of the Ethiopians. The system of doctrine was the same\nas that received in the Alexandrian Church, of which Athanasius gives a\nvery succinct account. This venerable prelate was a decided opposer of\nthe Arian heresy, and he expresses their belief in the divinity of our\nSaviour; \"And we assemble on Saturday,\" he continues; \"not that we are\ninfected with Judaism, but to worship Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath.\"\nThe friendly relation thus early begun between these churches, has\ncontinued to the present time through fifteen centuries; and the office\nof Patriarch of the Ethiopic Church is still bestowed upon a Coptish\npriest, who receives his appointment and consecration from the Patriarch\nof Alexandria.\n\nThe Abyssinian Church appears to have remained in a state of general\npeace and prosperity while Numidia, Carthage, and other African\nprovinces, were convulsed by the faction of the Donatists. Neither do\nthey appear to have taken any part in the tumults and dissensions\narising from the Arian and Sabellian controversies. On the contrary,\nthey were counted by the most rigid as a church of orthodox Christians,\nuntil the commencement of the seventh century, when they embraced the\nEutychian sentiments, in consequence, it is said, of the exhortations\naddressed to them by the doctors of that sect who resided in Egypt.[7]\nAbout the same time, the Saracens subduing Egypt and all the adjacent\ncountries, Abyssinia became isolated from the rest of the world. During\nthe many centuries that ensued, Christianity, though not without\nadulteration, was preserved in this ancient empire, and the solemn\nobservance of the seventh day unchangeably continued. Toward the close\nof the fifteenth century, the Portuguese, through their brilliant career\nof maritime discovery, succeeded in opening a communication into the\ncountry of the Abyssinians, who were found observing the rites and\nprofessing the doctrine of their ancient faith. Rome, inflamed with a\nbigoted zeal to extend the sphere of her spiritual triumphs, early took\nadvantage of so favourable an opportunity to establish a mission in this\nremote quarter of the globe. Accordingly, John Bermudez, one of the most\nenterprising and crafty of the sons of Loyola, was despatched into\nAbyssinia, and in order to give his mission a certain appearance of\ndignity, he was consecrated patriarch of that people by the Pope.\nAccording to his own accounts of the matter, he found them sunk in the\nmost deplorable state of heresy and ignorance, observant of Judaical\nrites and ceremonies, and unacquainted with the ritual and worship of\nthe true church. As Bermudez was accompanied by an embassage from the\nPortuguese court, who expressed the most solicitous regard for the\nAbyssinian monarch, that prince, hoping to derive some signal advantage\nfrom such powerful succours, that would enable him to terminate\nsuccessfully a war in which he was at that time engaged with a\nneighbouring prince, received them most graciously, and everything\nseemed for a time to presage the most happy termination of the mission.\nBut their sanguine expectations were doomed to disappointment, and\nthough they were several times reinforced, and neither pains nor expense\nwere spared in the prosecution of their enterprise, it became ultimately\napparent to all that the Abyssinians were not to be engaged to abandon\ntheir ancient faith, and the Jesuits becoming weary of such fruitless\nendeavours, relinquished the enterprise and returned to Europe. But the\nPope, unwilling to renounce his pretensions in that quarter of the\nworld, took occasion to renew the embassy about the commencement of the\nseventeenth century. As before, the mission received at first the most\nauspicious encouragement from Susneius, or Segued, the reigning monarch.\nThis prince, whose right to the throne was fiercely contested by some\npowerful adversaries, gladly embraced their overtures. Alphonsa Mendez,\nthrough the exercise of that consummate cunning for which his order is\nproverbial, succeeded in securing to himself the appointment of prime\nminister of the realm, and of patriarch of the Abyssinians. The monarch,\nalso, in an open and public manner, swore allegiance to the Pope, and\nissued a decree commanding all his subjects to embrace the Romish faith\nunder penalty of confiscation, mutilation, and death. The execution of\nthis barbarous decree was committed to Mendez, the new patriarch, who\ncommenced his mission by the most inconsiderate acts of violence and\noppression. Displaying in all his conduct the true spirit of the Spanish\nInquisition, he employed all the arts of persuasion and reward on the\none hand, and of terror and cruelty on the other, to compel the\nAbyssinians to abandon the tenets of their forefathers, and to adopt the\ndoctrine and worship of Rome. In this fearful alternative, multitudes of\nthat people, with their priests and leaders, steadfastly adhered to the\ntruth, with a firmness and magnanimity that would have done honour to\nthe primitive ages, and resolutely met death in its most frightful\nforms. Popular insurrections succeeded, and force was called in to\nproduce submission. Multitudes were slaughtered, and many driven into\nexile. At last, however, the inhuman work of persecution disgusted the\nemperor; and after a great victory over twenty thousand of his\npeasantry, in which eight thousand were slain, he relinquished the\nbloody task, and by a proclamation, distinguished for its frankness and\nsimplicity, restored religious freedom to Abyssinia.\n\nThe result is gratifying as a triumph of religious liberty, and as a\ncheck to the extension of Roman despotism and superstition. To attempt\nany details of the miseries and sufferings which the Abyssinians had\nendured during this persecution, would require volumes; for beside the\nhorrors of the Inquisition and the evils of civil war, the worst\npassions and vices of mankind, as an unavoidable consequence, were\nreleased from all restraint. Intrepid avarice took occasion to extort\nand pillage from its miserable victims; revenge wreaked the hoarded\nhatred of years upon its unsuspecting objects; and the assassin and the\nravisher proceeded, without fear of punishment, to the consummation of\ntheir crimes.\n\nMendez had, likewise, ordered those to be re-baptized, who, in\ncompliance with the will of the emperor, embraced the religion of Rome,\nas if they had formerly been the votaries of Paganism, and their worship\na system of idolatry. They were also compelled to renounce the\nobservance of the seventh day. This the Abyssinian clergy regarded as a\nmost shocking insult to the religious discipline of their forefathers,\nand quite as provoking as the violence and barbarity exercised upon\nthose who refused to submit to the Romish yoke. Besides his arbitrary\nand despotic proceedings in the church, Mendez excited tumults and\ndissensions in the state, and with an unparalleled spirit of aggression\nand arrogance, encroached upon the prerogatives of the crown, and even\nattempted to give law to the emperor himself. Many circumstances,\nindeed, concur to favour the opinion that he entertained the design of\nsubverting the liberties of the empire, and rendering it an appendage of\nthe Portuguese crown. At any rate, the kingdom became torn to pieces by\nintestine commotions and conspiracies, and though obliged to carry on\nhis machinations in secret, he filled the court with cabals which lasted\nuntil the death of the reigning monarch, in 1632. Basilides, the son and\nsuccessor of the former, deemed it expedient to free the country from\nsuch troublesome guests, and accordingly, in 1684, he banished Mendez,\nwith all the Europeans belonging to his train, from the Abyssinian\nterritories, commanded all his subjects to return to the religion of\ntheir ancestors, and forbid the worship of images, or the observance of\nthe first day. He likewise requested the Patriarch of Alexandria to send\nthem a new abuna, with which request that dignitary complied.[8]\n\nThe condition of the Abyssinian church at this time was most deplorable.\nThe reign of the Jesuits, though short, had been attended with blighting\nand fatal consequences. It had been their aim to overthrow in the minds\nof the people all respect for the moral law and the revealed word of\nGod, and to establish in its place a preposterous veneration for the\nauthority of the fathers, and the canons of the church. Nor was this\nall; superstition had immeasurably increased, and its accompaniments,\nvice and ignorance, everywhere prevailed.\n\nBut from this period the very name of Rome, its worship, or its\npontiffs, were objects of the highest aversion to the Abyssinians; and\neven the frontiers of the kingdom were guarded with the strictest\nvigilance and the closest attention, lest any Jesuit or Romish emissary\nmight steal into their territory in disguise, and excite new commotions\nin the kingdom. In vain the pontiffs made many attempts to recover what\nthey had lost through the insolence and misconduct of the Jesuits. For\nthis purpose two Capuchin monks were despatched into Abyssinia; but\nthese unfortunate wretches only succeeded in penetrating a short\ndistance into the interior, when they were discovered and immediately\nput to death. The pontiffs, however, were not discouraged, though they\nemployed more clandestine methods of reviving the missions, and even\nsolicited in their behalf the intercession and influence of Louis XIV.\nof France. The Jesuits were eager to obtain this employment, and,\naccordingly, Poncet, a French apothecary, was despatched from Cairo by\nthe consul Maillet, in company with Brevedent, a respectable member of\nthe former fraternity. Brevedent died in Abyssinia, and, soon after,\nPoncet obtained an introduction to the king, who expressed his dislike\nof the Catholic religion, and his determination not to permit his people\nto embrace it. M. Du Roule was afterwards deputed to the same court, but\nhe had advanced no further than Sennaar, when he was cruelly murdered by\nthe natives, at the instigation, as was supposed, of the Franciscans,\nwho were disgusted at seeing the mission in the hands of the Jesuits. In\n1709, the throne was usurped by Ousts, who appears to have been well\naffected to the Romish system, and who secretly communed with its\nemissaries, although he made no attempt to influence the consciences of\nhis subjects. His successor, David, ordered three of these strangers to\nbe apprehended, who, being condemned as heretics and schismatics in a\ncouncil of the clergy, were stoned to death. Since that period, Pope\nBenedict XIV. made a new attempt to effect a reconciliation with the\nAbyssinian church, but his efforts proved abortive; and, so far as I am\naware, neither the pontiffs nor their votaries have been able to calm\nthe resentment of that exasperated people, or to subdue their enmity\nagainst the doctrine and worship of Rome.\n\nIn 1634, the Lutherans made several attempts to establish missions in\nAbyssinia, in order, as they said, to bring that benighted people to the\nknowledge of a purer religion, and a more rational system of worship,\nalthough it might appear questionable to some which church of the two\nmost required a reformation in its rites and doctrines. In accordance\nwith this design, the learned Heyling of Lubec made a voyage into\nAbyssinia, where he resided many years, and acquired such a\ndistinguished place in the confidence and esteem of the sovereign, that\nhe was honoured with many important offices, and finally became prime\nminister of the realm. In this eminent station he acquitted himself in\nthe most creditable manner, and gave many proofs of his zeal both for\nthe interests of religion and the public good. He finally set out for\nEurope on business of importance, but never arrived there; and, as the\njourney was being performed by land, it is supposed that he perished in\nthe deserts of Nubia. Subsequently, however, a communication was kept up\nbetween the two countries, and Ernest, duke of Saxe-Gotha, surnamed the\nPious, on account of his sanctity and virtue, made new attempts to\ndiffuse a knowledge of the gospel, as taught in his church, among the\nAbyssinians. This design was formed through the counsels of the famous\nLudolph, and was to have been executed by the ministry of Gregory, an\nAbyssinian abbot who had resided some time in Europe. This missionary\nsailed from Antwerp, in the ship Katerina, in 1657, but, in passing Cape\nHorn, she was unfortunately wrecked, and all on board perished. The\nmission, thus frustrated, was not designed to be abandoned; for the\nprince, in 1663, entrusted the same important commission to John Michael\nWansleb, a native of Erfurt, to whom he gave the wisest instructions,\nand whom he charged particularly to employ all rational and consistent\nmeans to excite in the Abyssinian nation a favourable opinion of the\nGermans, as this, more than anything else, would contribute to the\nsuccess of the enterprise. But this wise and laudable undertaking failed\nthrough the inconstancy of the worthless man to whom it was confided,\nand whose virtue was by no means equal to his ability. Instead of\ncontinuing his journey into Abyssinia, he remained for some time in\nEgypt, and finally returned to Europe without ever seeing the country he\nwas intended to visit. But he entertained many uneasy apprehensions of\nthe account that would naturally be demanded of his conduct, and of the\nmanner in which he had expended the large sums of money designed for the\nAbyssinian expedition. These apprehensions, together with the\nconsciousness of guilt, made him desperate. Hence, instead of returning\nto Germany, he went to Rome, and, in 1667, embraced the doctrine of that\nchurch, at least in open profession, and entered into the Dominican\norder.\n\nOther missions have been established, or rather attempted, in this\ncountry. In 1829, Messrs. Gobat and Kinglar were sent by the Church\nMissionary Society, as missionaries to Abyssinia. After many trials,\nthey succeeded in reaching the place of their destination, by way of\nMassowa. The ruler of Tigre, who is greatly beloved by his subjects,\nreceived them in a friendly manner, and they were much encouraged by his\nassurances of safety and protection. Mr. Hinglar died when he had just\nconquered most of the difficulties of the language, but Mr. Gobat\nemployed his time in conversational preaching and distributing Bibles,\nuntil, in consequence of the unsettled state of the country, he was\ninduced to leave for a short time. It is a fact, however, that previous\nto this the Scriptures had been translated by the Abyssinians themselves\nfrom the Arabic and Ethiopic into the Amharic language, which is the\ndialect generally spoken throughout the Abyssinian empire. In 1833, Mr.\nGobat, accompanied by Mr. Isenberg, returned to his field of labour.\nThey took up their residence at Adowa, the capital of Tigre, six or\neight days' journey from Massowa. During Mr. Gobat's absence, the former\nmonarch, Sabagadis, had been dethroned, and Oobie, an avaricious and\ncruel despot, reigned in his stead. It was soon perceived that he\nregarded the missionaries with a jealous eye, and his suspicions were\nincreased by the appearance in the country soon after of many\nforeigners. Mr. Isenberg was openly accused of bringing them into the\ncountry for treasonable purposes. These accusations, and others of a\nsimilar character, were circulated by the priests, who complained that\nthrough the influence of the missionaries the Ethiopic church was\nthreatened with extinction. They also charged the missionaries with\nintrigue to overthrow the government of the country, and to introduce\nEnglish troops. Oobie was no less suspicious of the political designs of\nthe foreigners, and it was not long before an edict came to Mr.\nIsenberg, from the king, in which all foreigners were commanded to\nembrace the Abyssinian creed or to leave the country. Preferring the\nlatter alternative, Mr. Isenberg and his associate, Mr. Blumhardt,\nretired into Egypt. Mr. Krapf, a former companion of Blumhardt, removed\nto Shoa, where he was favourably received and hospitably entertained for\na time. Ultimately, however, it appeared that the king wished to be\nbenefited by the superior knowledge of the missionaries in everything\nbut what pertained to the duties of religion. He said that he wanted\nworkmen, not priests. After Mr. Krapf had acquired the language, he\nestablished schools, which succeeded well for a time, or until the\npupils, from their superior knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, began to\nquestion the traditions in which they had been brought up. Here the\npriesthood interfered, and through their machinations the monarch was\ninduced to express his decided disapprobation of the proceedings, and\nthe schools were, at his command, suppressed. Under these\ndiscouragements, the missionaries, after distributing ten thousand\ncopies of the Bible, returned to Europe.\n\nThe empire of Abyssinia has been frequently disturbed by civil wars; and\nthe appointment of a new abuna, or metropolitan, is often attended by\nintestine commotions. This was the case in 1715, when that dignitary, in\na convocation of the clergy, declared his opinion of the\nconsubstantiality of Christ, which was different from that which had\nbeen proclaimed at the gate of the palace. The abuna represented Christ\nas being \"one God, of the Father alone, with a body consubstantial with\nours, and by that union becoming the Messiah.\" The emperor maintained,\non the contrary, that the Redeemer was perfect man and perfect God by\nthe union; one Christ, whose body was composed of a precious substance,\ncalled _bahery_, not derived from his mother, or consubstantial with\nours. Many of the ecclesiastics favoured the opinion of the abuna; and,\nelate with their supposed triumph, they gathered the populace,\nsurrounded the palace, and insulted the emperor with shouts and songs.\nThe enraged potentate gave immediate orders for their dispersion and\npunishment. The mandate was executed by a company of pagan soldiers, who\nslew about one hundred of the delinquents, and filled the streets of the\ncapital with slaughter. The Christian population of Shoa and Efat is\nestimated at 1,000,000 souls, and that of the Pagan and Mohammedan\npopulation of the numerous dependencies at an equal number. But this\npeople is chiefly interesting to us from the fact that here, for so many\nages, a national religious establishment has existed, which never\nsuccumbed to the authority of Rome, and, consequently, which has ever\nbeen in the observation of the holy Sabbath day.\n\nThe Ethiopic church maintains the Eutychian doctrine respecting the\nnature of Christ; and it agrees with the other Eastern churches in\nholding the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father only. In these\nrespects it differs from the Western churches. From the Romish church it\nis distinguished by its doctrine regarding the supremacy of the Pope, in\nwhich it agrees with Protestants; to the rule of faith, which it limits\nto the Scriptures, including the Apocrypha; to the eucharist, which it\nadministers in both kinds to the laity, and regards neither as a\ntransubstantiation nor as a sacrifice; to the celibacy of the clergy,\nwho may be married; to the adoration of images, which it regards as\nunlawful; to the state of the soul after death, rejecting purgatory; and\nas regards several other less important and minor points. But, like\nRome, it invokes saints and angels as intercessors with God, paying\ngreat honours to the Virgin and St.\u00a0Michael, and having a copious\ncalendar of saints, with a corresponding number of fasts and\nfestivals.[9]\n\nTheir most extraordinary peculiarities are certain forms and ceremonies\nretained from their ancient Jewish worship. Their churches, which are\ngenerally small and mean, resemble precisely the Jewish temple. Like it,\nthey are divided into three parts; the innermost being the holy of\nholies, and inaccessible to the laity, who, except on certain occasions,\nare forbidden to pass the outer porch. Unbelievers, and all subject to\nLevitical uncleanness, are carefully excluded. All who enter must be\nbarefoot, and the doorposts and threshold must be kissed in passing. The\nservice is performed in the ancient Ethiopic, or Geez, now a dead\nlanguage. It commences with the Jewish Trisagion, and as David danced\nbefore the ark, so their priests caper and beat the ground with their\nfeet, and, with other similar antics and performances, complete a\nremarkable form of devotion. They observe the Levitical prohibitions of\nunclean animals, and the Pharisaical ceremonies of genuflexions and\nablutions. Like the Jews, they practise concubinage. Fasts of unexampled\nstrictness and extraordinary frequency are constantly observed. With\nscriptural examples before them, and unenlightened by science and\nphilosophy, it is perhaps not surprising that they should believe in\nwitchcraft, magic, and sorcery.\n\nThe whole country is overspread to excess with churches, and the number\nof the professedly religious in Shoa amounts to one-fourth of the\npopulation. The aboon, or abuna, is the ecclesiastical head, and the\nchurch confines to his hands alone the grace or virtue that makes a\nclergyman, differing in this from other churches called apostolic, which\nallow it to all bishops.\n\nThe Grand Prior of the monks of Debra Libanos is second in dignity; then\nthe bishops; next the priests and deacons. Monasteries abound, and they\nare generally placed on eminences near running water, and amid scenes of\nbeauty and sublimity. An easy ceremony admits to the monkish order, and\nthe life of the professed is one of ease and indulgence, consequently\nthe land swarms with monks, who are in reality the greatest of pests and\nplagues. Every church establishment is supported by certain lands and\nvillages particularly set apart for that purpose, and to these are added\nvarious fees for baptismal, funeral, and other clerical services,\nbesides the voluntary contributions of the superstitious people. These\necclesiastics, taken as a body, are ignorant, superstitious, and\nimmoral, fearful of innovation, hating heretics, and observant of\nreligious forms, some with the sincerity of devotees, and others as the\nbusiness-like followers of a gainful profession. Of the doctrines of\njustification by faith or regeneration by the Holy Spirit, the\nAbyssinians are said to be entirely ignorant; but it is possible, it is\neven probable, that there has been some misapprehension upon that point.\nIt is very easy for foreigners, in a state of society so new and\nstrange, to misapprehend the purport of what they behold, or to arrive\nat wrong conclusions, from given premises, in consequence of prejudice\nand partiality. We trust that the Divine Inhabitant has not entirely\nforsaken this polluted temple, and that the sacred fire is not utterly\nextinguished, although the surrounding atmosphere may be impure. At any\nrate, there is hope, since the Scriptures are the foundation of the\nfaith of the Abyssinian Church, and there is no infallible pontiff,\nconsecrating with his authority the manifold corruptions from which that\nauthority sprung, and by which it is perpetuated.\n\nIt is scarcely necessary to repeat what all authors acquainted with the\nsubject have been unanimous in affirming, namely, that the Abyssinian\nChurch observes the seventh-day Sabbath. Sandius says, \"There is a\nChristian empire of the Abyssinians, who adhere to Peter and Paul, and\nobserve the seventh day.\" The Jesuits affirmed \"that they kept as sacred\nthe Jewish Sabbath.\" Mr. Brerewood, who wrote in 1614, declares that the\nmidland Ethiopians, the modern Abyssinians, reverenced the Sabbath,\nkeeping it solemn equal with the Lord's day.[10] James Bruce, a\nScotsman, who visited Abyssinia in 1768, testifies to their observance\nof the seventh day; and these accounts have been substantiated by the\nwitness of modern travellers. The numerous dependencies of the\nAbyssinian empire, as well as some of the neighbouring independent\nkingdoms, contain Christian communities, of which some much nearer than\nothers approximate in their rites and ceremonies to the simplicity of\nthe apostolic age. Many of these have for a long period of years,\nsuccessfully held their position among mountain fastnesses in the very\nmidst of a Pagan and Mohammedan population. One of the most remarkable\nof these seats is upon an island of the Lake Zovai, where, in the Church\nof Emanuel, are deposited the silver dishes and other sacred utensils,\nwith numerous manuscripts, which Nebla Dengel wished particularly to\npreserve from the grasp of an invading army. The islands of this lake\ncontain upwards of three thousand Christian houses formed of lime and\nstone. They are shaded by lofty trees, and the whole has a luxuriant and\nbeautiful appearance. In Guragee, a dependency of Abyssinia, the\npopulation are exclusively Christian. Twelve isolated churches\npreviously unheard of were discovered a few years since in a province\ncalled Yoya. Between Garro and Metcha there is a small tract peopled by\nChristians, who reside entirely in mountain caves, as a measure of\nsecurity against the heathens by whom they are surrounded. Eight days'\njourney hence is Cambat, an independent Christian state, completely\nstudded with churches and monasteries. Wollamo, another Christian\nprovince under an independent sovereign, lies below Cambat, and also\ncontains many religious houses. Skorchassie, another neighbouring state,\nis peopled by Christians, and so is Sidama, and both are entirely\nsurrounded by Pagans. Susa is another important Christian country, whose\nking, in 1842, was said to be a very wise and just ruler. The government\nis liberal, and the people are, comparatively with the other African\nnations, in a high state of civilization. The priests are distinguished\nby antique robes and silver mitres, and the churches and religious\nobservances resemble those of Shoa, except as regards the saints' days,\nmost of which are unknown in Susa. In this country all labour is\ninterdicted upon the Sabbath, but the observation of any Lord's day is\nunknown.\n\nThat the religion of Ethiopia should have become corrupt is not in the\nleast surprising, although we can only refer it to the superintending\nprovidence of God that, amid the wreck of ages and the changes and\nrevolutions of time, it has survived at all. The wonder is, that,\nsurrounded as they are by Pagan and Moslem, together with the corrupt\npropensities of the human heart, the very name and profession of\nChristianity has not been long since obliterated from their minds, the\nSabbath forgotten, and the name of the Great Mediator supplanted by that\nof the false prophet.\n\nAbyssinia, notwithstanding her corruptions, is immeasurably above all\nother African nations in the scale of civilization. This is plainly\nenough proved by the following extract from the Narrative of the Travels\nof Charles Johnston, through the country of Adel to the kingdom of Shoa,\nin 1842-43:\n\n\"Arrived upon the summit, the stranger finds an extensive table-land\nspread out before him, and he cannot divest himself of the idea that he\nhas reached some new continent. A Scotch climate and Scotch vegetation,\nwheat, barley, linseed,\u2014and yet in intertropical Africa. The country\nseems highly cultivated, wheat and barley on all sides growing close to\nour path, while near the farmhouses were stacks of grain, which gave the\nwhole country an English appearance.\n\n\"Amidst the luxuries and conveniences so abundantly supplied to the\nembassy by the indulgent care of a liberal government, I almost fancied\nthat I had returned to the comforts of European life.\"\n\nMr. Johnston says that he was furnished with excellent wheaten bread,\nand butter quite as good as any he had ever eaten, with fish, flesh,\nfowl, wine, honey, and a kind of native beer, resembling English ale. He\nspeaks of the king as being beloved by his people, remarkably just in\nall his transactions, moderate in his anger, and benevolent to his\nvisiters. He himself declared that he had \"the fear of God before his\neyes.\"\n\nThe Holy Scriptures have been preserved in Abyssinia, on parchment\nmanuscript, and in the Geez language; but, in 1826, they were translated\nby the Ethiopians themselves into Amharic, the spoken dialect of the\ncountry. These books, our traveller declares, agree perfectly with the\nVulgate, except the book of the Maccabees, in which he discovered some\ndiscrepancies. They also possess a commentary on each of the sacred\nbooks, and, besides the five books of Moses, possess a sixth, which they\nequally revere. The names of the books agree with ours, and appear to be\nEthiopic translations of Genesis, Exodus, &c. They also possess the book\nof Enoch, which, however, according to Mr. Bruce, is the production of a\nGnostic philosopher. They have a liturgy in Ethiopic. It is said that\nall the literature of the country is embraced in 120 volumes.\n\nBut we trust that great and good things are in store for this ancient\npeople, who, though severely tried and tempted, have persisted in\nkeeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus; who, though\nstumbling, have not wandered altogether out of the way; and who have\nwithin themselves all the elements for moral renovation,\u2014the Holy\nScriptures, the Sabbath, and the knowledge of the Redeemer of\nmankind.[11]\n\nAbyssinia, as an empire, has experienced alternately the contraction and\nexpansion common to the ancient monarchies. The Negus, as friend and\nally of Justinian, reigned supreme over seven kingdoms, prosecuted an\nextensive trade with Ceylon and the Indies, and encouraged in his\ncountry the arts and letters of Europe. Arabia, surnamed \"the blest,\"\nand, by contrast with the neighbouring regions, considered as \"happy,\"\nhad been despoiled of her rich treasures, and led in captivity, to\ngratify the avarice or ambition of an Ethiopian conqueror, whose\nhereditary claim, founded on his descent from the beauteous Queen of\nSheba, was warmed and animated by religious zeal. The inhabitants of\nArabia were denominated Homerites. Their prince, Duncan, was not\ninsensible to the inflictions, nor inflexible to the entreaties, of the\nJews, who, powerful even in exile, persuaded him to retaliate upon the\nChristians in his dominions the persecution that their people suffered\nfrom the imperial laws. Accordingly some Roman merchants were\nignominiously put to death, and the crown of martyrdom bestowed upon\nmany Christians of Yemen, who refused to apostatize from their faith.\nThe expiring churches of Arabia invoked the name of the Abyssinian\nmonarch, who arose like a lion out of his place, passed the Red Sea with\na fleet and army, dethroned the Jewish proselyte, and extinguished a\nroyal race who, for many centuries, had exercised sovereignty over the\nsequestered region of precious gums and aromatic groves. The cities of\nArabia immediately resounded with the Trisagion, chanted, with rapturous\ndemonstrations of joy, by the conquering army. The Negus himself\ndespatched a messenger to the Alexandrian prelate, announcing the\nvictory of the gospel, and soliciting of that dignitary an orthodox\nruler for the Arabian churches. To Justinian, this announcement\noccasioned much secret gratulation, though it may be questioned by\nposterity whether he exulted most in the triumph of orthodoxy, or the\nflattering prospects he thereby entertained of gratifying his ambition,\nsecuring a fortunate ally, and reaping the advantages of a lucrative\ncommercial intercourse. He was desirous to divert the trade of the\nprecious commodities of the East,\u2014silk, balm, and frankincense,\u2014no less\nthan to engage the forces of Arabia and Africa against the Persian king.\nAccordingly, an embassage, under the direction of Nonnosus, was\ndespatched into Abyssinia, to execute, in the name of the Emperor, this\nimportant commission. Declining the shorter but more dangerous route\nthrough the desert regions of Nubia, he ascended the Nile, embarked on\nthe Red Sea, and safely landed at the port of Adulis.[12] From this port\nto the royal city of Axuma is no more than fifty leagues, in a direct\nline; but the winding passes of the mountains detained the embassage\nfifteen days, during which journey they were astonished by the droves of\nwild elephants that roamed the forests. He found the capital large and\npopulous, the people Christian in profession, and strictly observant of\nthe Jewish Sabbath. He found also many traces of Grecian art.[13] The\nNegus received the ambassador with the splendid hospitality suitable to\na potent monarch, and due to the representative of an imperial friend.\nAmidst a numerous and august assemblage of the ladies of the court, the\ndignitaries of the church, and the princes of the empire, the Negus gave\naudience in a spacious plain. Dismounting from his lofty chariot, to\nwhich was harnessed four white elephants, superbly caparisoned, he\nappeared, clad in a linen garment, with a golden tiara on his head;\nwhile around his neck, arms, and ankles, blazed the regal circlets of\ndiamonds, pearls, and precious stones, interwoven with chains of gold.\nHe carried two javelins of rarest temper, and wore a light shield of\nexquisite workmanship. The ambassador of Justinian approached with awe,\nand knelt with becoming deference. He was raised and embraced by the\nNegus, who received the imperial missive of which he was the bearer,\nkissed the seal, perused the contents with apparent satisfaction,\naccepted the imperial alliance, and, brandishing his weapons, denounced\na perpetual anathema against the enemies of his new friend and ally. But\nthe proposal for trade was artfully eluded, and the hostile\ndemonstration was not productive of a corresponding effect. The\nAbyssinians were unwilling to abandon the pleasures and luxuries of\npeace, with the sensual delights of their aromatic bowers, for the toils\nof ambition and the benefit of a foreign potentate. Discretion is\ncertainly the better part of valour, and it was proved in the sequel\nthat the Negus, instead of extending his triumphs, was incapable of\npreserving what he had already obtained. The sceptre of Arabia was\nwrenched from his hands by Abrahah, the slave of a Roman merchant of\nAdulis. The Ethiopian legions were seduced and enervated by the\nluxurious influences of the climate. Justinian solicited the friendship\nof the usurper, who returned his complaisancy with a slight tribute and\nthe acknowledgment of his nominal supremacy. After a long course of\nprosperity, the dynasty of Abrahah was overthrown, his descendants\ndespoiled of their rich possessions by the Persian conqueror, and every\nvestige of Christianity obliterated. This short episode of Abyssinian\nhistory must be interesting to us, from the fact that, could a Christian\nempire have been sustained in Arabia, it might have prevented the rise\nof the Mohammedan imposture, and have materially changed the history of\nthe world.[14]\n\n[1] According to Assemanni, Christianity was once professed by the horde\nof Koraites; and their chief, who received ordination, which probably\ngave rise to the legend of Presbyter, or Prester, John.\n\n[2] Some modern theorists have severely reprehended the Paulicians, or\nArmenians, for the part they bore in these sanguinary scenes. But so\nlong as the principle of patriotism is cherished; so long as the names\nof home and country are accounted sacred; and so long as the memories of\nTell, and Wallace, and Washington, are held up to general emulation, the\nlaity, at least, may be excused for recognising the legitimacy of\nself-defence.\n\n[3] Those who desire a more detailed account of the Armenians may\nconsult La Croza, Galanus, Olearius, Chardin, Fabricius, in Lux\nEvangelii, and, above all, Tavernier.\n\n[4] I am aware that the truth of this statement has been questioned, but\nafter all there is nothing so very improbable in it. Alfred was a prince\nof an enterprising disposition, and might have sent an embassy to India\nfor several reasons, and their performance of the journey was no\nimpossibility.\n\n[5] The Trisagion is the hymn supposed to be chanted by the Cherubim\nbefore the throne of glory, and commences with Holy, Holy, Holy, is the\nLord God Almighty.\n\n[6] Authors are far from being unanimous in their accounts of this\npeople and their origin. It has been maintained by not a few that they\nare of Syriac extraction, and that the St.\u00a0Thomas, from whom their\nappellation is derived, was an Armenian merchant and missionary who\nflourished as their leader in the fifth century. Others, with equal\nplausibility, contend that they originated from a colony of Abyssinians.\nDr. Buchanan maintains an opinion different from either. He supposes\nthem to be natives of India, whose ancestors were converted by\nSt.\u00a0Thomas, the Apostle. He says, that \"we have as good reason for\nbelieving that St.\u00a0Thomas died in India, as that St.\u00a0Peter died at\nRome.\"\n\nAccording to a tradition of the natives, the Apostle came first to\nSocotara, an island in the Arabian Sea, and thence departed to\nCranganor, where he founded several churches. The next scene of his\nlabours was Coromandare, and preaching in all the towns and villages he\ncame to Melsapour, the chief city, where he converted the prince and a\ngreat part of the nobility to the Christian faith. This so enraged the\nBrahmins, that one of them secretly followed him into a solitary place,\nwhere he retired for prayer, and stabbed him in the back with a spear.\n\n[7] According to another account, their conversion to this creed was\neffected by the missionaries of the Empress Theodora, which, however,\nhas been disputed by Assemanus.\n\n[8] Gibbon says that \"two abunas had been slain in battle.\"\n\n[9] It has been supposed, and with reason, that many of these customs\nwere introduced by the Jesuits, and that previous to the partial\nsubjection of this church to the Romish authority, it was much more pure\nthan it has since been.\n\n[10] The observation of Sunday was brought in by the Jesuits, who found\nit easier to induce them to observe both days than to consent to a\nsubstitution of the first for the seventh day.\n\n[11] The Abyssinians still retain the physiognomy and olive complexion\nof the Arabs, and afford an incontestable evidence that three thousand\nyears can neither change the colour nor the intellectual capabilities of\nthe human species. Under the burning sun of Africa, the Abyssinian, a\nbranch of the great Caucasian family, has preserved the name and\nsemblance of Christianity and civilization through the wreck and\nrevolutions of ages, and amid the tempests of foreign and domestic\ndominations. Conscious of his ignorance, he once sought the fraternity\nof Europe for the sake of her letters and her arts. But how is it with\nthe Nubian, whose unequivocal African descent is betrayed by his stupid\nfeatures, black colour, and woolly hair, yet who enjoyed equal or\nsuperior advantages in ancient times? The history of his race would\nattest to the truth in this case. He has relapsed into that barbarism\nwhich seems to be his native element, and from which he appears\nincapable of preserving himself. The only memorials of his Christianity\nare a few words, of which he is incapable of understanding the sense;\nthe only traces of his civilization a few heaps of sculptured ruins.\n\n[12] The negotiations of Justinian with the Abyssinians are mentioned by\nProcopius, John Malala, and others. The original narrative of the\nambassador Nonnosus is quoted by the Historian of Antioch, and Photius\nhas given a curious extract. Justinian reigned over the Greek empire\nfrom 527 to 565.\n\n[13] The present village of Anuma is conspicuous by the ruins of a\nsplendid Christian temple, and seventeen obelisks, of Grecian\narchitecture. According to Alvarez, it was in a flourishing state in\n1520, but was ruined the same year by the Turkish invasion.\n\n[14] Those who desire to form an acquaintance with Abyssinian history\nmay consult Procopius, Baronius, Cosmos, Indicopleustus, Alvarez, Lobo,\nand Bruce. In these works, the subject is very amply and ably treated.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II. SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS IN EUROPE.\n\n\n SECTION I. WALDENSES, ALBIGENSES, PASAGINIANS, ETC.\u2014THEIR SABBATICAL\n CHARACTER EXAMINED.\n\nIt is not my design to give even an abridged account of ecclesiastical\naffairs as connected with this people during the many centuries of their\nexistence, but confine myself to a consideration of the origin of their\ndistinguishing appellation, with an account of their doctrinal\nsentiments and religious practices, and their terrible persecutions and\ndispersion.\n\nIt is evident that the Latin word vallis has been the parent of the\nEnglish word valley, the French and Spanish valle, the Proven\u00e7al vaux,\nvaudois, the Italian valdesi, the low Dutch valleye, and the\necclesiastical Valdensis, Valdenses, and Waldenses. The designation of\nthe word is valleys\u2014inhabitants of valleys\u2014neither more nor less. There\nbeing no _w_ in the Latin language, the terms Vallenses and Valdenses\nwere employed long before the more modern one of Waldenses came into\nuse.\n\nIt appears that from the earliest ages, the inhabitants of the valleys\nabout the Pyrenees did not profess the Catholic faith; neither was it\nembraced by the inhabitants of the valleys of the Alps; it occurred,\nalso, that one Valdo, in the ninth century, a friend and adviser of\nBerengarius, and a man of wealth, talents, and piety, who had many\nfollowers, possessed himself of a Bible, by which he was led to perceive\nthe errors and corruptions of Rome, which he severely denounced;\nmoreover, it came to pass that about one hundred and thirty years after,\na rich merchant of Lyons, whose name was Waldo, openly withdrew from the\ncommunion of Rome, and supported many to travel and teach the doctrines\nbelieved in the valleys. All these people, though different in their\norigin, and different no doubt in some minor points of faith and\npractices of worship, were called Waldenses as a general term. They had\nalso other appellations imposed upon them, which, however, were mostly\nlocal, and which I shall subsequently take into consideration. This\naccounts in a satisfactory manner for the diversity of the statements\nconcerning them. In Languedoc these heresies were supposed to be of\nrecent origin, and to have originated from Waldo, whose immediate\nfollowers were called Waldenses. This, however, was merely the\nrenovation of the name from a particular cause, and not its original;\nfor we find that, in other districts, other branches of this same\noriginal sect are called by other appellations, significative of some\ndistinguished leader. Thus, in Dauphiny, they were called Josephists,\nand, in other places, Petrobrusians, from Peter De Bruys. Sometimes they\nreceived their names from their manners, as Catharists (Puritans), Bonne\nHomines (good men); at others, from the peculiarities of their religious\nordinances, as insabbathists (sabbath-keepers), and Sabbatharians,\nbecause they contended for the observance of the original sabbath, and\ndenied the real presence of Christ in the eucharist.[15] By some they\nwere denominated Bulgarians, and by others Paulicians, and, by a\ncorruption of that word, Publicans, because it appears that a multitude\nof that ancient sect had emigrated hither, and amalgamated with\nthem.[16] Sometimes they were named from the city or country in which\nthey prevailed, as Toulousians, Lombardists, and Albigenses.\nNevertheless all these branches were distinguished as keeping the\ncommandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.\n\nIn more recent times they were particularly distinguished in France by\nthe name of Albigenses, from the great numbers of them that inhabited\nthe city of Alby, in the district of Albigeons, between the Garonne, and\nthe Rhone. After the Council of Alby, which condemned them as heretics,\nthat name became general and confirmed. In the records of this Council\nthe following passage occurs: \"They savour of Judaism, they practise\ncircumcision,[17] they observe the Jewish sabbath, but say the holy\nDominical day is no better than other days; let them be accursed.\"\n\nVery laboured disquisitions have been written, and great pains taken, by\na certain class of writers, to prove that the Albigenses and Waldenses\nwere very different classes of Christians, and that they held different\nopinions and religious principles. How far this distinction extended it\nis impossible at present to ascertain; but when the popes issued their\nfulminations against the Albigenses, they expressly condemned them as\nWaldenses; by the legates of the Holy See they were accused of\nprofessing the faith of the Waldenses, the inquisitors formed their\nprocesses of indictments against them as Waldenses; the leaders of the\ncrusades made war upon them as Waldenses; they were persecuted on all\nsides as such; nor did they attempt to rebut the charges made against\nthem, but readily adopted the title thus imposed upon them, which they\nconsidered it an honour to bear.\n\nThe Pasaginians, or Passignes, were another branch of this same sect,\nwho derived their appellation from the country of Passau, where it is\ncomputed that eighty or one hundred thousand of them resided. That these\nwere all one people is evident from the fact that the provincial\ncouncils of Toulouse in 1119, and of Lombez in 1176, and the general\ncouncils of Lateran, in 1139 and 1176, do not particularize them as\nPasaginians, or Albigenses, but as heretics, which shows that they\nexisted and were generally known before these names were imposed upon\nthem.\n\nTheir enemies confirm their identity as well as their great antiquity.\nFather Gretzer, a Jesuit, who had examined the subject fully, and who\nhad every opportunity of knowing, admits the great antiquity of the\nheretics, and, moreover, expresses his firm belief that the Toulousians,\nAlbigenses, Pasaginians, Arnoldists, Josephists, and the other heretical\nfactions, who, at that time, were engaging the attention of the popes,\nwere no other than Waldenses. This opinion he corroborates by showing\nwherein they resembled each other. Among other points he mentions the\nfollowing: \"Moreover, all these heretics despise the fasts and feasts of\nthe church, such as Candlemas, Easter, the Dominical day; in short, all\napproved ecclesiastical customs for which they do not find a warrant in\nthe Scripture. They say, also, that God enjoined rest and holy\nmeditation upon the seventh day, and that they cannot feel justified in\nthe observance of any other.\"\n\nIn the decree of Pope Lucius III., dated 1181, we find the Catharists,\nPaterines, Josephists, Arnoldists, Passignes, and those calling\nthemselves the \"Poor of Lyons,\" all considered as one, and laid under a\nperpetual anathema.\n\nIt is evident from all these testimonies that the Waldenses, as they\npenetrated into different countries, became distinguished by a great\nvariety of appellations, which they derived from the countries they\ninhabited, or from the men who became their leaders at particular\nperiods. Thus in Albi, Toulouse, Provence, Languedoc, and the\nneighbouring countries in France, they were called Albigenses; Vaudois,\nVallenses, and Waldenses in Savoy; Pasaginians in Passau, and the\nadjacent regions, with other names and titles too numerous to mention\nhere.\n\nNevertheless it appears that some distinction existed between these\ndifferent parties. The old Waldenses were not seceders from the Church\nof Rome; for neither themselves nor their ancestors had ever embraced\nits faith. Claudius Seyssel, a popish archbishop, declares that the\nWaldensian heresy originated from one Leo, who, in the days of\nConstantine the Great, led a party of heretics from Rome into the\nvalleys. Pope Gregory VII. observes that it is well known that in the\ndays of Constantine the Great, some assemblies of Jewish Christians\nbeing persecuted at Rome, because they persisted in obedience to the law\nof Moses, wandered off into the valleys, where their descendants remain\nunto this day. Reiner Sacco declares that, in the opinion of many\nauthors of note, their antiquity could be traced to the apostolic age.\nHe also observes that never, within the memory of man, have they\nacknowledged allegiance to the papal see. But that there were seceding\nparties, who, at different times and under particular leaders, withdrew\nfrom the communion of that church, and became amalgamated with the old\nWaldenses, we have every reason to believe. That these latter, though\ndisposed to condemn many of the grosser superstitions of that church,\nsuch as the worship of images, transubstantiation, the sacrament of the\nmass, etc., might still hesitate about rejecting all her man-made\nordinances, is highly probable. Indeed, this very thing is mentioned by\na very ancient writer, quoted by Perrin, as producing divisions among\nthem.\n\nAt the head of one of these parties was Claude, Bishop of Turin, who\nflourished in the commencement of the seventh century. It does not\nappear that this bold reformer ever separated wholly from the Church of\nRome, but he denounced many of her corruptions and abominations in no\nmeasured terms, and had many followers. From the death of this eminent\nman until the time of Peter Waldo, of Lyons, the history of this people\nis involved in much obscurity. If they possessed any writers among\nthemselves capable of giving their transactions to posterity, or if any\nrecords of their ecclesiastical affairs were committed to writing, the\nbarbarous zeal of their opponents has prevented their transmission to\nour times. To the accounts of their adversaries, therefore, we must look\nfor proofs of their existence, and here they are abundant. They are,\nalso, uniformly represented as separated in faith and practice from the\nCatholic Church, and as continually multiplying in number; but further\nthan this we have of them very imperfect statements.\n\nDuring all this period the popes appear to have been too intent upon\ntheir own pleasures, and too much engaged by their own quarrels, to\ninterfere with the despised Waldenses, and it was not until the twelfth\ncentury, that these people appear in history as obnoxious to the court\nof Rome. About this time one Peter Waldo, an opulent merchant of Lyons,\nin France, made an attack upon the superstitions of the Romish church,\nparticularly the monstrous doctrine of transubstantiation. He commenced\nby causing a translation of the four gospels to be made into French,\nwhich he circulated extensively among his countrymen, particularly those\nof the poorer class. He soon became a preacher, gathered a large church\nin his native city, from which, a few years after, himself and his\nadherents were driven by the anathemas of the Pope. Waldo, with his\nnumerous followers, retired into Dauphiny, where his preaching was\nattended with abundant success. His principles were embraced by\nmultitudes, who were denominated Leonists, Vaudois, Waldenses, etc.; for\nthe very same class of Christians were designated by all these different\nappellations at different times, and according to the different\ncountries in which they appeared.\n\nDriven from Dauphiny, Waldo sought refuge in Picardy, where, also, his\nlabours were abundantly blessed. Persecuted thence, he fled into\nGermany, and carried with him the glad tidings of salvation. From\nGermany he removed to Bohemia, where he finally finished his course in\nthe year 1179, and the twentieth of his ministry. The amazing success\nwhich had crowned the efforts of this holy man, aroused the pontiff and\nhis legates to the most vindictive and sanguinary measures. Terrible\npersecutions ensued; the bishops of Mentz and Strasburg breathed nothing\nbut vengeance and slaughter against them. Thirty-five citizens of Mentz\nwere burned in one fire at the city of Bingen, and eighteen in Mentz\nitself. In Strasburg eighty were committed to the flames. In other\nplaces multitudes died praising God, and in the blessed hope of a\nglorious resurrection.\n\n\n SECTION II. CONCERNING THE DOCTRINAL SENTIMENTS AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES\n OF THE WALDENSES\u2014THEIR SABBATARIAN CHARACTER STILL FURTHER CONSIDERED.\n\nIn giving an account of the doctrinal sentiments and religious practices\nof this people, we must principally depend upon the testimonies of their\nadversaries of the Romish church, and their own apologies, reasonings,\nand confessions, some of which have been handed down to us through the\nrecords of the Inquisition,[18] and by the historians of that period. Of\nthese, Reineirus Saccho is the most celebrated. He had been for\nseventeen years, in the earlier part of his life, in connexion with the\nWaldenses, but apostatized from their profession, and joined the\nCatholic church, in which he was raised to the eminence of chief\nInquisitor, and became the bitterest persecutor of his former friends.\nHe was deputed by the pope to reside in Lombardy, at that time the\nheadquarters of the Pasaginians, and about 1250, published a book, in\nwhich the errors of the Waldenses were all summed up under\nthree-and-thirty distinct heads.[19]\n\nTo attempt any exposition of all these points would far exceed my\nlimits, I shall therefore confine myself to what he says in reference to\nthat particular doctrine by which they were allied to us. \"They hold,\"\nsays he, \"that none of the ordinances of the church, which have been\nintroduced since Christ's Ascension,[20] ought to be observed, as being\nof no value.\"\n\n\"The feasts,[21] fasts, orders, blessings, offices of the church, and\nthe like, they utterly reject.\"\n\nIn the sketch which Reineirus furnishes of the doctrines of the\nWaldenses, there is not the slightest allusion to any erroneous opinions\nregarding the doctrines and principles of the gospel; and this silence\non his part is a noble testimony to the soundness of their creed. He had\nhimself been among them, was a man of talents and learning, and\nintimately acquainted with all their doctrinal sentiments; and, having\napostatized from their faith, and become their bitterest enemy and\npersecutor, no one will suppose that he wanted the inclination to bring\nagainst them any accusation, which bore the least similitude to the\ntruth. The errors of which he accuses them, are such as no Seventh-day\nBaptist of the present day would shrink from the charge of holding,\nsince they all, in one way or other, resolve themselves into the\nunfounded claims of the ecclesiastical order, or the substitution for\ndoctrines of the commandments of men.\n\nIn the twelfth century, a colony of the persecuted Waldenses obtained\npermission to settle at Saltz, on the river Eger.[22] They are\nrepresented as working upon, and despising, the holydays of the\nchurch.[23] Another eminent Bohemian author, in giving an account of the\nWaldenses of that country, observes, \"Moreover they say that of six\ndays, one day is as good as another, but as God had enjoined rest upon\nthe seventh, mankind were bound to its observance.\"[24]\n\nAn inquisitor of the Church of Rome, who declares that he had exact\nknowledge of the Waldenses, at whose trials he had assisted many times,\nand in different countries, expressly says \"that they contemn all\necclesiastical customs which they do not read of in the Gospel; such as\nthe observation of Candlemas, Palm Sunday, the adoration of the cross on\nGood Friday, and the reconciliation of penitents. They despise the feast\nof Easter, and all the festivals of Christ and the saints,[25] and say\nthat one day is as good as another, working on holydays when they can do\nso without being taken notice of.\"\n\nThe same testimony is borne of them by Eneas Sylvius, who ascended the\npontifical chair with the title of Pope Pius II. Indeed, of all the\nmultitude of Catholic authors of eminence, who have mentioned this\npeople, every one bears testimony to this peculiarity in their doctrinal\nsentiments and religious practices. At a later period, and among more\nmodern writers, we have every reason to believe that this feature of\ntheir faith has been purposely disguised. Nevertheless the candour of\nsome has led them to make very important concessions upon this point.\nMosheim expressly declares that the Pasaginians observed the Jewish\nSabbath. Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, says, \"I conceive that the old\nWaldenses, who rejected all the festivals of the church, and went back\nto the original Sabbath, were much more consistent with themselves, than\nthese gentlemen, the modern Protestants, who, though they discard all\nthe others, still retain the Dominical day.\"\n\nBut, lest I weary my readers by a multiplication of testimonies, I shall\nadd but one more quotation, which contains a concession that, coming\nfrom the quarter and at the time it does, I consider important. Mr.\nBenedict, in his History of the Baptists, says, that during the progress\nof his historical inquiries, he has met with many facts, where it seemed\nas if the heretics, so called, were unsound on the doctrine of the\nSabbath, as established by law; but, he goes on, it is not certain that\nall whom the ancient inquisitors accused of being Sabbath-breakers,\nwould come under the head of Sabbatarians.[26]\n\nIt appears to me morally certain that the Seventh-day Baptists may trace\nthrough the Waldenses, at least that portion of them who were never\nunited to the Church of Rome, an uninterrupted succession to the\napostolic age. Indeed, of all the multitude of writers who have treated\nof this people, all, without exception, are unanimous in declaring that\nthey rejected all the feasts and festivals of the church, as well as\ninfant baptism, and would not observe any ordinance which they did not\nread of in Scripture. Others, especially the ancient Catholics, accuse\nthem of Judaism, because, according to their testimony, they kept the\nJewish Sabbath. The Council of Lombez derided the Good Men of Lyons as\nSabbatharians. They were condemned by the Lateran Council of 1139 for\nrefusing to observe the festivals of the church,[27] and the same\naccusation was brought against them in canons, synods, chronicles,\nconferences, decrees, sermons, homilies, bulls, confessions, creeds,\nliturgies, &c. It is hardly possible that all this concurrent testimony,\npublished at different times and in different countries, could have been\nfabricated. It is barely possible that such men as Evervinus, of\nSteinfield; Peter, Abbot of Clugny; Ecbertus Schonangiensis, a very\ncelebrated author in his day; Ermengendus, a ruler both spiritual and\ntemporal; Alexander III., in council; Alanus Magnus; Izam, the\ntroubadour, and an inquisitor; Favin, Mazeray, Reineirus Saccho, etc.,\ncould have been mistaken upon this point. But we are not to conclude\nthat no persons bearing the name of Waldenses saw and imitated the\npractices of the Catholics, in the observance of the holydays of the\nchurch. That many of them, particularly those branches that seceded from\nthe Church of Rome, paid a superstitious veneration to the Dominical\nday, we are ready to admit. We have no data for tracing the extent of\nthose persons who held the truth unsophisticated. A considerable portion\nof the writers to whom reference has been made were Catholics,\u2014men high\nin office in that church, and justly distinguished for natural and\nacquired abilities. As this class of men placed great reliance upon\ntradition and custom for the defence of their forms and ceremonies, and\nlaid no claim to Scripture testimony or command to sanction the rites of\ntheir church, it is not strange that they should be open and unreserved\nin all their details of the facts, and in the freedom of their comments\non ancient affairs, which go to prove the Sabbatarian character of the\nheretical sects. With modern writers, particularly those of English and\nGerman extraction, the case is materially different, as they belong to a\nclass which repudiates all arguments from any source but the Scriptures\nfor Sunday-keeping, and who take unusual pains to date the origin of\nSabbatarianism as late as possible. Indeed, as it appears that the term\nSabbatharians was first bestowed upon this very ancient and holy people,\nI must consider it as a most honourable appellation when applied to our\ndenomination. I am surprised, that though Presbyterians, Episcopalians,\nand every other class of Protestant dissenters, have striven to\nestablish an affinity with the old Waldenses, our own denomination have\nremained so inert upon the matter. Can it be possible that among all our\nministers not one was acquainted with the facts bearing upon this case?\n\nI must confess that it gives me inexpressible pleasure to think that we\nhave conclusive testimony, that, for so many centuries, in the midst,\ntoo, of Catholic countries, God had reserved to himself such a goodly\nnumber who had not bowed the knee to Baal, and whose mouths had not\nkissed him; for certainly next to idolatry is that sin which would\nsubstitute for doctrines the commandments of men, and neglect the\nSabbath of God's appointment, giving preference to a man-made\ninstitution.\n\nThere is something extremely ridiculous in the manner in which modern\nwriters attempt to explain this feature in the faith of the ancient\nWaldenses, and in this particular they are highly favoured by the\npopular prejudices of the day. They bring long quotations from ancient\nRoman authors to prove that the Waldenses rejected every ordinance not\ncommanded in the Scripture, but are very careful not to inform their\nreaders that in the opinion of the same authors, Sunday-keeping was one\nof those ordinances. \"Because they would not observe the festivals of\nChrist and the saints,\" says an author of this stamp, \"they were falsely\nsupposed to neglect the Sabbath also.\" However, he suppresses the fact\nthat, whatever title Sunday may bear in modern phraseology, in the times\nof which we are speaking it was neither spoken of nor regarded as the\nSabbath, but as a festival of the church the same as Easter or\nChristmas. All authorities are unanimous in declaring that the Waldenses\nhad been from time immemorial in the possession of the Holy Scriptures,\nand that all, even the children, were deeply read in them. The French\nBible was translated from the original manuscript which the Waldenses\nhad retained, according to the testimony of the translators, from the\ntimes of the Apostles, and which they handed down, in their native\ntongue, from generation to generation. The following quotation may serve\nto give some idea of their proficiency in the Scriptures:\u2014\n\n\"In the time of a great persecution of the Waldenses of Merendol and\nProvence,\" says Perrin, \"a certain monk was deputed by the Bishop of\nCavaillon to hold a conference with them, that they might be convinced\nof their errors, and the effusion of blood prevented. But the monk\nreturned in confusion, owning that, in his whole life, he had never\nknown so much of the Scriptures as he had learned during the few days\nthat he had been conversing with the heretics. The Bishop, however, sent\namong them a number of doctors, young men who had lately come from the\nSorbonne, which, at that time, was the very centre of theological\nsubtlety at Paris. One of these publicly owned that he understood more\nof the doctrine of salvation from the answers of little children in\ntheir catechisms, than by all the disputations he had ever heard\nbefore.\" A Dominican inquisitor declared that for the first time in his\nlife he heard the ten commandments of the Decalogue from the mouth of a\nWaldensian heretic.\n\nThat the deportment and daily walk of the Waldenses was conformable with\ntheir religious profession and scriptural knowledge, we have every\nreason to believe. Reinerus Saccho declares that they live righteously\nbefore men, believing rightly concerning God in every particular, and\nholding all the articles contained in the Apostle's Creed. \"The first\nlesson,\" says he, \"that the Waldenses teach those whom they bring over\nto their party, is to instruct them what kind of persons the disciples\nof Christ ought to be, and this they do by the doctrine of the\nevangelists and apostles, saying that those only are the followers of\nthe apostles who imitate their manner of life.\"\n\nAn ancient inquisitor gives of them the following account:\u2014\n\n\"These heretics are known by their manners and conversation, for they\nare orderly and modest in their behaviour and deportment. They avoid all\nappearance of pride in their dress; they neither indulge in finery of\nattire, nor are they remarkable for being mean and ragged. They avoid\ncommerce, that they may be free from falsehood and deceit. They get\ntheir livelihood by manual industry, as day labourers or mechanics, and\ntheir teachers are weavers or tailors. They are not anxious about\namassing riches, but content themselves with the necessaries of life.\nThey are chaste, temperate, and sober. They abstain from anger. Even\nwhen they work they either learn or teach. In like manner, also, their\nwomen are modest, avoiding backbiting, foolish jesting, and levity of\nspeech, especially abstaining from lies or swearing.\"\n\nIt may be interesting to notice in this connexion some of the\npeculiarities of their religious practices.\n\nThey constantly appealed to the Scriptures both of the Old and New\nTestament, as their only guide and rule of faith and practice as to\nreligious duties. They are perpetually accused by Catholic writers of\nrejecting all human institutions, traditions, and inventions, and both\nfriends and foes are unanimous in confessing that there was scarcely a\nperson among them, either man, or woman, or child, that was not better\nacquainted with Holy Writ than the doctors of the church. They were\nlikewise accused of being without priests. This must be understood as\napplying to the absence among them of a certain class of men paid or\npensioned by yearly salaries for discharging the ministrations of the\ngospel. An old historian who was intimately acquainted with their\naffairs, observes, \"That they severely denounce the whole body of the\nclergy on account of their idle course of life, and say that they ought\nto labour with their hands, as did the Apostles.\"\n\nAnother says\u2014\"Their preachers are weavers and mechanics, who get their\nown living, and are not chargeable upon their hearers.\" The same author\ngoes on to say that even their missionaries were accustomed to travel\nfrom place to place in the character of travelling merchants; and this,\nhe assures us, subserved to good purposes; first, they were enabled to\nsupport themselves; and second, they gained thereby readier access to\npersons of rank and fortune.\n\nTheir treatment of females in their religious assemblies was liberal and\ncourteous in the extreme. They were not only allowed to preach, but bore\nan equal part with the men in all the business of the church; and the\ndeeper we go into antiquity the more evident does this appear.\n\nAgainst war, capital punishment, and oaths, they were decided in\nexpressing their disapprobation. Their opposition to bearing arms, and\nto war in all its operations, was unanimous and unequivocal. Whoever\ncommanded them to the field they refused to obey, alleging that they\ncould not conscientiously comply. No contingencies would induce them to\nassume the weapons of death; and this peculiarity was well understood by\nall the world, and made the onsets of the inquisitors and crusaders upon\nthese weaponless Christians the more cruel and contemptible. Concerning\noaths, they appear to have adopted the language of our Saviour in a\nliteral sense, where he commands his disciples, \"Swear not at all.\"\n\nSuch were their rules. Whatever deviations there might have been were\nexceptions. Such deviations, it is natural to suppose, frequently\noccurred; but they generally came from those portions of the community\nwho had been educated in the faith of Rome.\n\nAs it relates to their Baptist character I shall produce but one\nquotation, although a multitude might be given.\n\n\"As the Catholics of these times baptized by immersion, the Paterines,\nby what name soever they were called, as Manicheans, Gazara, Josephites,\nPasaginians, &c., made no complaint of the mode of baptizing; but when\nthey were examined upon the subject, they objected vehemently against\nthe baptism of infants, and condemned it as an error.\"[28]\n\nOf their doctrinal sentiments we can know but little, as no other\nportion of their history is involved in so much obscurity. Reinerus\nSaccho, however, represents them as believing rightly in everything\npertaining to God and the Apostles' Creed. And they must have been\nevangelical Christians; for, when we see religious societies, century\nafter century, holding on to their principles, and persisting in their\nreligious practices, amidst the severest persecutions that were ever\nexperienced, there is irrefragable evidence that they were built on a\nfirm foundation. Indeed, it is hardly probable that among people whose\nreligious teachers were obliged to depend upon manual labour for a\nlivelihood, there would be much time wasted in unprofitable discussions\nabout abstract points of theology.\n\nThe locality of these Christians, before they were dispersed by\npersecution, was in the principality of Piedmont, which derives its name\nfrom the singularity of its situation at the foot of the Alps,\u2014a\nprodigious range of mountains that form a natural boundary between\nItaly, France, Switzerland, and Germany. It is bounded on the north by\nSavoy, on the east by the duchies of Milan and Montferrat, on the south\nby the county of Nice, and on the west by France. In ancient times it\nformed a part of Lombardy, but recently it has become an appanage of the\nSardinian monarch, whose capital is Turin, one of the finest cities of\nEurope. It comprises an extensive tract of rich and fruitful valleys,\nembosomed in mountains, which are again encircled in mountains,\nintersected with deep and rapid rivers, and exhibiting, in strong\ncontrast, the utmost beauty and luxuriance with the most frightful\nspectacles of barrenness and desolation. The country is an interchange\nof hill and vale, mountain and plain, through which four principal\nrivers wind their way to the Mediterranean. Besides these, there are\neight-and-twenty smaller streams, which, winding their courses in\ndifferent directions, contribute to the beauty and fertility of these\nEden-like valleys.\n\nThe Pyrenees are another huge mountain range, that separate France from\nSpain, and extend from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, a\ndistance of at least two hundred miles by a breadth of one hundred. This\nsurface, like the former, is wonderfully diversified with hills and\ndales, mountains and valleys, in which places, and all along the borders\nof Spain, throughout the south of France, among and below the Alps,\nalong the Rhine, and even to Bohemia and Passau, thousands of Christians\nwere found, even in the darkest times, who preserved the faith in its\npurity, rejected the traditions of men, took the Scripture for their\nguide and rule of conduct, and were persecuted only for righteousness'\nsake. This place, in the desert, mountainous country, almost\ninaccessible and unknown to the rest of the world, was probably the\nplace especially meant in Revelation, as prepared of God for the woman,\nwhere she should be fed and nourished during the reign of Antichrist.\n\nThese people were deeply imbued with the spirit of missions; but in\nthis, as everything else, they closely adhered to apostolic example.\nThey had none of the cumbrous machinery of modern times in their\narrangements for disseminating the light of the gospel. They knew\nnothing of supporting in worldly state expensive teachers in foreign\ncountries, or of building costly chapels for them to preach in. But, in\nthe simple style of itinerating merchants or peddlers, their\nmissionaries travelled from country to country, carrying with them a few\npages of the Scriptures in manuscript, holding little meetings,\nordaining deacons, and sustaining the hopes and faith of the persecuted\nand tempted ones.\n\nOf their modes of worship we know but little. Their churches, however,\nwere divided into compartments, such as in modern times are called\nassociations; and these were again subdivided into congregations. They\ngenerally assembled for worship in private houses or in the shade of\ngroves. Their churches contained from two to fifteen hundred members. In\ntimes of persecution they met in small companies of six, ten, fifteen,\nor twenty, but never in large assemblies. Besides these churches\nestablished in their mountain fastnesses, the Waldenses, or\nPassagines,[29] had instituted churches in nearly all the principal\ncities in the south of France and the northern parts of Italy. At Modena\ntheir place of meeting was in a large manufactory, which was owned and\nworked by the brethren. In Milan they occupied almost an entire street,\nand their church is said to have contained nearly two thousand\ncommunicants. In 1056, their church in Avignon contained six hundred\nmembers, and a remnant continued, notwithstanding various reverses of\nfortune, so late as 1698. We are also informed that there were churches\nof the same order at Brescia, Ferrara, Verona, Rimini, Romandiola, and\nmany other places. For many centuries they remained untroubled by the\nstate; but the clergy preached and published books against them. In the\neleventh and twelfth century they comprised the bulk of the inhabitants\nof Lombardy, and several men eminent for rank, station, and talents,\nbelonged to their communion. It is to these that M. de la Roque refers\nwhen he says, \"We have had many worthy and pious men, well instructed in\nscience and the history of the Fathers, who were neither ashamed nor\nafraid to adopt both the practice and defence of the observation of the\nseventh day against their opponents; and, contrary to popular custom,\nwithstood every allurement and temptation that the enlightened and\npersecuting ages could afford. The observation of the Sabbath remained\nnot with them a matter of doubtful disputation, as that of the first day\ndid with the Rev. Dr. Watts, and many others who were engaged in the\ncontroversy upon that subject.\" A modern French writer, in treating the\nhistory of the Gallican church, observes that it is well known that all\nLombardy, the south of France, and even the mountainous district in the\nnorth of Spain, were infested by a class of heretics, who not only\nderided all the festivals of the church, but kept the Jewish Sabbath;\n\"and I have heard,\" he continues, \"that the primitive Waldenses were\nguilty of the same practices.\"\n\nFrom these plain facts, and a multitude of others that might be\nrecorded, we may conclude that a large proportion of these ancient\npeople were Sabbatarians,\u2014were Seventh-day Baptists. In tracing their\npeculiarities, I have been forcibly reminded of our own denominational\ntraits, especially at a former period.\n\nThere is no doubt but that they continued for ages, preserving a\nsameness of views, and keeping the commandments of God and the faith of\nJesus. When their congregations became too numerous, they separated, and\nformed new assemblies. They continually refused to observe any religious\nordinances for which they found no warrant in the Scriptures. They\nrefused baptism to children, only admitting to that ordinance those\npersons of whose repentance and spiritual regeneration no doubts were\nentertained. They maintained church discipline upon all, even their\nministers. And though cast down, they were not disheartened; though\npersecuted, they were not extirpated, until the days for their\nprophesying[30] were accomplished, until they had borne witness for the\ntruth during the time appointed, when it pleased the great Head of the\nChurch to permit their enemies to consummate their everlasting glory, by\nbestowing upon them the crown of martyrdom, and, from being the church\nmilitant, they were removed, almost in a body, to join the church\ntriumphant.\n\nOf their Sabbatarian character there is not the least room for doubt.\nIndeed, whatever novelty may be connected with this idea, I believe that\nevery one, upon mature consideration, will perceive its consistency.\nThey were planted in the valleys\u2014if not in the apostolic age\u2014before the\nantichristian power had obtained the dominance at Rome. Robinson asserts\nthat there were many churches of Jewish Christians in the imperial city\nduring the fourth century, which well accords with the declaration of\nPope Gregory VII., that the Waldensian heresy originated from a company\nof Jewish heretics, who removed from Rome thither in the time of\nConstantine the Great; while a multitude of authorities, both friends\nand foes, are unanimous in declaring that they were never subjected to\nRome, but persisted to the end in the abhorrence of all her feasts and\nfestivals.\n\n\n SECTION III. CONCERNING THEIR PERSECUTIONS, DISPERSION, AND\n EXTIRPATION\u2014MORE ACCOUNTS OF THEIR SABBATARIAN CHARACTER.\n\nIt was not until the twelfth century that the Waldenses, and other\nheretical parties, appear in history as a people exposed to the\npersecuting edicts of Rome. And even then it seems to have been\noccasioned, in a great measure, by the great success that crowned the\nlabours of Peter Waldo, whose followers first obtained the name of\nLeonists, or Poor Men of Lyons; and who, when persecuted, fled to the\nmountains, and became incorporated with the other inhabitants of the\nvalleys. By this means, the Waldenses were brought into collision with\nthe power of Rome, who, arming against them the civil authorities,\nproceeded to consummate their destruction and extirpation. At this time\nit appears, that under the protection and through the connivance of the\nCounts of Toulouse, the Viscount of Beziers, and many others of the\nFrench nobility, a score of the principal cities in Languedoc, Provence,\nand Dauphiny, were filled with the different heretical parties. But the\ncivil power, and even the more summary efforts of the Inquisition,\nappear to have been too slow in their operations to meet the wishes of\npapal vengeance, although persecuted under the agency of Dominic, the\nchief inquisitor. The Pope was dissatisfied\u2014new schemes were projected,\napparently more mild and conciliatory, but under this pleasing exterior\nwas concealed the most abominable treachery. The papal legates proposed\nholding a public debate, in which the points at issue between the\nparties should be decided by amicable arbitration. To this reasonable\noffer the unsuspecting brethren readily consented. The place of\nconference agreed upon was Montreal, near Carcassone. Two umpires were\nappointed from each side; those of the Catholics were the Bishops of\nVilleneuse and Auxerre, and those of the opposite party, R. de Bot and\nAnthony Riviere. On the part of the Albigenses, a number of the pastors\nwere appointed to manage the debate, of whom the principal was Arnold\nHot. He first arrived at the appointed place, accompanied by a number of\nhis friends. He was met on behalf of the papacy, by a bishop named\nEusas, the renowned Dominic, two legates of the Pope, and several others\nof the Catholic clergy. According to Catholic historians, who are very\nconcise and remarkably unanimous in their accounts of this celebrated\nconference, the points which Arnold undertook to prove were, that the\nsacrament of the mass was idolatry, that the baptism of infants was\nunscriptural, that the festivals of the church were heathen\nappointments,[31] and, finally, that the Pope was Antichrist, and the\nChurch of Rome the harlot mentioned in Revelations. In maintenance of\nthese points, Arnold drew up certain propositions, which he transmitted\nto the bishop, who required two weeks to answer them, which was granted.\nAt the appointed time the bishop appeared, and read his reply in the\npublic assembly. Arnold requested permission to make a verbal answer,\nonly entreating their patient hearing if he took a considerable time in\nanswering so prolix a writing. He was answered with fair speeches and\nmany promises of a patient hearing. He then discoursed upon the subject\nfor four days, with such perspicuity, fluency and precision, such order\nand forcible reasoning, that a powerful impression was made upon the\nminds of the audience. He finally called upon the Catholics for their\ndefence, when the Bishop of Villeneuse declared that the conference must\nbe broken up, because the army of the crusaders was approaching, and\nnear at hand.\n\nWhat he asserted was true. The papal armies advanced, and all points of\ncontroversy were instantly decided by fire and fagot. It is estimated\nthat not less than two hundred thousand of these innocent people\nperished in the short space of two months. The war of extermination\ncontinued twenty years, and one million persons were put to death. These\ndisastrous scenes occurred in the commencement of the twelfth century,\nand three hundred years previous to the dawn of the Reformation in\nGermany. During this long period, the circumstances of the Waldenses\nwere always afflictive, but at some times and in some countries more so\nthan in others. The Church of Rome, with the armies of crusaders who\nwere always at hand, and always ready to lend their assistance for the\nextirpation of heresy, and the monks of the Inquisition, who were never\nmore numerous and active, seemed determined to exterminate them from the\nface of the earth. But the contests of the Catholic states among\nthemselves, the quarrels of the popes with the secular princes, whose\naffairs they attempted to control, combined with other causes, afforded\nthese victims of ecclesiastical tyranny some short and temporary seasons\nof repose.\n\nOf the multitudes who perished beneath the iron power of the\nInquisition, we have little account. Nevertheless some details of cases\nof individual suffering have been given to the world, and multitudes of\nothers lie concealed among the manuscripts preserved in ancient\nlibraries. From records of this kind, Philip de Mornay, a French author\nof some distinction, composed a work purporting to be the memoirs of\ncelebrated Waldensian martyrs, in which detailed and circumstantial\nnarratives of many trials were given, together with the interrogatories\nand answers of the criminals, and the heresies of which they were\naccused. According to these statements they were perpetually accused of\nJudaism, of practising circumcision, and observing the Jewish Sabbath.\nThe former charges they repelled with disdain. Of the latter, they\ngenerally replied that God had commanded the observance of the seventh\nday, which command was binding upon Christians, as much as Jews, since\nneither Christ nor his Apostles had ever commanded its abrogation.\n\nSome of these accounts are very interesting, and the Sabbatarians\nreasoned in precisely the same manner as we do now.\n\nOn the 14th of September, 1492, about thirty persons were committed to\nthe inquisitorial dungeons of Toulouse, upon a charge of Judaism, which,\nas every one knows, was considered a mortal sin in Catholic countries.\nOf these, the most eminent was Anthony Ferrar, who had been a pastor or\nteacher in the Sabbatarian church of that city. After remaining in\nprison ten days, he received a visit from an Italian monk named Gregory,\nto whom his examination had been committed. He was accompanied by two\nother monks, who were to act as witnesses. After a long conference\ntouching his age, property, manner of living, associates, relations, and\nsimilar subjects, Gregory at last came to the matter in question.\n\n_Greg._\u2014But, Anthony, you must be a liar and a deceiver, for I have been\ncredibly informed that yourself, and all your friends, were of the\ncursed race of Israel.\n\n_An._\u2014It is false, we were all honest Frenchmen, and Christians,\nfollowers of Jesus.\n\n_Greg._\u2014Nay! but you were Jews, for instead of baptizing your infant\nchildren, you have all the males circumcised.\n\n_An._\u2014You do very wrong to accuse us of that practice; for it is\nsomething of which we are entirely innocent.\n\n_Greg._\u2014Hey! do you then baptize your children?\n\n_An._\u2014We do not, neither do we circumcise them.\n\n_Greg._\u2014Nevertheless, you must be Jews, since you say that the law of\nMoses is still binding.\n\n_An._\u2014We say that the ten commandments are still binding.\n\n_Greg._\u2014Yes, and instead of observing the festivals of the Holy Church,\nand honouring the holy day of the Lord, on which he arose from the dead,\nyou were accustomed to meet for worship upon the old Sabbath, or\nSaturday.\n\n_An._\u2014We did, indeed, rest and attend to divine worship upon the seventh\nday, even as God commanded.\n\nMy limits will not permit me to transcribe the remainder of this\ninteresting conversation. Anthony, with his associates in misfortune,\nwere subsequently burned in the marketplace in Toulouse, and all died\npraising God that they were worthy to suffer for his name. Hundreds of\nothers, of whom the names of Jean de Borgen, Matthew Hainer, Auguste\nRiviere, Philippe Nicola, and Henri Maison, have been preserved, were\naccused of and confessed to the same.\n\n\"Of the many who were burned, and otherwise destroyed for Judaism,\"\nobserves a Spanish author of the sixteenth century, \"it is not probable\nthat one-tenth were of the race of Israel, but heretics, who, for\npersisting in saying that the law of Moses was still binding, were\naccused of Jewish practices, such as circumcision and sabbatizing, to\nthe latter of which they uniformly plead guilty.\"\n\nA Dominican inquisitor, in giving an account of the proceedings of that\ninfernal tribunal in the north of Spain, declares that since it was\nknown that many of the heretics were accustomed to solemnize the old\nSabbath by religious worship, and an absolute inattention to secular\nemployments, it became the policy of the Holy Office to take notice of\nsuch shops as were shut up on that day, and of such persons as were\nfound to be absent from worldly engagements. \"The result answered my\nexpectations,\" he continues, \"for when these people were arrested, and\nbeing brought before me, were shown the rack, they generally confessed\ntheir Judaical practices, at least so far as it related to sabbatizing,\nwhich the holy church had expressly forbidden.\"\n\nOther testimonies of this same character might be produced, but enough\nhas been said to prove to our own denomination, and to the world, that\nat the time when the crusading armies made their frightful onsets upon\nthe heretical churches of Piedmont, the South of France, and Catalonia,\nthere were large communities of Sabbath-keeping Christians in all these\nparts. But historians are unanimous in confessing that they were drowned\nin blood, and driven into exile. Their race disappeared, and their\nopinions ceased to influence society. In hundreds of villages, all the\ninhabitants were massacred with a blind fury. Year after year new armies\ncontinued to arrive, more numerous than were employed in other wars. It\nis impossible to ascertain how many were destroyed by these dreadful\ncrusades, but it is certain that the visible churches of these\nChristians were extirpated by fire and sword; though a bleeding remnant\nescaped by flight, concealment, and Catholic conformity. Of the details\nof their sufferings and miseries it is impossible to give in this place\neven an abridged account. For many consecutive years they suffered every\nspecies of cruelty, barbarity, and persecution, which the crusades and\nthe Inquisition could inflict. Those who remained were indiscriminately\nslaughtered, and of those who fled, multitudes miserably perished by the\nway. Their total extirpation was effected in 1686, at which time the\nancient Waldensian and Albigensian churches ceased to exist. It is true,\nthat in 1689, three years after the expulsion of the whole fraternity, a\ncompany, sword in hand, fought their way back to the valleys of\nPiedmont, of which they took possession, and in which their descendants\nstill reside. This company, under the command of one Amand, committed\nthe most frightful acts of wickedness and barbarity, and exhibited in\nall their conduct a spirit entirely different from the ancient\nWaldenses. Their leader acted in the double capacity of spiritual pastor\nand military chieftain, and the creeds and formulas which he instituted,\nand which are still observed among them, are comparatively of modern\ndate.\n\nIn closing these very brief and imperfect accounts of these ancient\nwitnesses for the truth, a few remarks may not be inappropriate, more\nespecially as I have made a claim regarding their denominational\ncharacter, that has never, to my knowledge, been advanced by our\nfriends, and which will not be readily conceded by our opponents.\n\nIf we take the Waldenses under the great variety of names which they\nbore at different periods and in different locations, it appears that\nthey were by far the most important branch of dissenters from the Church\nof Rome, and that they were divided among themselves like the present\ndissenters in England. The more I have investigated this matter, the\nmore evident it appears; and as it would be unwise for us to attempt to\nestablish an affinity with all of them in the distinctive feature of our\norder, it is certain that our claims at least to a due proportion can\nnever be disproved. That many of them observed the seventh day, and that\nsome of them paid a superstitious veneration to the first day, is quite\nas certain as the fact that they were all persecuted by the Church of\nRome. The farther we go back into antiquity, the more distinctly does\ntheir Sabbatarian character appear. Nothing but the blindness of bigotry\ncan induce any man, or class of men, who have paid the smallest\nattention to the accounts of all the Catholic authors concerning them,\nto deny that complaints against them for disregarding the festivals of\nthe church, in which they included the Dominical day, were widespread\nand long-continued; and that almost equally with the former were the\naccusations of their paying an undue regard to Saturday, or the Jewish\nSabbath. On the other hand, it is clear, from the terms \"some of them,\"\nand \"a part,\" with similar expressions employed by the writers in\nquestion, that they did not accuse all of having fallen into this\nmonstrous heresy. The keeping of the first day appears to be the last\nthing that is given up by those who withdraw from the old, corrupt\nestablishments; and nothing affords a clearer evidence of the prejudices\nof education than the slow reluctance with which it is yielded, as they\nfind that the proofs for its support from the Scriptures fail them, and\nthe moral and immutable character of the ancient Sabbath comes up to\ntheir view in its practical operations. Such has been the case in all\nplaces where we have certain knowledge, and the probability is that it\nwas so in the dark ages beyond our sight.\n\nIt is not for us to claim the whole body of dissenters of the better\nclass; but we may claim, and I believe that candid men of all parties\nwill concede, upon a thorough examination of the ancient Catholic\nauthors, that Sabbatarian sentiments have prevailed much more\nextensively among these ancient sects than has generally been supposed.\nNeither my time nor my limits would allow a full investigation of this\nvery interesting subject. The most that I could hope to do was to make a\nbeginning. The field for research is very wide, and upon the Sabbatarian\nquestion it is wholly unoccupied. And here I would remark, for the\ninformation of those who may feel disposed to examine the subject\nhereafter, that it is only by an immediate reference to the old Catholic\nwriters that we can ever hope to obtain much information upon this\npoint. These speak with great plainness, and without paraphrase,\nomission, or concealment, of the rejecters of the church-festivals, and\nthe observers of the Jewish Sabbath. They were open and undisguised, and\nwere far from exhibiting the cautiousness of the moderns upon this\nsubject. They had no concern about the proofs for the observance of the\nfirst day, and no fear of publishing to the world how many of the\nincorrigible heretics refused to venerate it. It made no difference to\nthem if it was not found in the Bible, since it was in the decrees of\nthe councils and the bulls of the popes, which, with them, were of equal\nauthority with the Scripture command.\n\nFor a long time their complaints ran high on this head against many of\nthe seceding parties; and it is well for us that this testimony is\nplaced beyond the reach of modern writers, where it cannot be garbled,\nmutilated, and suppressed. It is not to be expected that our first-day\nbrethren, even those of the Baptist persuasion, would take any pains to\nprove that these apostolic communities were Sabbatarian, though\npossessing the knowledge that such was the fact. It has been their\npolicy to represent us as insignificant in number and recent in origin.\nUnfortunately, we have contributed to extend that delusion. For my own\npart, I am of the opinion that in the dark ages there were many more of\nour denomination than there are at present. Not that any in these ages\nwere called Seventh-day Baptists; no such thing: but that multitudes,\nlike ourselves, refused to observe the festivals of the church,\ncontended that the Decalogue was moral and immutable, and refused\nbaptism to any but professing believers. Like ourselves, they took the\nScriptures for their guide and rule of faith in everything, and were\nmost decided in rejecting everything for which they found no warrant in\nthat holy book, despising all human appointments, all priestly\ntraditions, and man-made institutions. For many ages the valleys formed\nan asylum, to which all seceding parties from the Romish hierarchy fled\nfor protection. It is not strange\u2014indeed, we might expect\u2014that this\namalgamation with new parties would beget new customs, which in the end\nmight entirely change their denominational character. This was certainly\nthe case as it respects the discipline and government of their churches,\nwhich for a number of the first centuries partook of all the ease and\nfreedom characteristic of modern Baptist communities, then was modelled\nby degrees into a Presbyterian form, and finally ended in something of\nthe Episcopalian character. Such denominational changes are neither new\nnor strange, especially when we consider the severity of penal statutes\non the one hand, and the spirit of conformity, lukewarmness, and\nindifference on the other, which continually operate to prepare\ndissenters for an approximation to the established church, and, finally,\nfor a union with it.\n\nAt the time of the Reformation these old communities were in\ncircumstances of peculiar trials and distress. New persecutions of\nunusual severity had been stirred up against them by the Catholics,\nwhose resentment had been exasperated in the keenest manner, in\nconsequence of the new and unexpected attacks that had been made upon\nthe authority of the church by the Protestant reformers, and who were\nthereby led to vent their spite upon all whom they found without their\npale, whatever might be their innocence, or however quiet and\ninoffensive they might have been. Thus harassed and distressed, these\nafflicted people were ready to submit to almost any terms, for the sake\nof gaining new friends and protectors; and one company after another of\nthose who had been driven into exile, and were settled in Bohemia,\nGermany, and the Netherlands, became associated, as an incipient\nmeasure, and in the end were amalgamated with, the Reformed or\nPresbyterian party, under the direction of Calvin and Zuinglius. Of the\nfact of this union of the Waldenses with the Reformers there can be no\ndispute; but the process of this confederacy, and the terms upon which\nit was consummated, have never been satisfactorily decided. It is\nmorally certain, however, that the subject of the Sabbath was discussed\nby some of these parties, since we are informed by various historical\ndocuments that Calvin objected to the seventh day, but conceded that the\nold Fathers had substituted the first day in its place, and proposed, as\nan instance of Christian liberty, to reject both, and make a Sabbath of\nthe fifth day of the week. This overture, we are informed, was\nindignantly rejected; but there is reason to believe that the observance\nof the first day, together with infant baptism, were among the changes\nin their denominational character which were brought about by their\nunion with the German reformers. In 1530, a Waldensian community,\nlocated in Provence, sent two of their ministers, George Morrel and\nPeter Masson, as deputies to the Swiss reformers, which resulted in\ntheir union with the new party. These deputies, after their return,\ndeclared to their brethren how many and great errors their old ministers\nhad kept them in, and how their new allies had happily set them right.\nSubsequently a part of them, at least, became one with the Huguenots of\nFrance, and the Protestants of Germany.\n\nBut, so late as 1823, an English clergyman, named Gilly, visited the\nVaudois in the valley of Perosa, making his journey thither by Turin,\nand had an interview with Mr. Peyrani, who was then seventy years old,\nand is since dead. He was the successor of a line of pastors whom\ntradition would extend to the Apostles themselves. In his possession was\na library amply supplied with books, and parchments, and paper\nmanuscripts, accumulated by his ancestors. According to his accounts,\n\"in the summer, when these pastoral people are tending their cattle at a\ndistance from the valleys, and occupying their chalets, or temporary\ncabins, upon the summits of the mountains, the clearness of the\natmosphere allows the sound of the Sabbath bells to reach them, calling\nthem to the worship of the Creator, beneath the canopy of heaven. They\nassemble in a convenient place on the green turf, to listen to the\nexhortations of their minister, who follows them on every seventh day to\ntheir remotest pasturings.\" From this it appears that a portion of them,\nat least, still observe the ancient Sabbath.\n\n\n SECTION IV. SEMI-JUDAISERS\u2014THEIR ORIGIN, HISTORY, ETC.\n\nWe have already seen that the different branches of the great Waldensian\ncommunity were known under a variety of names, which were generally\nsignificative of some distinguished leader among them, the country\nwhence they came, or something descriptive of their peculiar tenets.\n\nThe epithet of Semi-Judaisers, which was applied as a term of reproach\nto a sect which flourished in Transylvania, Holland, and some parts of\nGermany, and even extended itself into Russia and Poland, in the latter\npart of the fourteenth and during the commencement of the fifteenth\ncenturies, is of itself sufficient to show the Sabbatarian character of\nthe people it was designed to distinguish. To Judaise, Judaising, and\nJudaisers, being synonymous terms of reproach, or rather terms\nappellative,\u2014the former to signify the action of sabbatizing, and the\nlatter to designate the person by whom the Sabbath was thus observed. Of\nthis we have abundant testimony. The Council of Laodicea, in 350, passed\na decree, in which Christians are reproved for Judaising. \"If any be\nfound Judaising, let him be anathematized,\" was the language of these\npretended fathers of the church.[32] Athanasius says, \"We assemble on\nSaturday, not that we are infected with Judaism;\" thus repelling a\ncharge which, in every age and country, has been affixed as a stigma to\nSabbath-keepers.\n\nThe first glimpse that I have been able to obtain of this sect is given\nby an old German author, whose works were published at Antwerp, in 1667.\nIn speaking of the religious parties and factions which agitated the\ncountry, he says: \"As to the people called by their enemies the\nSemi-Judaisers, it is certain that they originated from a colony of the\npersecuted Waldenses, who fled from Lombardy into Bohemia about 1450,\nand thence removed into Transylvania, which subsequently became their\nheaddquarters. They say that the law of Moses is binding upon\nChristians, and, accordingly, solemnize divine service upon Saturday, or\nthe old Sabbath.\"\n\nAs to the outward circumstances of this people, they were generally\namong the industrious poor,\u2014mechanics and husbandmen. They were never in\nsqualid wretchedness or beggarly destitution, when left to enjoy the\nfruits of their industry. Many of them, both male and female, became\ninmates of the households of the great, in the capacity of nurses and\nservants, and were greatly esteemed on account of their sobriety,\nintelligence, and faithfulness. Others settled on the outskirts of the\nneglected domains of the nobility, where they soon converted the barren\nwastes into productive fields, and reared new and flourishing\nsettlements, to the great satisfaction of the landlords.\n\nFrom the very brief and imperfect accounts that I have been able to\nobtain concerning them, there does not appear to have been anything\nstrange or singular in their manner of worship. They took the Scriptures\nfor their guide, rejected all Popish ceremonies, inventions, and\ninstitutions, administered baptism by immersion, and contended that the\nchurch of Christ should be inaccessible to unholy and unregenerate\npersons. Their ministers were allowed no salaries, and were not\ndistinguished from the lay brethren by any superior authority or\nattainments. All who felt disposed to do so were permitted to teach, \"or\nprophesy,\" and in this particular they seem to have strongly resembled\nthe Quakers.\n\nThat they possessed a decided missionary spirit is evident from the fact\nthat their doctrines were secretly and silently, but very effectually,\ndisseminated throughout many parts of Europe, where they took deep and\nlasting root.\n\nSubsequent to their removal into Bohemia, they became incorporated with\nthe United Bohemian Brethren, whose numbers were considerable in every\npart of the empire. Scarcely, however, were they reduced to order, when\na terrible persecution was set on foot by the Catholic party, and they\nwere called upon to prove the strength of their faith by endurance and\nperseverance to the end. They were compelled to forsake their towns and\nvillages in the depths of winter. The sick were cast into the fields.\nHundreds expired in flames, or on the rack. The public prisons were\nfilled with suspected persons. Such as effected their escape retired\ninto the caves and deserts of the country, where they held religious\nassemblies, elected teachers, and decided upon their future course.\n\nAbout 1500, a large company of the Semi-Judaisers removed into\nTransylvania, where they experienced many vicissitudes until the dawn of\nthe Reformation in Germany. At this time they had many large and\nflourishing congregations, and being generally of the poorer class, and\nwithal extremely peaceable and inoffensive in their manners, they were\nsuffered by the princes and nobility of the country to live upon their\nestates without molestation. In 1565, they first appear in history as a\npeople obnoxious to the rulers of Transylvania; and then it was chiefly\nin consequence of the success which had attended the propagation of\ntheir doctrines, and the conversion of Francis Davidis, superintendent\nof the Socinian churches in that country, to their creed. Davidis, to\neminent talents and great learning, united the most ardent zeal and\nuntiring perseverance. Besides taking advantage of every opportunity to\ndisseminate his own peculiar views, he boldly attacked the doctrines of\nthe adverse party, disputing in person with the Socinian doctors, and\ncontending that the ten commandments of the Decalogue were of a moral\nand immutable nature, and, consequently, that the seventh day of the\nweek should be observed as a sabbatical rest. His views were highly\noffensive to Christopher Bathori, prince of Transylvania, who threw him\ninto prison, where he died in 1579, at an advanced age. His doctrines,\nthus brought into public and general notice, spread rapidly, and were\nembraced by several men of eminence. Of these the most distinguished\nwere Christiern Francken, who disputed in public for three days with\nFaustus Socinus, upon the question of the Sabbath, and John Somers,\nMaster of the Academy of Clausenberg. The violent contentions that\nensued made a noise in all parts of Germany, and reached the ears of\nLuther, who wrote a book upon the subject. In 1585, Jacob Paleologus, of\nthe isle of Ohio, was burned at Rome for Judaism. At his trial, he\ndeclared that the ten commandments were moral and immutable in their\nnature. In other countries executions of a similar character took place;\nand the Semi-Judaisers were persecuted from region to region, like the\nvilest of mankind. Many of them fled into Poland, Lithuania, and Russia,\nwhere, mingling with the other dissenters from the established churches,\nthey formed congregations, and became quite numerous. Under the mild\nreign of Udislaus II., king of Poland, their numbers greatly increased,\nand many persons of wealth and respectability united in their communion.\nA Polish writer informs us that their churches were numerous and\nflourishing in many parts, but particularly in the Palatinates of\nPolotsk, Witepsk, Nuislaw, Mohilev, and Minsk. At Dorpat, in Livonia,\nthere was a church containing five hundred members, where, in 1816, a\nsmall remnant still resided. From Poland they extended themselves into\nthe middle and southern provinces of Russia, where they remained in a\nstate of general peace until the year 1638, when a persecution began in\nPoland, through the instigation of the Catholics, extended to this\ncountry, and multitudes of dissenters of all ranks and classes were\nbarbarously put to death. At this time the Semi-Judaisers were known in\nthese countries under the name of Sabbaton, a name sufficiently\ndescriptive of their peculiar and distinguishing tenets. In consequence\nof these terrible persecutions, they retired into the most obscure and\nunfrequented districts, and their history is wrapped in a great degree\nof obscurity, until the reign of the Empress Catherine\u00a0II., when they\nare again brought into view as a people obnoxious to the government.\nUnder her persecuting edicts, their churches were demolished, their\ncongregations broken up and scattered, and the more eminent for piety\nand learning put to death by a variety of cruel tortures. But a remnant\nwas saved to perpetuate the truth. Since that period they have\nexperienced many vicissitudes, but, upon all and every occasion, they\nhave found their safety in obscurity. They are distinguished for their\nardent love of the Holy Scriptures, for their opposition to the use of\nimages or pictures, and for their uniformly pious and consistent\nconduct. They have no paid or salaried body of ecclesiastics. They\nconsider the invocation of saints to be idolatry, and insist upon the\nright of private judgment in the interpretation of Scripture; a\ncircumstance that renders them highly obnoxious to the Russian priests.\nThey only admit professing believers to the rite of baptism. In their\nsentiments concerning the Trinity they are said to be Arian.\n\nIn 1824, a large community of these Christians were found by a\ncelebrated French traveller settled on the banks of the river Moskwa.\nThey numbered several thousand, and wore the Armenian costume, which\npeople they strongly resembled in manners and customs. He gives as their\npeculiarities that they accounted as no better than fable whatever was\npreached without Scripture proof, and affirm that the traditions of the\nchurch are no better than the traditions of the Pharisees. They look\nupon a church built of stone as no better than any other building;\nneither do they believe that God dwells there. They say that to suppose\nthat God is found in churches, monasteries, and oratories, any more than\nin any other place, is limiting the divine majesty. Their prayers and\nsermons are extempore. Their ministers, like themselves, are generally\nmechanics or labourers; nor is there any difference of rank among them.\nThey admit all the sacraments instituted by Christ, but none others.\nThey regard the ten commandments as moral and immutable, and, moreover,\nare conscientious observers of the old Sabbath, or Saturday.\n\n\"I was told,\" continues the same author, \"that these people were very\nnumerous in many parts of Russia; and that their missionaries could\ntravel all over the empire, and pass every night with their brethren.\nThey were known to each other by a secret sign, and all their houses are\ndistinguished by a private mark, known only to the initiated. In\nconsequence of their extreme caution that none but members of their\nchurches should be present at their assemblies, they have been accused\nof many horrid and abominable practices,\u2014such as drinking the blood of a\nchild, and the indulgence of licentiousness,\u2014their accusers not\nconsidering that the only security for their safety is in their\navoidance of public notoriety.\" All testimonials concur in stating that\ntheir numbers are considerable, but that, through fear of a recurrence\nof persecution, they courted obscurity; being content with the humblest\nstations, and only seeking to keep the commandments of God and the faith\nof Jesus. \"Of the sect called Sabbaton, who reside in Russia,\" says\nVoltaire, \"some say one thing and some another. It is evident, however,\"\nhe continues, \"that they originated from the Vaudois, who fled before\nthe Crusaders into Germany, Bohemia, and Poland, and thence into the\nimperial territories. They pay great attention to the Bible, and but\nlittle to the priests, for which reason, probably, they have been so\nhated by the latter.\" Again, he observes, \"that it is quite impossible\nto ascertain their numbers, or the proceedings of their meetings, since,\nthrough fear of persecution, they keep both entirely secret.\" A Russian\nhistorian testifies to the same. \"I have no means of determining the\nnumbers of the sect denominated Sabbaton, as they have been estimated by\nvarious authorities at from 10,000 to 100,000. It is certain, however,\nthat they are harmless, simple, and inoffensive in their lives, and that\nthey avoid all publicity, having a good reason for so doing.\" \"I have\nbeen credibly informed,\" says the Rev. Joseph Wolfe, in private\ncorrespondence, \"that the Sabbatarians in Russia are quite numerous, and\nare called Sabbaton.\" In a work entitled \"The Annals of Russia,\" which\nwas published at St.\u00a0Petersburg, in 1796, and afterwards translated into\nFrench by M. de Brissembourg, we are told that these people are not only\nfound in the large cities, but that they had congregations in the\nremotest parts of the empire,\u2014in Siberia, and upon the northwest coast\nof North America. This was proved to be the case in 1829, when the Rev.\nJ. S. Green, of the American Board of Foreign Missions, visited a church\nof fifty communicants on the northwest coast of Russian America, who\nreligiously observed the seventh day. He gives rather a deplorable\npicture of their ignorance, but upon one point at least he might have\nlearned a lesson of them.\n\n\n SECTION V. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE SABBATARIANS IN HOLLAND.\n\nIn my foregoing statements I have been governed entirely by the language\nand opinions of the writers from whom I derived my information, and who\nare almost unanimous in supposing that the Semi-Judaisers of Bohemia and\nTransylvania were descendants of the primitive Waldenses. However this\nmay be, we have every reason to believe that both these countries, with\ndifferent parts of Germany and Holland, were the abodes of evangelical\nChristians, and probably of Sabbatarians, before the dispersion of the\nWaldenses. An ancient author informs us that long before the dawn of the\nReformation in Germany, there lay concealed in all these countries,\nparticularly in Bohemia, a class of persons who contended for the\nspiritual nature of the kingdom of Christ, and that this kingdom should\nbe exempt from all human institutions, of which first-day keeping is\nsuch a principal one. It is certain, however, that they were first\nbrought into public notice about this time, and the probability is, that\nbeing similar to, they became amalgamated with the persecuted Waldenses;\nand as their safety lay in their obscurity, they took no pains to form\nrecords to perpetuate their memories. This opinion is further\nstrengthened from the fact that many of the Anabaptists of Holland,\nwhose origin is confessedly hid in the remote depths of antiquity, are\nknown to have been Sabbatarians, and the same was true of multitudes in\nthe Netherlands, or Low Countries, as we learn from Father Lebo, a\nSpanish inquisitor, who accompanied the Duke of Alva on his expedition\nto that unhappy country, of which he wrote an account. He says, \"Of all\nthe heretics, none were more incorrigible than a certain set, who were\nquite numerous, who refused to pay any regard to the festivals of the\nchurch, but persisted in Judaising, and openly declared that the Mosaic\nritual was still binding.\"\n\nOf the origin of Sabbatarianism in Holland, however, we have no account;\nneither have the names of its teachers been handed down to us. Whether\nits first observers were led to its adoption by an examination of the\nsacred records alone, or whether the commandments there laid down, were\nargued and explained by some popular leader, I have at present no means\nof ascertaining. Certain it is that the Sabbath controversy became, in\nthe commencement of the sixteenth century, the principal one of the age,\nin all those northern Germanic countries, and engaged not only the\nattention of prelates and doctors of divinity, but of princes and\nsovereign states. In this controversy learning was opposed to ignorance,\nand influence to obscurity. Wealth, talent, and civil power, were\narrayed on the side of the No-Sabbath doctrine. Here I would remark,\nthat the Sabbatarians in Europe, at this period, were engaged in a\ncontroversy, which, originating upon different principles, required to\nbe managed in altogether a different manner, from the present\ncontroversial discussions of the Sabbath question. The change of the\nSabbath at this time had not been broached. It was conceded by all that\nthe Dominical day was a mere festival of the church, brought in and\nperpetuated by human authority, and the mass of the people, with the\nso-called great Reformers at their head, contended that all sabbatical\nstatutes had been abrogated, and consequently that, under the present\ndispensation, it was a matter of perfect expediency, whether or not any\nday of rest was observed. On the contrary, the Sabbatarians maintained\nthat a Divine law could only be abrogated by its institutor, that the\nlaw of the Sabbath had not been so abrogated, and consequently, that it\nmust be still in force. They appealed to the Scriptures; the opposite\nparty appealed to the sword: and though the arguments of the former\ncould never be answered in a satisfactory manner, their upholders could\nbe hushed in death or driven into exile. One of the most eminent and\nlearned men of this age, was a Sabbatarian, and a bold advocate of\nSabbatarian views. I refer to Grotius, who wrote and published a book,\nin which he proved that the ten commandments are moral and immutable,\nand consequently the law of the Sabbath is still binding. This book was\ncondemned in the celebrated council convened at Dort in 1618, and its\nauthor denounced in the severest manner. But however much this\ndistinguished man contributed to support the Sabbatarian cause, he was\ncertainly not its founder. A Catholic historian, in treating of the\nAnabaptists in Holland, at the commencement of the sixteenth century,\nremarks, that, \"these heretics, through the instigation of the devil,\nfor their overthrow, were divided among themselves, part teaching one\nthing, and part another; for, though all unanimously rejected the holy\nsacraments of the church, and refused to obey its ordinances, a certain\nset were for going back to Moses for a Sabbath, in which matter, they\nwent so far as to form congregations, and hold meetings on the seventh\nday.\" In another place he observes, \"I never heard that they were\npersecuted by their brethren, the other Anabaptists, except by the way\nof jeers, scoffs, and ridicule.\"[33]\n\nAgain, \"The followers of Moses being chiefly among the poorer classes,\nthey escaped for a long time the notice of the civil authorities, and so\ngreatly increased in numbers, that they had teachers and congregations\nin all the principal cities of Holland, but when the persecutions broke\nout, some fled, others conformed, and their meetings were generally\nbroken up.\" It is well known that the Lutheran princes and prelates\npractised upon the Anabaptists all the cruelties to which themselves had\nbeen subjected by the Roman hierarchs. The names of Luther, Calvin, and\nZuinglius, have been marked in this manner with an indelible stain. The\nconscientious Sabbatarians neither expected nor found sympathy in the\nbosoms of these men. Luther, who could send a circular to the princes of\nthe empire, urging them to execute summary vengeance upon the heretical\nsect, and who bitterly denounced Carlostadt for sympathizing with them;\nCalvin, who could smile with complacency over the tortures of those who\nrefused to be governed by his own opinions; and Zuinglius, who, when\nquestioned regarding the fate of certain Anabaptists, replied, \"Drown\nthe Dippers,\"\u2014what sympathy could be expected from princes whose\nconsciences were guided, and whose opinions were influenced by such men?\nand is it a wonder, that while the horrible scenes of the Inquisition\nwere re-enacted in Protestant countries; that while women and children,\nold men and maidens, indeed, a multitude of all classes, were being\ndrowned, hung, burned, racked, and crowded into prisons to be literally\nstarved to death; is it a wonder, I say, that under all these\ncircumstances, posterity is beginning to inquire whether they were\nreformers or deformers, and whether pure and undefiled religion was\nreally benefited by their services? This inquiry appears the more\nrational, when we consider that it was for being baptized as baptism was\npractised in the primitive church, and, so far as the Sabbatarians were\nconcerned, for observing the Sabbath that God had commanded, that these\nfrightful persecutions were carried on. Although many Sabbatarians\ndoubtlessly perished, the name of only one martyr known to have been of\nthat faith has been preserved. This was Barbary Von Thiers, who had been\nbaptized by a Sabbatarian minister named Stephen Benedict. At her\nexamination, she declared her rejection of Sunday and the holydays of\nthe church, but said that \"the Lord God had commanded rest on the\nseventh day;\" in this she acquiesced, and it was her desire, by the help\nand grace of God, to remain as she was, for it was the true faith and\nright way in Christ. At the time when the Arminian schism was creating\nsuch a great excitement in Holland, the Sabbatarians appear to have\nbecome amalgamated, at least to a certain extent, with that people. Both\nwere equally obnoxious to the state, and that of itself would have\ncreated a sympathy between them. It is well known that Grotius embraced\nthe Arminian tenets. Maurice, at that time the reigning prince, exerted\nhis utmost efforts to crush both parties. Inquiries were set on foot\nwith all the rigours of the Inquisition. The suspected were tortured not\nso much to make them criminate themselves, as to betray their friends\nand associates. Some were beheaded, and others escaped into foreign\ncountries. Of the latter class was Grotius, who, being condemned to\nperpetual imprisonment, escaped his doom by flight. Their houses were\ndemolished, their property confiscated, and every measure that tyranny\nand malice could invent, was exerted for their extirpation. Partially,\nat least, these efforts were attended with success, and since that\nperiod few Sabbatarians have been found in that country.\n\n\n SECTION VI. SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS OF ENGLAND.\n\nAbout sixty years after the ascension of our Lord, Christianity was\nfirst introduced into Britain, and many of the nobility, as well as\nthose of inferior birth, were happily converted. As it can be proved\nthat, at this early period, the seventh day was observed by the\nChristians in general, we may conclude that these primitive churches\nwere Sabbatarian. The British Christians experienced various changes of\nprosperity and adversity, until about the year 600, when Austin, the\nmonk, with forty associates, was sent hither to subject the island to\nthe dominion of Rome. Various ancient authors might be quoted to prove\nthe Sabbatarian character of the English at this period. In the\nBiography of Austin, published in the Lives of the Saints, we are told\nthat he found the people of Britain in the most grievous and intolerable\nheresies, being given to Judaising, but ignorant of the holy sacraments\nand festivals of the church. The author then goes on to relate the\nprodigies wrought in their conversion.\n\nThe terms of conformity proposed to these Christians by Austin related,\namong other things, to the observation of Easter and the festivals of\nthe Romish church. A division among the people immediately ensued, and\nthe different branches of the church were designated as the old and the\nnew. The old, or Sabbatarian Baptist church retained their original\nprinciples; while the new adopted the keeping of the Dominical day,\ninfant baptism, and the other superstitions of the Romish hierarchy.\n\nBenius' Councils, fol. 1448, says that a council was celebrated in\nScotland in 1203, in which the initiation or first bringing in of the\nLord's day was determined. Lucius says of this council, that \"it was\nenacted that the Dominical day should be holy, beginning at the twelfth\nhour on Saturday, until Monday.\" \"The same year,\" says Hoveden,\n\"Eustachius, Archbishop of Flay, returned into England, and therein\npreached the word of God from city to city, and from place to place, and\nsaid the command under written, came from heaven about the observation\nof the Dominical day; that it was found in a letter at Jerusalem, on the\ntomb of St.\u00a0Simeon, which the Archbishop, after fasting, praying, and\ndoing penance, at length ventured to take and read, which was as\nfollows:\n\n\"I, the Lord, who commanded you that you should observe the Dominical\nholy day, and ye have not kept it, and ye have not repented of your\nsins, as I said by my gospel. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my\nword shall not pass away. I have caused repentance unto life to be\npreached unto you, and ye have not believed. I sent Pagans against you,\nwho shed your blood, yet ye believed not; and because ye kept not the\nDominical holy day, for a few days ye had famine. But I soon gave you\nplenty, and afterwards ye did worse. I will again, that none, from the\nninth hour of the Sabbath,[34] until the rising of the sun on Monday, do\nwork anything, unless what is good, which, if any do, let him amend by\nrepentance.\n\n\"And if ye be not obedient to this command, amen, I say unto you, and I\nswear unto you, by my seat and throne, and cherubim, who keep my holy\nseat, because I will not command anything by another epistle, but I will\nopen the heavens, and for rain I will rain upon you stones, and logs of\nwood, and hot water by night, that none may be able to prevent, that I\nmay destroy all wicked men. This I say unto you; ye shall die the death;\nbecause of the holy Dominical day, and other festivals of my saints,\nwhich ye have not kept, I will send unto you beasts having the heads of\nwomen, and the tails of camels; and they shall be so hunger-starved that\nthey shall devour your flesh.\"\n\nThere is more of this wretched stuff; but let this suffice as a specimen\nof the arts and intrigues used to impose upon the simple and\nunsuspecting, by a forged letter purporting to be from heaven.\n\nThe same author goes on to state that \"the king and government of\nEngland opposed the discontinuance of the markets upon the Dominical\nday, and required that those who observed it in such a way should be\nbrought to the king's court to make satisfaction, or otherwise purge\nthemselves of the observance of the Dominical day.\"\n\nIn this connexion I will just add a few more expedients of the Romanists\nat that time to deceive the people of England into a superstitious\nveneration for the first day.\n\n\"But our Lord Jesus Christ, whom we ought to obey rather than man, who,\nmade famous and exceedingly renowned, dedicated unto himself this day,\nwhich we call the Dominical or Lord's day, by his birth, and by his\nresurrection, by his coming, and by the sending of the Holy Spirit upon\nhis disciples, he raised up miracles of his virtue, and thus manifested\nit upon some transgressors of the Dominical day:\n\n\"Upon a certain Sabbath, after the ninth hour, a certain carpenter in\nBeverlac, making a wooden pin against the wholesome admonition of his\nwife, being struck with a palsy, fell to the ground. A certain woman,\nknitting after the ninth hour of the Sabbath, whilst she was very\nanxious to knit out part of her work, falling to the earth, struck with\nthe palsy, she became dumb. And at Nosfortum, a village of Master Roger\nArundel, a certain man made for himself bread, baked under the ashes, on\nthe Sabbath, after the ninth hour, and eat of it, and reserved to\nhimself part until the morning, which when he brake, upon the Dominical\nday, blood came out of it. And he that saw it hath given testimony, and\nhis testimony is true.\n\n\"And at Wakefield, upon a certain Sabbath, when a miller, after the\nninth hour, endeavoured to grind corn, suddenly, in the place of meal,\nthere issued out so great a stream of blood, and the mill-wheel stood\nimmovable against the vehement impulse of the water; and those who saw\nmarvelled, saying, 'Forgive, Lord, forgive thy people!' And at\nLincolnshire, a certain woman had prepared dough, or paste, or pudding\npie, which carrying to the oven, after the ninth hour of the Sabbath,\nshe put into a very hot oven; and when she had drawn it out, she found\nit not baked, and she put it again into the oven, made very hot; and on\nthe morning, and on Monday, when she thought to have found the bread\nbaked, she found the dough unbaked. Also, in the same province, when a\ncertain woman had prepared her dough, willing to carry it to the oven,\nher husband said, 'It is the Sabbath:\u2014the ninth hour is now past. Let it\nalone until Monday.' And the woman, obeying her husband, did as he\ncommanded, and wrapped the dough in linen, and, in the morning, when she\nwent to look at the dough, lest it should exceed the vessel, because of\nthe leaven put into it, she found, by divine will, bread made thereof,\nand well baked with material fire. This is a change of the right hand of\nthe Most High; and although the Almighty Lord, by these and other\nmiracles of his power, did invite the people to the observation of the\nDominical day, yet the people, fearing more kingly and human power than\ndivine, and fearing more those who kill the body, and can do no more,\nthan Him who, after killing the body, can send the soul to hell, and\nfearing more to lose earthly things than heavenly, and transitories than\neternals, as a dog to the vomit, returned to keep markets of things\nsaleable upon the Dominical day.\"\n\nThe term Sabbath, during all this period, was applied exclusively to the\nseventh day. Indeed, whenever, for fourteen or fifteen centuries, that\nname occurs, it must be understood as applying to the last day of the\nweek. Up to the present time, on the records of England, particularly on\nthe Journals of the House of Lords, the highest court of England, all\nthings entered as done on the seventh day are entered as done die\nSabbati, upon the Sabbath day. From the time of Constantine to the\nReformation, Sunday was never regarded as the Sabbath, nor called by\nthat sacred name. During all this time, in England, here and there, were\nfound individuals who observed the Sabbath\u2014the seventh day of the\nweek\u2014strictly, though exposed to many privations and frequent\npersecutions. Of their numbers or their locations we have at present but\nvery imperfect accounts. The mass of men regarded the Sabbath as\nabolished;\u2014Sunday as no Sabbath, but merely a church-holiday, to which\nthey paid no conscientious regard. With the dawn of the Reformation a\nnew spirit of inquiry was awakened in regard to the duties of practical\ngodliness. Among the subjects for discussion we find the Sabbath early\nintroduced and thoroughly examined. There was one class of reformers\nwho, dwelling alone on the sufficiency of faith and the freeness of the\nGospel, trembled at the thought of imposing rules upon men, and\nexpressed a sort of holy horror at the term, \"law.\" Of this description\nwere Luther and Calvin. It is well known that the former recommended to\nChristians \"to ride, dance, and feast,\" on Sunday, rather than to submit\nto any infringement of the liberty of conscience. But there were others,\nwho contended that an institution given in Paradise, and enforced by one\nof the commandments of the Decalogue, could not have been abolished;\nyet, finding themselves in the dilemma of observing another day than\nthat originally appointed, they maintained that the day had been changed\nso early as to justify us in allowing it. A third class contended that\nan institution so early given, and so often enforced, could not have\nbeen abolished or changed without explicit authority; that this explicit\nauthority had never been given; and, therefore, the seventh day of the\nweek, and that only, should be observed. Compared with the whole, the\nnumber who acknowledged the perpetuity and morality of the Sabbath, and\nmanifested a sacred regard for either the first or the seventh day, was\nsmall. However, they were sufficient to prove that wherever the subject\nof the Sabbath has been considered, there has always been found those\nwho, by precept and example, have witnessed for the Sabbath of the\nfourth commandment.\n\nIn 1595, a book was written and published by Dr. Bound, in which the\nmorality of the Sabbath, and a change of the day, was advocated in quite\na masterly manner. This excited a controversial spirit, and was soon\nfollowed by many others, both for and against his view. The orthodoxal\ndoctrine of the Church of England, by bishops and historians, then was,\nthat the Sabbath had been abolished, and that the Lord's day, so called,\nwas altogether another institution, which could not be enforced by the\nfourth commandment. Among the men who held this view, we may mention Dr.\nFrancis White, Lord Bishop of Ely, Dr. Peter Heylyn, Edward Brerewood,\nGilbert Ironsides, and others. Against these men were arrayed the\nleading Puritans, who maintained the morality of the Sabbath and the\nnecessity of restraining men by the sanctions of the fourth commandment.\nMany true Sabbatarians, however, stood opposed to both these parties,\nmaintaining not only the morality of the Sabbath, but the obligation to\nobserve the seventh day of the week. A work supporting this view, from\nthe pen of Theophilus Brabourne, appeared in 1628. He took the position\nthat the fourth commandment was simply and entirely moral; that the\nseventh day of the week ought to be an everlasting holyday in the\nChristian Church; and that the Sunday is an ordinary working day, which\nit is superstition and will-worship to make the Sabbath of the fourth\ncommandment. This view was adopted by considerable numbers in England,\nand has been represented from that day to this, by men of learning and\npiety. Many who remained in connexion with the established church, were\nconscientious observers of the seventh day Sabbath, among whom were\nseveral ministers of piety, and authors of eminence.\n\nAbout the same time, small dissenting parties began to organize churches\nand to boldly maintain the worship of God upon the Sabbath. Of these the\nNatton Church has been much celebrated. It is situated in the west of\nEngland, near Tewksbury, and about fifteen miles from Gloucester,\nthirty-five from Birmingham, and ninety from London. The first pastor of\nthis church whose name has come down to us was Mr. John Purser. He is\nrepresented as a very worthy man, and a great sufferer for conscience\nsake. He was descended from an honourable family, and was heir to a\nconsiderable estate, but his father disinherited him because he observed\nthe seventh day for the Sabbath. Notwithstanding this wrong, it pleased\nDivine Providence to bless him abundantly in the little that he\npossessed. He became a respectable farmer, and lived at\nAshton-upon-Carrant, in the Parish of Ashchurch, in the county of\nGloucester, during the reigns of Charles and James the Second. In common\nwith other nonconformists, he experienced much oppression and great\nopposition on account of his religion. At one time his persecutors came\nupon him while he was engaged in ploughing a field, and took from him\nhis team and utensils of husbandry. Notwithstanding the severity of the\nlaws against dissenters, the officers, in many instances, far exceeded\ntheir commission, and sometimes were made to suffer for it. Such was the\ncase in this instance; for one William Surman, Esq., a conformist, but\nworthy man, seeing the cruelty and injustice of thus depriving an honest\nman of his property and the means for procuring a livelihood, obliged\nhis adversaries to return the property thus wrongfully taken. It appears\nfrom authentic testimonies that he suffered much during the persecutions\nbetween 1660 and 1690. But he overcame all by faith and patience, and\ncame out of the furnace like gold doubly refined.\n\nIt is probable that Mr. Purser commenced his ministry in 1660, but did\nnot receive ordination until some years later. In the mean time one Mr.\nCowell was the chief preacher at Natton, and an author of some eminence,\nhaving published a book entitled \"The Snare Broken,\" which seems to have\noccasioned considerable difficulty between the observers of the first\nand seventh day. Mr. Cowell appears to have been rather wavering and\nunstable, but withal a pious and well-meaning man. He departed this life\nin 1680, when Mr. Purser took the principal charge of the church. The\nSabbatarians at this time were widely scattered. There was no\nmeeting-house, and Mr. Purser opened his dwelling for that purpose. He\nalso held meetings at various other private houses, in different places,\nby which those living at a distance were accommodated by his labours. It\nmay be remarked, that although this worthy man steadily pursued the\noccupation of husbandry, and reared a large family, he faithfully served\nthe church. While his hands were industriously employed, his meditations\nwere upon things above, and upon these occasions he was highly favoured\nwith manifestations of the divine presence. All his children and\ngrandchildren were also distinguished for virtue and piety, though many\nof them adopted the first day for the sake of convenience, and became\nworthy members of Baptist churches. Mr. Purser, through age and\ninfirmity, was unable to discharge the duties of the sacred office for\nsome time before his death, which occurred in 1720.\n\nHis successor, Mr. Edmund Townsend, was plain and unobtrusive in his\nmanners, but was highly respected for his candour and integrity. Soon\nafter his ordination he took up his residence for a time with the\nMill-Yard Church; and then, in 1727, accepted an invitation to become\nthe pastor of the Cripplegate fraternity, which had been left destitute\nby the death of Joseph Stennett.\n\nWhen Mr. Townsend left this church, he was succeeded by Mr. Philip\nJones, who discharged the duties pertaining to this sacred office for\nnearly fifty years. His colleague, Mr. Thomas Boston, was a young man of\ngreat promise and usefulness. Mr. Jones lived for several years at\nCheltenham, but held meetings at Natton, Panford, and other towns, for\nthe purpose of accommodating members living at each of those places. In\n1731, he removed to Upton, but continued his ministry in different\nplaces. In this way he encountered many difficulties, sometimes having\nto travel in the worst of weather, and at others running great risks\nfrom the floods of the Severn and Avon. Yet neither dangers nor\ninconveniences were suffered to interfere with his duty. His character\nhas been thus given by a contemporary: \"He was a holy man of God, and a\ngreat and lively preacher of the gospel. Few were better acquainted with\nthe scriptures; for, whatever his subject was, he could have chapter and\nverse to prove the whole. In short he was a living concordance; a man of\nunblemished character, a sincere friend, and a faithful reformer, but\nalways in the spirit of meekness. Perhaps but a few living had a greater\ncommand over the passions than he had.\"\n\nPrevious to the death of this worthy man, in 1770, Mr. Thomas Hiller,\nhis nephew, accepted the pastoral care of the Baptist church in\nTewksbury, near Natton. He was a Sabbatarian in both opinion and\npractice, and consequently was invited to serve the Sabbath-keeping\nchurch at the same time that he remained pastor of the First-day Baptist\nchurch. He accepted the invitation, and continued to minister to both\nchurches until his death, a few years ago. His ministry is said to have\nbeen successful in both Natton and Tewksbury; although in what that\nsuccess was seen it would probably be problematical to determine. The\nchurch over which he presided has become a mere handful, in the greatest\nwant of spiritual strength and support. Mr. Hiller was doubtlessly a man\nof worth, and deeply interested in the Spiritual welfare of both\nchurches, by whom his memory is still highly venerated; but the history\nof his connexion with these fraternities proves that no man can\nsuccessfully serve two masters. It is barely possible that a minister of\nthe gospel, who is at one and the same time the pastor of one church\nworshipping on the seventh day of the week, and another church\nworshipping on the first day of the week, can be faithful to both. Since\nthe death of Mr. Hiller, the congregation at Natton have been without a\npastor. However, it has engaged the services of a worthy Baptist\nminister from Tewksbury for a considerable time.\n\nIt is worthy of note, that, in 1746, Mr. Benjamin Purser, the youngest\nson of Rev. John Purser before mentioned, purchased an estate in the\nvillage of Natton, and fitted up, at his own expense, a chapel for\ndivine worship, adjoining his dwelling-house. It is a small room,\ndistinguished only for neatness and convenience. He also walled in a\ncorner of his orchard for a burial-place. When he died, in 1765, he\ndonated the house and burial-place to the church, together with ten\npounds a year out of his estate to all succeeding ministers. At the\npresent time the congregation is so small that the chapel is not opened\nexcept upon extraordinary occasions, such as a funeral or the like. It\nserves, however, as the depository for a small collection of rare and\nvaluable books.\n\nTHE CRIPPLEGATE CHURCH.\n\nA congregation of Sabbatarians, known under that denomination, was\ngathered in London by Francis Bampfield, during the reign of Charles the\nSecond. Mr. Bampfield was descended from an ancient and honourable\nfamily in Devonshire, and was a brother of Thomas Bampfield, Speaker in\none of Cromwell's Parliaments. Having been designed for the ministry\nfrom childhood, he received a classical education, at Wadham College,\nOxford, where he remained for eight years. Subsequently he was provided\nwith a living in Dorsetshire, and was likewise chosen Prebend of Exeter\nCathedral. Thence he was transferred to the populous town of Sherburne,\nwhere he exerted a most extensive and happy influence among the members\nof the established church. In this connexion he continued only a short\ntime; for beginning to doubt the authority of the church to prescribe\nforms of worship, he became in the end a decided nonconformist.\nConsequently he was not only ejected from the ministry, but confined in\nDorchester jail, for preaching and conducting religious services\ncontrary to law. During his imprisonment, which continued about eight\nyears, his views upon the subjects of the Sabbath and baptism were\nmaterially changed, and he became a decided advocate of Seventh-day\nBaptist sentiments. He preached his new opinions boldly to his\nfellow-prisoners, and several were led to embrace them. Soon after his\nrelease from Dorchester, Mr. Bampfield went to London, where he preached\nthe gospel for about ten years. In Bethnal Green, in the eastern parts\nof London, he gathered a small church, whose place of meeting was in his\nown hired house. This church was organized in 1676, and Mr. Bampfield\ncontinued its pastor until 1682, when he was brought before the Court of\nSessions, on a variety of charges connected with his nonconformity. He\nwas several times examined, and upon each examination required to take\nthe oath of allegiance, which he persisted in refusing, alleging that\nhis conscience would not allow him to take it. This resulted in his\ncondemnation, the forfeiture of his goods, and a sentence of\nimprisonment during life, or what was equivalent, during the king's\npleasure. The anxieties incident to this trial, combined with a\nnaturally feeble constitution, together with his great privations,\nbrought on a disease, of which he died in Newgate prison, on the 15th of\nFebruary, 1684, aged 68 years.\n\nThe imprisonment of Mr. Bampfield was followed by the dispersion of his\nflock, but the times becoming more favourable, they reunited in church\nfellowship in 1686, and invited Mr. Edward Stennett, of Wallingford, to\naccept the pastoral care of their church. He partly complied, coming to\nLondon at stated periods to preach and administer the ordinances, though\nhe still retained his connexion with the people at Wallingford. But\nfinding that he could not consistently serve both churches, he resigned\nthe pastoral care of the London church in 1689. Mr. Stennett is\ndistinguished as being the ancestor of the famous Stennett family, who\nwere all Sabbatarians, and were for several generations an ornament to\nreligion, and champions for the cause of Protestant dissent. Being on\nthe side of Parliament in the civil wars, he was exposed, in\nconsequence, to the neglect of his relations and many other\ndifficulties. Although a faithful minister, he possessed no stated\nsalary, but supported his family by the practice of physic. He bore a\npart in the persecutions which fell upon the Dissenters of that time. In\nseveral instances his escape seems altogether miraculous, and affords a\nstriking evidence of Divine interposition.\n\nHe was succeeded by his second son, Joseph Stennett, who had enjoyed the\nadvantages of a liberal education. He came to London in 1685, and was\nemployed for a time in the instruction of youth. His first appearance in\nthe pulpit created a great sensation. His ministry was eminently\nevangelical and faithful; and while preaching constantly to his own\nchurch upon the Sabbath, he almost always waited in the ministry upon\nother congregations on the first day. Perhaps no Dissenting minister in\nEngland, at that time, exerted a more powerful influence, or maintained\na higher standing than did Mr. Stennett. He was at different times\nappointed by his brethren in the ministry to draw up letters and\naddresses of congratulation to be presented to the sovereign upon\nparticular occasions, Mr. Stennett likewise appeared before the public\nas the author of other works, which acquired considerable popularity.\nEarly in the year 1713, he began to decline, and on the 11th of July\nfell asleep, in the forty-ninth year of his age, and the twenty-third of\nhis ministry.\n\nThe death of this worthy man was a particularly disastrous event to his\nlittle flock, who remained for fourteen years without a shepherd, during\nwhich time they generally met for worship with the Mill-Yard Church. But\nin 1727, Mr. Edmund Townsend became their spiritual guide, in which\nrelation he continued until his death in 1763.\n\nSubsequent to the decease of Mr. Townsend, the church, for four years,\nwas supplied with ministerial assistance by different Baptist ministers,\nuntil Mr. Thomas Whitewood accepted the pastoral office, in June, 1767.\nHis race, however, was short; for after preaching three times, and\nadministering the Lord's Supper once, he was attacked by a fatal\ndisease, of which he died the ensuing October.\n\nDr. Samuel Stennett, son of Dr. Joseph Stennett, being at that period\npastor of the Baptist church in Little Wild Street, London, was\nsolicited to accept the pastoral office. It appears that he complied in\npart, performing all the duties without accepting the nominal relation\nof pastor. He administered the Lord's Supper, and preached to them\nregularly on the Sabbath morning; while the afternoon service was\nconducted by four Baptist ministers in rotation, among whom were Dr.\nJenkins and Dr. Rippon.\n\nIn 1785, Robert Burnside accepted the pastoral charge of this church, in\nwhich relation he continued forty-one years. Mr. Burnside united to\ngreat natural abilities, a kind and loving heart, by which he was\nparticularly qualified to impart instruction. He became tutor, at\ndifferent periods, to the sons of several of the nobility, and\ndischarged the duties attendant upon that difficult office in a manner\nhonourable to himself, and advantageous to his pupils. He also prepared\nseveral works for the press; among which was a volume on the subject of\nthe Sabbath. He died in 1826, and was succeeded by John Brittain\nShenstone, whose early labours had been in connexion with First-day\nBaptist churches. For more than forty years he was connected with the\nBoard of Baptist ministers in London, of which he appears to have been\nthe principal projector and main support. He commenced the observation\nof the Sabbath in 1825, and upon the decease of Mr. Burnside accepted\nthe pastoral care of the church, which he continued to serve until his\ndeath, in 1844. Since that event this church has been without a pastor,\nand is in a very low and enfeebled condition.\n\nTHE MILL-YARD CHURCH.\n\nThis church is located in the eastern part of London, but of its\nfounder, or the date of its origin, our accounts are very imperfect and\nunsatisfactory. The present records, in possession of the church, date\nback to 1673; but as they refer to another book which had been\npreviously used, it is certain that the church was organized much\nearlier. Indeed, we have every reason to believe that this church is a\nperpetuation of the fraternity gathered by John James, the martyr, which\noriginally met in Bull-Steak Alley, Whitechapel. We shall therefore\nconsider Mr. James as the first pastor of this church. On the 19th day\nof October, 1661, while in the midst of a warm and fervent discourse, an\nofficer entered the place of worship, forcibly ejected him from the\npulpit, and led him away to the police under a strong guard. Thirty\nmembers of his congregation were likewise taken before a bench of\njustices, then convened at a public house in the vicinity, where each\none was required to take the oath of allegiance, and those who refused\nto comply were committed to prison. Mr. James underwent a long and\ntedious examination, when he was committed to Newgate, upon the\ntestimony of several profligate witnesses, by whom he was accused of\nspeaking treasonable words against the king. At his trial, which came on\nabout one month afterwards, his apparent innocence, deep piety, and\nresignation, sensibly affected a large concourse of spectators, but\ncould not soften the obdurate hearts of his judges, by whom he was\nsentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was unaffected by this\nhorrid sentence, and calmly observed, \"Blessed be God, whom man\ncondemneth, God justifieth.\" While he lay in prison under sentence of\ndeath, he was visited by several persons of distinction, who were deeply\naffected by his patience and resignation, and who cheerfully engaged to\nexert their utmost influence to secure his pardon. But he appears to\nhave been too well acquainted with the power and designs of his enemies,\nto have entertained much hopes of their success.\n\nMrs. James, by the advice of her friends, was induced to present a\npetition twice to the king, setting forth her husband's innocence, and\nentreating his majesty to grant a pardon. But in both instances she was\nrepulsed with scoffs and ridicule. At the scaffold, on the day of his\nexecution, he addressed the people in a very sensible and affectionate\nmanner. Having finished the address, and kneeling down, he thanked God\nfor covenant mercies, and for conscious innocence. He then prayed for\nall, both his friends and his enemies, for the executioner, for the\npeople of God, for the spectators, for his church, and his family, and\nlastly, for himself, that he might enjoy a sense of the divine presence\nand support in this his hour of trial, and entrance into glory. When he\nhad finished, the executioner, who was much affected, said, \"The Lord\nreceive your soul;\" to which Mr. James replied, \"I thank you.\" A friend\nthen observed to him, \"This is a happy day for you;\" he replied, \"I\nthank God it is.\" He then thanked the sheriff for his courtesy, and bade\nfarewell to his friends; then saying, \"Father, into thy hands I commit\nmy spirit,\" was launched into eternity. But the rage of the bigoted\ntyrant did not end here. His heart was taken from his body and burned,\nhis body itself quartered, and the mutilated parts affixed to the gates\nof the city, and his head set up in Whitechapel, on a pole opposite to\nthe alley in which his meeting-house stood.\n\nAt the time when the present record of this church commences, 1673,\nWilliam Sellers exercised the pastoral function. The church was then in\na flourishing condition; the members being quite numerous, and strict\ndiscipline maintained. Mr. Sellers was probably the author of a work on\nthe Sabbath, in review of Dr. Owen, which appeared in 1671. His ministry\nis supposed to have continued until 1678. He was succeeded by Mr.\nToursby, who was a man of considerable controversial talent, which he\nexercised in defence of the Sabbath. He prepared a work for the press\nupon that subject, but it is believed that it has long been out of\nprint. His ministry ceased in 1710.\n\nAbout this time two persons named Slater preached occasionally, though\nit does not appear that they were ever ordained.\n\nMr. Savage, in 1711, accepted the pastoral office. His colleague, the\nvenerable John Maulden, had long been the pastor of a Baptist Church in\nGoodman's Fields, which he left on account of his having embraced\nSabbatarian principles. After the decease of these worthy men, the\npastoral office was vacant for some time, during which the preaching\nbrethren officiated in the ministry in a manner prescribed at the\nbusiness meetings of the church. In 1720, Dr. Joseph Stennett was\ninvited to accept the pastoral care of this church. He was then\npresiding over a Baptist Church in Exeter, and after considerable delay\ndeclined the call.\n\nMr. Robert Cornthwaite became their pastor in 1726. He had been\nconnected with the Established Church, but becoming convinced that the\ngospel did not authorize any such establishment, he withdrew from its\ncommunion and identified himself with the dissenters. Becoming\ninterested in the Sabbath controversy he soon decided for the seventh\nday, and was chosen pastor of this church, in which relation he\ncontinued until his death in 1754. He was distinguished for great mental\nvigour, and a firm adherence to whatever he deemed true and scriptural.\nHe published several works relating to the Sabbath, which greatly\ncontributed to draw attention to that important subject.\n\nDaniel Noble, his successor, was a member of a Sabbath-keeping family,\nand being designed for the ministry, received the advantages of a\nliberal education. His studies were pursued first in London, and\nafterward at the Glasgow University. He commenced preaching occasionally\nat Mill-Yard in 1752, took the pastoral charge when that office became\nvacant, in which connexion he remained until his death in 1783.\n\nAt this time William Slater, a member of the church, was invited to\nconduct the services. This he did with such general acceptance that he\nreceived ordination, and became the pastor of the church. His ministry\nwas very successful, and continued until he died, in 1819.\n\nFor several years ensuing that event the church was without a pastor,\nbeing supplied with ministerial assistance by brethren of other\ndenominations, until William Henry Black, the present incumbent, became\nits spiritual guide. Through the pious liberality of one of its members,\nthe Mill-Yard Church enjoys the benefit of an endowment. Mr. Joseph\nDavis, who united in its connexion at the time that John James suffered\nmartyrdom, purchased, in 1691, the grounds adjoining the present\nMill-Yard Church, erected the place of worship, and provided for the\npermanency of the society. This property was conveyed to trustees,\nappointed by the church, in 1700. In 1706, shortly before his death, Mr.\nDavis bequeathed his property to his son, with an annual rent-charge in\nfavour of the Mill-Yard Church, together with seven other Sabbatarian\nchurches in England. He likewise provided, conditionally, that his whole\nproperty might afterward come into the possession of the church, and be\nvested in trustees for its benefit. Mr. Davis, in the earlier part of\nhis life, had suffered extremely from severe persecutions. He was a\nprisoner in Oxford Castle for nearly ten years, from which he was\nreleased in 1673. Subsequently he entered into business in London, where\nprosperity attended him, and he not only obtained a competence, but\nbecame a wealthy man. Few have made a more laudable use of riches, and I\nwould say to the reader, go thou, and do likewise.\n\nA short account of some of the most eminent among those who embraced\nSabbatarianism previous to the organization of these churches, may be\ninteresting to the general reader.\n\nShortly after the publication of Dr. Bound's book, in which he advanced\nthe modern notion regarding the so-called Christian Sabbath, that it is\na perpetuation of the fourth commandment, but that the day specified\ntherein had been changed by divine authority, we first hear of John\nTraske, who both wrote and spoke in defence of the seventh day.\n\nHe also contended that the scriptures are sufficient to direct in\nreligious services, and that the state has no right to prescribe any\nordinances contrary to the laws of God. For this he was brought before\nthe Star-Chamber, where a long discussion was held respecting the\nSabbath, in which Dr. Andrews, Bishop of Winchester, took a prominent\npart. Traske could not be turned from his opinion, but received a\ncensure in the Star-Chamber. \"He was sentenced on account of his being a\nSabbatarian,\" says Paggitt's Heresiography, \"to be set upon the Pillory\nat Westminster, and from thence to be whipped to the Fleet Prison, there\nto remain a prisoner for three years. His wife, Mrs. Traske, was\nconfined in Maiden Lane and the Gate House Prisons fifteen years, where\nshe died, for the same crime.\"\n\nAnother distinguished advocate for the truth was Theophilus Brabourne, a\nlearned minister in connexion with the Established Church. He wrote a\nbook, which was published in London in 1628, wherein he argued that the\nLord's Day is not the Sabbath by divine institution, but \"that the\nseventh day is still in force.\" For this, and similar works, he was\narraigned before the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Court of\nHigh Commission. His examination was conducted in the presence of many\npersons of high distinction, and several lords of his Majesty's Privy\nCouncil. For some reason, it is not possible to ascertain distinctly\nwhat, though probably he was over-awed by the character of the assembly,\nhe signed a recantation and went back to the bosom of the church.\nNevertheless he continued to assert, that if the Sabbatic institution be\nindeed moral and perpetually binding, the seventh day ought to be\nsacredly kept.\n\nAbout the same time, it appears that Philip Pandy commenced propagating\nthe same doctrines in the northern parts of England. He was educated in\nthe Established Church, of which he became a minister. He withdrew from\nits communion, however, and became the mark for many shots. He held\nseveral important disputes about his peculiar sentiments, and\ncontributed much to promulgate them.\n\nJames Ockford, another early advocate of the Sabbath in England, appears\nto have taken part in the discussions in which Traske and Brabourne were\nengaged. He also wrote and published a book in 1642, which was seized\nand burned by the authorities of the Established Church.\n\nThere does not appear to have been any regularly organized churches of\nSabbatarians in England, until the commencement of the seventeenth\ncentury, though subsequent to that period there were eleven of these\nfraternities, besides many scattered Sabbath-keepers, in different parts\nof the kingdom. These churches were located in the following places,\nviz.: Braintree, in Essex; Chersey; Norweston; Salisbury, in Wiltshire;\nSherbourne, in Buckinghamshire; Natton, in Gloucestershire; Wallingford,\nin Berkshire; Woodbridge, in Suffolk; and three in London\u2014the Mill-Yard,\nCripplegate, and Pinner's Hall Churches. Eight of the eleven are now\nextinct, and hence a complete account of them cannot be obtained.\n\nA very interesting correspondence between the Mill-Yard Church and the\nGeneral Conference of the Seventh-day Baptists in the United States has\nbeen carried on for the last fifty years. In 1844, George B. Utter, as\ndelegate from that body, visited the brethren in England, where he was\nhospitably entertained. The worthy pastor of the Mill-Yard Church is, I\nunderstand, collecting materials for a history of the Lives and Writings\nof Sabbatarians in England, and likewise preparing a list of Sabbatarian\nauthors, together with an account of all the books which have been\npublished that relate to the Sabbath controversy.\n\nFrom an attention to the foregoing it will be perceived that\nSabbatarianism has greatly declined in England; and that decline seems\nto have been produced by the operation of a variety of causes. There are\ncertainly great inconveniences, particularly in large towns and cities,\nconnected with the observance of a day of rest so utterly at variance\nwith the popular custom as that of the seventh day has ever been. This,\nwith that spirit of conformity by which men are ever prone to accede to\nestablished usages, together with the fact that they never instituted\nany associational organization, sufficiently accounts for their early\ndeclension, without supposing any unsoundness in their creed.[35]\n\nWe have every reason to believe that formerly, and down so late as the\ncommencement of the seventeenth century, Seventh-day Baptist churches,\nof considerable magnitude, existed at the foot of the Grampians, and\namong the Welsh mountains, but their history appears to be buried in\noblivion.\n\nI have also been recently informed that there is a Seventh-day Baptist\nchurch near Burton-upon-Trent, and nine miles from Derby. That a Mr.\nWitt, in 1832, officiated as pastor. That they own a large brick\nmeeting-house, in which their meetings are solemnized every Sabbath day,\nand are a very respectable body of people.\n\n[15] Historical Annals, published in Paris, 1667, p. 230.\n\n[16] With the former inhabitants of the valleys, whom they closely\nresembled in principles and practices, and to whom, in times of\npersecution, they would naturally fly for refuge.\n\n[17] This accusation was undoubtedly false, and reminds one of the\nendless charges of a community of wives, made at a later period against\nthe Anabaptists.\n\n[18] Here is a vast field for research, of which the world is just\nbeginning to discover the importance. The martyrs, with the exception of\nthose who were destroyed by mobs, by clandestine malevolence, and local\ncrusades, were allowed formal trials according to the established usages\nof law, which were generally in conformity to the Roman system of\njurisprudence. In these records of the old ecclesiastical courts, the\ncharges against them, with their apologies and confessions, are detailed\nat length. Some of these documents have already been examined, but\nmultitudes of others lie concealed in the galleries of ancient\nlibraries.\n\n[19] Reineirus, under the title of Waldenses, includes all the heretics\nof that period, Pasaginians, Albigenses, Waldenses, Josephists,\nArnoldists, Henricians, &c., from which it appears that these names were\nderived from local causes.\n\n[20] This of course included the keeping of the first day, which the\nCatholics unanimously declare originated with their church.\n\n[21] In the time of Reineirus, and even to this day, in Catholic\ncountries, the Dominical day is regarded as a feast, or festival of the\nchurch, as much as Easter, Christmas, &c.\n\n[22] These are particularly mentioned by Crantz, in his History of the\nBohemian Brethren.\n\n[23] This is important testimony, because the Catholics never dreamed of\nattempting to establish the sacredness of the first day from the\nauthority of the Scriptures, but referred it at once to the power of\nHoly Mother Church. Consequently, the Dominical day was regarded as a\nholyday of the church.\n\n[24] It remained for more modern theologians to discover, that the\ninspired writers were mistaken, and that instead of the seventh, it was\na seventh day, or the seventh part of time.\n\n[25] First-day doubtlessly included, which is ever spoken of, by the\nCatholic writers, as a festival of Christ, and a holyday of the Church,\nand regarded in no other light.\n\n[26] Of this I would remark that the Dominical day was established by\nlaw, not as the Sabbath, but as a festival of the church; and that\nwhatever uncertainty may exist about all the ancient heretics being\nSabbatarians, it is very certain that few, if any, of them were\nobservers of the first day, at least for a very long period.\n\n[27] That the Catholic writers regarded the Dominical day as a festival\nof the Church can be very easily proved. That they regard it as such to\nthis day in Catholic countries is an undeniable fact. When they speak of\nthe festivals of the Church, they include the Dominical day as much as\nChristmas, Palm Sunday, or Easter. They smile when they hear learned\nProtestant sages attempt to prove from the Scriptures either the\nabrogation or a change of the Sabbath. We have also the testimony of a\nhost of Protestants in the earlier part of the Reformation, who\nacknowledged that the observation of the first day had no other\nfoundation than the authority of the Church, among whom is the\ncelebrated John Calvin, who says\u2014\"The old fathers put in the place of\nthe Sabbath the day which we call Sunday. King Charles I. declares that\nthe celebration of the feast of Easter was instituted by the same\nauthority that changed the Sabbath into the Lord's day, or Sunday; for\nit will not be found in Scripture where Saturday is discharged to be\nkept, or turned into Sunday. Therefore, my opinion is, that those who\nwill not keep this feast may as well return to the observation of\nSaturday, and refuse the weekly Sunday, since it was the Church's\nauthority that changed the one and instituted the other.\"\n\n[28] Robinson. History of Baptism.\n\n[29] All writers, both ancient and modern, concur in admitting that the\nbranch of the Waldenses called Passagines, were Sabbatarians.\n\n[30] Reference to Revelation.\n\n[31] That is, that they were adopted from the ancient heathen festivals;\nand as the Dominical day was in that time regarded as a festival of the\nchurch, of course it must have been included with the others.\n\n[32] Will not Balaam, the son of Bozor, rise up in judgment against\nthese men? For, though he loved the wages of unrighteousness, he had\nenough of the fear of God before his eyes to make him hesitate about\ncursing those whom God had not cursed. These, however, are bold in\ncursing those whom God has blessed,\u2014such as observe his Sabbath.\n\n[33] The Anabaptists had not the power of persecution; for their\ndisposition, particularly in some cases, I would not be answerable.\n\n[34] Observe, the seventh day is called the Sabbath.\n\n[35] I have been informed that there is at this time a small society of\nSeventh-day people in the west part of England, in the vicinity of\nSt.\u00a0Asaph, but will not vouch for the accuracy of the statement.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III. SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS IN THE UNITED STATES.\n\n\n SECTION I. GENERAL HISTORY.\n\nThe Seventh-day Baptist churches in the United States occupy isolated\nsituations in different parts of the Union, and are distinguished from\nother religious denominations by certain distinctive views relative to\nthe immutability of every precept of the moral law.\n\nThe term Sabbatarian was formerly adopted by those of the same\npersuasion in England, subsequent to the Reformation, when the word\nSabbath was applied exclusively to the seventh day of the week, and\nthose observant of it as holy time were regarded as the only\nSabbath-keepers. This term, though highly expressive of the main Sabbath\ndoctrine, was, on account of its supposed indefiniteness, rejected by\nthe General Conference of the American Churches, in 1818, and the\nappellation of Seventh-day Baptist, which was considered more generally\nexpressive, adopted in its stead.\n\nThe differences existing between the Seventh-day Baptists and the other\nBaptist denominations, all relate to the Sabbatical ordinance. In\nrespect to this the former believe that no system of morality can be\ncomplete which does not include time devoted to God and religious\nworship; that the seventh day was particularly appropriated and set\napart for this purpose in Paradise, and was designed, not for any one\nclass or race of men, but for all mankind; that it forms a necessary\npart of the moral law, which is immutable and unchangeable in its\nnature, and of universal obligation; that no other day was substituted\nfor this by divine authority at the introduction of Christianity; that\nthe first day is nowhere mentioned in the sacred volume as possessing a\ndivine character; that whatever respect was paid to it in the primitive\nages originated from the supposition that it was the weekly anniversary\nof the glorious triumph of the risen Saviour, and not from the idea of\nits being the Sabbath; and that the substitution of the first for the\nseventh day, as holy time, was brought about by the Antichristian power,\nwho, according to the word of prophecy, was to usurp the prerogatives of\nthe Deity, and change times and laws.\n\nThese opinions, though countenanced by Holy Writ, and perfectly\nagreeable with many historical records, are directly in opposition to\nthe popular prejudices of the day, and, consequently, their\nconscientious supporters have been exposed, sometimes, to downright\npersecution in the shape of fines and imprisonment, and at others, to\nthe equally cruel, though less ostensible, suffering imposed by\nvituperative sarcasm and disingenuous ridicule.\n\nWe have all heard of a very expressive proverb, importing that the world\nwill think of us just as we think ourselves. Perhaps the seventh-day\npeople have not made sufficient exhibitions of self-gratulation. Perhaps\nthey have walked too contentedly down the valley of humiliation,\ninvolved in the shadows of obscurity. Certain it is, that they have\nstriven to make themselves acceptable to God rather than to men; that\nthey have been distinguished more for morality, good sense, and quiet,\nunobtrusive manners, than for brilliant, but superficial, attainments;\nand that they have been rewarded, not by outbursts of popular applause,\nnot by a rising upon them of the sun of worldly prosperity, but by the\nsweet consciousness of doing right, and a slow but steady progress in\nChristian knowledge and acquirements. The Seventh-day Baptist churches\nhave been blessed and honoured by the labours and example of a\nsuccession of worthy ministers. Men, pre-eminently qualified to break\nthe bread of life, and administer the milk of the word;\u2014men truly\napostolic in simplicity and purity of doctrine, in fervour of piety and\nzeal. True, they have not been distinguished for the wisdom of this\nworld. They have not rejoiced in the learning of Bossuet, neither have\nthey exhibited the eloquence of Bourdalone, Massillon, or Whitefield;\nbut they have adhered steadily to the truth, have been uncompromising in\nopposition to error, and little prone to seek worldly honours and\nemoluments. Few of them have ever grown rich except in grace; indeed,\nthe possibility of opulence was precluded by the cost of living, and the\nsmallness of their salaries. The same has also operated to prevent the\naccumulation of large libraries by the ministry, or their devoting much\ntime to learned research or literary pursuits.\n\nFew denominations of Christians have been equally distinguished for\nfraternal feeling and unanimity of sentiment;\u2014in no one has society\nassumed a more healthy and moral tone. Industry, frugality, and\nintegrity, are their leading characteristics; mendicity is rare among\nthem, and squalid poverty unknown.\n\nMan is eminently a social being. No one perceives, perhaps no one\napprehends, how much society contributes to strengthen and perfect the\nnoblest virtues and highest attainments. The affections are particularly\nunder the control and guidance of social influences. The interchange of\nthe forms of hospitality and courtesy powerfully promotes the growth of\nfriendship and kindliness of feeling. Consequently, social worship is of\nthe highest importance to every Christian fraternity; and nothing is\nmore productive of congeniality of sentiment and unity of design between\nchurches of the same faith and order than frequent convocations for\nmutual encouragement and edification. The Seventh-day Baptists were\naware of this, and, accordingly, when the church in Newport, R. I.,\norganized a part of its members into a separate and distinct body, now\nknown as the First Hopkinton Church, it was stipulated that an annual\ninterview should take place, which was subsequently known as the yearly\nmeeting. Thus was formed a little confederacy, whose bounds gradually\nenlarged as new churches were instituted, until it included the parent\nchurches of Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. These\nmeetings were held alternately at different places, and were usually\nattended by the ministers and other leading members of the respective\nchurches, who generally travelled at their own expense, and spent some\ntime in this social and religious visit. The consequences of this\ninterchange of Christian sympathies and feelings were every way\ndelightful. The bonds of union were cemented, many pleasing\nacquaintances were formed, and a warm and growing attachment to the\nSabbath, and the cause of truth, increased in the minds of all. So early\nas 1800, the churches composing this denomination began to consider the\nexpediency of establishing some formal ecclesiastical organization. This\nwas considered the more necessary in consequence of certain differences\nin some doctrinal sentiments that prevailed to a considerable extent.\nThe question was, under consideration until 1805, when, at a meeting\nconvened at Hopkinton, certain articles of union were agreed upon, and\nsubscribed by delegates from eight sister churches; and thus an\necclesiastical body for the transaction of business was formed, which\nwas denominated the General Conference.\n\nThe second session of this venerable body was held at Berlin, the third\nat Cohansey, now Shiloh, and the fourth again at Hopkinton. In 1808, the\nLost Creek and New Salem churches, in Virginia, united with the\nConference, which subsequently received continual and almost annual\nadditions.\n\nThe meetings of this body were solemnized alternately from place to\nplace, and were attended with the most happy consequences. Before the\nvenerable body, whose members were uniformly distinguished for\nintegrity, candour, and piety, all difficult cases were brought for\nconsideration and adjustment. Here divisions were reconciled, schisms\nhealed, and such differences as appeared likely to disturb the general\npeace removed. Here, also, religious and benevolent enterprises were\nprojected and recommended to the churches for their action and\nconsideration. The authority of the General Conference was subject to\nseveral limitations, which will be perceived by attending to the form\nand government of the Sabbatarian fraternities. Every church is in\nitself a distinct body, capable of transacting its own concerns, of\nreceiving or expelling members, of appointing its own pastor and other\nofficers, fixing their salaries, and suspending their ministrations in\ncase of impiety or gross immorality. The internal regulations of these\nchurches are simple and democratic, every member being equally entitled\nto a vote, and the pastor, except by the superior respect attached to\nhis station, having no more voice, and exercising no more influence in\nbusiness affairs, than a private individual. It could not be expected\nthat these churches, after having experienced the benefits of their\nequal and impartial government, would accede to the establishment of any\necclesiastical organization that might tend to subvert their\nindependence, or to centralize in an extraneous body the authority which\nwas then disseminated through and exercised by the members of the\nchurches themselves. Accordingly, we find that the right to choose,\nelect, and ordain their own deacons was still retained by the churches,\nas well as the privilege of specifying from their numbers such\ncandidates for the ministry as appeared eligible for that sacred office,\nwhich specification and appointment, being submitted to the Presbytery\n(a board of ministers appointed for that purpose), by whom the\nqualifications, talents, and character, of the candidate is examined,\nwhich examination proving satisfactory, he is forthwith ordained by the\nlaying on of hands.\n\nNeither has the Conference any right to institute a judicial\ninvestigation of any difficulties that may arise between individual\nmembers and the churches to which they belong, nor to attempt any\ninterference with dissensions between sister churches, except by special\nand particular invitation, and unless the subject has been previously\nlaid before the respective churches, and their delegates to the\nConference instructed to take cognizance of the matter.\n\nSuch churches of the Sabbatarian order as desired admission into this\nconfederacy, were required to furnish a written exposition of their\ndoctrinal sentiments respecting regeneration by the Holy Spirit,\njustification by faith, and salvation through the merits of Jesus\nChrist, which, proving satisfactory, the right hand of fellowship was\nextended to their delegate on behalf of the Conference. Here we may\nobserve that this proceeding was not calculated nor intended to\nestablish any inquisitorial censorship of doctrinal views, but to\nperpetuate good order, unanimity of sentiment, and purity of faith.\n\nAt the time of the organization of the General Conference, there were\nseveral churches of Seventh-day Baptists who remained aloof from that\nconfederacy. Of these, one was situated in a very pleasant country, on\nthe west fork of the Monongahela River, in Harrison County, Virginia.\nThis church, in 1808, sent a letter to the Conference, requesting\nadmission into that body, but stating their practice of receiving\nfirst-day members. In consequence of this, their reception was\npostponed, and an admonitory message upon the subject prepared and sent\nto them. This church soon fell into a decline; its members removed into\nother parts, and it finally became extinct.\n\nWith the exception of the minutes of the General Conference, and one or\ntwo other works scarcely deserving of consideration, the Seventh-day\nBaptists made no attempt to form a denominational literature until 1820,\nwhen an association of ministers edited and published a periodical\ndesignated the Missionary Magazine. About the same time a collection of\nhymns for the use of the denomination was made, which met with very\ngeneral acceptance and applause. After the publication of the magazine\nhad been continued for two or three years, various causes contributed to\nrender the further prosecution of the enterprise inexpedient and\nunadvisable. Upon the discontinuance of the magazine, the necessity of a\ndenominational literary organ was very generally felt, but engagements\nin other pursuits, fears of pecuniary losses, and other causes, operated\nto prevent the enterprise until 1827, when Deacon John Maxson, of Scott,\nprojected and brought into successful operation a weekly newspaper,\ncalled the Protestant Sentinel, which, by untiring energy and\nperseverance, he succeeded in supporting and publishing for several\nyears. The paper was first issued at Homer, then at Schenectady, and\nfinally at De Ruyter. To Deacon Maxson, the publication of this paper\nappears to have been, from the first, a losing concern. His engagement\nin the enterprise was not undertaken with the view of expectation of\npecuniary profit. He was influenced by considerations far more sacred\nand important. No doubt in the advantages secured by that enterprise to\nhis brethren he feels amply repaid for all his toils and difficulties;\nfor a man of his benevolent heart and amiable disposition ever forgets\nall personal considerations in the general good.\n\nWhen the press was removed to De Ruyter, Deacon Maxson resigned the\neditorial charge, which passed in a very short period through several\nhands; the paper bearing the name of The Seventh-day Baptist Register.\nEven here its location was not considered as the most favourable, and\nmany supposed that the city of New York would afford a more eligible\nsituation. To that place, therefore, in 1844, it was removed, and the\nRev. George B. Utter assumed the editorial chair, since which removal it\nhas borne the name of The Sabbath Recorder.\n\nThe denomination became early aware of the utility of tract\npublications, and the General Conference in 1831, recommended the\nformation of tract societies in the different churches, which should\nbecome auxiliary to a general tract executive committee, annually\nappointed by that body, to procure, examine, and publish such tracts as\nin their opinion might be desirable. In compliance with this suggestion,\nsuch organizations were instituted in nearly all the churches, and\nseveral tracts were procured and printed. But the tract cause, like that\nof the denominational paper, laboured under much discouragement and\ngreat embarrassment. As a means for disseminating Christian truth and\nknowledge, it does not seem, even yet, to be duly appreciated. The want\nof available funds crippled its operations, and lessened its usefulness;\nnevertheless it continued to support a nominal existence until 1843,\nwhen it was remodelled and reorganized under the name of the Sabbath\nTract Society, since which period its activity and usefulness have been\nabundantly exhibited. It has a series of stereotyped tracts, of which\neditions are published according to the means and demands of the\nsociety. In connexion with this, is a publishing society, recently\norganized, that has issued several publications not connected with the\nseries, but all relating to the Sabbath controversy. The denominational\npaper is also published under the auspices of this society; and it is\nbelieved that whatever obstacles may have impeded the progress of our\npublishing interests, they are rapidly disappearing before the\ndevelopment of our literary resources.\n\nThe utility of missionary organizations engaged, at a very early period,\nthe attention of the General Conference. At this time it was the\npractice of the individual churches to depute their ministers to make\nshort journeys, of which they generally defrayed the expense. The\ninefficiency of this course had become painfully manifest, and it\nremained for the Conference to devise some plan by which the missionary\nefforts of the denomination could be concentrated. The subject was under\nconsideration for two or three years, and finally resulted in the\norganization of the Seventh-day Baptist Missionary Society. By reference\nto the constitution of this society, which bears the date of 1819, it\nappears that its object was to consolidate the funds and concentrate the\nefforts of the denomination, in order to promote the interests of\nreligion by employing missionaries and sending them to the destitute and\nscattered brethren in our fellowship. This society, notwithstanding its\nlaudable object, was destined to meet with many difficulties and\nembarrassments. The poverty of some of the churches, and the\nunwillingness of others to contribute, were serious obstacles in the way\nof its accomplishment of the good it had purposed to perform. Yet under\nits auspices, several missionaries were annually appointed, for three,\nsix, or nine months, to occupy such fields of labour as appeared most\neligible, and generally embracing visitations to Sabbath-keepers who\nwere removed to distant localities. These journeys, though attended in\nthe sequel with the happiest results, often required no small share of\npersonal sacrifice and inconvenience on the part of the performer.\nDifficulties were always to be encountered; many times dangers. These\nwere greatly enhanced, from the fact that the missionary field generally\nlay in some new region, where the forests were as destitute of roads as\nthe rivers of bridges, and where the uniformity of the one might prove\nquite as perplexing to the wanderer, as the swollen tides of the other\nmight render dangerous the unaccustomed ford. Not unfrequently\ncircumstances required the performance of these journeys in the winter\nseason, when every discomfort was proportionately increased.\n\nThese missionaries held meetings, organized churches where such a course\nseemed expedient, and administered baptism to believers. Sometimes their\nvisits to the destitute would be attended by a gracious revival, but at\nall times were accompanied with gratifying results. But the\nembarrassments of the society continued, and finally, in 1841, it was\nformally extinguished, in order to make room for another, whose\nregulations, it was conceived, were more judicious, and which commenced\noperations in 1842. To the domestic this adds a foreign field. Under its\ndirection, Messrs. Solomon Carpenter and Nathan Wardner, with their\nwives, are labouring at Shanghai, in China, and the mission, with which\na small school, under the management of the excellent Mrs. Wardner, is\nconnected, is in a highly flourishing condition. The Board are\ncollecting funds to build a chapel for public worship, to purchase an\neligible site for which, about one thousand dollars have been already\ndespatched to that country.\n\nA Seventh-day Baptist society for the dissemination of religious truth\namong the Jews, took a permanent form in 1838, and Elder William B.\nMaxson was appointed to labour, under its direction, with that ancient\nand bigoted people. The success of this enterprise was not proportionate\nto the anticipation indulged, although probably as great as could have\nbeen expected, had all the difficulties and obstacles of the mission\nbeen fully considered. In connexion with this society, a small work on\nthe prophetic character of the Messiah was published, and many copies\ngratuitously distributed among the Jews. Recently this society has only\nsupported a nominal existence.\n\nThe attention of the Seventh-day Baptists was early called to the\nsubject of education, and two institutions of a high classical\ncharacter, have been established among them. Of these, one is located at\nAlfred, Alleghany County, New York, and is denominated the Alfred\nAcademy and Teachers' Seminary; the other at De Ruyter, New York, was\nfounded in 1837, at an expense of near thirty thousand dollars. The\nfirst has a charter from the state, and both have acquired a high\nreputation, and furnish the means of a classical education to a large\nnumber of students. Besides these, academic schools have been projected\nand brought into successful operation in other sections, in connexion\nwith our denomination.\n\nThe Sabbatarians have repeatedly taken action in their ecclesiastical\nbodies, against war, intemperance, slavery, secret societies, and the\nlike, and in favour of the great moral reforms and benevolent\nenterprises of the age.\n\nWithin the last twenty years a very interesting correspondence has been\ncarried on with the Sabbatarians of England, through the medium of Rev.\nRobert Burnside, and Rev. William Henry Black.\n\nAbout 1830, the great increase of business, as well as the scattered\nsituation of the churches, seemed to justify, in the opinion of many,\nsome modification of a general annual Conference. It was therefore\nproposed to divide the denomination into two Conferences, according to\ntheir geographical position. When the subject came up for action, it was\njudged most expedient to continue the Conference, but to divide the\nchurches into Associations, which should meet annually, to transact the\nbusiness of the churches within their own bounds, and appoint delegates\nto represent them in the General Conference, which, according to a\nresolution passed at one of its meetings, convened at Shiloh, in 1846,\nis hereafter to meet triennially instead of annually. Five Associations\nhave been formed, in accordance with this plan,\u2014the Eastern, embracing\nthe churches in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey,\u2014the Central,\nincluding those in the State of New York, east of the small lakes,\u2014the\nWestern, composed of the churches in Western New York and\nPennsylvania,\u2014the Southwestern, comprising those in Ohio and\nVirginia,\u2014and the Northwestern, including those in Wisconsin and Iowa.\nThe utility of this arrangement is unquestionable, and, so far as it has\nbeen tested, has been found to answer all the purposes of an Annual\nConference without its disadvantages. But it must not be supposed that\nduring all this time, the sun of prosperity to this people has been\nunclouded; that no difficulties have arisen in their straight and narrow\npath. On the contrary, they have been subjected to many and peculiar\ntrials. They have been despised by the worldly and the great, have been\noppressed by law, and persecuted in more ways than one by those\nprofessing the Christian name. Even now they are subjected to many\ninconveniences from their nonconformity, and are deprived of many social\nand literary privileges that they might otherwise enjoy. In\nconsideration of this, and the strong worldly tendencies that bind the\nhuman heart, it is not surprising that thousands who have been brought\nup to recognise the obligatory and sacred character of the fourth\ncommandment, and who were fully convinced of its unalterable claims,\nhave been induced to abandon it; while others, for the same reasons,\nalthough fully convinced of their duty, have refused to embrace it. Yet\nsome have been able to appreciate the vast importance of the stake at\nhand, have felt the danger of trifling in an affair on which eternal\ninterests depended, and have concluded that popular applause was nothing\ncomparative with an approving conscience, and the smiles of God. Such\nhave strictly adhered to the Sabbath, or have embraced it,\nnotwithstanding the consequences. Of the latter, we might instance\nseveral eminent and worthy ministers, who now occupy prominent places in\nthe denomination. Rev. Wm. M. Jones,[36] and Rev. J. W. Morton,\nProfessor of Modern Languages in the De Ruyter Institute, are both\nconverts to Sabbatarianism.\n\nIn the history of Sabbath-keepers we have had a beautiful\nexemplification of the truth of that promise, that he who soweth in\nlabour and with many tears, shall return rejoicing, laden with the\nproducts of an abundant harvest. Their numbers were few, their churches\nisolated, and their opportunities for sharing in the emoluments of the\nworld both limited and unfrequent, nevertheless the dissemination of\ntheir doctrines has become, through Divine Providence, the means of\nreclaiming many wanderers to the Bible Sabbath. The increase of the\nnumber of the Sabbath-keeping churches may be attributed to a variety of\ncauses. Every society possesses within itself the principle of extension\nand multiplication, by which it will ultimately quadruplicate its\nnumbers, when no counteracting agencies of more potent influence are at\nwork. In consequence of this, the numerosity of a church sometimes\nbecame burdensome, and it was considered necessary to establish a new\nfraternity from the surplus members of the old. Emigration also became a\ngreat source for the dissemination of the scriptural doctrine of the\nSabbath, as well as indicative of the ground to be occupied by future\nchurches. Thus some brother, whom poverty or untoward circumstances had\nforced to abandon his native state, and the Christian society of his\nchildhood, has been the pioneer of religious instruction to the\nneighbourhood, and the honoured founder of a religious establishment.\n\nIn the third place, the perceptions of many have been enlightened by an\nunprejudiced perusal of the Holy Scriptures, accompanied by the\nconvincing energies of the Spirit of truth. A venerable lady, resident\nin the State of New York, embraced the Sabbath, to which she rigidly\nadhered, notwithstanding the opposition and persecution of her husband\nand kindred, although at the time unaware that any denomination of\nChristian Sabbatarians existed. She had obtained her knowledge of the\nSabbath, its ordinance and obligation, from the Bible alone. A gentleman\nof Maryland, with his family, embraced the Sabbath without having any\nprevious communication or connexion with the Sabbatarians; but the\nunprejudiced perusal of the Scriptures had instructed him in the\nknowledge of his duty, and he hesitated not in the performance of it. A\nmultitude of similar cases might be recorded; these, however, are\nsufficient to show that Scripture testimony, when acting upon\nunprejudiced minds, will invariably lead to a clear conviction of the\nholy and sabbatical character of the seventh day.\n\nIt is well known, that in nearly every State of the Union, the\nobservance of the first day is enforced by law. It is certainly\nremarkable that these States, so distinguished for their otherwise\nliberal and enlightened policy, should retain, with such tenacity, this\nhateful feature in their legislative system; thus subjecting to the\nalternative of conformity, or to the liability of fines and\nimprisonment, a large and respectable portion of the community. To\nobtain the redress of these grievances, and the exemption from being\nmade amenable to civil processes served, or made returnable upon the\nSabbath, petitions were circulated for two or three consecutive years,\nin the different States where the Sabbatarians reside, and then\npresented to the consideration of the legislative bodies. In no case,\nhowever, were they attended with the results anticipated, either by a\nrepeal of the obnoxious statutes, or by the enactment of other laws,\nmore conformable to the spirit of the age.\n\nUpon several occasions, the Seventh-day Baptists have attempted to\nparticipate with their first-day brethren, in Sabbath Conventions, and\nsimilar convocations. But, as might have been expected, they have been\nuniformly excluded from these deliberations; courteously, it is true,\nand with expressions of Christian feeling and charity. In consequence of\nthis, they have instituted, and held, within their own bounds, several\nConventions and similar meetings, designed to advance and disseminate\nthe Bible doctrine of the Sabbath.\n\n\n SECTION II. EASTERN ASSOCIATION.\n\nThe Eastern Association of Seventh-day Baptists, embraces the churches\nlocated in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. The history of\nthese communities must be highly interesting, and fraught with\ninstruction to every pious mind.\n\nCHURCHES IN RHODE ISLAND.\n\nThis little territory, which circumstances have rendered so peculiarly\ndear and interesting to every pious mind, was settled at a remarkable\nperiod in the history of the world, and under circumstances not only new\nand peculiar, but strongly adverse to former theories and practices. It\nremained for the founder of this little colony to make the discovery\nthat the consciences of men were above the cognizance of penal\nregulations or legal processes; but the principles of religious freedom\nwhich he exposed and incorporated in his government were regarded by all\nother bodies, both civil, judicial, and ecclesiastical, as in the\nhighest degree visionary in theory, and dangerous, disorganizing, and\nimpracticable in real life.\n\nIt is not surprising that a pampered priesthood and lordly prelates,\nwhose honours and preferments were based upon a system of ecclesiastical\ntyranny, should oppose, by every possible means, the establishment of\nunlimited toleration; although we may well wonder that those who had\nfelt themselves the heavy weight of religious persecution, should commit\nso great an error, so palpable an inconsistency, as to attempt to\ndeprive others of the inestimable blessing of worshipping God according\nto the dictates of their own consciences. Roger Williams, who fled from\nthe persecuting Puritans, became the founder of the first Baptist Church\nin America, which was instituted at Providence, 1644, and from which\noriginated a church at Newport, in 1652, under the auspices of Rev.\nWilliam Vaughan. From this community seven persons seceded in 1671, and\nestablished the first Seventh-day Baptist, and the Third Baptist Church\nupon the American continent. This secession took place in consequence of\nthe teachings of Stephen Mumford, who emigrated from England in 1665,\nand who contended, with zeal and fervour, for the perpetuity and\nunchangeable nature of the Sabbatical ordinance. It is greatly to be\nlamented that of the early life of this man, the parent, under God, of\nso many flourishing religious communities, so little is known.\n\nOnly a few facts have been preserved, and these rest on questionable\nevidence. I have not been able to obtain any knowledge of his parents,\nof the place of his birth and education, or any of the circumstances\nconnected with his conversion. It is certain, however, that he embraced\nSabbatarian sentiments, or was educated in that belief in Europe.\n\nMr. Mumford, when he arrived in this country, was in the middle of life;\na period when the energy of youth remains without its rashness, and the\nmind is prepared to act with steadiness without exhibiting the timidity\nand pertinacity of old age.\n\nIt has been observed, with more beauty of expression than either truth\nor consistency, that great circumstances make great men. It is certain\nthat extraordinary trials, new situations, and difficult exigencies may\nand will develope unexpected powers, and give prominence to certain\ntraits of character; nevertheless, the mind, in its essential qualities,\ngenerally remains unchanged. Horace, whose knowledge of human nature no\none has ever distrusted, very pertinently remarks, that those who cross\nthe ocean pass under a new sky, but do not change their disposition.\nThis was undoubtedly true of Mr. Mumford; and could we trace his early\nhistory, we should doubtless find an exhibition of the same principles\nand conduct which marked his subsequent career. But the actions of\nMumford speak loudly in his behalf. He was evidently a lover of the\ntruth, and one neither ashamed nor afraid to advocate unpopular tenets\nif they agreed with the Word of God. He cannot be accused of bigotry or\nintolerant feelings towards those who differed from him in sentiments,\nfor he united with, and continued in the communion of the First-day\nBaptist Church in Newport for a considerable time. Neither does it\nappear that he attempted to make proselytes by any violent or\ninjudicious methods, but simply showed the way of right by expounding\nthe Scriptures in friendly conversation. It is evident that he had no\nambition to be considered as a partisan leader, for he never aspired to\nbecome an elder even in the church which he had been instrumental in\ngathering. While a conclusive testimony of his generally irreproachable\ncharacter, and the piety of his little band of followers, is evinced by\nthe fact that they were not excluded from the First-day community, but\nvoluntarily withdrew from it, in consequence of the \"hard things\" which\nwere spoken against them by their brethren.\n\nIt is probable that Mr. Mumford was one of those amiable and worthy\ncharacters, who, possessing an humble and unaspiring disposition, never\ndream of worldly distinction or popular applause, or that their actions,\nor the perpetuation of their memories, can be beneficial or grateful to\nposterity. At this time, too, the founder of a poor and despised sect\nmust have had other subjects of greater moment in mind, and must have\nbeen too busy to record his own fortunes, and too pious to feel any\npride in recounting his ancestry, his adventures, and his sufferings.\n\nIn the colony of Rhode Island liberty of conscience was professedly\nestablished, and the friends of Roger Williams have chanted his praise\nin no measured terms upon that account; but how do their eulogies agree\nwith the fact that even here the Sabbatarians were subjected to peculiar\ntroubles, and suffered much inconvenience, being exposed to insults and\nannoyances upon their Sabbaths, and likewise driven from their fields of\nlabour upon the first day of the week by the magistrate, although\npeaceably at work in a manner that precluded any disturbance. Of the\nmanner of Mr. Mumford's death I have no account; but \"mark the perfect,\nand behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.\" Doubtless it\nwas so with him.\n\nNEWPORT CHURCH.\n\nThe Sabbatarian church at Newport was instituted in 1641. It then\ncontained seven members, who had withdrawn from the communion of the\nFirst-day church on account of the differences subsisting between them\nwith respect to the Sabbatical ordinance. Their names were Stephen\nMumford, William Hiscox, Samuel Hubbard, Roger Baster, and three\nsisters; William Hiscox became their first pastor.\n\nThe early history of Elder Hiscox, like that of most of his\ncontemporaries, is wrapped in obscurity. He appears, however, to have\nheld an eminent place in the First-day Baptist Church of Newport, then\nunder the pastoral care of Rev. Mr. Clark, as we find that he was\nappointed by that body, in conjunction with Joseph Torrey and Samuel\nHubbard, to assist the Baptists at Boston, in a public dispute\nconcerning infant baptism, to which they were challenged by the Puritan\npersecutors. This dispute was actually held and continued for two days,\nthough to little purpose, for all turned out a farce so far as the\nBaptists were concerned, who, as it appeared, were only invited there to\nbe tantalized and abused.\n\nIt is very probable that Mr. Hiscox had acquired a reputation for public\nspeaking before he was chosen or ordained to the ministerial office by\nthe infant church at Newport. Be that as it may, his faithfulness, the\nprosperity of the church under his ministry, and the successful manner\nin which he vindicated the Scriptural tenets which he had espoused,\nevinced the wisdom of their choice. He fell asleep in Jesus in 1704, in\nthe sixty-sixth year of his age.\n\nRev. William Gibson, from London, where he received his ordination, was\nhis successor. Elder Gibson is said to have descended from an ancient\nand highly respectable family in Warwickshire. From his youth he was\ndestined for the church, and consequently he received a classical\neducation in Oxford, that nursery of ecclesiastics. While prosecuting\nhis preparatory studies, he accompanied his fellow-students to see what\nthey denominated \"sport,\" which was, in reality, the public whipping of\na poor woman for nonconformity as it respected infant baptism, and the\nreligious observance of the first day. The great patience and apparent\npiety of the victim, together with the brutality of the sentence,\nwrought powerfully upon his sympathetic mind, and finally he abandoned\nthe study of logic for that of the Bible, in order to discover what part\nof the sacred volume authorized such proceedings. This inquiry, to the\ninexpressible grief of his parents, who saw the prostration of their\nworldly hopes, terminated in his conversion to Baptist sentiments, and\nhis emigration to America. He filled the office of pastor to the church\nat Newport until his death, which occurred in 1717, in the 79th year of\nhis age. Joseph Crandall, who had been his colleague for two years,\nsucceeded him. He was an able and worthy minister, although illiterate,\nand the church prospered under his administration. He died in 1737.\n\nRev. Joseph Maxson, another father in Israel, followed, who died in\n1743. Mr. Maxson is said to have been extremely apt and pointed in\nargument, but he was mainly distinguished for judicious adaptation of\nmeans to ends in all his intercourse with the unconverted. This will be\nillustrated by the following anecdote. He had a neighbour notorious for\ninfidel principles and unchristian conduct, but as such characters\ngenerally are, he was entirely ignorant of the Bible, nor could he be\nprevailed on to read or accept one. Mr. Maxson did not press the matter,\nbut manifested as much unconcern as he could assume. Some time after,\nour infidel friend was returning home, when near his gate, he discovered\na book presenting the appearance of having been accidentally dropped. He\ntook it up; it was a Bible. Upon the blank leaf was written\u2014\n\n  \"'Twas for me, thy soul death tasted,\n  Seeking me, thy worn feet hasted;\n  Let such labour not be wasted.\"\n\nThe exquisite beauty of this stanza struck the mind of the scoffer; he\nthought that certainly his principles could not be shaken by a slight\nexamination of the book, as he wished particularly to discover to what\npassage such beautiful lines could apply. He did so; the result was his\nconversion.\n\nRev. John Maxson, their next pastor, was a man of eminent piety. He was\nnot a proficient in the wisdom of this world, but he possessed that\nwithout which all learning is vain. He was eminently distinguished for\nhis knowledge and love of the Scriptures. He died in 1778.\n\nRev. William Bliss received the mantle of the ascending Elijah. Mr.\nBliss, in his early life, was much inclined to deism, but when about\nthirty years of age, he became truly serious, and finally he was happily\nconverted, and united in communion with the church. Soon after his\npublic profession of religion, he became exercised on the subject of the\nministry. He had frequently improved his gift for speaking, in the\nprayer and conference meetings; and he received a public call of the\nchurch in 1773. In 1780, he was installed pastor of the church, in which\nstation he continued during the remainder of his life, which was about\ntwenty-eight years.\n\nMr. Bliss was a warm and steady friend of his country, and suffered much\nby the English soldiery, during the Revolutionary war, being completely\nin their power while the city of Newport remained in their possession.\nThey took possession of a part of his farm, on which they erected forts,\nand a part of his dwelling, in which were quartered many of their\nofficers. They also cut down his orchards to barricade the roads, and\ncommitted many depredations of a similar character.\n\nMr. Bliss was the father of a large family, and some very interesting\ncircumstances are related of one of his daughters. This young lady, when\nabout sixteen years of age, had a long and painful sickness, in which\ntime she became hopefully converted; and God was pleased to recommend\nhimself to her in a remarkable manner. During her illness, at a time\nwhen she was very low, she lay for a long time as one asleep, without\nsense or motion. Her attendants looked upon her as dying; but presently\nshe revived, and was in the greatest transports of joy. She declared to\nthem that she had been favoured with a view of another world, and had\nbeen conducted both to the mansions of misery, and the abodes of\nfelicity; and that in both places she saw and recognised those with whom\nshe had been acquainted, and were then dead, but that she was forbidden\nto tell them who were in misery; that she had water given her to drink,\nwhich was inexpressibly sweet,\u2014that she was told that she would not\nrecover from her sickness, but must return for a season, and then that\nshe should be admitted back to stay for ever. She lived about a year\nafter this, during which time she looked forward with the greatest\npleasure to the time of her departure, and died in full confidence that\nshe should be immediately reconducted to those scenes of felicity with\nwhich she had been made acquainted.\n\nAs a minister of the gospel, Mr. Bliss was more distinguished for\nlogical and spiritual argumentation, than for oratorical fervour. Few\nhave excelled him in solidity of judgment, and the happiest consequences\nuniformly resulted from following his advice. As a Christian he was\nremarkably exemplary, and adorned his profession in both public and\nprivate life. He was warm and tender-hearted, circumspect in his\ndeportment, and always anxious to promote the happiness and usefulness\nof all about him. He was distinguished for a pleasant cheerfulness,\nwhich made his conversation agreeable to persons of all ages.\n\nThe circumstances attending his death were quite remarkable. For a few\nmonths previous to his decease, he experienced several paralytic\nstrokes, which, though light, greatly reduced his physical strength.\nStill he retained his mental faculties to the last, and was not confined\nto his house but a few days. From this period he was sensible that his\ndeparture was at hand, and he waited in the greatest composure of mind\nfor his approaching change. For a few days before his death, he found\nhis strength decaying, but felt no other disease than a gradual loss of\nphysical power. The day before his death, he was visited by his intimate\nfriend, the Rev. Mr. Eady. To him, he remarked, \"I am going to try the\ntruth of my doctrine.\" The morning before he died, he was visited by a\ngrandson who had recently returned from Spain. With him he conversed\nfreely on the political and religious state of that country. From these\nsubjects, he referred to his own circumstances, observing that he no\nlonger possessed any interest in the busy scenes of this world, as he\nwas on the point, he believed, of departing for a better one. He\nsignified that he thought himself to be dying, and appeared animated\nwith the prospect before him. He seemed like Moses, who in his full\nstrength, was permitted to ascend the summit of Mount Pisgah, and thence\nview the fair and fertile fields of the promised inheritance. Towards\nevening he was visited by Deacon B., from Hopkinton, who called, not\nintending to tarry through the night. He observed to this gentleman that\nhe was going to die, and thought he would be needed about his person. He\nalso made, with great deliberation, further arrangements for calling\nassistance, as he believed he should leave them before morning. When\nDeacon B. retired to rest, he was walking the house without exhibiting\nany unusual symptom except a strange coldness of the hands and the feet.\nHe had left him but a short time when he heard an unusual stir below,\nand immediately arose and repaired to his bedside; but his spirit had\nfled. Thus closed his long and useful life on the 4th day of May, 1808,\nin the 81st year of his age.\n\nThe Rev. Henry Burdick, was his successor, and was assisted in the\nministry by Rev. Arnold Bliss. Both were young men of eminent piety and\nconsiderable ability, and both continued to exercise their holy\nvocation, until they were called to rest from their labours at a very\nadvanced age. Subsequent to the death of Elder Bliss, which occurred in\n1826, this church appeared to sink under an accumulation of misfortunes\nand unpleasant influences. This deplorable state of things continued for\nseveral years, when the General Conference took into consideration the\nutility of appointing a missionary to labour in that vicinity.\nAccordingly, Lucius Crandall received an appointment to that field, in\nwhich connexion he continued for three years. He was succeeded in 1846\nby Libbeus Cottrel, a young man of considerable promise.\n\nBesides this succession of pastors, the church at Newport had several\nhighly eminent men in its connexion. Of these, the Wards were\ndistinguished for holding high official stations in connexion with the\nroyal government of the province. They were descended from an ancient\nand highly respectable family in England, whose elder members espousing\nthe cause of the Parliament in the civil wars, thereby became obnoxious\nto the dominant party at the time of the Restoration. Mr. Thomas Ward,\nEsq., emigrated to America, and joined the Sabbatarian church, of which\nhe continued a member until his death.\n\nRichard Ward, his son, was one of those rare characters, who, with\ntalents and capacities fitted to adorn the highest circles, are,\nnevertheless, not ashamed of godliness, or of a consistent observance of\nthe humble duties of religion. He made a public profession of Christian\nfaith, in 1753, and uniting with this, then infant church, contributed\ngreatly by his talents, and wealth, and influence, to its support.\nDetermined likewise to give his brethren a solid proof of his affection\nand regard he bequeathed five hundred pounds sterling to the church at\nhis death, which occurred in 1766. This eminent man, as a citizen and\nstatesman, was distinguished for patriotism and philanthropy. In his\nexecutive character as royal governor of the province, he displayed a\nsingular ability, and his memory will long be remembered with affection\nand respect by the people whom he served. Samuel Ward, his son, was also\ngovernor in the years 1762 and 1765; the duties of which office he\nadministered with fidelity and zeal. In the years 1774 and 1775, he was\na member of the Continental Congress, in which difficult station all his\nconduct was signalized by an inflexible integrity and unfailing\npatriotism. As a man, a scholar, a statesman, and a Christian, his\ncharacter was equally respectable.\n\nMr. Henry Collins, another member of this church, was pre-eminently\ndistinguished in his time, being one of the wealthiest citizens of\nNewport in the days of her colonial glory, a munificent patron of the\nfine arts, and a highly respectable literary character. He donated the\nground upon which the Redwood Library now stands, and was a liberal\ncontributor to all public enterprises of a benevolent and useful\ncharacter. Mr. Collins participated at all times in the labours of his\nbrethren with much zeal and great effect; being always ready to act his\npart, sometimes as a messenger to the other churches, and often at home\nin the service of the congregation. In 1729, he was elected Trustee, and\nwith Mr. Jonathan Weeden had the sole charge of erecting the house of\nworship. This venerable structure stands upon a lot of land donated by\nMr. Almy to the church for that purpose. A rather singular anecdote\nrelative to this meeting-house is on record. During the Revolutionary\nwar, when Newport was occupied by the British army, most of the\nmeeting-houses in the town were converted into barracks for the\nsoldiers. The Seventh-day meeting-house was also selected for this use,\nbut when the officer sent to take possession of it opened the door, he\ndiscovered the ten commandments, which were written on two tables\nrepresenting marble, and placed over the pulpit. Pausing a moment, he\nordered his men to retire, remarking that he could not spoil a house in\nwhich were written the sacred laws of God. The meeting-house was\naccordingly saved, although of but little use to the church during the\ncaptivity of the town.\n\nFIRST SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, HOPKINTON, RHODE ISLAND.\n\nThis church was first organized in 1708, although Seventh-day Baptists,\nin connexion with the church at Newport, had resided here for a long\nperiod.\n\nRev. John Maxson, their first pastor, and one of the earliest ancestors\nof the large and respectable family of that name, was distinguished for\ngreat oratorical fervour and pathos in public speaking, although he did\nnot possess the advantages to be derived from a classical education. His\nvoice is said to have been remarkably strong, clear, and harmonious; his\neye mild, blue, and beaming; his countenance noble and expressive, and\nthen he knew so well how to touch the hearts of his auditory: always\nbeginning his discourses in a low and subdued tone, but warming with his\nsubject, and exhibiting throughout the general course of his\nargumentation an air of vivacity and glowing energy; and in his appeals,\nan ardour, pungency, and force altogether irresistible. When addressing\nsinners, he would weep from sympathy and feeling; but how would his\ncountenance irradiate and brighten when he told of a Saviour's love! He\ndied in 1720, in a ripe old age.\n\nRev. Joseph Clarke, who succeeded him, was ordained in 1712, and\nexercised his ministry with great acceptance until 1719, when he fell\nasleep in Jesus.\n\nRev. John Maxson, Jun., his successor, received ordination in 1719, and\ncontinued his pastoral care over the church, until 1747, when he went to\nreceive his crown. It is said that Elder Maxson possessed one gift most\nrare, and at the same time most essential for a Christian minister. This\nwas great fervency and frequency in prayer. From the closet he went to\nthe pulpit, and he went from the pulpit to the closet. He wrestled with\nthe angel of the covenant like the patriarch of old, and like him he\nsecured a blessing.\n\nUpon the death of Elder Maxson, the ministration of Gospel ordinances in\nthis church devolved on Elder Joseph Maxson, of Newport, who served both\nchurches until 1750. Rev. Thomas Hiscox assumed at this time its\npastoral charge. He was a man of rare piety and eminent ability.\nEvangelical in sentiment, eloquent in delivery, forcible and pointed in\nargumentation, he was very successful as a minister. Endowed with great\nconversational powers, a pleasing and affable address, he was eminently\nqualified to adorn the social circle, and no one could frequent his\ncompany without being benefited by his piety and improved by his wisdom.\n\nHe made a public profession of religion in early life, and was even then\ndistinguished for close application to the study of the Scriptures.\nContemning the vain and fickle amusements of youth, he was ever found at\nthe prayer circle, and delighted particularly in solitude and\nretirement. His maturity amply fulfilled the promise of his spring, and\nthe autumn of his days was accompanied by an abundant harvest. He died\nin 1773, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. Rev. Thomas Clarke, his\ncolleague, was appointed to the work of the ministry in 1750, and\ndeparted this life in 1767, aged eighty-two years. His death was\neminently triumphant, and even after he had ceased to speak, his pallid\ncountenance shone with a glory, and his glazing eye glowed with a\nrapture altogether indescribable.\n\nRev. Joshua Clarke, son of the former, was eminently distinguished, not\nonly as a Christian minister, but as a citizen. He sustained with\nfidelity and trust several important town offices in the early part of\nhis days, and as a member of the corporation for the College at\nProvidence; was highly distinguished for classical and literary taste,\nas well as the faithful discharge of the laborious and varied duties\npertaining to that station. His patriotism and public spirit were\ncontinually exhibited during his long and honourable service in the\nlegislature of the state; but it was chiefly in his position as a\nChristian minister, that his gifts and graces were brought into action,\nand his character displayed in all its beautiful and symmetrical\nloveliness. For this station he was eminently fitted both by nature and\ngrace: a form lofty and commanding; eyes deep and dark as midnight;\nvoice clear and musical. His preaching was powerful, and chiefly for\nthis reason, it came from the heart. The church, during his\nministration, was blessed with several revivals of religion. He\ntravelled many journeys on business connected with the church, but\nfinally rested from his labours in March, 1793, in the seventy-seventh\nyear of his age.\n\nRev. John Burdick, his successor, was equally distinguished for eminent\npiety and natural ability. His discourses were marked by a fervid, yet\ngracefully simple eloquence. He was also eminent for faithfulness in\ndiscipline. No member under his auspices was retained in the church\nwhose conduct or reputation could be a blot upon her bright escutcheon;\nyet no one could accuse him of injustice or partiality. His ministry was\nsignally blessed by a powerful revival, in which more than two hundred\npersons were added to the church in one year. As a citizen, he was\nliberal, public-spirited, and benevolent. Incessant in his Gospel\nlabours, he travelled much, visiting destitute churches, many of which\nhe had assisted in organizing. He never received nor required a stated\nsalary, but wrought at the useful and healthful occupation of husbandry.\nHe was highly respected by other Christian denominations, and maintained\nthe most friendly intimacy with their ministers. He died in the\nseventieth year of his age, in 1802.\n\nRev. Abraham Coon, his successor, was ordained in 1798, and was very\ngenerally admired for solidity of judgment, copiousness of thought, and\neloquence of delivery. He was frequently employed among other\ndenominations to their great satisfaction. He died in 1813.\n\nRev. Matthew Stillman, his colleague, was ordained in 1804, and\ncontinued his ministry with great acceptance for nearly half a century.\nElder Stillman, was a man of moderate ability, but he possessed, in an\neminent degree, those excellencies of character and disposition, that\nare far more desirable than brilliancy of wit, or depth and variety of\ntalent. Although others might be more admired, none were more\nextensively and universally beloved. In 1819, Elders William B. Maxson,\nDaniel Coon, Thomas V. Wells, and Amos R. Wells, are all reported as\nassociated with Elder Stillman in the ministry of this church. In 1832\nChristopher Chester is reported as licentiate. He was ordained in 1834,\nand continued in connexion with Elder Stillman, to administer Gospel\nordinances to this church, until 1836, when Elder Coon became, for the\nsecond time, a resident minister in the place. Subsequently he assumed\nthe pastoral relation in connexion with the church, which situation he\nstill occupies.\n\nBeside these ministers, others have been ordained by this church and\nthat of Newport, who removed into other parts, and became the founders\nof new fraternities. Of these we may mention John Davis, of Burlington,\nNathan Rogers, of Berlin, and Ebenezer David, afterwards chaplain in the\nAmerican Army. Several members of this church have risen to places of\ntrust and importance in the state. Their deacon, Daniel Babcock, held\nfor a long time, the office of Assistant Governor in the upper house of\nthe legislature. Others have been elected to fill offices of\nresponsibility in civil, judicial, and local affairs. As a community,\nthey are noted for wealth and intelligence, for improvements in the\nuseful arts, proficiency in scientific pursuits, and steady industrious\nhabits.\n\nThis community, notwithstanding the numerous amicable dismissions that\nhave been made from it to form other churches, still remains one of the\nlargest and wealthiest in the connexion.\n\nSECOND SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, HOPKINTON, RHODE ISLAND.\n\nThis church, a branch of the former, was organized in 1835, and Amos R.\nWells became its first pastor, in which relation he continued for two\nyears.\n\nRev. John Green assumed the pastoral charge in 1839, which he held until\n1846.\n\nRev. Lucius Crandall, his successor, remained two years, and was\nsucceeded by Rev. S. S. Griswold, the present incumbent.\n\nTHIRD SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, HOPKINTON, RHODE ISLAND.\n\nThis community, like the one last mentioned, is a branch of the First\nHopkinton Church, and seceded from the present body in 1835. It may be\nobserved, that previous to this separation the Hopkinton Church became\nvery numerous, and built three meeting-houses for the accommodation of\nthe different neighbourhoods. These meeting-houses are now occupied by\nthe respective churches. This church, however, remained in a rather low\nand depressed condition, in consequence of being deprived of the\nservices of a settled pastor, until 1845, when Rev. A. B. Burdick\nassumed the responsibility of that station. Rev. Charles M. Lewis, the\npresent incumbent, was installed in 1848.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, WESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND.\n\nThis church was organized in 1837, and was served by Henry Clarke as\nlicentiate, and subsequently as pastor, for several years.\n\nRev. Jacob Ayres, the present incumbent, was installed in 1848. Elder\nAyres, is the grandson of Rev. Jacob Ayres of the Marlborough Church,\nand he seems to have inherited Elisha's portion of the spirit and\nability of his venerable ancestor. He possesses, in an eminent degree,\none most rare and inestimable qualification for a gospel minister,\u2014a\nremarkable talent in prayer.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, PAWCATUCK, RHODE ISLAND.\n\nThe distinct organization of this body took place in 1840, and Rev.\nAlexander Campbell became its pastor, in which connexion he remained\nuntil 1847.\n\nRev. Isaac More, his successor, was a convert to Sabbatarian sentiments\nfrom the First-day Baptist denomination.\n\nRev. A. B. Burdick, the present pastor, was installed in 1848.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, RICHMOND, RHODE ISLAND.\n\nThis infant community was organized in 1843, and contains about twenty\nmembers. Its prospects, however, are highly encouraging, and it must be\nregarded as a very auspicious omen, that Rev. John Green has consented\nto assume the pastoral charge. Perhaps no one in the denomination is\nbetter calculated to encourage the timid and strengthen the weak.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, SOUTH KINGSTON, RHODE ISLAND.\n\nThis church, another infant community, was organized in 1843. Elder\nHenry Clarke is their present pastor.\n\nRev. Christopher Chester has also been a very efficient labourer in this\nregion. His ministry has been blessed at different seasons with the\noutpourings of the Spirit of grace, and the hopeful conversion of many.\nThis was particularly the case in 1841, when a First-day Baptist church,\nconsisting of forty members, was gathered and organized altogether\nthrough his instrumentality. In 1847, he visited them again, and another\nrevival was the consequence. In this the Seventh-day church\nparticipated.\n\nEXTINCT CHURCH.\n\nA church was organized, in 1791, at Oyster Pond, on Long Island, by\nElisha Gillette, who came from New Jersey, 1789.\n\nBut he soon began to admit members who observed the first-day, in\nconsequence of which intestine difficulties arose. This church soon fell\ninto decay, and ultimately became extinct.\n\n\n SECTION III. SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS IN CONNECTICUT.\n\nIn the first settlement of this country, Baptists were persecuted by\nPedobaptists, on account of their tenacity for believer's baptism; but\nall parties were united in oppressing and persecuting the Sabbatarians.\nSoon after the organization of the church at Newport, the sentiment,\nthat the moral law was immutable and unchangeable, found advocates in\nNew London, Connecticut, where the spirit of persecution was under less\nrestraint than it was in Rhode Island. There is an old work, which was\nwritten by a Friend, and published in Baltimore in 1698, and which gives\na very detailed and circumstantial account of the sufferings of the\ndissenting parties in New England. According to his statement, no less\nthan ten Sabbatarians were mutilated, imprisoned, and subjected to\nbarbarous and cruel scourgings by their Puritanical brethren. Of these,\nJohn Rodgers, a member of the church at Newport, but a resident in New\nLondon, was fined, imprisoned, and sentenced to sit a certain time upon\nthe gallows with a rope about his neck. Another, named Philip Rodney,\nwho was a Seventh-day Baptist in sentiments, although not a member of\nthe church, was scourged, and then deprived of one of his ears.\nSometimes their meetings would be disturbed and broken up by the lawless\nviolence of a mob. At others they would be fined, imprisoned, and\nmaltreated for pursuing any ordinary business or labour upon the first\nday of the week; and such was the opposition to them, in many places,\nthat a man who religiously observed the Bible Sabbath, would much sooner\nbe subjected to fines and imprisonments, than if he had acknowledged it\nto be the Sabbath. These hostilities against the observers of the\nseventh-day, occasioned a remonstrance, addressed to the Governor of New\nEngland, by Peter Chamberlain, Senior Doctor of both Universities, and\nfirst elect Physician in ordinary to His Majesty's person. This somewhat\nabated the rage of persecution, although the Sabbatarians were\ncontinually exposed to great inconveniences. It does not appear,\nhowever, that any sect was ever extirpated by persecution, particularly\none that had the testimony of Scripture upon its side, and flourished in\nan age of general inquiry.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, BURLINGTON, CONNECTICUT.\n\nThe distinct organization of this church took place in 1750, and Elder\nJohn Davis, who had been ordained at Hopkinton, became their first\npastor. The place was then called Farmington, West Britain. This church,\nwhile yet in its infancy, was considerably weakened by the loss and\nremoval of several of its most influential members. Other difficulties\narose of a peculiarly trying and painful character, and few, if any,\nadditions were made to their numbers for more than ten years. But\nprevious to the decease of Elder Davis, which occurred in 1792, they\nwere blessed with a precious revival, and the church received several\nadditions. In the character of Elder Davis, we discover few points that\nare brilliant or remarkable, but many that are lovely and amiable. It is\nsaid, that he pre-eminently exemplified the Christian duty of loving his\nneighbour. His entire life exhibited a series of actions illustrative of\nthat virtue. The quiet placidity of his mien, his venerable and\ndignified countenance, were long remembered with enthusiastic veneration\nby the people of his charge. His glory was not of this world\u2014his name\nhas never been ranked with those of ecclesiastical dignitaries,\nscholars, or civilians; but it was set in the Lamb's Book of Life\u2014it was\nknown to angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect.\n\nRev. Amos Burdick succeeded him in the pastoral care of the church, in\nwhich station he continued until his death, in 1803. The church, under\nhis ministry, enjoyed great prosperity and union. Rev. Amos Stillman,\nfor some time his colleague, was his successor. Elder Stillman, though\nsubject to many temporal embarrassments, was a preacher of considerable\nability and unblemished character; he was universally esteemed. In the\nautumn of 1807, he visited the churches in New Jersey, where the\nConference was being held, in which he presided and preached many times\nto great satisfaction. But on his return home, he caught the yellow\nfever, of which he died in 1807, in the forty-fifth year of his age.\nFrom the loss occasioned by the death of Elder Stillman, this church\nnever recovered. A general declension in religious feeling almost\nimmediately followed, and although meetings were regularly sustained a\nnumber of years, and the name occurs in the Conference minutes, it never\nafter possessed that inestimable blessing, a stated pastor. From 1810,\nits decline was gradual but sure, and a few years since, it was publicly\nannounced that the Sabbatarian church at Burlington had ceased to exist.\nNevertheless, it must not be supposed that the Sabbatarians of this\ncommunity apostatized from their ancient faith. Without a regular\nadministration of gospel ordinances, there could be few, if any,\nadditions to their numbers. Some of the old members were removed by\ndeath to that home where congregations never break up, and Sabbaths\nnever end. Others have been the pioneers of Sabbatical sentiments, and\nthe founders of new churches, in distant regions.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, AT WATERFORD, CONNECTICUT.\n\nSoon after the organization of the Sabbatarian church at Newport, we\nfind that John Rogers of New London, Connecticut, was fined and\nimprisoned, on account of his adherence to Sabbatical sentiments. Others\nwere subsequently persecuted for the same cause; but they persisted in\ntheir adherence to the truth, and ultimately became the founders of a\nchurch at the place now called Waterford. The church was organized in\n1784, and Rev. Davis Rogers became their first pastor. Their number was\nsixteen; but soon after, several families emigrated from Hopkinton and\nsettled among them. In 1804, Elder Rogers resigned the pastoral care of\nthe church, and removed to Preston, Chenango County. He was succeeded by\nRev. Jabez Beebe, whose ordination took place in 1796, and whose\nministry was very acceptable, though not of a long duration.\n\nRev. Lester Rogers, his successor, was distinguished for sobriety of\nmien, and although not calculated to shine as the preacher of a\npromiscuous assembly, was very useful and acceptable as a pastor of this\nchurch. He died in 1822.\n\nRev. Lester T. Rogers,[37] the present incumbent, was licensed to preach\nin 1822, and ordained in 1824. Rev. Benedict Wescott, for some time his\ncolleague, was licensed in 1828, and ordained in 1831.\n\n\n SECTION IV. CHURCHES IN NEW JERSEY.\n\nThe churches in New Jersey are large and efficient bodies, and date back\nto an early period in the history of the state. They were distinguished\nin early times, and when the denomination was in its infant state, for\nwealth and respectability of character, and for pastors of eminent piety\nand worth.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, PISCATAWAY, NEW JERSEY.\n\nThis fraternity, the third Sabbatarian Church in America, was organized\nin 1705, and Rev. Edmund Dunham became their first pastor.\n\nElder Dunham had been for some time a leader in the First-day Baptist\nChurch at that place, and was moreover extremely scrupulous in his\nobservance of the first day. This led him to reprove one Hezekiah\nBonham, for attending, upon that day, to secular concerns. Mr. Bonham\nreplied by requesting his censor to prove from Scripture that the first\nday was holy by divine appointment. Upon examination, Mr. Dunham not\nonly discovered that his point was untenable, but became in the end a\nzealous advocate of the sacred character of the seventh day. In a short\ntime, the force of his arguments carried conviction to the minds of\nseventeen others, who formed a church, chose him for their pastor, and\nsent him to Rhode Island to be ordained. He served the church until his\ndeath in 1734, and was succeeded by his son, Rev. Jonathan Dunham. The\ntalents of Elder Dunham were above mediocrity, and although he had not\nbeen favoured with literary advantages, his preaching was very\neffective, and he was greatly beloved by his brethren. In the earlier\npart of his ministry their first meeting-house was built, the church\nhaving formerly met for worship in private houses. It was erected upon a\nlot of one acre of land, which had been donated to them for that purpose\nby Jonathan Fitz Randolph. Elder Dunham, after serving this church\nupwards of forty years, rested from his labours in 1777, in the\neighty-sixth year of his age. Rev. Jonathan Jarman, for some time his\ncolleague, was ordained in 1772, but soon after removed to French Creek,\nin Pennsylvania. Subsequent to the decease of Elder Dunham, this church\nremained for several years without a pastor, but depended for\nministerial assistance upon the occasional visits of travelling\nmissionaries, or a precarious supply by first-day brethren. The church\nalso suffered much from being near the seat of war, and in the vicinity\nof the ravages of the British army.\n\nRev. Nathan Rogers, in 1786, assumed the pastoral charge, and during\nthat summer and autumn the church was blessed with a remarkable revival\nof religion, in which upwards of sixty were added to its numbers. During\nthe same year, Rev. Elisha Gillette received ordination as evangelist,\nin connexion with this community, which relation he sustained for three\nyears.\n\nRev. Henry M. Lafferty, for three years the colleague of Elder Rogers,\nwas subsequently his successor in 1797, and continued to occupy the\npastoral office until 1811, when he was succeeded by\n\nGideon Wooden, as licentiate, and subsequently as pastor, who served the\nchurch until 1825, when he was succeeded by\n\nRev. John Watson, whose ministry continued until 1840.\n\nRev. William B. Maxson, for eight years his colleague, was for one year\nhis successor, when\n\nRev. Walter B. Gillette, the present incumbent, was installed. Besides\nthese pastors, other ministers have, at different times, been connected\nwith this church, who have removed to other fields of labour.\n\nThis church occupies a very pleasant situation, about thirty miles from\nthe city of New York.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.\n\nThis church, a branch of the former, was organized in 1838, and Lucius\nCrandall, first as licentiate and subsequently as pastor, assumed the\nspiritual charge; in which relation he still continues.\n\nBoth these churches are very wealthy and highly intelligent, and occupy\na distinguished position in the denomination.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, SHILOH, NEW JERSEY.\n\nThis church dates to a very early period. So long ago as 1695, an\nitinerant minister of the Seventh-day Baptist persuasion, named Jonathan\nDavis, removed from Long Island to the State of New Jersey, where he\nsettled near Trenton, and preached until his death, which occurred in\n1750.\n\nElder Davis visited Cohansey, where his nephews resided, one of whom,\nalso named Jonathan Davis, was a minister, and a principal agent in\ngathering this church, which was constituted in 1737, and consisted of\ntwenty members, some of whom were emigrants from Piscataway. Elder Davis\ncontinued to serve this church until his death, in 1769. During his\nministry their first meeting-house was erected. It stands on a lot of\none acre of ground, which was donated to them by Mr. Caleb Ayars. The\nburial-ground, as might be supposed, contains many time-honoured\nmonuments.\n\nRev. Jonathan Davis, his successor in the ministry, was of Welsh\nextraction, and the son of Rev. David Davis, a distinguished minister of\nthe Welsh Tract Church. He was born in 1734, received ordination in\n1768, and installed as pastor of the church upon the death of his\npredecessor, in which relation he continued until his death in 1785.\nElder Davis was eminently distinguished for sound judgment, great\nstability, and moral worth. He was universally beloved, and the church,\nunder his ministry, attained a considerable degree of strength and\npermanence.\n\nRev. Jonathan Jarman, for some time his colleague, removed to Cape May,\nwhere he died, but his remains were subsequently brought back to Shiloh\nfor interment.\n\nDeacon Philip Ayars was likewise considered a leader in this church, and\nan administrator of baptism.\n\nRev. Nathan Ayars was ordained in this church in 1786, and remained its\npastor until 1810.\n\nRev. John Davis, youngest son of Elder Jonathan Davis, was for several\nyears his colleague, and finally his successor. Elder Davis was ordained\nin 1807, and continued to serve the church until 1842, when, overcome\nwith age and infirmity, he resigned the pastoral charge to\n\nRev. Azor Estee, who was succeeded in 1844 by\n\nRev. Solomon Carpenter, whose transfer to the China Mission left the\nchurch without a pastor. However, in the latter part of 1845 they\nsecured the services of\n\nRev. Samuel Davison, a convert to the Sabbath, and a very able preacher,\nwho remained for about two years, and was succeeded by\n\nRev. Giles M. Langworthy, whose illness and premature death left them\nagain in a destitute condition.\n\nDuring the past summer the church was served by Rev. Enoch Barnes, a\nvery worthy man, and a convert to Sabbatarianism from the Methodist\nconnexion.\n\nRev. George R. Wheeler is also a member of this church, but he resides\nat Salem, about ten miles distant. Mr. Wheeler and family were likewise\nconverts to Sabbatical sentiments.\n\nThis church has been blessed with many auspicious revivals. One took\nplace in 1807, and continued for a long time. It was very extensive, and\nabout seventy were added to the church. Subsequently many precious\nseasons were enjoyed, but perhaps the greatest in-gathering occurred in\nthe commencement of the year 1843, when about ninety were added to the\nchurch. This gracious visitation of the Holy Spirit commenced and\ncontinued through a meeting of days, in which Elder John Green and Elder\nEstee were the leaders. It was marked at first by a deep and unusual\nseriousness in the congregation, that gradually increased, and seemed to\npervade every heart in the vast assembly. Meetings for prayer and\nreligious inquiry succeeded, at which old and young attended, whose\ncountenances were indicative of the various emotions of their souls.\nSome in a fixedness of look that seemed to say, \"God and eternity are\nnear;\" some with a settled gloom and depression of countenance; some\nwith marks of indescribable anguish; and some with the holiest and\nhappiest serenity, placid and beautiful as the loveliest sky after a\nstorm.\n\nSabbath after Sabbath scores of candidates of all ranks and ages, from\nthe child of ten summers to the old man of seventy winters, came\ntogether requesting the ordinance of baptism, and what was most\nremarkable, the greatest order and propriety prevailed. There were no\nexhibitions of enthusiasm, no rapturous outbursts, or passionate\nexclamations. All was calm, sedate, and tranquil. Every one seemed to be\nimpressed with a sense of the indescribable holiness of God, and the\nsinfulness of the human heart. Every one seemed to feel himself within\nthe most holy place. There was confession, thanksgiving, and\nentreaty,\u2014so humble, and yet so confiding,\u2014so confiding, and yet so\npresumptuous,\u2014so importunate, and yet so submissive. There were songs of\npraise and sighs of penitence. There were tears of holy joy, of exalted\nhope, of remorseful sorrow. From this church the sacred excitement\nextended to others, and many precious revivals occurred in the\nneighbourhood.\n\nThis community is at present engaged in building a new meeting-house, at\na cost of five thousand dollars, having donated the old one to a school\nand society formed for educational and agricultural purposes.\n\nThis church was for a long time concerned in a very tedious affair\nrelative to a lot of land in Philadelphia, which had been left by the\nwill of Richard Sparks to the Seventh-day Baptists for a burial-ground.\nThe date of the will I have been unable to obtain, but it appears that\nSparks was one of the Keithian Seventh-day Baptists; that he was\nbaptized by William Davis, in 1699; and that he belonged to a church of\nour persuasion in Newtown, Chester County. He was a man of large\nproperty, and being determined to give his brethren some substantial\nproof of his regard, donated to them the before-mentioned lot, which, at\nthat time was in the suburbs of the city, although at present it is\nnearly in the centre. It was used, for some time, as the burial-ground\nof the church, and upon a marble slab, placed in the wall by which it is\nsurrounded, are inscribed the names of those who are interred within.\nSubsequent to the extinction of that church, and the removal of its\nmembers, many of whom emigrated to Shiloh,[38] it became a question\nwhether the disposal of this property might not be effected, and the\nproceeds of the sale appropriated by the General Conference. Pursuant to\nthis design, Caleb Shepherd, of Shiloh, was appointed as agent for the\nsale of said lot, with instructions to present a memorial to the\nLegislature of Pennsylvania, petitioning them to authorize its disposal\nfor pecuniary compensation, or in exchange for other land more\nconveniently situated. But these tedious negotiations resulted in a\nmanner the most unsatisfactory. The Legislature decided that according\nto the tenure of the will, their only right to it was founded upon their\nusing it for burial purposes; and that therefore there could be no legal\ndisposal made of it.\n\nAbout this time the Conference, in its denominational capacity, withdrew\nall claim to it in favour of the Shiloh and Piscataway churches.\nSubsequently it was leased to a hose company; and afterwards sold by\nthese churches to Stephen Girard, by whom it was conveyed to the\ncorporation of the city of Philadelphia, in whose possession it still\ncontinues.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, MARLBOROUGH, NEW JERSEY.\n\nThis church, a branch of the former, was organized in 1811, and Rev.\nJacob Ayras became its pastor, in which relation he continued until his\ndeath, in 1838, having served the church nearly twenty-five years.\n\nRev. Samuel Davis, brother of Elder John Davis, of Shiloh, was for some\ntime his colleague in the ministry.\n\nRev. David Clawson, his successor, was returned as licentiate in\nconnexion with the church at Piscataway, in 1833; was ordained in 1836,\nand installed as pastor of this church in 1839, in which relation he\nstill continues.\n\nOBSERVATIONS.\n\nIt will be perceived that this Association embraces the oldest churches,\nand is emphatically the stronghold of Sabbatarianism. Most of them also\nhave originated from ordinary causes. Those of Piscataway and Shiloh\nhave each produced a branch. Three of those in Rhode Island originated\nfrom a remarkable revival, which progressed in 1837, under the\nministrations of Elder John Green, in which sinners were converted to\nGod by hundreds. All the older churches have been the seats of stated\npastors; consequently they escaped, at least in former times, all the\nevils to be apprehended from frequent changes. These pastors, also,\nhowever deficient they might appear in the graces of elegant diction,\nwere distinguished for sound reasoning and plain sense. Their zeal was\ntempered with moderation; their piety with rationality. If not very\nscrupulous as to method and language, they were correct in their views,\nand orthodox in their principles. The themes of their discourses were\nthe doctrines of the Gospel, and the nature of experimental religion,\nwhich they explained in a manner adapted to the capacities of their\nhearers. That much of this old-fashioned system is being done away with,\nis evident to the most casual observation. This profitable mode of\npreaching has been exchanged for one disposed to harp on opinions and\ndebatable points. But, although a deep explication of mysterious\nsubjects may look more wise, and excite, for the moment, more interest\nthan to travel on in the old track, the tampering with matters beyond\nknowledge, to the neglect of plain but edifying subjects, will be\nattended by a general dearth of religious feeling.\n\n\n SECTION V. CENTRAL ASSOCIATION.\n\nThis body embraces all those large and respectable churches which are\nsituated in the State of New York, east of the small lakes. Most of this\ngreat body of our denomination have been collected here within half a\ncentury. About ninety years ago, we first find traces of Sabbatarian\nsentiments in this extensive country. Since that period the\ndissemination of this scriptural truth has been slow but sure. Churches\nhave one after another been constituted, which, taken as a whole, have\noccupied an important position, not only as to location, but likewise as\nto the tone of feeling which they have given to the efforts and\nenterprises of the denomination in benevolent and educational pursuits.\nThey were among the earliest promoters of Domestic Missions in the then\ndestitute regions of their own and the Southwestern States. By their\nunwearied and active exertions, amid all the discouragements incident to\npoverty, limited means, and untoward circumstances, evangelists were\nsent out to disseminate the truth in those then destitute places, where,\nfor many years past, flourishing churches and powerful auxiliaries have\nexisted. They seem also to have first become interested in the subject\nof Sabbath schools, conference meetings, and monthly concerts for\nprayer. Their anniversaries are held at different places in their long\nrange of territory, and so commodious and expeditious is the modern mode\nof travelling, that although the churches are spread along a distance of\ntwo or three hundred miles, yet the labour of attending them is but\nsmall, and more than repaid by witnessing the varied and beautiful\nscenery along the route. The very flourishing institution denominated\nthe De Ruyter Institute, is located within the limits of this\nAssociation. It is situated, as its name imports, in the pleasant\nvillage of De Ruyter, on the southwestern part of the county of Madison.\nIt was projected in 1835, and went into operation in 1837. The building\nis of stone, ninety-four feet front, and sixty-four in width, including\nthe depth of the wings projecting backwards. It contains a chapel, a\nroom for philosophic lectures, one for the library and society for\nnatural history, six recitation rooms, and fifty-six students' rooms.\n\nThere is both a male and female department in the institution; and the\nfaculty, by their ability and assiduity, have commended it to the good\nopinion of the public, among whom it has hitherto sustained a high\nreputation.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, BERLIN, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church, the oldest body in this Association, was organized in 1783,\nalthough many years previous, a number of Sabbath-keepers, principally\nmembers of the Sabbatarian churches in Rhode Island, had removed into\nthese parts, being among the first settlers of the place. Of these, the\nlarge and respectable families of the Coons, Greenmans, Crandalls,\nGreens, and Randalls, were most distinguished for enterprise and\nintelligence. They occupied a very pleasant situation in the\nnortheasterly parts of the State of New York, adjoining Massachusetts.\nThe place was first called Little Hoosack, and the Sabbatarians resided\nin the towns of Berlin, Petersburg, and Stephentown, in which branch\nchurches have since been established.\n\nAfter the organization of the church, Rev. William Coon, from Hopkinton,\nbecame their first pastor. Elder Coon was a man of great natural\nability, and was so pre-eminently blessed in his ministry, that nearly\ntwo hundred persons were added to the church in one year. He died in\n1801. He was highly esteemed by Mr. Van Rensselaer, then deputy governor\nof the state, who bestowed upon him a valuable farm, and contributed\nliberally towards defraying the expenses of their new meeting-house.\n\nRev. Asa Coon, his nephew and successor, officiated in the ministry but\na few months, when he was removed by death.\n\nRev. William Satterlee received ordination in 1805, in the\nthirty-seventh year of his age, and was immediately installed as pastor\nof the church, in which relation he still continues. Elder Satterlee has\nbeen emphatically a father in Israel. Thousands have walked in more\nbrilliant paths, have risen to loftier stations, and acquired more\nextensive renown, but perhaps no one has been more really useful as a\nChristian minister. In his family, in the church, in the conference, he\nwas equally amiable, equally attentive to the desires of others, and\nequally anxious to do good. While others pursued the phantom of\npopularity, Elder Satterlee remained content with the applause of his\nown conscience, and his brethren were so well aware of his ability and\npaternal character, that for many years he was unanimously chosen\nModerator of the General Conference.\n\nUnder his ministry the church became another mother of churches, and\nnursery of ministers, besides producing several eminent characters.\n\nRev. James H. Cochran was installed as assistant pastor in 1849.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, PETERSBURG, NEW YORK.\n\nThis community, a branch of the Berlin Church, was organized in 1829,\nbut remained until 1835 without a pastor, when Bethuel C. Church became\na licentiate in their connexion, where he continued for one year.\n\nRev. Azor Estee, his successor, was licensed in 1836, and received\nordination in the autumn of the same year. In 1841, he resigned the\npastoral charge of this church to Jared Kenyon, who continued in its\nservice as licentiate until 1844, when Elder Estee returned to them\nagain.\n\nRev. William B. Maxson was resident here in 1845.\n\nRev. James Summerbell was ordained, pursuant to the request of this\nchurch, in 1849, and was immediately installed as pastor.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, NEW YORK CITY.\n\nThis church was organized in 1845, although Sabbatarians had resided in\nBrooklyn and its vicinity for a long time previous. They have a large\nand commodious meeting-house. Rev. T. B. Brown is their present pastor.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, ADAMS, JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was organized in 1822, and Rev. William Green became its\nfirst pastor, which relation he sustained with great acceptance until\n1841, when\n\nRev. Eli S. Bailey assumed the pastoral charge for one year, and was\nsucceeded by\n\nRev. Joel Green, who, in 1845, resigned his station to Rev. G. M.\nLangworthy.\n\nRev. Alexander Campbell is the present incumbent.\n\nThis church has been blessed with several revivals of religion, and is a\nvery efficient community. Unlike some of its sister churches, it has\nalways been in a sound and healthy condition, and at present holds a\nhigh rank among the most decided friends of all the principles and\ninstitutions of the denomination.\n\nFIRST SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, BROOKFIELD, NEW YORK.\n\nAs early as 1791, several members of the Hopkinton Church emigrated to\nthis place and began a settlement. The country at that time was wild and\nuninhabited. Hills and valleys were covered with forests in all their\nprimeval majesty, through which the wild deer and the Indian roamed. But\nthe hand of industry soon wrought a wonderful transformation in this now\nbeautiful country. The woods disappeared. Green pastures and yellow\nharvests waved in the valleys. The hills were crowned with cottages,\nhomely, indeed, but delightful, for they were the abodes of piety and\ncontent. There was temporal comfort and prosperity. There was spiritual\nhappiness and godly hope. The Sabbath was neither forgotten nor\nneglected. It was linked with too many hallowed memories, too many sweet\nand pleasant associations, too many blessed reminiscences of home, of\nkindred, of heaven, ever to be deserted by those who were exiled by the\nforce of circumstances from the delightful scenes of their youth.\nMeetings were instituted, and continued from house to house, and many\nprecious seasons were enjoyed before the organization of the church.\n\nIn the autumn of 1797, they were visited by Elders Burdick and Coon, of\nHopkinton, and by them constituted a church in sister relation. They\nnumbered at first but twenty members.\n\nRev. Henry Clarke became their first pastor, in which relation he\ncontinued until 1829.\n\nRev. Eli S. Bailey received ordination in 1819, and the same year became\nassociated with Elder Clarke in the ministry.\n\nRev. Daniel Coon removed from Hopkinton the same year, and became a\nresident in connexion with this church.\n\nRev. William B. Maxson assumed the pastoral relation as assistant of\nElder Clarke, in 1823, and remained until 1833.\n\nRev. John Green, his successor, continued four years, and was succeeded\nby\n\nRev. Sebeus M. Burdick, who, in 1841, resigned the office to\n\nRev. William B. Maxson, who remained for two or three years, and was\nsucceeded by\n\nRev. O. P. Hull, for a short period, when Elder Maxson, the present\nincumbent, was again installed.\n\nSeveral licentiates have, at different times, been connected with this\nchurch. Of these we may mention Charles Card, in 1832, and more\nrecently, Charles M. Lewis, Waitstill Phillips, and David Burdick.\n\nSECOND SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, BROOKFIELD, NEW YORK.\n\nThis community, a branch of the First Brookfield Church, was organized\nin 1823, and Eli S. Bailey became its first pastor. Under his ministry\nthe church enjoyed several of those auspicious seasons denominated\nrevivals of religion, and continued many years in a state of general\npeace and prosperity. Elder Bailey was educated for the medical\nprofession, which he pursued for some time with eminent success. At this\nperiod neither his habits of life nor associations gave promise of his\never becoming a Christian minister; but, notwithstanding that his\nprofession was one of honour, and opened before him a fair path to\nwealth and eminence, his heart turned towards the task of winning souls\nto God. In 1839, James Bailey was associated as licentiate, and\nsubsequently as elder, in the ministry of this church. Rev. Samuel B.\nCrandall succeeded in 1842, and continued for one year, when Elder\nBailey again assumed the spiritual charge, which he continues to\nexercise.\n\nTHIRD SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, BROOKFIELD, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church, like the former, originated from the First Brookfield\nChurch, and was also organized in 1823.\n\nRev. Daniel Coon became its first pastor, in which relation he continued\nuntil 1836.\n\nRev. Samuel B. Crandall, his successor, and the present incumbent was\nlicensed in 1831, and ordained in 1832, since which period, with the\nexception of one year, he has been connected with this church.[39]\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, TRUXTON, NEW YORK.\n\nOriginally, this church was composed of emigrant members from the First\nBrookfield Church. Its distinct organization took place in 1824. In 1826\nit became the seat of Rev. Alexander Campbell, who remained until 1833.\n\nRev. Zuriel Campbell, his successor, was licensed in 1835, and ordained\nin 1838. Subsequent to his removal, which took place in 1839,\n\nRev. Russell G. Burdick, assumed the spiritual care for one year. He was\nfollowed by Elias Rogers as licentiate, who, in 1844, was succeeded by\nSolomon Coon, and Varnum Burdick, in the same capacity. Varnum Burdick\nis the present incumbent.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, DIANA, LEWIS COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church originated from a small company of Sabbatarians who removed\nfrom Brookfield, several years ago, and who, although deprived of\nsabbatical and sanctuary privileges, nevertheless maintained prayer and\nconference meetings, and exhibited in their daily walk and conversation\nan exact conformity to their holy vocation. Recently several influential\nand highly respectable families in this vicinity have embraced the\nSabbath, and in 1846, a church was organized consisting of sixteen\nmembers, with prospects of large additions at an early period. It is\nsupplied with ministerial assistance by the Missionary Society.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, DE RUYTER, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church, originally composed of emigrants from the Berlin and\nHopkinton communities, was constituted in 1806. David Davis became their\nfirst, pastor.\n\nRev. John Green, his successor, was ordained to the work of the ministry\nin 1819. A well-written biography of Elder Green would be most edifying,\nas perhaps no other minister in the denomination has been the leader in\nso many auspicious revivals. In numerous instances, his visitations to\nthe churches have been accompanied with the most remarkable outpourings\nof the Spirit of grace. Indeed, so often has this been the case, that\nlong since it became proverbial among the people, and a promised visit\nfrom Elder John Green was considered as the sure precursor of a\nreformation. It is no wonder, therefore, that this venerated man is,\nwith few exceptions, so universally beloved and respected, for\nmultitudes look up to, and regard him as their spiritual father. It is\nno wonder that the aspersions of malice, and the machinations of envy\nhave been unable to destroy his credit or his influence with the\ndenomination at large. Yet this man, who has received so many seals to\nhis ministry, and whose presence to the churches is so auspicious, is a\nplain old-fashioned man, neither skilled in logic nor taught in the\nschools. He has none of the polish or blandishments of modern eloquence,\nno affectation of learning, no parade of jingling phrases or\nhigh-sounding words.\n\nO how many of our young men, who discourse learnedly of preparatory\nstudies for the ministry, might, with infinite advantage, sit at the\nfeet and learn of this Shamgar in the churches, who, coming from the\nfields of honest industry to the pulpit, has been more instrumental in\nwinning souls to God, than most of the scholars who have come to the\ncontest elate with the honours of a full collegiate course. Like a\ncertain remarkably effective preacher of old, who came into the ministry\nwith hands undried from the fisherman's net, or like another, of some\naccount at one time in the churches, who wrought at a useful occupation\nthat he might not be burdensome to any, Elder Green was undoubtedly\ncalled and set apart as a chosen vessel, by the Spirit of truth. What\nweeping sinner, what returning backslider, ever thought or inquired\nwhether he was skilled in algebraic problems, Hebrew nouns, or Greek\nverbs? Learning to such a preacher would not and could not be any help;\nit might be a hindrance. It might lead him to trust in earthly\navailments, and make him forget in what his great strength lay. Have we\nnot reason to fear that a vain trust in learning and temporal advantages\nis the Delilah that has shorn the locks from so many spiritual Samsons,\nand rendered them powerless before their enemies? It would be a\ndifficult matter to attempt an analyzation of the sermons of Elder\nGreen, or to show in what the secret of his success consisted. No one,\nwhile listening to his discourses, would think of applying to them the\nordinary tests of criticism; indeed, no one would be half so much\npleased with the speaker as displeased with himself. He would probably\nforget the time, the place, and the congregation, and see himself\ntransported at once to the bar of God, with the world in flames. His\ncogitations would not be, \"Oh, what a learned and beautiful discourse!\"\nbut \"Oh, wretched man that I am!\" or, \"Oh, blessed Jesus, how wonderful\nis thy love and goodness!\" Yet in these sermons, so remarkably\neffective, there does not appear the least striving for effect, no\nattempt to enlist the passions of the auditory, no forced and laboured\nejaculations; but the attention is first engaged by the voice, the look,\nthe manner, the appearance of the speaker; our interest increases with\nhis amplification of the subject, and his application of it every one\nthat hears must feel.\n\nElder Green remained at De Ruyter until 1826, when the church was for\nsome time without a pastor.\n\nRev. Alexander Campbell, his successor, was installed in 1834, and\nremained for several years.\n\nRev. James Bailey succeeded him in 1842, and remained until 1848.\n\nRev. James R. Irish, Principal of the De Ruyter Institute, is the\npresent incumbent.\n\nMany licentiates, in connexion with the Literary Institution, have at\ndifferent times officiated in this church.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, HOUNSFIELD, JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church originated from the Seventh-day Society in Adams, and was\nconstituted in 1841, William Green assuming the pastoral charge, in\nwhich relation he still continues.\n\nThe services of a settled pastor are, to these infant churches, of\ninestimable value.[40]\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, LINCKLAIN, CHENANGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was organized in 1831, and Sebeus M. Burdick became its\nspiritual guide.\n\nIn 1839, G. M. Langworthy and Thomas E. Babcock were returned as\nlicentiates in its connexion, but Elder Burdick, in 1842, assumed its\nparochial charge for the second time. He was succeeded, in 1846, by the\nRev. Joshua Clarke.\n\nAt present it is supplied with ministerial assistance by the brethren at\nDe Ruyter, of the church in which place it is a branch.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, OTSELIC, CHENANGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was organized in 1830, and Ephraim Curtiss became its\npastor. Elder Curtiss was a man of distinguished merit and great\npromise. His talents and services were of inestimable value to this\ninfant community; but the Great Head of the church was pleased, for wise\nbut unseen purposes, to remove him from earth while yet in the noon of\nhis days. His decease, combined with other causes, has contributed to\nkeep this church in a backward state. For a long time their harps were\nhung upon the willows, and although they remained inflexible in their\nattachment to the great distinctive principles of the denomination, and\nsupported sabbatical ordinances in a regular manner, they have been\nblessed with few additions to their numbers.\n\nRev. Joshua Clarke, their present pastor, was installed in 1847.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, PRESTON, CHENANGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church dates back to a very early period. In 1804, Davis Rogers,\nwho had been ordained in 1784, with several members of the Waterford\n(Connecticut) Church, emigrated to this place, where they organized a\nchurch, which, under his ministry, continued for a long time in a\nflourishing condition. In 1818, it was admitted into the Conference, at\nwhich period David Davis was associated with Elder Rogers in the\nministry. The death of Elder Rogers, which, as I am informed, occurred\nabout 1832, left this weak and sickly community in peculiarly trying and\npainful circumstances, and the members became scattered like sheep\nwithout a shepherd. Subsequently they were gathered and the church\nreorganized by Elder Benedict Wescott, of Waterford, in 1834. This\nworthy and useful man then assumed the spiritual charge of the scattered\nflock, in which relation he continued until 1842.\n\nRev. Varnum Hull, his successor, was ordained in 1843, and continued to\nserve this church for four or five years.\n\nRev. Joshua Clarke, the present incumbent, is connected both with this\nand the Sabbatarian community at Otselic.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, RICHLAND, OSWEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis infant community was gathered and organized in 1845. Though few in\nnumber, they give promise of great efficiency.\n\nRev. Elias Burdick is their pastor.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, SCOTT, CORTLAND COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was originally composed of members from the Berlin and Rhode\nIsland Churches. Of these we may notice the large and respectable\nfamilies of the Burdicks, Babcocks, and Hubbards, who, even to this day,\nare the bone and sinew of the Scott fraternity. It was organized in\n1820, and William B. Maxson became its first pastor, and Holly Maxson\nthe first deacon. It is justly due to the memory of this venerable man\nto remark, that for piety, disinterested benevolence, and every amiable\nand Christian grace, he has rarely been equalled and never excelled.\nMild and equable in disposition, complacent and affable in manner, he\nwas particularly qualified to soften animosities and settle\ndifficulties; while the uniform estimation in which he was held, and the\nknown impartiality of his decisions, caused him to be chosen as umpire\nand arbitrator in all disturbances and divisions of whatever kind. His\nmemory is still venerated, and the most honourable testimonies to his\nmerit are yet borne by the community where he resided. His death was in\ncharacter with his life. He died repeating\n\n  \"Jesus can make a dying bed\n  Feel soft as downy pillars are.\"\n\nRev. Joel Green was licensed in 1823, and ordained, agreeably to the\nrequest of this church, in 1824, in which connexion he continued until\n1840.\n\nRev. Job Tyler, for a long time his colleague, was also licensed in\n1823, and received ordination in 1825.\n\nRev. Orson Campbell, of Berlin, assumed the spiritual guidance of this\nchurch, in connexion with and during the prolonged absence of Elder\nGreen, in 1838 and 1839.\n\nRev. Russell G. Burdick, the present incumbent, succeeded to the\nparochial care of this church in 1842.\n\nThis church has been blessed with several powerful and extensive\nrevivals, and twice to my remembrance these auspicious seasons occurred\nduring the visitations of Elder John Green. These religious excitements\nwere generally attended with extraordinary exhibitions. Sometimes nearly\nevery individual in the congregation would be prostrate upon their\nknees, while a mingled utterance of screams, wailings, prayers, notes of\ngrief and joy, would rise in one deep chorus. Ever and anon some sinner\nwho felt his burden removed would burst out in a song of triumph and\nloud hosannah; others, who had been groaning for hours in the deepest\nagony, or sitting silent, sullen, and dejected, like images of\nunutterable woe, would arise with a glory upon their countenances, and\nwords of praise and exultation on their lips. Many entirely lost the use\nof their limbs, and lay a long time as if entranced. At these meetings\nthere would generally be several ministers, who would officiate at the\nsame time in different parts of the congregation, some in exhortation,\nsome in praying for the distressed, and some in arguments with opposers,\nwho considered such proceedings the height of fanaticism.\n\nFIRST SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, VERONA, ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was organized in 1820, although several years previous a\nnumber of families of Seventh-day Baptists had removed from Hopkinton\nand settled in this place, where they kept up meetings on the Sabbath.\nThe large and respectable family of Williamses appears to have been the\nprincipal support of this infant church, which, until 1842, remained\nwithout the services of a settled pastor, when\n\nRev. Charles M. Lewis assumed the spiritual charge.\n\nRev. Christopher Chester, his successor, was installed in 1848.\n\nA branch church was organized at Schenectady in 1834. John Maxson became\nits deacon, but so far as I am aware it never had a settled pastor. It\ncontinued only a few years. A church was likewise organized in Baltimore\nthe same year, which long since ceased to exist.\n\nSECOND SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, VERONA, ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church, a branch of the former, was organized in 1837, but remained\nin a destitute condition until 1842, when Rev. Elihu Robinson became its\npastor, in which relation he continued for several years.\n\nAt present they have no settled pastor.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, WATSON, LEWIS COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was organized in 1841. Joshua Clarke and William G. Quibell\nwere recognised as licentiates in its connexion. Subsequently they\nreceived ordination, and the latter assumed the parochial charge, in\nwhich he still continues.\n\nThis church, although in its infancy, gives great promise of future\nefficiency and usefulness.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, NEWPORT, HERKIMER COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis small but interesting community was formed in 1838. It has received\nministerial assistance from the Missionary Society at different times,\nalthough deprived of the services of a settled pastor.\n\nElihu Robinson officiated as licentiate in this place for a short\nperiod.\n\nEXTINCT CHURCHES.\n\nIn 1820, a branch of the Berlin Church was organized in Fox Township,\nClearfield County, Pennsylvania, which continued for several years in a\nflourishing condition. In 1822, John Bliss was ordained to the work of\nthe ministry, and subsequently Jeremiah Bliss was returned as\nlicentiate. But many evil influences were at work, which this church,\nalways weak and feeble, was unable to withstand. Its decline may be\ndated from 1832, since which period it gradually sunk, its members\nremoved into other parts, and finally it ceased to exist.\n\nIt may be conceded that neither legal enactments, penal statutes, nor\npopular customs, can suppress the course of truth, or prevent the\nexercise of its legitimate effects upon the minds of men. The progress\nof our denomination, notwithstanding the adverse circumstances and many\ndisadvantages under which we have laboured, has been steady and\nunceasing; and although many of our churches are in a state of infancy,\ntheir numbers are respectable, and their influence considerable.\n\nMany ministers who have arisen in these fraternities, have removed\nthence into other parts. Ministers distinguished for evangelical\nenterprise and fervent zeal, some of whom have been among the first\npioneers of the gospel in the western regions.\n\nIn connexion with these churches are some very efficient High Schools,\nand one Literary Institution of a higher class. It is true that these\ninstitutions are not of a theological character; nevertheless, they are\nimportant appendages of the denomination, and, if well managed, will\nbecome what is most needed, and will confer immense benefits upon the\ncommunity at large. The general diffusion of knowledge will elevate the\nmoral and intellectual standard, and will be the sure forerunner of\nhigher ministerial attainments, and the better management of the\nchurches.\n\n\n SECTION VI. WESTERN ASSOCIATION.\n\nThe churches embraced in this Association, are situated on what was\nformerly considered missionary ground, although some of them are at\npresent among the most efficient bodies in the denomination. The\nprincipal ornament of this section is the Alfred Academy, a very\nflourishing literary institution, of a high classical character. It\nappears to have originated from a High School, and went into operation\ntwo or three years previous to the De Ruyter Institute.\n\nFIRST SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH ALFRED, ALLEGHANY COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was originally composed of emigrants from the Rhode Island\nand New Jersey fraternities, and was constituted in 1816. The region at\nthat time was extremely destitute, and these pioneers of our faith were\nrequired to undergo many hardships, and experience great deprivations in\nthe prosecution of their schemes. Generally their means were moderate,\nand their worldly advantages limited; but they were zealous for the\ntruth and rich in faith. They found a wilderness, here and there broken\nby the hand of man: they left smiling fields and growing villages. They\nfound penury and destitution: they left wealth and plenty. They found a\nregion where the songs of David were not repeated, where the Sabbath was\nnot observed: they left flourishing schools and churches. Did they live\nin vain?\n\nRev. Amos Satterlee was installed as pastor of the Alfred Church in\n1820, which station he filled with great acceptance for several years.\n\nHis successors, Daniel Babcock and Richard Hull, were ordained in 1824,\nand remained with this church about fifteen years, when they removed to\nother fields.\n\nRev. James R. Irish became their pastor in 1837, in which relation he\ncontinued until 1846.\n\nDuring the ministry of these brethren, the church has been blessed at\nintervals with many precious revivals; and it appears to have been from\nthe first in a sound and healthy condition.\n\nRev. Hiram Cromwell, his successor, remained for only a short period,\nand was succeeded by\n\nRev. N. V. Hull, the present incumbent.\n\nElder Hull is endowed with talents of the very highest order, and\nperhaps no minister in the denomination is better qualified to shine in\na promiscuous assembly. His fine understanding, ready wit, and brilliant\nimagination, are united to the most fascinating powers of oratory, a\ndemeanour of princely elegance, and the highest style of manly beauty.\nHis services either as a settled pastor, or visiting evangelist, have\nbeen highly efficient in this region, and his preaching has been\nattended with many powerful revivals.\n\nSECOND SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, ALFRED, ALLEGHANY COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church, a branch of the former, was organized in 1831, and Elder\nRay Green became its pastor. In 1835 Clarke Potter and N. V. Hull were\nreturned as licentiates in its connexion. In 1842, Amos Burdick was also\nlicensed, who continued to serve this church after the removal of Elder\nGreen, until 1844, when\n\nRev. James H. Cochran assumed the pastoral charge.\n\nHe was succeeded by Amos Burdick and P. C. Witter, the present\nincumbents.\n\nFIRST SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, GENESEE, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was organized in 1827, and Henry P. Green served as\nlicentiate until 1835, when his ordination took place. Under his\nministry, which continued until 1847, the church received many\nadditions, and became a large and efficient body.\n\nRev. James Bailey, his successor, was installed in 1848.\n\nSECOND SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, GENESEE, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church, a branch of the former, was organized in 1834, and was\nserved by Prentice C. Maine as licentiate, for some time. At present it\nhas no settled pastor, but is supplied with ministerial assistance by\ntravelling missionaries.\n\nTHIRD SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, GENESEE, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church, likewise a branch of the former, was organized in 1842, but\nremained until 1843 without a settled pastor, when their spiritual\ncharge was assumed by L. D. Ayres, who remained until 1847.\n\nRev. H. P. Green, the present incumbent, was installed 1848.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, CLARENCE, ERIE COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was organized in 1828, although Sabbatarians had for some\ntime previous been among the inhabitants of the country, and maintained\nworship upon their holy day. They remained for a long time without a\npastor, but, in 1838, Rev. Nathan V. Hull consented to settle among\nthem. In 1839, James H. Cochran was returned as licentiate, and\nsubsequently, in 1846, as pastor.\n\nAt present they have no settled minister.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, FRIENDSHIP, NEW YORK.\n\nThis community, like that of Alfred, dates back to an early period. It\noriginated, likewise, from an emigration of the members of older\nchurches. Between the years 1812 and 1820, many families in connexion\nwith the New Jersey fraternities removed to this place, and became the\npioneers of our faith in its then lonely regions. In 1824 a church was\nconstituted. Rev. John Green became its first pastor, in which relation\nhe continued until 1833, when\n\nRev. Walter B. Gillette succeeded him, and remained until 1842, when he\nremoved to another field.\n\nRev. Zuriel Campbell followed, who continued until 1845.\n\nRev. A. A. F. Randolph, his successor, had been for some time his\ncolleague.\n\nRev. B. F. Robbins, a man of deep piety and irreproachable character,\nwho embraced the Sabbath in 1845, is the present incumbent.\n\nA short time since Elder John Green visited this place, and his\npresence, as usual, was attended with a gracious revival.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, HARTSVILLE, ALLEGHANY COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis infant community, a branch of the Alfred Church, was organized in\n1847.\n\nRev. Hiram Cornwell is its present pastor.\n\nIt gives a cheering promise of future efficiency and usefulness.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, HAYFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.\n\nThis church is the oldest one in this Association, and originated from\nthe Keithian Seventh-day Baptists, who, in 1770, resided in the\nneighbourhood of Philadelphia. About this time it appears that Rev.\nJames Dunn, with several families of Sabbatarians, removed to this\nplace, where he instituted meetings and organized a church, over which\nhe assumed the pastoral relation. Elder Dunn lived to be very old, but\nsometime previous to his decease, his reason failed, and he became\npartially insane. This misfortune, combined with other disadvantages,\nbrought the church into a state of deep depression. In 1821, Rev. John\nDavis, of Shiloh, made them a visit, and by their unanimous request\nordained Isaac Davis to the work of the ministry. Subsequently, however,\nthe church remained in very low circumstances, and in 1829, at which\ntime it was admitted into the General Conference, it only numbered\ntwenty-four members, and was without a settled pastor.[41] Beside the\noccasional visits of missionaries, it remained thus destitute until\n1836, when\n\nRev. Job Tyler removed into that region and assumed the pastoral charge.\n\nRev. Thomas B. Brown, his colleague in 1840 and 1841, and subsequently\nhis successor, was installed in 1842, and continued until 1844.\n\nMorris Cole succeeded him as licentiate, in which relation he served the\nchurch until 1846, when\n\nRev. A. A. F. Randolph, the present incumbent, was installed.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, INDEPENDENCE, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was organized in 1834, with very auspicious prospects, and\n\nRev. Stillman Coon became its pastor, in which relation he continued\nuntil 1842, when, being transferred to another field, the church was\nserved by Decatur M. Clarke, as licentiate, for two or three years.\n\nRev. Sherman S. Griswold, assumed the parochial charge in 1845, and\ncontinued two years.\n\nRev. T. Babcock, the present pastor, was installed in 1848.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, WIRT, ALLEGHANY COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nAt a very early period in the history of this district, Sabbath-keepers\nwere found among its inhabitants, chiefly emigrants from the older\nsettlements, but they were not gathered and arranged into a church until\n1827. Subsequent to that period they remained in low and depressed\ncircumstances, which may be chiefly attributed to their want of the\nservices of a settled pastor. Recently, however, they have been mostly\nsupplied with ministerial assistance by\n\nRev. James L. Scott, until 1845, when they engaged the services of\n\nRev. Zuriel Campbell for one year; who was succeeded by Rev. Thomas E.\nBabcock.\n\nC. T. Champlin, the present incumbent, is a licentiate.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, SCIO, ALLEGHANY COUNTY, NEW YORK.\n\nThis church was organized in 1834, but remained for a long time without\nmany additions, or the services of a settled pastor.\n\nRev. Ray Green assumed the parochial charge in 1845, and continued until\n1847.\n\nRev. Rowse Babcock, the present incumbent, was installed in 1848.\n\nIn reviewing the progress of Sabbatarianism within the bounds of this\nAssociation, we find abundant reasons for encouragement. An interest\nhitherto unprecedented in the modern history of the Sabbath-keepers, has\nbeen awakened. Many have embraced the truth in opposition to the popular\nsentiments of the day, among whom are several ministers of eminent\ntalent and piety, who may be reckoned as pillars in the cause of God.\n\nThe number of churches has proportionately increased, but it must be\nconfessed that many of them are infant bodies, utterly unable to support\nthe pastor whose services they require, and without whose presence they\ncan never rise to any degree of strength and usefulness. They want such\npastors as the Hopkinton, the Berlin, the Piscataway, and the Shiloh\nChurches possessed during the first century of their existence. Men who\ncould preach the truth for its own sake, who could share with and for\ntheir brethren\u2014live as they did\u2014dress as they did\u2014and even work as they\ndid.[42] Under such plain but substantial guidance, these churches all\nrose to great spiritual strength and permanence. Whatever honour belongs\nto him who is instrumental in gathering and organizing a church, much\nmore is justly due to the one, who, at the expense of personal\nsacrifices and temporal inconveniences, adopts the spiritual infant,\nadministers to its necessities, leads it through the green pastures and\nby the still waters of the heavenly pilgrimage, and finally brings it to\nsuch a degree of maturity that it is able to go alone. It is a\nlamentable fact, that some of these churches for the want of such\nleaders are even now threatened with extinction. Upon whom in such cases\nmust the delinquency rest?\n\n\n SECTION VII. SOUTHWESTERN ASSOCIATION.\n\nMost of the churches embraced in this confederacy are of recent origin.\nMany of them occupy highly advantageous situations in the broad, the\nbright, the glorious West, and give every promise of rising to future\neminence and usefulness.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, NEW SALEM, HARRISON COUNTY, VIRGINIA.\n\nThe history of this church, the oldest one in this Association, is\nhighly interesting. It appears that in 1745, a company of\nSabbath-keepers, including one John Davis, removed from Rhode Island, to\na place called Square, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Here they\norganized a church, and sent said Davis back to Westerly to be ordained,\nwhich was done in 1746. They remained here nearly forty years, when the\nwhole church, men, women, and children, emigrated to the place that\ntheir descendants now inhabit in Virginia. They went in wagons, drove\ntheir cattle, and the cavalcade was many days in performing their\njourney. Their venerable minister continued with them for many years. He\nwas also assisted by one Jacob Davis, who was esteemed as a very amiable\nman and worthy minister.\n\nRev. John Davis his son and successor, was installed about 1800, and\ncontinued to serve the church for a number of years. Zebulon Maxson,\nPeter Davis, and Lewis A. Davis, were likewise associated with him in\nthe ministry at different times, and\n\nRev. Peter Davis finally succeeded him in 1834, in which relation he\nstill continues.\n\nEzekiel Bee is a licentiate in connexion with this church.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, LOST CREEK, VIRGINIA.\n\nThis church was constituted in 1805, and the large and respectable\nfamily of Bonds\u2014its first originators\u2014appear to be still its principal\nsupporters. Richard Bond, while a resident in Maryland, became convinced\nof the sacred character of the seventh day, from reading the Bible\nalone. Once convinced of his duty he was not slow in performing it; but\nembracing the Sabbath, he instituted weekly religious meetings in his\nfamily, and was, for a long time, the priest of his household.\nSubsequently he emigrated to Virginia, and became the founder of the\nLost Creek Church. This church has never been large, and for a great\nproportion of the time it has been without the services of a stated\npastor, but the fact of its steady and uniform course amidst these\nprivations, affords conclusive evidence of the valuable materials of\nwhich it is composed.\n\nRichard C. Bond, the present incumbent, was installed in 1843.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, HUGHES RIVER, VIRGINIA.\n\nThis church, a branch of the former, was organized in 1833. It is in a\nvery weak and depressed condition, containing only seven members.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, SOUTH FORK, HUGHES RIVER, VIRGINIA.\n\nThis church, another branch of the eldest fraternity, was constituted in\n1842. It contains only nineteen members, and was served by Asa Bee and\nJoshua S. Davis, as licentiates.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, NORTHAMPTON, CLARKE COUNTY, OHIO.\n\nThis church originated from a division, on the temperance question, in\nthe Sabbatarian church at Pike, in the same county. It was organized\nwith seventeen of the seceding members, in 1837. In 1840, it was blessed\nwith a precious revival, and received many additions.\n\nRev. Samuel Babcock is the present pastor, assisted by L. Lippencott as\nlicentiate.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, PIKE, CLARKE COUNTY, OHIO.\n\nThis church was constituted in 1824, although Sabbatarians had for some\ntime previous resided in that region.\n\nRev. Simeon Babcock and Rev. Samuel F. Randolph, were for several years\nconnected with these churches, under whose ministry they were greatly\nblessed, and the fraternity under consideration numbered 102 members.\nSubsequently, however, it fell into a decline. The secession of a part\nof its members, the death and removal of others, combined with other\ncauses, left it in a very weak condition. In 1842, James B. Davis was a\nlicentiate in its connexion. At present it has no stated pastor.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, PORT JEFFERSON, SHELBY COUNTY, OHIO.\n\nThis church was organized in 1840, and contained nineteen members. It is\nin a very pleasant situation, and gives great promise of future\nusefulness.\n\nRev. Lewis A. Davis has been the father, and is the pastor of this\nchurch.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, SCIOTA, OHIO.\n\nThis church was organized in 1842, by emigrant members from Scott and\nBrookfield. It is situated in a very pleasant country, and will probably\nbecome, in time, a large and efficient body.\n\nIt is occupied as missionary ground, but has no stated pastor.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, STOKES, OHIO.\n\nThis church was organized in the same year as the former, and is much in\nthe same condition. It is blessed with the services of Rev. Joshua Hill,\nas pastor.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, JACKSON, OHIO.\n\nThis church was organized in 1840, and embraced thirty-eight members,\nmost of whom had removed from Pike, Clarke County, to this place. For\nsome time it appeared quite flourishing, and received several additions,\nbut it is at present in a very low and depressed condition, owing to the\nwant of ministerial assistance.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, WOODBRIDGETOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.\n\nThis church was gathered through the exertions of Rev. Samuel\nWoodbridge, and was organized about 1790. All the knowledge that I have\nbeen able to obtain of Elder Woodbridge is, that he was a First-day\nBaptist minister, who became convinced of the sacred character of the\nseventh day, and embraced it accordingly. Subsequently he removed to\nthis place with his family, where his preaching was blessed to the\nconversion of many, a church organized, and a meeting-house erected,\nwhose pulpit he occupied until his death. This church likewise received\nseveral additions from an emigration of the members of the Nottingham\nand Pennapack fraternities, among whom we may mention the children of\nRev. Enoch David. But the death of Elder Woodbridge was the commencement\nof its decline, as no one arose to take his place. Its ancient and\nvenerable meeting-house, being without a pastor, soon became almost\ndeserted. Some of its members removed to other parts, and others of them\nwent to receive their reward for loving the law and keeping the\ncommandments of God. In 1843, they numbered sixteen, and Lewis Sammons\nserved the church as licentiate. Since that period its decline has been\ngradual, and it is a moral certainty that but a very short time will\nelapse before we shall have to announce the disappearance of another\nstar from our constellation, the extinction of another luminary in the\nmoral world.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, MADISON, INDIANA.\n\nThis small company of Sabbath-keepers was organized into a church in\n1848, since which period it has received few additions, and has been in\na low and depressed condition for the want of pastoral services.\n\n\n SECTION VIII. NORTHWESTERN ASSOCIATION.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, MILTON, ROCK COUNTY, WISCONSIN.\n\nThis large and flourishing church was organized in 1838, since which\nperiod it has rapidly increased in numbers, and promises to become a\nvery useful and efficient body. For a long time this region was\nconsidered as missionary ground. Recently, however,\n\nRev. Stillman Coon and Rev. Zuriel Campbell have connected themselves in\nthe pastoral relation with the church, in which they still continue.\n\nMany of its members were emigrants from Scott and the older churches.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, ALBION, DANE COUNTY, WISCONSIN.\n\nThis church was organized in 1843, and\n\nWm. H. Redfield became its servant in the capacity of licentiate, which\nrelation he sustained for one year, when he was succeeded by\n\nRev. O. P. Hull, the present incumbent, under whose ministry it has\nenjoyed many precious seasons, and received many additions.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, WALWORTH, WISCONSIN.\n\nThis church, mostly composed of emigrants from New Jersey, was organized\nin 1849, and contains twenty-one members, with a prospect of large\nadditions.\n\nIt has no settled pastor.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, FREDONIA, IOWA.\n\nThis church was organized in 1842, and Rev. Rolean M'Reynolds, formerly\na First-day Baptist, a minister of exemplary character and eminent\ntalent, became its pastor, in which relation he continued for some time.\n\nAt present it has no settled pastor.\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, FARMINGTON, ILLINOIS.\n\nThis church was constituted in 1849, and consists mostly of emigrants\nfrom Shiloh, with the family of\n\nRev. Samuel Davison, the present pastor.\n\nIt is said to occupy a pleasant and healthful situation.\n\nREMARKS.\n\nA majority of the churches embraced in this Association may be\nconsidered as enjoying all the advantages of a healthful climate and\nfertile soil, with facilities for commerce. Although few in numbers,\ntheir prospects are most encouraging, perhaps too much so. It is not in\nthe sunlight of worldly prosperity that the good seed rises to maturity\nand bears much fruit: the mind, exulting in temporal advantages, the\naccumulation of riches, or the acquisition of worldly honours, is too\napt to become cold and indifferent to the subject of religion. We trust\nthat it may not be so with these sister fraternities, who have designed\nto hold up the light of the truth, and to witness for the Sabbath among\nan apostatizing community. May they grow in grace as in numbers; may\nthey become rich in heavenly wisdom as in earthly goods; moreover, as\nthey have received liberally may they be disposed to give liberally, and\nto bear in their hearts and upon their prayers the burdens of a\nperishing world. In connexion with this subject another consideration is\npresented. These churches occupy situations as desirable as can be found\nthroughout the whole country for mercantile, mechanical, or agricultural\navocations, and embrace every variety of soil, scenery, and climate.\nSome are located on broad meadow-like prairie; others amid a diversified\nlandscape of hills and valleys; and yet others in the neighbourhood of\nmarts of commerce, and communicating with lakes and rivers. No brother\nneed forsake the Sabbath, in order to find a more eligible or\nadvantageous situation than could be obtained in contiguity with the\nsettlements of the Sabbath-keepers; and no person, whatever may be his\ndenominational character, who wishes to emigrate, will find in any\nlocality a state of society more elevated, moral, and Christian-like, or\nschools more really useful and well-conducted than are to be found among\nthe Sabbatarians. In tracing the history of our denomination, there\noccur many reflections of a pleasant and interesting character,\nparticularly in connexion with our missionary efforts. The review of the\nfields of labour thus occupied would prefigure in a remarkable degree\nour gradual expansion and increase. First we see those good old fathers,\nover whose graves the flowers of centennial summers have bloomed and\nwithered, making short journeys from Rhode Island to New Jersey, and\nperhaps to some parts of Pennsylvania. This, at that time, was\nmissionary ground. Subsequently the area was extended. Where was the\nmissionary ground in their youth to those venerable men who have grown\ngray in the service of the sanctuary? In the wildly beautiful and\nromantic region of western New York and Pennsylvania, where a glorious\nharvest has arisen as the fruit of their labours. Then gradually\nexpanding westward, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Iowa, became alternately the\ntheatres of new scenes of trial and triumph. Intimately connected with\nthe progress of our denomination in this region are the names of Rev. L.\nA. Davis and Rev. J. L. Scott, both indefatigable missionaries, through\nwhose instrumentality several of these churches have been gathered and\norganized. Is not our missionary ground still expanding? Does not the\ntime approach when the broad plains of the Missouri will be so occupied?\nwhen the region of the Rocky Mountains will be so occupied? when Oregon\nand California will be so occupied? Does it appear impossible or\nimprobable? All that is necessary for its realization, is the\napplication of means, and faith in the promises of God.\n\n\n SECTION IX. GENERAL SUMMARY.\n\nThe reader who has followed me through this brief and imperfect sketch\nof the history of the Seventh-day Baptist Denomination, cannot fail to\nperceive that our churches have gradually and healthfully increased in\nnumbers, notwithstanding the continual opposition which is manifested to\nthe cause we advocate, and the continual discouragements that we have to\nencounter both in society and business. It is now about one hundred and\nseventy years since the first Seventh-day Baptist church was organized\nin America; and the efforts which have been made within the last thirty\nyears have accomplished more to advance the interests of the cause than\nwhat was done for nearly a century and a half preceding. This has not\nbeen produced by any special excitement, but by increased energy and\ncourage, and by the multiplication of means for disseminating the truth;\nand those means have but just begun to develope their influence. Our\nEducation, Missionary, and Tract Societies are yet in their infancy; our\ndenominational paper is only beginning to acquire a circulation\ncorresponding to its merits, indicative to other denominations of\nChristians of our literary resources,\u2014and yet effects that would have\nastonished our ancestors have been realized. In 1805, we numbered eight\nchurches, and about one thousand five hundred communicants. Twenty-five\nyears increased that number to three thousand four hundred; but the five\nsubsequent years to more than four thousand five hundred. In 1840, we\nnumbered a fraction over five thousand members, which in three years\nincreased to six thousand. At this period, there are about seven\nthousand communicants in the connexion. There are sixty-five churches\nunited with the Conference; sixty ordained ministers, and about thirty\nlicentiates.\n\n RECAPITULATION OF CHURCHES FOR 1849.\n\n EASTERN ASSOCIATION.\n\n                              Date of       Number of\n Designation.              Organization.   Communicants.\n\n Newport,                       1671              28\n First Hopkinton,               1708             344\n Second Hopkinton,              1835             173\n Third Hopkinton,               1835             166\n Marlborough,                   1811             131\n New York,                      1845              33\n Piscataway,                    1707             174\n Pawcatuck,                     1840             172\n Plainfield,                    1838              83\n Richmond,                      1843              25\n Shiloh,                        1787             261\n South Kingston,                1840              25\n Waterford,                     1784             110\n Westerly,                      1837              72\n\n\n CENTRAL ASSOCIATION.\n\n Adams,                         1822             230\n First Brookfield,              1797             200\n Second Brookfield,             1823             109\n Third Brookfield,              1823             128\n De Ruyter,                     1806             111\n Diana,                         1846              18\n Hounsfield,                    1841              65\n Lincklean,                     1831             104\n Otselic,                       1830              50\n Preston,                       1806              81\n Richland,                      1845              14\n Scott,                         1820             176\n Truxton,                       1824              51\n Watson,                        1841              66\n First Verona,                  1820              70\n Second Verona,                 1837              31\n Berlin,                        1784             272\n Petersburg,                    1829             109\n\n\n WESTERN ASSOCIATION.\n\n Amity,                         1834              27\n First Alfred,                  1816             437\n Second Alfred,                 1831             249\n Clarence,                      1828              77\n Friendship,                    1824             155\n First Genesee,                 1827             171\n Second Genesee,                1834              60\n Third Genesee,                 1842              39\n Hartsville,                    1847              54\n Hayfield,                      1771              85\n Hebron,                        1833              61\n Independence,                  1834             118\n Pendleton,                     1844              20\n Persia,                        1832              59\n Scio,                          1834              40\n Ulysses,                       1845              17\n Wirt,                          1827              34\n\n\n SOUTHWESTERN ASSOCIATION.\n\n First Hughes River, Va.,       1833              12\n Second Hughes River, Va.,      1840               7\n New Salem, Va.,                1745              71\n Lost Creek, Va.,               1805              68\n Jackson, Ohio,                 1843              40\n Northampton, Ohio,             1837              20\n Port Jefferson, Ohio,          1840              31\n Sciota, Ohio,                  1842              20\n Stokes, Ohio,                  1842              22\n Pike, Ohio,                    1824              30\n Madison, Ia.,                  1843              12\n Woodbridgetown, Pa.,           1780               4\n\n\n NORTHWESTERN ASSOCIATION.\n\n Albion, Wis.,                  1843              90\n Milton, Wis.,                  1838             112\n Walworth, Wis.,                1849              21\n Fredonia, Ia.,                 1842               9\n Farmington, Ill.,              1849              16\n\nIn dating the organization of the churches, I have had recourse to\nClarke's History, and to the old Conference Minutes; between which and\nthe minutes for 1849, I discovered some discrepancies. Should the reader\nwish to institute a comparison between my work and other documents, he\nwill please refer to these sources, by which, for several reasons, I\nconsider it safest to be guided.\n\nBesides these churches, there are many scattered families of\nSabbath-keepers in different parts of the Union. The Rev. Isaac P.\nLabagh, a minister of eminent ability and attainment, in connexion with\nthe Episcopal Church in New York, is an observer of the Sabbath.\n\nCONCLUSION.\n\nIt may be observed, in conclusion, that these churches exhibit nothing\npeculiar in their forms of worship. Psalmody is universally practised,\nand the science of vocal music is cultivated in all the older churches.\n\nPrevious to 1822, Rippon's Collection of Hymns was generally used. About\nthat time a new collection, designed particularly for this denomination,\nwas made and published by a committee appointed for that purpose by the\nGeneral Conference. Recently that collection has been superseded by\nanother, which is in present use.\n\nSabbath schools and Bible classes have been instituted, and generally\nreceive attention in all the churches; and the same may be said of\nconference and prayer meetings.\n\nThere are also tract and missionary societies within the bosoms of the\ndifferent fraternities, whose officers constitute the board for the\ntransaction of business.\n\n[36] It is questionable, however, whether Mr. Jones will be an addition\nto our society or not, since he appears to be a man of inferior\nabilities and attainments, and one disposed to meddle with subjects\nabove his capacity or information.\n\n[37] In the autumn of 1850 Elder Rogers was removed by death.\n\n[38] The large and respectable families of the Swinneys, Tomlinsons, and\nThomases, were among the earliest members of the Shiloh Church.\n\n[39] Since the above was written, this church has been visited by a most\nextraordinary and afflictive dispensation of Providence. Elder Crandall,\nsupposed to be labouring under a temporary fit of insanity, put a period\nto his existence by suspending himself from a beam in his barn, in\nSeptember, 1850.\n\n[40] Since writing the above, I have been verbally informed that Elder\nJoel Green was called to preside over the church at Hounsfield, as\ncolleague to Elder William Green, to the great dissatisfaction of the\nlatter, and in consequence of which, such a great difficulty arose, that\nthe ministrations of both were suspended,\u2014but I will not vouch for the\naccuracy of this statement.\n\n[41] For all the incidents relating to the early history of this\norganization, I am indebted to Rev. John Davis, of Shiloh.\n\n[42] One of these fathers, who was considered no mean preacher in his\nday, and who was instrumental, not only in organizing, but in supporting\nand bringing to maturity an infant church, used to remark that he\ndesired no better time for studying a sermon than when following the\nplough.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV. SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS IN THE UNITED STATES, CONTINUED.\n\n\n SECTION I. THE KEITHIAN SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS.\n\nThe Keithian Baptists were seceders from the Quakers of Pennsylvania,\nand were so called from their leader, the famous George Keith, who, in\n1691, with forty-eight other individuals, withdrew from the communion of\nthe Quakers, and set up separate meetings in different places, and a\ngeneral one at Burlington, in opposition to that of Philadelphia.\nSubsequently they published several works of a controversial character,\nand finally, by resigning themselves to the guidance of Scripture, they\nbecame altogether Baptist in their religious practices. At the time of\nthis change in their denominational character they numbered four\nchurches, of which one was situated at Upper Providence, another at\nPhiladelphia, a third at Southampton, and a fourth at Dublin. These\ncontinued for some time, but in 1700, a difference arose among them\nconcerning the Sabbath, that broke up their societies. Some of them\ncontended rightly that the original Sabbath remained unchanged, and that\nits observance was still incumbent upon Christians. The division appears\nto have been fomented by one Abel Noble, who, according to Morgan\nEdwards, came to this country in 1684, and who appears to have been the\nfirst Seventh-day Baptist in the state of Pennsylvania. His name is\nfound among those who, in 1691, signed the articles of the Keithian\nseparation. By him was the first Keithian baptized in 1697, and by him\nwere they gained over to the observance of the seventh day. Through his\ninstrumentality four churches of that order were constituted. The first\nat Newtown, in Upper Providence, about twenty-four miles from the city\nof Philadelphia. Their meeting was held at the house of one David\nThomas. Three families belonged to this place, of whom seven individuals\nwere baptized members of the church, in 1770.\n\nAnother society resided at Pennapack, in the county of Philadelphia. It\nwas to this society that Richard Sparks belonged, and to it he donated\nthe lot of land for a burial-place, which subsequently became the\nproperty of the Shiloh and Piscataway Churches. William Davis was their\nminister. He was baptized in 1697, by Rev. Thomas Killingworth, of\nCohansey, now Greenwich. In 1701, they built a place for worship in\nOxford township, on a lot given to them by Thomas Graves, but neglecting\nto take a deed in due time, the Episcopalians dispossessed them of both\nthe house and lot. In 1711, their preacher, William Davis, leaving them,\nand no one rising to supply the vacancy, they were soon scattered like\nsheep without a shepherd. The third society of them was at Nottingham,\nabout fifty miles from Philadelphia. Their meetings were sometimes held\nat the house of Abigail Price, and at others in the dwelling of Samuel\nBond, in the contiguous state of Maryland. The Sabbatarian families to\nwhich Nottingham was central, were six, of which eight persons were\nbaptized. Here a yearly meeting was kept during the last week in August,\n1770. This church originated from the Keithians at Upper Providence; but\nbeing destitute of a settled pastor, it received few additions. Its most\ninfluential members were the family of Samuel Bond, whose son, Richard\nBond, became subsequently the founder of a Sabbatarian church in\nVirginia.\n\nAnother society of them was in East Nantmill Township, about thirty-two\nmiles from Philadelphia. Here was a meeting-house, built in 1762, on a\nlot of one acre square, the gift of David Rogers. The Sabbatarian\nfamilies in this place were six, of whom ten individuals were baptized.\nThey had no settled pastor, and subsequently they removed in a body to\nFrench Creek, near Meadville, and became the fathers of the present\nchurch at Hayfield. Thus it appears that in 1770 there were twenty-six\nfamilies of Sabbatarians in Pennsylvania, and thirty-one baptized\nindividuals of that order. That they had two yearly meetings and one\nmeeting-house. At this time also they had one minister, Rev. Enoch\nDavid. He was born in 1718, at Duck Creek, county of Kent, in the state\nof Delaware; called to the ministry, at Welshart, in 1751; and ordained\nin 1769. He was married four times, and became the father of nine\nchildren. Ebenezer, his oldest son, was considered a very promising\nyoung man. He entered Rhode Island college as a student in 1770, and\nbecame a member of the Newport Church the same year. He was ordained to\nthe work of the ministry in 1775, and being a young man, accepted the\noffice of chaplain in the American army, under Washington, where he\nremained until his death, in 1778. He was highly esteemed by both\nofficers and soldiers, and afforded every promise of future eminence and\nusefulness.\n\nAbout this time, Zedekiah David, with several others, removed to Fayette\nCounty, and became the founders of a Seventh-day Baptist church in that\nplace, where Rev. Samuel Woodbridge exercised his ministry for many\nyears. To his children and to the church in this place, Rev. Enoch David\npaid a visit in the autumn of 1795, where, preaching in the open air, he\ncaught a violent cold, which settled on his lungs, and finally\nterminated in a consumption, of which he died in the seventy-seventh\nyear of his age, and the fortieth of his ministry. His remains were\ndeposited in the burial-place at Woodbridgetown, in the certain hope of\na joyful resurrection.\n\nThis venerable man was one of the good old ministers of the ancient\nschool, who could preach the truth for its own sake, and who neither\nrequired nor expected a salary. He supported his numerous family by\nworking at his trade, that of a tailor. Four times he was left a\nwidower, and each time with the care of an infant. He lived to see six\nof his children consigned to the grave. He had an estate of some value\nin the city of Philadelphia, which was sold at his decease and the\nproceeds divided among his family.\n\nFrom the church in East Nantmill Township, Pennsylvania, a church was\nformed on Broad River, in the parish of St.\u00a0Mark, South Carolina, in\n1754. In 1770, it had increased to eighteen families, of whom\ntwenty-four persons were baptized. At this time there were several\nchurches of the Dunker Baptists, in this state, who observed the seventh\nday.\n\nIn 1759, eight families of the Seventh-day Baptists passed over from\nSouth Carolina, and settled near Suckaseesing, in Georgia. Their leader\nwas Richard Gregory, son of John Gregory. Another of their preachers was\nnamed Clayton. After remaining here about five years, the whole company\nreturned to Edisto, in South Carolina.\n\nIt is believed that these churches have been for a long time extinct.\n\n\n SECTION II. A GENERAL HISTORY OF THE GERMAN SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS.\n\nThe Reformation in Germany and Holland was productive of great and\nglorious effects, although it was not complete. Errors in doctrine,\nnearly or quite as incongruous with Scripture as those abandoned, were\nretained; ceremonies, nearly equal in absurdity to those prohibited,\nwere still celebrated; and persecutions, exhibiting more similarity to\nthe practices of Papacy than to the meekness and quietude of pure\nChristianity, were still prosecuted. The Reformation required to be\nreformed, and of this many pious and holy men were aware. At length, in\n1694, a violent controversy arose in nearly all the Protestant churches\nof those two countries, in consequence of the attempts which were being\nmade to promote a practical and vital religion. At this time the pious\nSpener was ecclesiastical superintendent of the court of Saxony. He was\nlikewise at the head of the party distinguished for its advocacy of\nreformatory measures. However, neither his dignified and important\nstation, nor the fact that the tenets of his followers were predicated\nupon scripture according to its literal interpretation, could preserve\nthem from falling under the odium of heresy, and incurring the effects\nof a virulent opposition. Their doctrines were examined by the\necclesiastical dignitaries, who, instead of instituting a comparison\nbetween them and Holy Writ, sought to discover whether or not they were\nconformable to the tenets deemed orthodox by the Consistory of\nWittemberg. The decision was in the negative; hence they were suppressed\nin their public lectures and ministrations. This prohibition, while it\nshut up churches, and hushed the eloquence of public lecturers, savoured\nof persecution, and consequently excited a spirit of inquiry in the\nminds of the multitude. In such cases as this, reverend divines would\nconsult their own interest by bestowing greater attention upon the study\nof human nature. Persecution agitates the public mind, excites the\nsympathy of some, the curiosity of all, and promulgates the very\nsentiments it is endeavouring to restrain. Besides, persecutors are not\nomniscient, conventicles will be held, and to their other charms that of\nsecrecy is then added. In the year 1708, Alexander Mack, of Schriesheim,\nand seven others in Schwartzenen, Germany, met together, regularly to\nexamine, in a careful and impartial manner, the doctrines of the New\nTestament, in order to ascertain what obligations it imposes upon\nprofessing Christians. These inquiries terminated in the formation of\nthe society now called the Dunkers, or First-day German Baptists.\nPersecution, while it scattered them, likewise led to the dissemination\nof their doctrines; some were driven to Crefelt, in the Duchy of Cleves,\nand the mother church voluntarily removed to Sevustervin, in Friesland,\nwhence its members emigrated to America in 1719, and dispersed to\ndifferent parts of Pennsylvania. In 1723, they formed a church at\nGermantown, under the pastoral care of Peter Becker. The rapid growth of\nthis church has rarely been excelled, and it received continual\naccessions of new members from the banks of the Wissahickon, and from\nLancaster County. In this county, another community was soon after\nestablished by Conrad Beissel, a native of Germany. He was a man of\neminent piety and ability, much given to metaphysical speculations, and\ndistinguished for his love of solitude. Being determined to seek out the\ntrue obligations of the Word of God, independent of all preconceived\nopinions and traditional observances, he was soon led to perceive that\nthe sentiments of the Dunkers were erroneous so far as they related to\nthe day designed to be hallowed as the Sabbath. It appeared evident to\nhim \"that the seventh day was the command of the Lord God, and that day\nbeing established and sanctified by the Great Jehovah, for ever, and no\nchange, nor authority for change, ever having been announced to man, by\nany power sufficient to set aside the solemn decree of the Almighty, he\nfelt it to be his duty to contend for the observance of that day.\" These\nopinions he maintained, not only in many eloquent discourses, but, about\nthe year 1725, he published a short treatise which entered into a full\nand very able discussion of this point. The publication of this tract\nformed, in more ways than one, an epoch in the community, and created so\nmuch stir and excitement among the Society at Mill Creek, that Beissel\nquietly retired from the settlement, and took up his abode in a small\ncell on the banks of the Cocalico, which had been occupied previously by\none Elimelech, an anchorite. Here, retired from all the world, he\nsought, by prayer, fasting, and meditation, to converse with superior\nintelligences, and to perfect himself in holy knowledge. But the\ncommunity that had opposed his fervent and spiritual teachings when\npresent, found his absence a great deprivation, and although many\ninquiries were made, it was a long time before the place of his\nretirement became known. By this time many members of the society at\nMill Creek had become convinced of the truth of his proposition relative\nto the Sabbath, who now removed and settled around him in solitary\ncottages. They rested from secular labours and celebrated the public\nservices of religion upon the original Sabbath, the seventh day of the\nweek, which has ever since been observed by their descendants.\n\nIn 1728, they resolved themselves into an ecclesiastical body, and a\nmonastic society was instituted in 1732, for the accommodation of which\nsuitable buildings were erected. Other buildings were likewise erected\nby the community, and all together constituted the irregular, yet lovely\nvillage of Ephrata. Both men and women were admitted into the convent,\nand both appear to have been singularly attached to the monastic state.\nThey wore the habit of the Capuchins, or White Friars, which consisted\nof a shirt, trowsers and vest, with a long white gown and cowl, of\nwoollen web in winter, and linen in the summer. That of the sisters\ndiffered only in the substitution of skirts for trowsers, and some\nslight peculiarities in the form of the cap. All who entered the\ncloister received monastic names. Their first Prior was Onesimus,\n(Israel Eckerlin,) who was succeeded by Peter Miller, surnamed Jabez.\nBeissel, whose monastic name was Friedsam, received the title of\nFather\u2014spiritual father,\u2014and subsequently that of Gottrecht, implying\ntogether, Peaceable God-right, from the brethren of the community. \"In\nthe year 1740, there were thirty-six single brethren in the cloister,\nand thirty-five sisters; and at one time the society, including the\nmembers living in the neighbourhood, amounted to near three hundred.\"\nThe government and arrangement of this little community were perfectly\nrepublican, and all the members stood upon the most fraternal equality\nand freedom. They were bound by no vows, neither had they any written\ncovenant. The New Testament was their confession of faith, their code of\nlaws, and their rule of discipline. Such property as accumulated with\nthe society, by donation and from the labour of the single brethren and\nsisters, was held as common stock, but none were obliged to devote their\npersonal property to this purpose or to resign any of their temporal\npossessions. A considerable income was derived from the farm, which,\nwith the proceeds of the grist-mill, paper-mill, oil-mill, fulling-mill,\nand the industry of the brethren and sisters, sufficed to support the\nsociety in a comfortable manner.\n\nThe principles of this society appear to have been superficially\nunderstood and partially represented by most writers upon the subject,\nalthough there is nothing about them mysterious or intricate.\n\n\"They receive the Bible as the only rule of faith, covenant, and code of\nlaws for church government. They do not admit the least license with the\nletter and spirit of the Scripture, especially with the New Testament,\ndo not allow one tittle to be added or rejected in the administration of\nthe ordinances, but practise them precisely as they are instituted and\nmade an example by Jesus Christ in his word.\n\n\"They believe in the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the trinity\nof the Godhead; having unfurled this distinctive banner on the first\npage of a hymn book which they had printed for the society as early as\n1739, viz.: 'There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the\nWord, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three\nthat bear witness on earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood;\nand these three agree in one.'\n\n\"They believe that salvation is of grace, and not of works; and they\nrely solely on the merits and atonement of Christ. They believe, also,\nthat that atonement is sufficient for every creature; that Christ died\nfor all who will call upon his name, and offer fruits meet for\nrepentance; and that all who come to Christ are drawn of the Father.\n\n\"They contend for the observance of the original Sabbath, believing that\nit requires an authority equal to that of the Great Institutor to change\nany of his decrees. They maintain, that as he blessed and sanctified\nthat day for ever, which has never been abrogated in his word, nor any\nscripture to be found to warrant that construction; it is still as\nbinding as it was when it was reiterated amid the thunders of Mount\nSinai. To alter so positive and hallowed a commandment of the Almighty,\nthey consider would require an explicit edict from the Great Jehovah. It\nwas not foretold by any of the prophets, that with the new dispensation\nthere would be any change in the Sabbath or any of the commandments.\nChrist, who declared himself the Lord of the Sabbath, observed the\nseventh day, and made it the day for his special ministrations; nor did\nhe authorize any change. The Apostles have not assumed to do away the\noriginal Sabbath, or give any command to substitute the first for the\nseventh day.\n\n\"They hold to Apostolic baptism\u2014and administer trine immersion, with the\nlaying on of hands and prayer while the recipient yet remains kneeling\nin the water.\n\n\"They celebrate the Lord's Supper at night, washing, at the same time,\neach other's feet, agreeably to his command and example. This is\nattended to in the evening after the close of the Sabbath\u2014the Sabbath\nterminating at sunset of the seventh day; thus making the supper an\nimitation of that instituted by Christ, and resembling also the meeting\nof the Apostles on the first day to break bread, which has produced much\nconfusion in some minds in regard to the proper day to be observed.\"\n\nAlthough celibacy was neither enforced nor required, it was considered a\nvirtue. There was no prohibition of marriage or of legalized sexual\nintercourse, as many writers have erroneously stated, but when two\nconcluded to be joined in wedlock, they were assisted by the society.\nThey conceived with Paul, whose opinion and practice does not find many\nclerical imitators at the present day, that celibacy was more conducive\nto a holy life. There are many passages of Scripture to that effect,\nwhich they, unlike the ministers of other Protestant denominations, kept\nin perpetual remembrance. \"He that is unmarried, careth for the things\nthat belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but he that is\nmarried careth for the things of the world, how he may please his wife.\nThere is this difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried\nwoman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in\nbody and in spirit; but she that is married careth for the things of the\nworld, how she may please her husband. I say therefore to the unmarried\nand widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I.\" They likewise,\nand, in my opinion, truly considered that those who sacrificed conjugal\nendearments for Christ's sake, were better fitted for, and will enjoy\nthe highest places in glory. Hear the sublime language of the Revelator:\n\"I looked up, and lo, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with him an\nhundred and forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in\ntheir foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many\nwaters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of\nharpers harping with their harps; and they sung as it were a new song\nbefore the throne, and before the four beasts and the elders; and no man\ncould learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which\nwere redeemed from the earth. These are they that are not defiled with\nwomen; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb\nwhithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the\nfirst fruits unto God and the Lamb.\" This idea was fondly cherished, and\ncontinually inculcated. It formed the foundation of the monastic\ninstitution at Ephrata, whose support and prosperity was entirely\ndependent on its being properly appreciated. It formed the subject of\nmany an eloquent harangue, the theme of many a pleasant song, the object\naround which the holiest memories gathered, and with which the sweetest\nassociations were combined. It was sedulously kept before them by their\nministers and teachers in its most favourable light, and all the\nscripture susceptible of this application, which was not a little, was\nbrought to excite their enthusiasm, and to inspire them with\nfaithfulness and perseverance. It promised capabilities for the divine\nlife which others could not possess, and held out to their enraptured\nimaginations the brighter rewards of heaven.\n\nTheir ministers never received a stated salary. In their opinion the\nGospel was destined to be free, \"without money and without price,\" and\nthey thought that every one called to preach the word, should do it from\nthe love of the cause, and in this matter, as in that of celibacy, to\nfollow the advice and example of Paul. Nevertheless, their ministers\nwere always well supplied with such necessaries as the brethren\nthemselves enjoyed. Individual members gave as presents whatever they\ncould conveniently spare, in money, goods, and the like; and whenever\nthe minister travelled for religious purposes, he was supplied from the\ntreasury to bear his expenses.\n\nThis is not the place, neither am I disposed to institute any comparison\nbetween the doctrines of the Scripture, according to its literal\ninterpretation, and the great and leading tenets of the German\nSeventh-day Baptists of Pennsylvania. However, it is evident, from the\nmost casual observation, that few religious communities have adhered\nmore closely to the letter and language of Holy Writ, have been more\nscrupulous about conformity to worldly opinions and practices, or have\ngiven, in their conduct, a more faithful and practical exemplification\nof Christianity. Their peculiarities sprung, likewise, from the same\nsource as many of their virtues; and these will be adverted to in\nreplying to the charges of error which have been urged against them,\nwith more gravity than truth, by many writers, who were, probably,\noffended by the pure and primitive simplicity of their tenets and\nhabits.\n\nIt is not necessary to attempt a full exposition of their peculiar\nviews, or to describe the minuti\u00e6 of the manner in which they perform\nthe ceremonies and ordinances of religion. However, in their regular\nworship, they commence with singing; then prayers, the assembly\nkneeling; then singing again; after which the minister requests any\nbrother to read a chapter out of the Scriptures, which they are at\nliberty to choose from either the Old or the New Testament. This the\nminister expounds, tracing its bearings and historical connexions with\nthe other parts of the Bible. Then the exhorters enforce the duties it\ninculcates; and should any brother or single sister be able to improve\nthe subject to the edification of the others, or to make any remarks\nrelative to the topic, there is perfect liberty for such an expression.\nPrayer and singing, with the reading of a psalm, conclude the\nservice,\u2014than which nothing can be more solemn and impressive.\n\nIgnorance, in a writer, is nearly or quite as culpable as\nmisrepresentation; for no one has any right to assume the\nresponsibilities of the historian, without first making himself the\nmaster of his subject. By a contrary course, he may inadvertently expose\nthe most innocent and virtuous community to the reprobation and ridicule\nof contemporaries, and the abhorrence of posterity. Few societies have\nsuffered more in their reputation from ignorant and unprincipled\nauthors, than the society of Ephrata; others, however, have borne\nhonourable testimony to its merits.\n\nThe account of their sentiments in Buck's Theological Dictionary, is a\ntissue of misrepresentation and calumny, unworthy a place in such a\nwork. We are there told that their \"principal tenets appear to be these:\nthat future happiness is only obtained by penance and outward\nmortification in this life; and that Jesus Christ, by his meritorious\nsufferings, became the Redeemer of mankind in general, so that each\nindividual of the human race, by a life of abstinence and restraint, may\nwork out his own salvation. Nay, they go so far as to admit of works of\nsupererogation, and declare that a man may do much more than he is in\njustice or equity bound to do, and that his superabundant works may\ntherefore be applied to the salvation of others.\" This, as well as the\naccounts given of them in many other English books, is a gross\nfalsehood. Gordon's Gazetteer of Pennsylvania is almost equally\nreprehensible, as the account which it contains was first published by\nthe Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and contains many erroneous\ncharges, that are entirely without foundation, and could only have\noriginated in gross ignorance or shameful wickedness. Among other\nmisrepresentations, the good and devout founder is declared to have been\na crafty and designing usurper of ecclesiastical authority, and as\nassuming honours and titles. These statements are utterly unfounded.\nBeissel had been educated in the Calvinistic faith, but perceiving its\ndissimilarity to the word of God, as respects church government,\nministerial salaries, and other things of a like nature, he emigrated to\nAmerica in order to enjoy liberty of conscience, and he left the society\nof Dunkers at Mill Creek, because his peculiarities relative to the\nSabbath created some dissension. It is true that he was drawn from his\nseclusion, but it is no less true, that the people whom he had forsaken,\nsought him out and came and settled around him, entreating his ministry.\nAfter this time he devoted his whole time, life, and property to advance\nthe welfare of the society, giving the management of the secular affairs\nentirely into the hands of others, while he gave his attention wholly to\ninstructing the people in the word of life. The doctrine of celibacy\nwhich he taught was no new-fangled idea, being quite as old as the time\nof the Apostle Paul. He received the title of \"Father,\" and \"Gottrecht,\"\nfrom the brethren, instead of presumptuously assuming them himself.\n\nIn their habits of life, they have been equally misrepresented. They are\nnot accustomed to wear long beards, as is frequently said of them,\nneither did the rules of the society forbid meat for the purpose of\nmortifying the natural appetite, or require them to repose on wooden\nbenches with billets of wood for pillows, as acts of penance.\nNevertheless they did so, but their conduct admits of a different\nexplanation. They practised austerity from considerations of economy.\nWith limited means and restricted circumstances they had undertaken an\nexpensive enterprise. Hence, all their arrangements, though\ndistinguished for neatness, were extremely simple. Wooden flagons,\nwooden goblets, and wooden trays were used in the administration of the\nsacrament, and although they have been presented with richer and\ncostlier ones, the same service is still in use. Their domestic and\nkitchen utensils were likewise made of wood. The plates off which they\nate, were thin octangular pieces of poplar boards. Their forks and\ncandlesticks, and indeed every article that could be, were made of that\nmaterial. Subsequently, when they were relieved from the burdens of\ntheir expensive enterprise, they generally enjoyed the cot for nightly\nrepose, and partook, though in the most moderate and temperate manner,\nof the comforts, and even some of the luxuries of life. Temperance\nsocieties had not been instituted, \"but there were no ardent spirits\nused in building the whole village, although the timber was hewn and all\nthe boards sawn by hand during the winter months.\" The society was a\nsocial community, organized for mutual support and assistance. Its\nmembers were distinguished for kindness, hospitality, and promptness in\naffording relief to the suffering, whatever might be their character or\ndenomination. The following account of them is taken from a work,\nentitled the Journal of an Officer, which was published in 1784. He\nsays, \"I came among this people by accident, but I left them with\nregret. I have found out, however, that appearances may be delusive, and\nthat where we expected to meet with a cold reservedness, we may\nsometimes be surprised by exhibitions of the most charming affability\nand disinterested benevolence. They all acted the part of the good\nSamaritan to me, for which I hope to be ever grateful; and while\nexperiencing the benefits of their kindnesses and attentions, witnessing\nthe sympathies and emotions expressed in their countenances, and\nlistening to the words of hope and pity with which they consoled the\npoor sufferers, is it strange that, under such circumstances, their\nuncouth garments appeared more beautiful in my eyes than ever did the\nrichest robes of fashion, and their cowls more becoming than\nhead-dresses adorned with diamonds, and flowers, and feathers? Until I\nentered the walls of Ephrata, I had no idea of pure and practical\nChristianity. Not that I was ignorant of the forms, or even of the\ndoctrines of religion. I knew it in theory before; I saw it in practice\nthen.\n\n\"Many a poor wounded soldier will carry to his grave the sweet\nremembrance of those gentle sisters, who watched so patiently by his\nside, supported his fainting head, administered the healing draught, and\ncheered him with both earthly and heavenly hopes. What mattered it to\nhim that their words were couched in an unknown dialect; he read their\nmeaning in the deep, earnest, liquid eyes. Eternity likewise will bear a\nglorious testimony to the labour of the Prior, who could converse in the\nEnglish language. Many a poor fellow, who entered there profane,\nimmoral, and without hope or God in the world, left it rejoicing in the\nSaviour.\"\n\nThis officer had been wounded in the battle of Brandywine, and had been,\nwith many of his comrades, despatched to the hospital at Ephrata. I\nshall allude to this circumstance again. Morgan Edwards bears the\nfollowing testimony of this people.\n\n\"From their recluse and ascetic habits, sour aspects and rough manners\nmight be expected; but on the contrary, a smiling innocence and meekness\ngrace their countenances, and a softness of tone and accent adorns their\nconversation, and makes their deportment gentle and obliging. Their\nsinging is charming, partly owing to the pleasantness of their voices,\nthe variety of the parts they carry on together, and the devout manner\nof the performance.\" The following character of Beissel is derived from\nthe same source.\n\n\"He was very strict in his morals, and practised self-denial to an\nuncommon degree. Enthusiastic and whimsical he certainly was, but an\napparent devoutness and sincerity ran through all his oddities. He was\nnot an adept in any of the liberal arts and sciences except music, in\nwhich he excelled. He composed and set to music, in two, four, five and\nseven parts, a volume of hymns, and another of anthems. He left behind\nhim several books in manuscript, curiously written and embellished, and\nlikewise published several other works.\" One writer has observed, \"that\nthe sisters apparently took little delight in their state of single\nblessedness, as two only, (aged and ill-favoured ones, we may suppose,)\nremained steadfast in the renunciation of marriage.\" This invidious\nremark is entirely unfounded; for though they were not required to\nrenounce matrimony on entering the cloister, only four or five of the\nwhole number that were received in it as inmates, during the period of\none hundred and ten years, left and were married. One of these became\nthe wife of a gentleman of Philadelphia, and afterwards, amid the cares\nand burdens of a large family, she regretted her change exceedingly, as\ndid all the others who were induced to leave the \"stille einsamkeit.\"\n\"The others remained steadfast in their state of single blessedness, and\nnow, with the exception of those remaining in the convent, lie beside\neach other in the beautiful cemetery in the foreground of the village.\"\nThese gratuitous aspersions would be passed over with the silence they\ndeserve, were it not that a fresh currency has been given to them by a\nlate popular work. They have likewise been charged with denying the\ndoctrine of original sin, and the eternity of punishment. They do not\nindeed believe that every individual of mankind is included in the\ncondemnation of Adam, for many who are born, die without sinning; but\nthey admit that in the fall of Adam, all disposition to good was lost,\nand \"that the whole race inherit a natural innate depravity, which will\nlead them to sin, and prove their sure condemnation, unless they repent\nand are born again of the Holy Spirit.\" Beissel wrote a most curious and\ningenious treatise upon this subject, in which he enters into long\ndisquisitions on the nature and intellectual capabilities of Adam in his\nprimeval state of innocence. He then explains in what manner he was\naffected by the fall, and with it elucidates many passages of scripture,\nwhich have escaped the attention of men of more erudition, but less\nprofundity of penetration and genius. His views, however, though deep\nand ingenious, are somewhat mysterious, and would, in the present day,\nbe considered as little better than the hypothetical speculations of an\noverwrought imagination. However, there is nothing that can be construed\nas denying the doctrine of human depravity, and the woeful consequences\nthat the fall of Adam has entailed upon his posterity, unless each one\nbe regenerated by the sanctifying influences of the Spirit of Grace.\nThey never received the doctrine of universal salvation in the usual\nacceptation of that term. They believe in the sure reward of submission\nand obedience to the requisitions of God, through faith in Christ, but\nthey teach likewise, that the \"wages of sin is death,\" death to\nholiness, and exclusion from the joys of heaven and the presence of the\nLord. It is not to be denied that the idea of a universal restoration of\nall things was cherished by some of them in former days, and that it was\nbased upon several passages of Scripture, particularly the fifteenth\nchapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians, and the twentieth\nchapter of the Revelations. Nevertheless it was never taught as a\ndoctrine, but was treated with the greatest caution and delicacy by the\npastor, and aged members, in private circles, and was always accompanied\nby expressions of the necessity of making their calling and election\nsure, that thereby they might be prepared to participate in the first\nresurrection. Many of the brethren were no less distinguished for high\nliterary attainments than for piety, and they established a school at a\nvery early period which afforded every facility for the acquisition of\nclassical and scientific education, and which gained for itself so\nhonourable a reputation, that many young men from the first families of\nBaltimore and Philadelphia were sent here to be educated. A Sabbath\nschool was likewise instituted, which afforded the best facilities for\nmoral and religious instruction. It flourished many years, and was\nattended by important consequences. The minds of the juvenile population\nwere excited to a state of religious inquiry, which increased to what\nwould be termed, in these days, a powerful revival, accompanied by the\nmost intense excitement. The scholars met together, before and after\ncommon school hours, for prayer and exhortation, but their zeal, at\nleast in the minds of the older brethren, ran into excess, which induced\nBeissel to discourage the enterprise, and also to object to the erection\nof a building, which was already commenced, for the especial use of the\nschool, to be called Succoth. This Sabbath school had been instituted\nunder the following circumstances. Ludwig H\u0153cker, or Brother Obed, as he\nwas designated, who was the teacher of the common school, perceiving\nthat many of the indigent children were kept from regular attendance by\nnecessary employments during the week, projected the plan of holding a\nschool in the afternoon of the Sabbath, where instruction would be\nadministered to those of all circumstances. It is not known, neither is\nit material, in what year the Sabbath school was commenced. H\u0153cker took\nup his residence at Ephrata in the year 1739, and it is presumed that he\ncommenced the enterprise soon after. By reference to the minutes of the\nSociety, we find that the materials for the building were provided in\n1749. After the battle of Brandywine, the Sabbath school-room, with\nothers, was turned into a hospital, which it continued to be for some\ntime. The school thus broken up, was never afterwards resumed. The\nhonour of having projected and successfully introduced the present\ngeneral system of Sunday School instruction, is certainly due to Robert\nRaikes; but the Seventh-day Baptists of Ephrata had established and\nmaintained in operation for upwards of thirty years, a Sabbath school,\nnearly half a century before one was opened by the Gloucester\nphilanthropist.\n\nIn 1777, the Society began to decline, but the declension cannot justly\nbe attributed to the causes which some writers have erroneously stated.\nBeissel died in 1768, and his successor, Peter Miller, was a man of much\nhigher attainments and more eminent mental powers. Indeed, Miller had\nthe principal management of the establishment during Beissel's time, and\nto his extraordinary abilities the early prosperity of the institution\nis mainly imputable. Its decline, however, can be rationally accounted\nfor, without supposing either incapability or degeneracy in those who\nwere intrusted with the direction of its affairs, especially when we\ntake into consideration the great changes in politics and government\nthat transpired, and the consequent alterations in public sentiment. The\nseventeenth century was prolific in monastic institutions, of which this\nwas one; and the feelings and motives that animated its founders were\ndecidedly European. During the first fifty years from the establishment\nof Ephrata, a remarkable progress was made in liberal opinions, and with\nthe march of intellect and politics, different opinions with regard to\nreligious institutions were also entertained. It was commenced as a\nsocial community, and as such it succeeded admirably, and was adapted to\nevery purpose of life, when surrounded by a howling wilderness, filled\nwith wild beasts, and wilder inhabitants; but when the hand of\nimprovement had turned the forests into fields smiling with plenty, and\nthe neighbouring country became filled with a dense and promiscuous\npopulation, it appeared evident to all that it was not compatible with\nthe circumstances of the times, or the spirit of the age. Besides this,\nits members were exposed to incessant persecutions, and were kept in\nperpetual contentions and turmoils by their envious neighbours, which,\nof themselves, were enough to have produced a declension in the Society.\n\nThe community at Ephrata still comprises a small band who retain the\nprinciples and manners of their forefathers, and who meet regularly to\nworship God on the evenings and mornings of their Sabbaths. But although\nthey have the forms, they are without the spirit or the zeal of their\nancestors. In ancient times they had bestowed upon them in ridicule the\nepithet of \"Zealots.\" Zeal, however, when it is according to knowledge,\nis commendable; under any circumstances it is preferable to\nindifference. Christianity without zeal is like the body without life,\nand it is an honour to any denomination to receive, even in ridicule, a\ntitle designative of faithfulness and activity. Ephrata would be a\nparadise now as it was in former days, did its inhabitants possess, in\nthe same degree, that desirable quality which those of old possessed,\nand for which they were stigmatized. Yet in this zeal there was neither\nnoise nor display. It was not the occasional gleam of the meteor, but\nthe pure, steady, unchangeable light of the pole-star, so quiet and\nall-absorbing, in which the world, with its pomps and vanities, was\nsacrificed upon the altar of pure and constant devotion. They lived and\nmoved in the world, performed the routine of all the duties devolving\nupon them, and cherished the highest and holiest affections; but their\ntreasures and their hearts were centred in heaven. Could they stoop to\nquaff from the springs of earth, who had once slaked their thirst at the\nfountains of immortality? could those ears be delighted with terrestrial\nsongs, that had once been ravished by the unimaginable harmonics of the\nupper world? How would they thirst and long for another draught! How\nwould they wait and listen to catch another echo! And how would the\nignorant world deride their enthusiasm and mock their zeal! Of those\nwho, at Ephrata, were derided as zealots and enthusiasts, Mr. Winchester\nmakes the following declaration: \"God will always have a visible people\nupon earth, and these (speaking of the Society at Ephrata), are his\npeople at present, above any other in the world. They walk in all the\ncommandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, both in public and\nprivate. They bring up their children (alluding to the married members),\nin the nurture and admonition of the Lord; no noise, rudeness, shameless\nmirth, loud laughter, is heard within their doors. The law of kindness\nis in their mouths; no sourness or moroseness disgraces their religion,\nand whatsoever they believe their Saviour teaches, they practise,\nwithout inquiring or regarding what others do. They read much; they sing\nand pray much; they are constant attendants upon the worship of God;\ntheir dwelling-houses are all houses of prayer.\"\n\nAlthough Ephrata has degenerated\u2014is now spiritually dead\u2014the truth has\nnot become extinct, but is still extending. From this parent society\nseveral branches have originated. One in Bedford County was founded in\n1753, which is still in a flourishing situation. Another in York County,\nabout fifteen miles from the town of York, was founded on the Bermudian\nCreek, in 1758, of which some of the members remain, although they have\nbeen without a leader for many years. A third branch was established at\nSnowhill, in Franklin County, under the superintendence of Peter Lehman\nand Andrew Snowberger, where the greatest part of the Society are still\nresident. Besides these, there are other smaller branches in Western\nPennsylvania.\n\n\n SECTION III. PARTICULAR HISTORY OF THE GERMAN SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS OF\n PENNSYLVANIA.\n\nEphrata is located in the interior of the state of Pennsylvania, and is\none of its earliest settlements. Few places in America are hallowed by\nmore interesting associations, and none perhaps are connected with an\ninstitution of such a peculiar character and ancient establishment. It\noccupies a pleasant position in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, at\nthe intersection of the Reading Road with the Downingtown and Harrisburg\nTurnpike, sixty miles northwest of Philadelphia, thirteen northeast from\nLancaster, and thirty-eight from Harrisburg. At present this name is\napplied to the vicinity of Ephrata proper for at least a mile along the\nturnpike, making Cocalico Creek the centre. Thus considered, it contains\nmany dwellings, several stores, two taverns, and a paper mill. New\nEphrata is a small village, about a mile further west on the turnpike.\n\nEphrata proper is an irregular enclosed village, lying in a triangle\nformed by the turnpike, the old Reading Road, and the Cocalico Creek,\nand belongs entirely to a Seventh-day Baptist community. It contains the\nfirst Protestant monastery established in America, and several other\nbuildings for the accommodation of the Society; to which is attached and\nbelongs a farm containing one hundred and forty acres of land, with a\ngrist and saw mill. The post-office bearing this name is situated half a\nmile from the original village.\n\nKedar and Zion, a meeting-house and convent, were the first buildings of\nconsequence erected by the Society. They were located in a pleasant\nsituation, on a hill called Mount Zion. In the meadow below, larger\naccommodations were subsequently erected, comprising a sisters' house,\ncalled Saron, to which a large chapel is attached, with a \"Saal,\" where\nare held the Agapas or love-feasts. They likewise erected a brothers'\nhouse, called Bethania, with which was connected the large meeting-room\nwith galleries, in which the whole Society assembled for public worship,\nin the times of their prosperity. These edifices are still standing,\nsurrounded by smaller buildings, which were occupied as a\nprinting-office, school-house, bake-house, almonry, and others for\ndifferent useful purposes, on one of which the town clock is erected.\nThese buildings are all of singular character, and very ancient\narchitecture, all the outside walls being covered with shingles. The two\nhouses for the brethren and sisters are large and commodious, being\nthree or four stories high. Each contains an apartment particularly\nappropriated to their night meetings, and the main buildings are divided\ninto small compartments, of which each building contains fifty or sixty.\nThe rooms are so arranged, that six dormitories, which are barely large\nenough to contain a cot, a closet, and an hourglass, surround one of\nlarger dimensions, in which each subdivision pursued their respective\navocations. These silent cells and long winding passages possess an\nindescribably romantic air; and one can scarcely divest himself of the\nbelief that he is threading the tortuous windings of some old baronial\ncastle. The ceilings have an elevation of about seven feet; the passages\nleading to the cells, or \"kammers,\" as they are designated, and through\nthe different parts of both convents, are barely wide enough to admit\none person, and if two should meet from opposite directions, one would\ninvariably be obliged to retreat. The doors of the kammers are five feet\nhigh, and twenty inches wide; and the windows, of which each contains\nbut one, is only eighteen by twenty-four inches. The walls of all these\nrooms, including the public meeting-room, the private chapels, the\nsaals, and the dormitories, are nearly covered with ink paintings, or,\nin other words, with large sheets of elegant penmanship. Some of these\nare texts from the Scriptures, handsomely done in ornamented Gothic\nletters, called in the German, \"Fractur-schrifften.\"\n\nThe sheets of paper employed for this purpose were manufactured at their\nown mill, and some being put into frames, admonish the residents, as\nwell as the casual visiter, whichever way they may turn their heads. Two\nvery curious ones still remain in the chapel attached to Saron. One\nrepresents the straight and narrow way, which it would be difficult to\ndescribe. It is very curiously and ingeniously formed on a sheet of\nabout three feet square, the whole of the road being filled with texts\nof Scripture, reminding the disciples of their duties, and the\nobligations their profession imposes upon them.\n\nAnother is a representation of the three heavens. In the first, Christ,\nthe Good Shepherd, is represented as calling his flock together; in the\nsecond, which is one foot in height, and three feet wide, three hundred\nfigures in the Capuchin dress appear with harps in their hands, and\nbehind them the heads of an innumerable host; in the third is seen the\nthrone of glory surrounded by two hundred archangels. Many of these\n\"Fractur schrifften\" express the most enthusiastic sentiments on the\nsubject of celibacy, and the happiness of a recluse life, whilst others\nare devotional pieces. The following are transcribed from two found in\nthe chapel of the sister's convent:\n\n  Die Lieb ist unsre Kron und heller Tugend Spiegel,\n  Die Weisheit unsre Lust, und reines Gottes Siegel;\n  Das Lamm ist unsre Schatz dem wir uns anvertrans,\n  Und folgen seinem Gang als reinste Jungfrauen.\n\n  Love is our Crown and clear mirror of virtue,\n  Wisdom our desire, and the seal of a pure God;\n  The Lamb is our treasure, in whom we confide,\n  And follow His guidance, as the purest virgins.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n  Unsre Kronen die wir tragen hier in dieser Sterblichkeit,\n  Werden uns in Truebsals-tagen durch, viel Leiden zubereit,\n  Da muss unsre Hoffnung bluehen und der Glanbe wachsen auf.\n  Waun sich Welt und Fleisch bemuehen uns zu schwaechen in dem Sauf,\n  O Wol dan! weil wir gezaehlet, zu der reinen Laemmer Heerd\n  Die dem keuschen Lam vermachlet, und erkanffet von der Erd,\n  Bleibet schon alhir verborgen, unser Ehren Schmuck und Kron,\n  Wird uns doch ad Jenem Morgen kroenen, Jesus Gotte's Sohn.\n\n  The Crowns which we wear here in our mortal life,\n  Will prepare us this much suffering for the day of trial\u2014\n  Then must our hope bloom, and our faith increase,\n  While the world and the flesh both strive to divert us from our course.\n  While then, we are atoned for through the Holy Shepherd,\n  Who marries the pure lamb and redeems it from the earth,\n  Let our honour, our ornaments, our crown even remain concealed,\n  Till that morning when we shall be crowned by Jesus the Son of God.\n\nIn the rooms which have been occupied by any departed sister, a piece,\nin imitation of a tablet, is framed and put up, expressive of the\ncharacter and virtues of the deceased, or some feeling memorial of love,\nand pious anticipation of meeting again in heaven, is inscribed. The\nfollowing was found in the kammer which had been occupied by Zenobia, a\nvery beautiful, amiable, and devout sister.\n\n Zenobia Wird Gruenen und Gedeihen, ihre Arbeit wird nicht vergeblich,\n noch auch ihre Hoffnung verlohren seyn, ihre Ehre bluehen mitten unter\n den Heiligen.\n\n Zenobia will prosper and flourish. Her labours will not be useless, nor\n her hopes vain. Her glory will be revealed in heaven.\n\nAn apartment, denominated the writing-room, was particularly\nappropriated to such purposes, and several of the sisters devoted their\nwhole attention to this labour, and became highly skilled in it. Others\ntranscribed the writings of the Founder of the Society, thus multiplying\ncopies for the wants of the community, before their printing press came\ninto operation. Two very ingenious sisters, named Anastasia and\nIphigenia, were the principal ornamental writers. They formed, with\nimmense labour, a large folio volume of \"sample alphabets\" of various\nsizes and different styles, though all are alike curious, and exhibit\nthe most patient application. The letters of the first alphabet are one\nfoot in length, surrounded by a deep border, in imitation of copperplate\nengraving, of which each one is different in style and finish. It was\nfinished in the year 1750, and is still preserved as a rare curiosity,\nby the trustees.\n\nAnother room was exclusively set apart for the purposes of transcribing\nmusic; hundreds of volumes, each volume containing five or six hundred\npieces, were transferred from book to book, with almost as much neatness\nand quite as much accuracy, as if done with a graver.\n\nThe Society at Ephrata, after their printing press came into operation,\npublished several valuable historical and religious books. Of these, an\nedition of the \"Bloody Theatre,\" an old German work, was nearly all\ntaken by the American army for cartridges. Several of the members were\ndecided literary characters of no mean ability.[43]\n\nAt one time it was in contemplation by three brothers, named Eckerlin,\nof whom the eldest was prior, and had the superintendence of the secular\nconcerns, to make Ephrata a place of more importance in the world than\nit could acquire from its character of a religious refuge. They were\nnatives of Germany, and they had been educated in the principles of the\nCatholic faith. They projected the plan of erecting extensive buildings\nfor manufacturing purposes, and of entering into extensive mercantile\nconcerns. For this they had made considerable preparation, such as\ncutting and hewing the timbers, and were in readiness to erect a town.\nThey had likewise sent to Europe, where they had extensive and powerful\nconnexions, and procured, unknown to the Society, a chime of bells, and\nlikewise a large clock for the tower. These arrived in Philadelphia, and\nthe bill requiring payment being forwarded to the Society, made the\nbrotherhood acquainted with the circumstances. They determined not to\nreceive them, but had them sold, and paid the loss. One of these bells,\nhaving upon it, \"Sub auspicicio viri venerandi Onesimi societatis\nEphratensis pr\u00e6positi,\" was purchased for, and is now on, one of the\nchurches in Lancaster. The clock was sold to one of the Reformed\nLutheran societies in the same place. This transaction led to an\ninvestigation of the conduct of the Eckerlins, which resulted in the\ntimely discovery of a conspiracy they had entered into to possess\nthemselves of the property, which at that time was extensive and\nvaluable. This discovery terminated in the expulsion of Israel, the\nprior, from his office. The brothers subsequently removed to Virginia,\nwhere they obtained considerable notoriety in connexion with Indian\naffairs. The Society, in its apostolic simplicity, desired no tower, no\nbells. They even refused to have a bell to summon them to the midnight\nmeeting, which was regularly held at that hour of the night,\u2014Beissel\nquaintly observing, that the spirit of devotion ought to be sufficient\nto insure their attendance; and it generally proved to be adequate.\n\nThe community at Ephrata were decided Whigs in the Revolution, although\nthey considered contention with arms and at law as inconsistent with the\nChristian character and profession. In the war of 1756, the doors of the\ncloister, including the meeting-room, the chapels, and every other\nbuilding, were opened to afford a refuge to the inhabitants of\nTulpehocken and the Paxton settlements, then on the frontiers, as they\nfled before the murdering and marauding bands of Indians; and all were\nkept and fed by the Society during the period of alarm and danger. Upon\nhearing of this the royal government despatched from Philadelphia a\ncompany of infantry to protect and defend the place; and becoming aware\nof the character of the Society, presented them with a pair of large and\nbeautiful communion goblets, which was the only recompense they could be\nprevailed on to receive. At a much earlier period they attracted the\nattention of the Penn family, and Lady Juliana Penn, in England, opened\na correspondence with the Society. Governor Penn visited them\nfrequently, and being desirous to bestow upon them a solid evidence of\nhis regard, had a large tract of five thousand acres of land surveyed\nand conveyed to them as the Seventh-day Baptist Manor. This, however,\nthey refused to accept, believing that large possessions tended to\nengender strife, and that it was inconsistent with the Christian\ncharacter to be absorbed in the gains of this world and the accumulation\nof temporal property.\n\nA few days after the battle of Brandywine, Sept. 11th, 1777, the whole\nestablishment was opened to receive the wounded Americans, great numbers\nof whom were brought there in wagons, a distance of forty miles; and\nthat long train of various conveyances, that came slowly up the valley\nwhere the field had been contested\u2014the train that bore those whose\nshattered limbs seemed to defy all surgical aid, or whose contagious\ndisease was like the pestilence that wasteth at noonday, was received by\nthe brothers of Ephrata as if it bore forward the gathered harvest of\nsummer. And those sisters,\u2014did they shrink from that dreadful exhibition\nof human suffering? did they turn pale, and sicken at the view of\nbruised and mangled limbs, clotted gore, and the sound of deep\nheart-rending groans? Oh no; their sympathy was of the practical kind.\nIt prompted them to assuage and relieve. And with the kindest and\ntenderest feelings they garnered up the sick, the wounded, and the\ndying, in their rooms, their chapels, and their edifices, devoted to\npublic worship or domestic duties, with a welcome and care that only\nreligion could dictate, and that only true patriotism could have\nevinced. Of the five hundred who were brought there one hundred and\nfifty died, notwithstanding the attendance of Doctors Scott, Yerkel, and\nHarrison. The dead were buried with all the decencies of friendship, and\nwith all the ceremonies of military propriety. They were principally\nfrom the Eastern States and Pennsylvania. The place where they lay is\nenclosed; and in the autumn of 1845, the corner stone of a monument,\nbearing a suitable inscription, was laid by Governor Shunk, in presence\nof a great multitude of people who had assembled to witness the\nceremonies. In the burying-ground which belongs to the Society are the\ntombs of the ancient fathers, with suitable marble monuments erected to\ntheir memories. A large stone, marked with German letters, covers the\ngrave of their founder.\n\nAt present many of the buildings are in ruins, particularly those which\nwere first erected. A short distance from the enclosure containing the\nold meeting-house and cloister, there is a small building, with a\nsteeple, which was formerly the residence of the physician. Near by\nstands another dwelling, which was the parsonage. Above this stands a\nlarge building. Without, it presents a very singular and unique\nappearance. In entering it we pass a small portico, and the door is so\nlow that it is necessary to stoop in passing; but the objects within\nwitness at once to the vision that it is the house of God. Six tables\nare arranged so as to reach nearly the whole length of the room, with\nconvenient seats, as many as are necessary. On one side of the room\nappear a stand and table, slightly elevated, for the accommodation of\nthe speaker. Several of those large ornamented writings, already\ndescribed, are hanging on the walls. The room is perhaps forty feet\nsquare. It was formerly the sisters' dining and prayer room. At present\nit is the meeting-room of the Society. A part of the same building is\nused for domestic and culinary purposes, and is furnished accordingly.\nNear this is a stone building appropriated to other domestic offices.\nThe house at present occupied by the sisters is contiguous to the\nmeeting-room, and is inhabited by five aged ladies, who are the only\nremaining members of the convent. They have many relics of antiquity,\nwhich are preserved as objects of curiosity. Some of the caps worn by\nthe sisters in the early days of the institution are carefully\npreserved. Adjoining the turnpike, in a corner of the yard, stands the\nacademy,\u2014a new building, with a steeple, clock, and bell. It is two\nstories high, and contains several apartments, in which both male and\nfemale schools are taught. These buildings, with one hundred and twenty\nacres of land, and a grist and saw mill, are the property of the\nSociety.\n\nAnother community, every way similar to that of Ephrata, is situated at\nSnowhill, in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Its location is in that\nbeautiful and fertile valley which is embosomed in the Blue Ridge\nMountains, extending from Northern Pennsylvania to the Shenandoah\nValley, in Virginia. This section was early settled by a German\npopulation, and their immediate neighbourhood with the Dunker Baptists,\nof which there is now a large society. Belonging to this Dunker Society\nwas one Andrew Snowberger, from whom the Snowhill Society takes its\ncognomen, berg, in German, signifying a hill,\u2014his name is literally\nSnowhills. It is seldom, however, that adventitious names correspond\nwith localities. The establishment called Snowhill is located in a small\nvale of a large valley, in latitude 39\u00b0 N., about seven miles from\nHagerstown, Maryland. In the convent resided an old sister, in 1849,\nnearly one hundred years of age, who was the daughter of Andrew\nSnowberger, and who gave the following account of the origin of the\nSociety. Her father, by a diligent study of his German Bible, became\nconvinced that the seventh day of the week was the only divinely\nappointed Sabbath, and in consequence he became firmly determined to\nkeep it as holy time. This caused much difficulty in his family and\namong his neighbours; but he was not to be deterred from acting\naccording to the dictates of his conscience by any difficulties.\nBelieving in prayer, and that faith and patience will overcome all\nthings, he persevered in the path of duty. At length, to his\ninexpressible delight, the way became smooth before him, his family\ncomplied with his regulations, and subsequently embraced his views. In\nthis lonely situation as to society of his own faith, Andrew instituted\nand maintained the worship of God in his own house. He desired to remain\nin communion with his first-day brethren, but they, after a long\nconsideration of the subject, determined upon his expulsion from the\nchurch. This, to his feelingly sensitive mind, was extremely painful;\nbut he observed, \"that he could better bear the frown and disowning of\nmen, than to disobey God and feel that he incurred His displeasure.\"\n\nNotwithstanding the many trials and difficulties, Andrew continued firm\nin his attachment to the Sabbath, and some time after, his faith was\ngreatly increased by the following circumstance. The country, in many\nparts, was still a dense and unbroken forest, and much of the labour of\nthese early settlers was to clear away the superabundant wood. In this\nemployment Andrew was engaged one first-day, when his neighbours were\nall gone to the Dunker meeting. He was piling and burning brush, which,\nat that time, formed the material of all the fences, upon his own and\nthe contiguous estates. After he had been at work for some time, the\nwind rose to a smart breeze, and the fires in a very few minutes became\nunmanageable. On they went, crackling and roaring; the fence on one side\nof the lot took fire, whence it spread with rapidity, and was in a fair\nway to communicate to the home establishment of his neighbour. Andrew\nsaw plainly enough that notwithstanding all his efforts to the contrary,\nthe whole must inevitably be burned before human help could be obtained,\nunless Providence would interpose. In this extremity he threw himself\nupon his knees, his face and hands blackened with smoke and ashes, and\ncried out in the deepest tones of supplication, \"Oh Lord, if it be from\nthee that I keep the seventh day for a Sabbath, and labour on this day,\naccording to thy law, do thou stop this fire.\" While he thus prayed the\nwind veered suddenly, and took the fire in altogether another direction,\nso that it became easily manageable. The skeptic may sneer at this, but\nthe Christian will remember that God is omniscient, that He holds the\nwinds in his fist, and moreover that He has promised to hear and answer\nprayer. This remarkable circumstance Andrew improved, by vowing unto the\nLord to be steadfast in his law, and to make his house for ever a house\ndevoted to the servants and the service of God,\u2014a vow which the Almighty\nseems to this time to have accepted. But for years after this, Andrew\nwas the only master and minister in his house devoted to God; but he\nsteadily maintained divine worship upon the Sabbath, and not without\nsuccess, for he had the happiness of seeing some of his neighbours, one\nat a time, come and unite with him in serving God.\n\nAfter several years, Elder Lehman, from Ephrata, made them a visit, and\nproposed to raise an establishment similar to that at the former place.\nTo this Andrew cheerfully acceded, and accordingly, as soon as\ncircumstances would permit, the estate and buildings were formally\nconveyed to the Society. It was not a gift, however. Andrew had a large\nfamily dependent upon him for support. The land had been brought into a\nstate of cultivation by their mutual efforts, and strict justice\nrequired that the interests of all should be considered in its\nalienation. Everything was fairly appraised, and time given to the\nSociety to pay the appraisement to him and his heirs. This arrangement\nwas followed by the happiest consequences. Andrew and his family were\namply provided for, and he lived to see his children and his children's\nchildren become members of the Society which had arisen through his\nmeans. He and his companion in life went down to the grave in a good old\nage, and are now doubtless raising their voices with that company who\nwere redeemed from the earth.\n\nThe estate consists, at present, of 165 acres of land, in a high state\nof cultivation, and is very productive. It is a stiff loam, upon a\nlimestone bottom, and is, therefore, well adapted to grass and the\ncereal grains. They are abundantly supplied with farm buildings. The\nprincipal barn, situated on a hillside, built of stone and brick, is 50\nfeet wide and 102 feet long, with a roomy overshoot on the lower side;\nthe lower, or under-ground story, contains several stables for the\naccommodation of the domestic animals; the yard is well supplied with\npure water, and everything bears the marks of thrift, industry, and\neconomy. There are two flourishing orchards, well supplied with a choice\nvariety of fruit, and two neatly cultivated gardens. Much of the wearing\napparel is manufactured by the sisters, and the visiter who passes the\nbuilding appropriated to that industrious use, will be strongly reminded\nof a classical quotation from the Odyssey, where Calypso is represented\nas\n\n  \"With voice celestial, chanting to the loom,\"\n\nand her damsels,\n\n                           \"Who cull,\n  With hands of rosy white, the purple wool.\"\n\nThe sisters lighten and enliven their industrious pursuits with music;\nand many a strain that would draw tears of rapture from listening\nmultitudes, is blended, and even made more pastoral and effective by the\nsound of the shuttle, and the noise of the spinning wheel. There are\nlikewise a blacksmith's shop, and a cooper and cabinet-maker's shop,\nwhere the brothers pursue their mechanical occupations. There is also a\nflouring mill, where, beside custom work, two thousand barrels of flour\nare annually produced. This is situated on a perennial stream that flows\nthrough, and abundantly waters the estate. It is an arm of the Antetum\nRiver, a tributary of the Potomac. The dwelling-house is most pleasantly\nsituated about six paces from the stream on its south bank. This\ndwelling is a convent or religious house, and is styled \"The Nunnery,\"\nby the country people. It presents a singular and unique appearance,\nbeing about one hundred and fifty feet long, by thirty feet wide, and\nthree stories high; the lower story is built of blue limestone, and the\nothers of brick. The lower story is even with the ground on the south\nside, before which, and between the two orchards, there is a small\ngrassy lawn. There are three front entrances, of which the middle\nentrance communicates with the dining hall, where a company of sixty or\nseventy guests might be conveniently accommodated. On the north side,\nprojecting from the middle of the main building, with an entrance into\nthe dining hall, are the rooms appropriated to domestic and culinary\npurposes. Over the dining hall, in the second story, is the family\nchapel, where worship is regularly performed both in the morning and at\nevening. Above this, in a small cupola, is the convent bell, whence a\nrope passes through each floor into the centre of the dining hall. The\nwest end of the building, from the dining hall round, contains\nexclusively the apartments of the brethren connected with the\nestablishment; the east end of the building, beginning with the same\ndivision, contains exclusively the apartments of the sisters. In each\ndepartment there are spare rooms for company, with sleeping rooms on the\nnorth side in both stories. In the centre of the cellar there is a\nbeautiful fountain of clear spring water, incessantly flowing in an\nabundant stream. This is distributed in every convenient manner to the\ndifferent parts of the establishment. Along the north side of the\nbuilding, there stretches a luxuriant meadow, about one hundred paces\nacross, which is abundantly watered by two streams; one, the creek\nbefore mentioned, the other, a brooklet of smaller dimensions. These are\ncrossed by two wooden bridges, and a well-worn path leads to the\nmeeting-house, situated on the north side of the meadow, adjoining the\npublic road, which runs through the estate. The meeting-house, which is\nsixty by fifty feet, is built of stone, without a gallery. The adjoining\nbuilding of smaller dimensions communicates with it on the west end,\nwhich exactly resembles an English vestry, although it is in reality a\nkitchen. About twenty-five paces from the convent, near the eastern\nborder of the meadow, is the waste-gate for the mill. Here there is a\nbend in the creek, and at this point is formed their baptistery, well\nsupplied at all seasons with pure water. Three steps lead down into this\nbeautiful fount. In this place we were forcibly reminded of that\nexquisitely beautiful hymn,\n\n  \"The Lord my shepherd is;\n    He maketh me to lie\n  In pastures green; he leadeth me\n    The pleasant waters by.\"\n\nThis Society keeps no journal, has no written history, nor humanly\ncomposed creed. However, they have a charter, obtained from the state\nlegislature, in which they are known as Seventh-day Baptists. By this\ncharter they are authorized to hold and govern the estate and the house,\nby by-laws of their own formation and adoption, which are represented\nand defended by five trustees elected by a plurality of the votes of all\nthe male members of the Society. In these by-laws it is made a condition\nof admission, that the inmates of the house shall be single persons;\nhowever, they are not disqualified by a state of widowhood. They must\nalso be conscientious observers of the seventh day, and must have shared\nin the ordinances of baptism, and possess reputed piety. Their\napplication for admission must be made to the trustees, who are the\nauthorized judges of their eligibility. No vow, no promise of\nunconditional and continued celibacy is ever required, but if they\nsubsequently wish to marry, which is sometimes the case, no unkind\ntreatment ensues; on the contrary, they leave the house like a sister\ngoing from the family of her kindred, when every one is attentive to her\nfuture wants. No person entering the Society can retain independent\nestate or personal property; but should they bring property with them,\nit is subjected to a fair appraisement, and a certificate of the same\ngiven; and should the person subsequently leave, the same or its value\nis restored without interest. If the inmate dies in the convent, or a\nrecognised inmate of the same, all the property accrues permanently to\nthe establishment. No one receives wages, but all participate in the\ncomforts of the house; and the charter secures the whole of the estate\nand its incomes to the single brethren and sisters as their property.\nThe labours of the establishment are shared alike by all; the brethren\nunder the direction of the prior, and the sisters under the direction of\nthe prioress. In no respect, however, is there any pre-eminence of\nauthority or class; their offices are designed to subserve good\norder\u2014nothing more. They are in truth a band where fraternal regard and\nequality of right regulate all their conduct.\n\nIn 1847, there were nine brothers and fourteen sisters who were inmates\nof the convent. The other members of the Society have no personal rights\nin the property of the estate; and there is no more community of\ninterests among them than there is among other denominations of\nChristians. In church discipline and government they are decidedly\ncongregational. Their officers are elected by a majority of the votes of\nthe members. They are averse to paying their pastors a stated salary;\nbut believe that he should be assisted voluntarily according to his\nnecessities. The convent and all the buildings are exceedingly neat and\nwell-kept; the furniture being plain and convenient without any\nsuperfluities or finery. The venerable pastor, Andrew Fahnestock, having\nlost his wife, made a distribution of his property among his children,\nand took up his residence in the convent some time since. All visiters\nare likewise requested to make the convent their home, particularly\nduring the public meetings, and are furnished in it with private\napartments. Their yearly meetings are attended by many who reside in\ndistant parts, these, as they arrive, are most hospitably welcomed; the\nbrothers saluting the visiting brothers with a holy kiss; the sisters\nsaluting the visiting sisters in the same manner, but the brothers and\nsisters only shaking hands. When the meeting is over, and these visiters\nare preparing to depart, the same affectionate observance is again\ntendered to all. At these meetings a supper is spread in the\nmeeting-house, which is the anciently celebrated Agapa, or love-feast,\nheld in imitation of the Last Supper, of which the Redeemer partook with\nhis disciples, before he was led out like a lamb to the slaughter, and\nin connexion with the institution of the Eucharist. At this supper\neverything is previously prepared, and there is no cooking done except\nto make coffee. Here appears the use of the vestry kitchen, adjoining\nthe meeting-house, with its cellar and well-stored larder. In this\napartment are vessels over fixed furnaces prepared for heating water,\ncoffee, and the like. The meeting-house has two front entrances, and is\nseated with the males on one side, and the females on the other. It is\nfurnished with settees and long narrow tables, which serve for their\nbooks during worship, and for meals during the love-feasts. About midway\nof the house, on the back end, is one about eight feet, appropriated to\nthe ministry, there being no other pulpit in the house. The tables at\nthe love-feasts are furnished with a good supply, and a sufficient\nvariety of all the necessary aliments of life, without any\nsuperfluities; and all are invited to partake. This being over, and the\nthings cleared away, the communion table is furnished for the Lord's\nSupper. The holy rites are begun by singing and prayer; the thirteenth\nchapter of John is then read, and the officiating ministers discourse\nupon it, when these servants of the church lay aside their coats, go to\nthe kitchen vestry, gird themselves with long towels, and each one\ntaking a small wooden tub half filled with tepid water, return to the\nbrethren's side of the house, and commence the ceremony of washing each\nother's feet, repeating meanwhile the words of your Saviour: \"Therefore\nif I, your Lord and master, have washed your feet, so ye ought also to\nwash one another's feet.\" The same is performed on the female side of\nthe house by two aged sisters. This being ended, all again sit down, and\nevery one appears absorbed in silent prayer and meditation for a few\nminutes. The officiating ministers then take the bread of the communion,\nand one of them, after giving thanks, and imploring the divine favour,\ncarries the plate before the others, so as to stand before two of the\ncommunicants. He then breaks one of the pieces of the bread into two\nparts, giving half to one and the other half to the other, saying,\n\"Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you; this do in\nremembrance of me.\" This formulary is repeated at each time of breaking\nthe bread, until all the communicants have received a portion. In\ndistributing the wine, the ministers, instead of the deacons, carry the\ngoblets. The whole concludes with singing. They are all masters in\nmusic, and, what appears to me extremely appropriate, their hymns in\nGerman were all composed by members of their own order, and have never\nbeen given to the world. Many of them exhibit considerable poetic\ntalent. The same is true of their music, which is perfectly unique; but\nso soft, solemn, soul-stirring, and melodious, that the listener half\nforgets its reality, and holds his breath for fear of breaking the\nenchantment. They have three volumes, of which a small edition has been\nprinted for their own use, and there is not a light or jigging beat in\nthe whole collection. They frequently make additions in manuscript, and\ntake great pleasure in making new books with the pen, of which many have\nvery richly ornamented pages. While listening to their melting melodious\nstrains, one cannot fail to revert in imagination to that new song which\nwas sung before the Lamb, and before the beasts, and the elders, and\nwhich no man could learn but those who were redeemed from the earth.\nTheir style of singing, though altogether different from that of modern\ncongregations, is extremely effective, and such, as I believe, few\npersons of taste and sensibility could listen to, without shedding tears\nof silent rapture. They have no choir, but all, both young and old,\nsing, being directed in this exercise by a leader.\n\nThere is perhaps no ordinance of the Christian church more highly\ninteresting to a casual observer, and more fraught with hallowed\nassociations to a devout mind, than the rite of baptism, when it is\nadministered in the manner corresponding with the Word of God. This is\nparticularly the case at Snowhill, where everything is in such perfect\nkeeping and character. The candidates for baptism being previously\nexamined and accepted as suitable subjects for that holy ordinance by\nthe pastors, an announcement to that effect is made to the congregation.\nThey are then suitably attired, and all repair, forming a procession, to\nthe baptistery, where a thronging multitude is generally assembled. Here\nthe scene is extremely solemn and affecting, and all nature appears to\nsympathize in the deep solemnity. Even the sunlight, as it bathes the\nverdant hillside, the smooth meadow, and the golden orchards in a flood\nof glory, seems to partake a softer radiance. A hundred snowy clouds\nappear here and there on the blue heaven above, and it requires no great\nstretch of the imagination to fancy that behind or upon them the waving\nwings of seraphs have been furled, and that forms of ineffable beauty\nare bending there, and watching with interest the dedication of souls to\nGod. A flood of hallowed associations comes rushing into the mind. We\nthink of Jordan, of the multitudes who gathered upon its banks, and who\nwere baptized \"confessing their sins.\" The venerable appearance of the\nBaptist, that first preacher of the kingdom of God. And then the Great\nHigh Priest of our Salvation, who came hither to set an example for his\nservants in all coming time. But this pleasing revery is broken by the\nvoice of the pastor. A hymn is given out; and then from the midst of the\ncompany arises a deep, full, melodious swell of harmony. It is unlike\nsinging; it seems the very soul of heavenly music breathing out an\necstasy of thanksgiving. The music ceases; a low soft echo breathes\nthrough the air, so lately living with sweet sounds, and over the\nwaters; again all is silent. The pastor now stretches out his hands, and\nlifts his eyes to heaven: \"Let us pray.\" Some kneel, others remain\nstanding, but all assume the look and action of devout humility. The\nprayer ended, the pastor descends into the pool; the candidate, assisted\nby a brother or sister, descends after him. Reaching the lower step, he\ntakes her, if a sister, by the left arm, and leads her down to a\nsuitable depth, where she kneels in the water. She applies water to her\nface, and he does the same to the back of her head, waiting a moment for\nher to recover her thoughts and acquire a frame of mind suitable for the\noccasion. Then, laying his left hand upon the forepart of her head, and\nhis right hand upon the back between the shoulders, he says, \"I baptize\nthee in the name of the Father,\" and immerses the candidate, face\nforemost; then, raising her up to her former position, he gives time for\na like recovery of self-possession, and adds, \"and the Son,\" and\nimmerses her in the same manner a second time; then, giving a like time\nfor recovery, he continues, \"and the Holy Ghost,\" and proceeds as\nbefore. Then while she is yet kneeling in the water, he lays both hands\nupon her head, and offers a short invocation for the Spirit of God to\nseal this obedient handmaid as a child of God. During all this time, the\nmultitude exhibits a deep interest, and maintains a perfect silence; the\ncandidate manifests the greatest composure, and all appear to feel that\nthe Saviour is near.\n\nThe German Seventh-day Baptists profess to have no other guide than the\ninspired Word of God; and to this they profess to exactly conform,\nomitting nothing enjoined, and adding nothing to the Observances there\ngiven. Their simplicity is truly remarkable, and I believe, truly pure.\nThey are non-resistant in sentiment, but they plainly preach the\nrighteousness of the kingdom of God. They are likewise remarkably\namiable in their intercourse with each other. There is a similar society\nin Bedford County, under the pastoral care of Elder King, but I have\nbeen unable to make myself acquainted with any incidents connected with\nits history.\n\nThere is one subject connected with the history of this people, which,\nfrom deference to my country and its institutions, I would willingly\npass over in silence; justice, however, compels me to do otherwise.\nThese societies, harmless and inoffensive as the members are, have, for\na number of years past, been very much annoyed and disturbed at their\nannual meetings by a number of wicked and licentious persons. Being\nentirely averse to litigation of any kind, they patiently bore with all.\nThis only seemed to encourage increased disturbance, until the 17th of\nMay, 1845, when it became so outrageous at their annual meeting, that an\nindividual who was not a member, instituted a prosecution against\nseveral persons for a riot. This resulted in the condemnation and\npunishment of sixteen individuals, whose friends, from malicious and\nrevengeful motives, immediately commenced suits against these\nSeventh-day Christians for labouring on the first day.\n\nTo this they plead guilty, and cheerfully paid their fines and the\ncosts; but in consequence of the great inconveniences to which they were\nsubjected, they petitioned the legislature for relief, though without\neffect.[44]\n\n[43] Those who desire a more particular account of the German\nSabbatarians, their leaders, literature, and music, may consult the\nfifteenth volume of Hazard's Register of Pennsylvania.\n\n[44] It may be interesting to posterity to know that in the United\nStates of America, and about the middle of the nineteenth century,\nPlymon Seaver, of Vermont, was confined in jail for a long time, for\nattending to secular concerns upon the first day of the week. About the\nsame time, or August 26, 1845, Obed Snowberger was fined four dollars,\nfor being engaged in worldly employment upon the first day of the week.\nMr. Snowberger was a worthy member of the German Seventh-day Baptist\nfraternity in Pennsylvania, and the prosecution was carried on in Quincy\nTownship, Franklin County, and before Samuel Sibbet, as justice of the\npeace. Subsequently nine others of the same people were subjected to\nprosecution and fines for the same reasons.\n\nTHE END.","title":"A General History of the Sabbatarian Churches: Embracing Accounts of the Armenian, East Indian, and Abyssinian Episcopacies in Asia and Africa, the Waldenses, Semi-Judaisers, and Sabbatarian Anabaptists of Europe; with the Seventh-day Baptist Denominaton in the United States","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":70717}