,transcriber's ,note3    ,obvious       
printer errors have been corrected4     
,hyphenation has been  rationalised4    
,small capitals have been replaced by   
full capitals4 ,italics are  indicated  
by underscores4    ,in ,chapter ,i1     
,section ,,iii 7,a ,sketch ,of ,the     
,history ,of ,the ,abyssinian  ,church7 
,hinglar and ,kinglar may refer to the  
same individual4           ,a ,,history 
,,of ,,the ,,sabbatarian ,,churches4    
,a ,,general ,,history ,,of ,,the       
,,sabbatarian ,,churches3 ,,embracing   
,,accounts ,,of   ,,the     ,,armenian1 
,,east ,,indian1 ,,and ,,abyssinian     
,,episcopacies ,,in ,,asia ,,and        
,,africa1     ,,the ,,waldenses1        
,,semi-,,judaisers1 ,,and ,,sabbatarian 
,,anabaptists ,,of ,,europe2     ,,with 
,,the ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist         
,,denomination ,,in ,,the ,,united      
,,states4     ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,tamar       
,,davis4    ,the dragon was wroth with  
the woman1 and went to make war with the
  remnant of her seed1 which keep the   

commandments of ,god1 and have the      
testimony of ,jesus ,christ4--,,rev4    
xii4 #ag4     ,,philadelphia3 ,,lindsay 
,,and ,,blakiston4 #ahea4               
,entered1 according to ,act of          
,congress1 in the year #ahea1 ,,by      
,,lindsay ,,and   ,,blakiston1 ,in the  
,clerk's ,office of the ,district       
,court1 for the ,eastern   ,district of 
,pennsylvania4     ,c4 ,,sherman1       
,,printer4          ,,preface4      ,at 
the present time1 when the ,sabbath     
controversy is engaging so much of  the 
public attention1 and when ,sabbath     
,conventions and ,sabbath ,unions  are  
being chronicled almost monthly1 ,i     
consider it unnecessary to offer  any   
apology for the introduction of the     
following work to the public  notice4   
,my reader need not fear a repetition or
 recapitulation of the  arguments       
generally employed in favour of the     
sabbatical institution1 as  it refers   
either to the first or the last day of  
the week2 neither will  his attention be

 wearied by prolix and verbose details4 
,it has been my  aim to collect1        
collate1 and condense facts1 as much as 
appeared  consistent with perspicuity4  
,i have not taken any new stand with    
regard  to the ,sabbath question4 ,the  
,seventh-day ,baptists have1 from the   
first1  contended that the ,sabbath was 
changed1 not by ,christ or his          
,apostles1  but by ecclesiastical synods
 and councils4 ,this could only be      
proved  convincingly by reference to the
 practice of those churches who were    
removed by distance or otherwise beyond 
the pale of such authority4 ,that  the  
,armenian1 ,east ,indian1 and           
,abyssinian ,episcopacies were so       
removed1  and that they absolutely      
refused to succumb to the authority of  
the  ,latin or ,greek prelates1         
sustaining in consequence the most cruel
 and  desolating wars1 is an undeniable 
historical fact2 no less so the truth   
that during all this time they have been
 living witnesses against               

,anti-,christ1 as the observers of the  
ancient ,sabbath1 which practice  they  
learned from the ,apostles1 or their    
immediate successors4    ,with respect  
to the ,history of the ,seventh-day     
,baptist denomination1 ,i  am not       
unaware of the imperfections that may be
 detected in it4 ,but ,i  must excuse my
 own defects by a just complaint of the 
blindness and  insufficiency of my      
guides2 and may also observe that1 with 
reference to  nearly every portion of   
the work1 ,i have been the pioneer in   
the field  of research4    ,,the        
,,author4    ,april1 #ahea4             
,,table ,,of ,,contents4                
,,page     ,preliminary ,observations1  
#ac     ,,chapter ,i4 ,,sabbatarian     
,,churches ,,in ,,asia ,,and ,,africa4  
,the ,armenian ,church1                 
#ah   ,sabbatarianism of this ,church1  
#cj   ,ancient ,christians of ,india1   
#cc   ,their ,sabbatarian ,character1   
#ci   ,the ,ethiopic ,church1           
#dj   ,its ,sabbatarian ,character1     

#ed       ,,chapter ,,ii4               
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptists ,,in         
,,europe4     ,waldenses1 ,albigenses1  
etc41                                   
#fb   ,their ,doctrinal ,sentiments1    
#fi   ,testimonies to their ,sabbatarian
 ,character1                            
#gj   ,their ,persecutions1             
#hd   ,further ,accounts of their       
,sabbatarianism1                        
#hh   ,semi-,judaisers--their ,origin1  
#ie   ,their ,sabbatarianism1           
#ig   ,their ,churches in ,russia1      
,poland1                                
#ii   ,sabbatarians of ,holland1        
#ajc   ,sabbatarians of ,england1       
#ajg   ,the ,natton ,church1            
#aad   ,the ,cripplegate ,church1       
#aah   ,the ,mill-,yard ,church1        
#abb       ,,chapter ,,iii4             
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptists ,,in ,,the   
,,united ,,states4     ,general         
,history1                               
#acj   ,churches in ,rhode ,island1     
#ade   ,churches in ,connecticut1       

#afb   ,churches in ,new ,jersey1       
#aff   ,central ,association1           
#agd   ,western ,association1           
#aij   ,southwestern ,association1      
#aih   ,northwestern ,association1      
#bjb       ,,chapter ,,iv4              
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptists ,,in ,,the   
,,united ,,states1 ,,continued4         
,keithian ,seventh-day ,baptists1       
#baa   ,german ,seventh-day             
,baptists1--,general ,history1          
#bae   ,german ,seventh-day             
,baptists1--,particular ,history1       
#bcc          ,,preliminary             
,,observations4      ,the word          
,sabbatarian1 whether bestowed by their 
enemies as a term of  opprobrium upon   
those who observed the seventh day of   
the week as the  ,sabbath1 or whether   
assumed by themselves1 is1 nevertheless1
 peculiarly  appropriate1 and very      
distinguishing of this particular tenet 
in their  system of religious faith4    
,neither do we hesitate to employ it in 
a very  extensive sense1 as             

comprehending all those religious       
communities1  whatever may be their     
names1 modes of worship1 or forms of    
ecclesiastical discipline1 who refrain  
from secular employments upon the  last 
day of the week1 and observe the same as
 holy time4 ,there cannot1  therefore1  
be any impropriety in considering the   
,abyssinian and ,armenian  ,churches as 
sabbatarian organizations1 although the 
former has become  greatly corrupted in 
worship and doctrine1 and exhibits few  
traces of  the purity and simplicity of 
primitive ,christianity4    ,we claim   
for sabbatarian institutions a very high
 antiquity1 and a  multitude of the most
 illustrious exemplars2 from that grand 
sabbath  proclaimed over the new-born   
world by the ,eternal ,father1 and      
observed  by angelic and seraphic       
intelligences1 to its second ordainment 
amid the  smoke and thunders of ,sinai1 
and its subsequent observance by kings1 
priests1 sages1 and witnesses for the   
truth through so many ages1 to  ,him1   

the ,great ,high ,priest of the         
,covenant1 who sanctified the law and   
made it honourable4 ,it is incontestable
 that our adorable ,lord and his        
,apostles observed the seventh day of   
the week1 and it was not until a  long  
time subsequent to the close of their   
earthly pilgrimages that the  reverence 
due to this holy time was transferred1  
in any ,christian  community1 to the    
,dominical day4    ,the first ,christian
 church established in the world was    
founded at  ,jerusalem under the        
immediate superintendence of the        
,apostles4 ,this  church1 which was the 
model of all those that were founded in 
the first  century1 was undoubtedly     
sabbatarian4 ,in the second and third   
centuries1  according to the testimony  
of ,mosheim1 it was very generally      
observed4  ,during the fourth and in the
 commencement of the fifth centuries1 it
 was  almost universally solemnized1 if 
the veracity of ,socrates1 the          
ecclesiastical historian1 may be        

depended upon4    ,we have every reason 
to believe1 however1 that from the      
first1 or1  indeed1 at a very early     
period1 a superstitious veneration was  
paid in  some places to the first day of
 the week4 ,it is certain that1 before  
the  close of the first century1 the    
original purity and simplicity of       
,christianity had become greatly defaced
 and deplorably corrupted by the        
introduction into its doctrines of the  
monstrous tenets of a  preposterous     
philosophy1 and into its ceremonies of a
 multitude of  heathen rites4 ,identical
 with this was the appointment of       
various  festivals to be observed on    
particular days4 ,these days were those 
on  which the martyrs had laid down     
their lives for the truth1 the day on   
which the ,saviour had been crucified1  
and that also on which he rose  from the
 dead4 ,we have no reason to suppose    
that the observation of the  first day  
dates back any earlier than that of     
,friday1 or those  anniversary festivals

 which were introduced to commemorate   
the descent  of the ,holy ,ghost upon   
the ,apostles1 and the feast of ,easter4
 ,all were  the fruits of as dark1      
fabulous1 and superstitious times1 as   
have ever  been since the resurrection  
of ,christ4 ,it seems to have been the  
policy  of the rulers of the church at  
this period1 to assimilate ,christianity
  in its rites and festivals to the     
manners of ,paganism1 and in its        
doctrines to the tenets of a corrupt yet
 seducing philosophy4 ,for such a       
course of conduct various reasons may be
 assigned4 ,in the first place  they    
were pleasing to the multitude1 who were
 more delighted with the  pageantry and 
circumstance of external ceremonies1 and
 the frequency of  holidays1 than with  
the valuable attainments of rational and
 consistent  piety1 or with a sober and 
steady course of life4    ,in the second
 place1 we have reason to believe that  
the bishops  augmented the number of the
 religious ceremonies and festivals in  

the  ,christian worship1 by way of      
accommodating it to the prejudices and  
infirmities of both ,jews and heathens1 
in order to facilitate their            
conversion4 ,these people were          
accustomed to a round of pompous and    
magnificent ceremonies in their         
religious service2 and1 as they deemed  
these rites an essential part of        
religion1 it was natural for them to    
regard with indifference1 or even with  
contempt1 any service whose forms  were 
divested of all specious and captivating
 appearances4 ,as their  religion       
allowed to them a multitude of          
festivals1 the bishops supposed1  and   
not without reason1 that they persisted 
in their idolatry on account  of the    
ease1 pleasure1 and sensual             
gratifications thereby enjoyed1         
consequently the rulers of the church   
adopted certain external  ceremonies1   
and appointed festivities1 in order to  
allure the senses of  the vulgar1 and to
 make them more disposed to embrace     

,christianity4 ,the  effect of this     
course of conduct was most pernicious4  
,it effaced the  beautiful simplicity of
 ,christianity1 and corrupted its       
natural purity  in order to extend its  
influence2 thus making it lose that     
practical  excellence for which no      
popular esteem could ever afford        
compensation4  ,it may be allowable1 it 
may even be commendable1 to accommodate 
ecclesiastical as well as civil         
institutions1 in certain cases1 to the  
infirmities of mankind1 and to make some
 concessions1 some prudent  instances of
 compliance to their invincible         
prejudices1 but all these  should be of 
such a nature as not to derogate from   
the majesty of the  divine law1 or to   
substitute for the ordinances of ,god   
the observances  and institutions of    
fallible men4    ,the multiplication of 
festivals and holidays would naturally  
bring the  ,sabbath into neglect1 but   
what contributed more than anything else
 to  destroy its influence over the     

minds of men1 was the almost universal  
abhorrence in which the ,jews were held4
 ,we are informed that multitudes  of   
,christians1 in the time of ,adrian1    
abandoned all the rites and             
institutions of their religion that bore
 any resemblance to the ,jewish  ritual1
 for fear of being confounded with that 
people1 who had become  obnoxious to the
 prince1 and were suffering the         
extremity of his  vengeance4 ,let us    
have nothing in common with that odious 
brood1 the  ,jews1 says ,constantine1   
when issuing his edict for the          
observation of  the ,dominical day4     
,subsequently1 the sabbath was condemned
 for the same  reasons by synods and    
councils2 popes and kings rose up in    
judgment  against it4 ,perhaps they     
feared also that its observation would  
remind  the people of that sacred       
volume1 which the prelates chose1 for   
their  own convenience1 to keep from the
 world1 and in which their              
condemnation1 as followers of the most  

detestable vices1 would be so  strongly 
marked4 ,moreover they were determined1 
in the plenitude of  their arrogance1 to
 give laws in both a temporal and       
spiritual sense2 to  govern the         
consciences as they ruled the actions of
 mankind4 ,nor was  this all1 some of   
these prelates actually aspired to      
stand1 at least in  the eyes of the     
multitude1 in the place of ,god1--to    
divert the adoration1  which should be  
paid to him1 to themselves1 or to the   
relics they had  blessed1 and the saints
 they had canonized4 ,would not the     
observation of  the sabbath have tended 
to recall the minds of men to the ,maker
 of all  things1 as the only true and   
proper object for religious adoration2  
to  the fact that he alone was the moral
 governor of the universe2 his laws  the
 standard of perfection2 himself of     
infallibility8 ,history presents        
numerous examples of kings and tyrants1 
who have assumed the attributes  of     
,deity1 and demanded the homage of      

mankind2 but1 perhaps1 a more  impious  
imitation of his power1 a more          
blasphemous assumption of his           
prerogatives1 were never exhibited than 
in the conduct of these  hierarchs4 ,did
 ,god appoint one mediator between      
himself and man1--behold  the saints    
they canonized2 did he bestow the       
,scriptures as his revealed  will upon  
the world1--behold the canons of the    
church in which their  authority is     
superseded2 and did he institute and    
command the  observation of the seventh 
day as a day of rest1--they substitute  
an  other in its place4 ,the ,sabbath is
 reprobated as a ,jewish institution3   
it is a wonder that we hear nothing of a
 ,jewish religion1 as  ,christianity    
certainly originated with that people2  
of a ,jewish ,saviour1  since the       
,redeemer was of the offspring of       
,david2 and of ,jewish  apostles1 as not
 one of the twelve were of the ,gentile 
race4 ,we must go  to the ,jews for the 
,bible1 in which is contained the       

knowledge of ,god1  and the hope of the 
world2 we must go to the ,jews for      
examples of  godliness in the long1 dark
 ages before the ,christian era2 why not
 go to  them for a sabbath likewise8    
,the spiritual pride that opposes such a
  measure will not stand in the great   
and burning day4           ,,chapter ,i4
 ,,sabbatarian ,,churches ,,in ,,asia   
,,and ,,africa4       ,,section ,i4     
,,history ,,of ,,the ,,armenian         
,,church4    ,the religious and         
political history of ,armenia has1 from 
the earliest  ages1 been pregnant with  
great events2 but1 obedient to          
necessity2 ,i  condense within a few    
pages what might fill as many volumes1  
and content  myself with giving an      
outline of the subject that some future 
historian  may amplify and adorn4 ,in   
countries where there exists a union    
between  the church and the state1 and  
the prelatic dignity is supported by    
royal  authority1 the revolutions of the
 former are intimately connected with   

the convulsions of the latter1--the     
temporal with the spiritual affairs4    
,but the archiepiscopal see of ,armenia 
appears to have preserved its  ancient  
form of discipline and doctrine in the  
most remarkable manner1  notwithstanding
 the changes of the royal and ducal     
dynasties in the  state1 and its        
alternate subjection to ,saracenic and  
,persian dominion4    ,the propagation  
of the gospel throughout ,armenia is    
ascribed by ancient  historians to ,st4 
,bartholomew1 who is said to be         
identical with  ,nathaniel1--that       
,israelite indeed4 ,in ,albanopolis1 a  
city of this  country1 we are informed  
that the apostle suffered martyrdom2 but
 his  blood only watered the seed of    
divine truth1 and caused a more glorious
  harvest of proselytes from the        
,zendavesta to the gospel1--from the    
adoration of the host of heaven to the  
spiritual worship of their ,maker1  the 
,king immortal1 eternal1 and invisible4 
,notwithstanding the penal edicts of the

 sovereign1 and the opposition of  the  
,magian priesthood1 ,christianity       
flourished like a tree planted by  the  
rivers of water1 and the rising         
generations of ,armenia reposed under   
its salutary shade4 ,few religious sects
 have been extirpated by  persecution4  
,religion shines brightest in the night 
of adversity2 it is  quenched and       
extinguished in the sunshine of courts4 
,zeal and  intrepidity are always       
stimulated by the presence of an enemy4 
,the  ,christians of ,armenia received  
the crown of martyrdom1 rejoicing that  
they were accounted worthy to suffer for
 their attachment to the cross4  ,at    
last1 however1 the eloquence of a       
priest1 named ,gregory1 succeeded in    
converting the monarch and his principal
 nobility1 who received the rite  of    
baptism1 and entered into the communion 
of the church4 ,in consequence  of this1
 ,leontius1 bishop of ,cappadocia1      
consecrated ,gregory bishop of  the     
,armenians1 and their church became     

annexed to the episcopal  jurisdiction  
of the ,antiochan prelate4    ,this     
circumstance1 so fortunate in a temporal
 sense1 proved highly  destructive to   
its spiritual repose4 ,no longer        
assaulted1 it became the  parent of     
schism2 and one ,eustathius1 an obscure 
priest1 has given his  name to history1 
by the success that attended his efforts
 to create an  excitement and faction in
 the church4 ,the convention of a       
,council at  ,gangra might condemn and  
excommunicate1 but could not suppress   
this  faction1 which poured forth       
legions of missionaries1 and for a long 
time  disturbed the repose of the       
,eastern prelates4 ,the doctrines of    
,eustathius were neither heretical1 nor 
his conduct in introducing them  truly  
reprehensible1 although from their      
nature highly offensive to the          
spiritual dignitaries1 who1 to judge    
from their habits of life1 found  more  
solace in wine and female intercourse   
than in religious exercises1  and who   

were more solicitous to acquire wealth  
and preferments to enrich  their        
physical heirs1 than solicitous about   
the welfare of their  spiritual progeny4
 ,producing the example and judgment of 
,paul1  ,eustathius boldly condemned the
 marriages of the priests1 under any    
circumstances1 as productive of evil2   
but denounced second and third          
marriages as abominable1 and worthy of  
excommunication4 ,the use of  wine1--in 
short1 all sensual delights1--he        
prohibited1 as equally  reprehensible in
 those who were set as exemplars and    
rulers of the flock  of ,christ4        
,eustathius was succeeded by ,erius1 a  
priest1 and semi-,arian1  who not only  
protested against the multiplied        
marriages of the priests1  but declared 
that the bishops were not distinguished 
from the presbyters  by any divine      
right1 and that1 according to the ,holy 
,scriptures1 their  authority and       
offices were identical4 ,this tenet1 of 
which the immediate  consequences would 

have been to reduce within certain      
limits the power  of the prelates1      
raised a storm of opposition from that  
quarter1  although it was highly        
agreeable to many good ,christians1 to  
whom their  tyranny and arrogance had   
become insupportable4 ,erius also       
condemned  fasts1 stated feasts1 prayers
 for the dead1 and the celebration of   
,easter2 but he urged a purer morality  
and a stricter observance of the        
,sabbath4 ,he had many followers1 whose 
numbers were greatly augmented by  one  
,paul of ,samosota1 from whom they were 
called ,paulicians4  ,notwithstanding   
the opposition of the prelates1 who     
invoked the secular  arm to prevent the 
defection of their spiritual subjects1  
the tenets of  this sect struck deep    
root in ,armenia and many of the eastern
 provinces1  and finally the great body 
of ,christians in the former country1   
withdrew  from the ,episcopal communion1
 and publicly espoused the sentiments of
  the ,paulicians4 ,these were accused  

of breaking loose from the  brotherhood 
of the ,christian world1 and they were  
denounced by the  bishops as the most   
odious of mankind4 ,whatever might have 
been the  denunciations of their        
adversaries1 posterity1 after a candid  
examination of their tenets1 must       
concede that they were principally      
distinguished for an adherence to the   
strict letter of the sacred text1  and  
for the primitive simplicity of their   
forms of worship4 ,their  ecclesiastical
 institutions exhibited the most liberal
 principle of  reason4 ,the austerity of
 the cloister was relaxed1 and gradually
  forgotten4 ,the standard of piety was 
changed from absurd penances to  purity 
of life and morals4 ,houses of charity  
were endowed for the  support and       
education of orphans and foundlings1 and
 the religious  teachers were obliged to
 depend for temporal support upon the   
voluntary  subscriptions of their       
brethren and the labour of their own    
hands4 ,to  these churches1 famous      

throughout the ,east no less for the    
purity of  their worship than their     
exemption from ecclesiastical tyranny1  
myriads  of fugitives resorted from all 
the provinces of the ,eastern empire1   
and  the narrow bigotry of the emperors 
was punished by the emigration of  their
 most useful subjects1 who transported  
into a foreign realm the  arts of both  
peace and war4 ,among the mountains of  
,armenia1 and beyond  the precincts of  
the ,roman power1 they seemed to have   
found a new world1  where they might    
breathe the air of religious freedom4   
,the emperors1  ignorant of the rights  
of conscience1 and incapable of pity or 
esteem  for the heretics who durst      
dispute the infallibility of holy       
councils1  and refused to acquiesce in  
their imperial decisions1 vainly sought1
 by  various methods1 to excite against 
them the indignation of their  sovereign
 and the vengeance of persecution4      
,during this time the ,paulicians had   
increased in a wonderful manner4 ,the   

desire of gaining souls for ,god1 and   
subjects for the church1 has1 in  all   
ages1 fired the zeal and animated the   
activity of the ,christian  priesthood4 
,it must not be supposed that the       
,paulicians were less  arduous in the   
prosecution of their spiritual          
enterprises4 ,assuming the  character of
 travelling merchants1 or in the habits 
of pilgrims1 a  character to this day   
sacred throughout the ,east1 they joined
 the ,indian  caravans1 or pursued      
without fear the footsteps of the roving
 ,tartar4  ,the hordes encamped on the  
verdant banks of the ,selinga1 or in the
  valleys of the ,imaus1 heard1 with    
feelings of mysterious reverence1 the   
story of the incarnation2 and illiterate
 shepherds and sanguinary  warriors     
forsook their flocks and deserted their 
camps to listen to the  simple eloquence
 of an ,armenian pilgrim4 ,perhaps the  
exposition of a  metaphysical creed was 
no more comprehensible to the one than  
were  lessons of humanity and repose to 

the other2 but both were susceptible  of
 the baser passions of hope and fear1   
and both could understand the  effect   
that their rejection or adoption of the 
gospel would exercise1  according to the
 popular belief1 upon their destiny in a
 future world4  ,the mysterious rites of
 ,christianity were administered to     
multitudes1  among whom a great ,khan   
and his warriors were said to be        
included4#a ,in  other regions the      
,paulicians were no less successful4    
,unwonted crowds  resorted to the banks 
of ,abana and ,pharpar1 whose limpid    
waters seemed  particularly appropriate 
for the administration of the baptismal 
rite4  ,the bishops of ,syria1 ,pontus1 
and ,cappadocia1 complained of the      
defection of their spiritual flocks4    
,their murmurs1 a principle of  policy1 
above all an implacable hatred against  
everything bearing the  semblance of    
freedom1 induced the ,grecian emperors  
to commence1 and  continue for nearly   
two centuries1 the most terrible        

persecutions  against the ,paulicians4  
,during these frightful convulsions1    
,armenia was  ravaged from border to    
border with fire and sword2 its         
monarchy--then  held by a younger branch
 of the family of the ,parthian         
kings--extinguished2 its cities         
demolished1 and its inhabitants either  
massacred by the hands of their enemies1
 driven into exile1 or sold into        
servitude4 ,great numbers fled for      
safety and protection to the ,saracens1 
by whom they were hospitably            
entertained1 and who permitted them to  
build a city for their residence1 which 
was called ,tibrica4 ,this  afforded    
them an opportunity for returning1 with 
interest1 the miseries  that they had   
suffered at the hands of the ,greeks2   
for1 entering into a  league with the   
,saracens1 and choosing for their leader
 a chief named  ,carbeas1 they          
prosecuted against the ,greeks a war    
which continued during  the century1 and
 in which the slaughter on both sides   

was prodigious4#b  ,during these        
convulsions several companies of the    
,paulicians passed into  ,bulgaria1     
,thrace1 and the neighbouring provinces1
 where their opinions  became the source
 of new dissensions4 ,after the ,council
 of ,basil had  commenced its           
deliberations1 these sectaries removed  
into ,italy1 where  they became         
amalgamated with the ,albigenses and    
,waldenses4    ,armenia1 reduced from an
 independent kingdom to a ducal         
sovereignty1  maintained a real         
independence1 though in nominal         
servitude4 ,the ,roman  emperors1 in the
 decline of their greatness1 were       
content with the name  of homage and the
 shadow of allegiance4 ,a robe of rare  
texture and  curious workmanship1 formed
 of the hair or wool by which the       
mother-of-pearl1 a shell-fish of the    
,mediterranean1 attaches itself to  the 
rock1 was their annual imperial gift    
that purchased the nominal  fealty of   
the ,armenian satraps4 ,but the ,church1

 notwithstanding this  political        
vassalage1 preserved its independence4  
,the ,armenian priests1  in consequence 
of their ignorance of the ,greek tongue1
 were unable to  assist at the ,council 
of ,chalcedon1 but the doctrines of     
,eutyches1 to  which they still adhere1 
were propagated among them1 perhaps1    
with a  slight modification1 by ,julian 
of ,halicarnassus4 ,from the earliest   
ages  they have devoutly hated the error
 and idolatry of the ,greeks4 ,like the 
primitive ,christians1 they have ever   
exhibited an unconquerable  repugnance  
to the use or abuse of images1 which1 in
 the eighth and ninth  centuries1 spread
 like a leprosy through nearly all      
,christendom1 and  supplanted all traces
 of genuine piety in the visible church 
by the  grossest superstition4 ,they are
 decidedly adverse to the adoration of  
relics1 the worship of the ,virgin1 or  
the observation of the feasts and       
festivals of the ,church4 ,they regarded
 the ,greeks as idolaters2--the  ,greeks

 accused them of ,judaism1 heresy1 and  
atheism1 and to these  accusations1 with
 the feelings they engendered1 may be   
ascribed the  unrelenting animosity and 
persecution that they waged against each
  other1 and which terminated only when 
the ,grecian empire ceased to  exist4   
,armenia has1 in all ages1 been the     
theatre of hostile operations4 ,times   
without number her cities have been     
plundered1 her harvests consumed1  and  
her flocks slaughtered1 to gratify the  
cupidity or to satiate the  hunger of   
armies1 who1 in the character of allies1
 were marching through  her territories4
 ,the empire of the ,east has1 in many  
instances1 been  contested upon her     
fields2 and1 though generally in        
servitude1 seldom  has she been         
permitted to enjoy the tranquillity of  
that state4 ,yet  subsequent to the firm
 establishment of the ,saracen dominion 
in ,asia1  they enjoyed a long period of
 prosperity and repose4 ,when the       
,saracenic  empire became supplanted by 

that of the ,tartars1 the consequences  
to the  ,eastern ,christians were most  
deplorable4    ,these ruthless          
conquerors destroyed1 wherever they     
went1 the fair fruits  that had arisen  
from the labours of the missionaries1   
extirpated the  religion of ,jesus from 
several cities and provinces where it   
had  flourished1 and substituted the    
,mohammedan superstition in its place4  
,the ,armenian churches1 in particular1 
experienced the most deplorable  evils  
from the ruthless and vindictive spirit 
of ,timur ,bec1 or  ,tamerlane1 the     
,tartar chief4 ,this implacable warrior1
 having overrun a  great part of        
northern and western ,asia1 exerted all 
his influence and  authority to compel  
the ,christians to apostatize from their
 faith4 ,to  the stern dictates of      
unlimited power he united the compulsory
 violence  of persecution1 and treated  
the disciples of ,christ with the most  
unrelenting severity2 subjecting such as
 magnanimously adhered to their         

religion1 to the most cruel forms of    
death1 or to the horrors of  unmitigated
 slavery4 ,under the successors of      
,timur they were subjected  to many     
vicissitudes1 being alternately         
protected and oppressed1  according as  
the caprice of the reigning sovereign   
seemed to dictate4  ,nevertheless1 under
 the rod of oppression their zeal was   
intrepid and  fervent1 nor could the    
sunshine of prosperity warm in their    
hearts an  undue love of the world1 and 
render them careless or indifferent to  
the  interests of ,christianity4 ,in    
numberless instances they preferred the 
crown of martyrdom to the turban of     
,mohammed1 and have sacrificed the      
dearest of temporal interests1--fame1   
wealth1 and preferments1 to a           
scrupulous adherence to the ,christian  
profession1 and a strict regard  for its
 duties4 ,once only within the last     
thirteen centuries has ,armenia  aspired
 to the rank of an independent kingdom1 
and even then her  ,christian kings1 who

 arose and fell1 in the thirteenth      
century1 on the  confines of ,cilicia1  
were the creatures and vassals of the   
,turkish  sultans of ,iconium4 ,about   
the commencement of the seventeenth     
century  their state experienced a      
considerable change in consequence of   
the  incursions of ,shah ,abbas1 the    
great king of ,persia4    ,this prince1 
justly apprehensive from the victorious 
approach of the  ,turks1 ravaged that   
part of ,armenia which lay contiguous to
 his  dominions1 and ordered the        
inhabitants to retire into ,persia4 ,it 
will be  perceived that these           
devastations were not intended to evince
 hostility  against the ,armenians1 but 
to retard and embarrass the advance of  
the  ,turks4 ,encouraged by the monarch1
 the most opulent of the ,armenians     
removed to ,ispahan1 where the ,emperor 
appropriated a beautiful suburb  for    
their residence1 and permitted them to  
enjoy every civil and  religious        
privilege1 under the jurisdiction of    

their own bishop or  patriarch4 ,during 
the administration of this magnanimous  
prince these  happy exiles partook the  
sweets of liberty and abundance1 but his
 death  was the signal for the triumph  
of their enemies4 ,a storm of           
persecution  succeeded1 in which the    
constancy of multitudes was shaken2     
indeed1 so  general was the apostacy1   
that for a time it appeared probable    
that this  branch of the ,armenian      
,church would be lost4 ,these           
apprehensions proved  to be groundless4 
,to the abatement of the rage of their  
enemies  succeeded the restoration of   
their political rights4 ,their churches1
 in  ,ispahan and other ,persian cities1
 that had been demolished1 were         
rebuilt1 and their schools1 which had   
been shut1 were re-opened4 ,it is  said 
that1 at present1 many of the most      
luxurious seats in ,persia are  occupied
 by opulent ,armenians4 ,in ,bagdad and 
,damascus they vend the  magnificent    
silks of ,oriental manufacture1 and     

preside over the creation  of those     
exquisite fabrics that are the          
admiration of the world4 ,in all  these 
cities they have meeting-houses1 with   
burial-grounds attached1 in  which      
flowers of rare beauty and exquisite    
odours are cultivated4 ,in  these       
burial-gardens1 were it not for the     
presence of monumental marble1  one     
would forget the contiguity of death and
 decay4 ,the splendid palms1  the       
glorious rose-trees1 and the living song
 of birds1 are anything but  inspiring  
of melancholy thoughts4    ,the ,bible  
was translated at a very early period   
into the ,armenian  language1 but1 in   
#afij1 the call for the ,scriptures     
became so great that  the manuscript    
copies were not sufficient to supply the
 demand4 ,to  remedy this evil1 it was  
decided by a council of ,armenian       
bishops1  assembled in #afib1 to        
perpetuate and multiply that ,holy      
,book1 by the art  of printing1 of which
 they had heard in ,europe4 ,they first 

applied to  ,france1 but the ,catholic  
church objected to printing and         
distributing  the ,bible4 ,it was       
accomplished1 however1 through the      
agency of some  ,armenian merchants1 who
 had settled1 for purposes of commerce1 
at  ,london1 ,venice1 ,amsterdam1 and   
many other ,european cities4 ,this      
,bible  agrees in a wonderful manner    
with the ,english version of the        
,scriptures1  to which it is not        
inferior in correctness of diction and  
beauty of  typography4 ,the religion of 
,armenia has derived few advantages from
 the  power or learning of its votaries1
 but with the ,bible in their native    
tongue1 and being permitted to read and 
exercise their private judgment  in its 
interpretation1 it is not so very       
surprising that their church  has       
remained uncontaminated by ,grecian1    
,roman1 and ,mohammedan  corruptions4   
,it must not be supposed that the ,roman
 pontiffs1 ever  zealous to enlarge the 
bounds of their jurisdiction1 were      

mindless of  engaging the ,christians of
 the ,east to submit to their supremacy4
 ,on the  contrary1 this was for a      
considerable time the chief purpose that
  excited their ambitious views1 and    
employed their labours and  assiduities4
 ,but these attempts were unavailing1   
nor could any union  between the        
churches ever be effected4    ,the      
residence of the ,armenian patriarch is 
at ,ekmiasin1--three leagues  from      
,erivan4 ,forty-seven archbishops1 of   
whom each may claim the  obedience of   
four or five suffragans1 are consecrated
 by his hand4 ,many  of these1 however1 
are only titular prelates1 who dignify  
by their  presence the simplicity of his
 court4 ,their performance of the       
liturgy  is succeeded by their          
cultivation of the ground2 and1 unlike  
the  prelates of ,europe1 the austerity 
of their life and the plainness of      
their appearance increases in just      
proportion to the elevation of their    
rank4 ,throughout the fourscore thousand

 villages of his spiritual  empire1 the 
patriarch receives the tribute of a     
small but voluntary tax  from each      
individual above the age of sixteen     
years4 ,but this income is  not expended
 on luxurious living1 being employed to 
supply the incessant  demands of charity
 and tribute4 ,the ,indian caravan1     
laden with its  precious commodities1   
usually halts in the vicinity of        
,erivan1 which1  through the influence  
of the wealth thus distributed1 has     
become a  splendid and beautiful city1  
adorned with fountains1 groves1 and     
splendid churches4    ,besides the      
churches in ,armenia proper1 there are  
congregations of the  same faith and    
forms of worship in ,barbary1 ,egypt1   
,poland1 ,greece1 and  ,turkey4 ,they   
have churches also in nearly all the    
,oriental cities1  between which a      
continual intercourse and communication 
is carried on by  the travelling        
merchants or pedlars of that sect1 who  
are distributed  all over the ,east4    

,decidedly intelligent1 and frequently  
adepts in  ,oriental literature1 they   
are always found at the courts of the   
,eastern  princes1 where they act in the
 capacity of interpreters4 ,armenian    
ladies  are generally chosen to fill the
 station of favourite1 or companion1 to 
the ,sultanas4    ,the ,armenian        
,christians are eminently qualified for 
the office of  extending the knowledge  
of the gospel throughout the ,east2 and 
the time  is not far distant when they  
will prove the most efficient body of   
missionaries in the world4 ,indeed1     
without the name1 in a multitude of     
instances1 they have assumed their      
character and acted their part4 ,it is  
true that they are unacquainted with the
 ,european habit of supporting          
expensive missions in foreign countries1
 but like the ,waldenses1 they  travel  
as venders of merchandise1 and embrace  
all opportunities to  impart            
instruction4    ,they carried the       
knowledge of the gospel into ,china1    

when that country  was inaccessible to  
,europeans2 and long before the ,english
 obtained a  footing in ,india1 they had
 erected churches in all the principal  
cities  of that empire1 in which the    
worship of ,god was maintained upon     
every  ensuing ,sabbath4 ,they are      
familiar with the ,oriental languages1  
and  acquainted with the habits of the  
people1 who consequently feel no dread  
of their foreign character1 but regard  
them from the first as brothers  and    
friends4 ,the first version of the      
,scriptures into the ,chinese  language 
was made by an ,armenian1 named ,joannes
 ,lassar1 whose knowledge  of ,oriental 
literature was really surprising1 and   
who was no less  eminent for genuine and
 enlightened piety4    ,their           
ecclesiastical establishment in         
,hindostan is very respectable4 ,the    
bishop visits ,calcutta1 but he is not  
resident there4 ,they have churches  in 
,calcutta1 in ,madras1 and in ,bombay1  
which contain together about two        

thousand communicants4 ,there are also  
churches in the interior4 ,of these     
they have one at ,dacca1 another at     
,syndbad1 and a third at ,chinsurah1    
that are large and flourishing4 ,in     
these churches the greatest  simplicity 
prevails1 and everything accords with   
the apostolic character  of the         
worshippers4 ,no magnificent altar1     
blazing with gold and gems1 no  gorgeous
 candelabra1 no exquisite creations of  
painting or statuary1 no  imposing      
ceremonies2 neither genuflexions nor    
lustrations2 neither  instrumental      
harmonies1 nor services performed with  
pompous parade and  in an unknown       
tongue4 ,the cross is the only ornament 
of their churches1  accompanied with the
 ,bible and the liturgy4    ,from these 
prayers and texts are read by the       
officiating priest1  succeeded by an    
appropriate discourse1 and the whole    
closes with singing  a psalm much in the
 style and manner of an anthem4         
,baptism1 among the ,armenians1 is      

administered by immersion in rivers1 or 
running streams1 if such are convenient2
 when otherwise1 in a room1  called the 
baptistery1 which is always contiguous  
to the church4 ,they  regard the        
sacrament as a memorial of the          
,saviour's passion1--nothing  more1--and
 administer it in both kinds to the     
laity4 ,they reject the  observation of 
saints' days1 or the festivals of       
,christ1 but declare  that ,god1 in his 
word1 ordained the seventh day as a day 
of rest1 which  they religiously        
observe4    ,the ,armenians are not     
ignorant of the nature of experimental  
religion4  ,many individuals among them 
have exhibited examples of genuine and  
enlightened piety1 and have expired in  
the triumphs of faith4 ,their  moral    
character1 as might be supposed1 far    
exceeds that of any other  ,eastern     
people4 ,the women are modest1          
dignified1 and observant of their       
conjugal relations2 the men are         
intelligent and affable4 ,their general 

character is that of a wealthy1         
industrious1 and enterprising people4   
,their companionship is courted all over
 the ,east4    ,they occupy posts of    
honour and profit1 they monopolize      
commerce1 and  hold the highest rank as 
artisans and manufacturists4 ,is not the
 hand of  ,god in this thing8 ,are they 
not designed1 at some future period1 to 
work  wonders in the moral renovation of
 mankind8 ,for that purpose1 probably1  
the everlasting arm has been beneath and
 around them for so many ages1  and they
 have been preserved from the arts and  
allurements of the  tempter4 ,for that  
purpose1 probably1 they have been led   
into the cities  and palaces of the     
,eastern countries4    ,where are the   
seven churches of ,asia1 to whom was    
penned the mystic  visions of the       
,apocalypse8 ,where are the splendid    
cities in which they  rose and          
flourished8 ,gone1 gone1 with the glory 
of ,babylon and the  triumphs of ,rome4 
,where is the church of ,laodicea1 in   

whose gorgeous  cathedral the lordly    
prelates met to give laws to the        
,christian world  and to anathematize   
,sabbath-keepers8 ,echo might answer1   
,where8 since  it is only remembered    
because consecrated by the historic     
muse4 ,but the  ,sabbath they execrated 
still exists2 is still honoured and     
hallowed by  large and flourishing      
churches1 whose members are scattered   
over all  parts of ,asia4 ,churches1 who
 have never bowed to ,baal1 who have    
remained  uncorrupted by ,rome1         
uncontaminated by ,mohammedism2 who     
amidst the  darkness of idolatry kept   
the lamp of ,christianity replenished   
and  burning2 and in whose moral        
firmament the rays of the ,star of      
,bethlehem  have never been obscured4   
,that the members of these churches     
possess  natural facilities for the     
propagation of ,christianity throughout 
the  ,east1 that a foreigner could      
scarcely acquire by long years spent in 
toil and study1 must be evident to every

 discerning mind4 ,but they are         
ignorant of the art of printing2 and    
although three editions of their  ,bible
 have been issued at ,amsterdam1 and    
another at ,venice1 the supply  has by  
no means equalled the demand among      
themselves for that holy book4  ,what   
they require are facilities for         
printing4 ,a mission1 with printers  and
 printing-presses1 established in the   
heart of that country1 would  prove of  
incalculable advantage2--not to teach   
them ,christianity3 they  are acquainted
 with its doctrines already2--but to    
print their ,bible1 and  other religious
 books1 for distribution2 to enrich     
their travelling  merchants1 who are in 
continual motion from ,canton to        
,constantinople1  with the precious     
wares of truth and wisdom2 to inspire   
their zeal1  awaken their energies1 and 
secure their engagement in the glorious 
enterprise4 ,would it not be interesting
 to open a communication with  these    
ancient churches1 whose foundation on   

the ,rock cannot be doubted1  since they
 have withstood the wreck and ruin of   
eighteen centuries1  neither            
extinguished by wars and desolations1   
nor contaminated by the  false prophet  
or the beast8 ,would it not be          
delightful to hold  intercourse with    
that venerable patriarch1--the successor
 of a line of  prelates extending back  
to the ,apostle1 that ,israelite indeed1
 in whom  was found no guile8 ,surely   
that place is hallowed4 ,within sight of
  ,ekmiasin is ,mount ,ararat1 where the
 world's gray fathers came forth to     
witness the bow of the covenant1 and    
whence the ,sun of ,righteousness  shall
 yet arise to the benighted nations with
 healing in his wings4    ,the          
,armenians1 though ignorant of the art  
of printing1 have an abundant  store of 
literature4 ,in the monastery of        
,ekmiasin1 and in some other  places1   
the accumulated lore of ages has been   
preserved in huge piles of  manuscripts1
 that would abundantly reward the       

labours of the scholar and  the         
antiquarian4 ,they are not ignorant of  
the belles-lettres1 and they  have      
produced some pleasing poets and        
rhetoricians4#c    ,there are other     
ancient sects in the ,east who are      
represented as being  observant of the  
ancient ,sabbath4 ,of these we might    
instance several  branches of the       
,nestorian fraternities1 the            
,hemerobaptists1 or  ,christians of ,st4
 ,john1 and the ,jusidians4 ,how far    
this may be the case1  ,i have no data  
for determining4 ,some authors have also
 ascribed the  observation of the       
,sabbath to the ,greek ,church2 but     
this1 ,i believe1 can  only be          
understood in a partial and limited     
sense4 ,many have been guilty  of the   
incongruity of including in the term the
 ,greek ,church all the  ,christians of 
the ,east4 ,strictly speaking1 that term
 was1 and is1 only  applicable to those 
countries in which the spiritual        
authority of the  ,constantinopolitan   

prelate predominated4       ,,section   
,,ii4 ,a ,,sketch ,,of ,,the ,,history  
,,of ,,the ,,ancient ,,christians ,,of  
,,india4    ,the introduction1 rise1    
progress1 declension1 and extirpation of
  ,christianity in ,india1 is1 with some
 partial exceptions1 wrapped in         
profound obscurity1 yet many historians 
of abundant information and             
unimpeachable veracity are unanimous in 
supposing that ,india received  the     
gospel probably before ,great ,britain4 
,rev4 ,c4 ,buchanan says1 ,there have   
lately been discovered ,sanscrit        
writings containing testimony of        
,christ4 ,they relate to a prince who   
reigned about the period of the         
,christian era1 and whose history1      
though  mixed with fable1 contains      
particulars which correspond1 in a      
surprising  degree1 with the advent1    
birth1 miracles1 death1 and resurrection
 of our  ,saviour4 ,the same testimony  
is given by ,sir ,william ,jones1 whose 
acquaintance with ,oriental literature  

has never been surpassed4 ,another      
learned historian declares1 ,that it may
 be proved by the ,syriac  records1 that
 in the fourth century ,christianity was
 flourishing in the  provinces of       
,chorasin and ,mavaralhara2 and from a  
variety of learned  testimony1 that the 
gospel was introduced by the ,apostle   
,thomas himself  into ,india and ,china1
 within thirty years subsequent to the  
ascension of  our ,saviour4 ,la ,croze  
in the clearest manner proves the       
antiquity of  ,christianity in those    
countries4 ,in the epitome of the       
,syrian canons1  ,st4 ,thomas is styled 
the ,apostle of the ,hindoos4 ,he is    
uniformly styled1  in the ,syrian       
,chronicles1 the first bishop of the    
,east4 ,ebed ,jesus says1  ,india and   
all the regions around received the     
priesthood from him4  ,amru1 the ,syriac
 historian1 traces both ,thomas and     
,bartholomew through  ,arabia and       
,persia into ,india and ,china4 ,many of
 the ,syrian writers  quoted by ,asseman

 agree in stating that a few of the     
twelve1 and many of  the seventy        
disciples went far and wide preaching   
the gospel through  ,northern ,asia4    
,the ,bishop of ,calcutta1 ,dr4 ,wilson1
 says1 ,that the ,christians of the     
,malabar ,coast are the remnants of the 
ancient church of ,india1 preserved  in 
the midst of idolatry from the days of  
the ,apostles4    ,these ,christian     
settlements are located on the ,malabar 
coast1 in the  south of ,india1 and     
contain a population of probably        
#bjj1jjj4 ,they are  agricultural in    
their mode of life1 and occupy a fertile
 and healthy  territory4 ,they are      
spread along the ,cunara4 ,in           
,mangalore1 ,onore1  ,barcelore1 and    
,carwar1 they have flourishing churches4
 ,a large  settlement of these people   
were discovered by ,dr4 ,buchanan in the
  interior of ,travancore4 ,their       
intelligence1 the virtuous liberty of   
the  female sex1 and the whole aspect of
 society1 seemed to indicate a          

,protestant country4    ,for the        
compilation of a history of this people 
we have scant materials4  ,unknown to   
the world they seem to have been most   
happily preserved from  its troubles and
 dissensions4 ,their obscurity was the  
preservative of  their peace and the    
badge of their purity4 ,yet we are      
informed by  ,william of ,malmsbury1    
that these ,christians were visited1    
towards the  conclusion of the ninth    
century1 by ambassadors from ,alfred of 
,england1  who paid their homage at the 
shrine of ,st4 ,thomas1 in the vicinity 
of  ,madras1 and whose return1 loaded   
with a cargo of pearls and the richest  
gums and spices1 amply rewarded the     
enterprising sovereign1 who  entertained
 the noblest projects of discovery and  
commerce4#d ,they  asserted that the    
pepper coast of ,malabar1 and even the  
islands of  ,ceylon and ,socotara1 were 
peopled with ,christians1 who were in   
happy  ignorance of the quarrels of     
princes and ecclesiastics4 ,and that the

  bishops who presided over this        
multitude of churches were unambitious  
of  worldly honours1 and received       
ordination from the patriarch of the    
,east4  ,this account1 however1 was     
received as an imposition upon the      
credulity  of mankind1 and was treated  
as such until the progress of modern    
discovery established the fact4 ,the    
,portuguese1 who circumnavigated        
,africa1 and dared the dangers of       
unknown seas1 in order to gather the    
,indian spoils of gold and gems1 found1 
not indeed the boundless wealth  they   
sought1 but these companies of          
,christians who still preserved their   
faith in its pristine purity4 ,superior 
in arts1 and arms1 and virtues1  to the 
idolaters of ,hindostan1 they appeared  
to the astonished  adventurers like     
another race4 ,they occupied extremely  
neat and  convenient dwellings1 shaded  
by the palm-tree1 and contiguous to     
fields  of tropical productions4 ,the   
husbandman lived in peace and plenty1   

the  merchant grew rich by the pepper   
trade1 the young men were admitted to   
the service and society of the nobility 
of ,malabar2 and their simple  virtues  
demanded and insured the respect of the 
king of ,cochin1 and the  ,zamorin      
himself4 ,they were in allegiance to a  
,gentoo sovereign1 but the  real        
administration of their laws1 even in   
temporal concerns1 was lodged  in the   
hands of the bishop of ,angumala1 who   
could trace an uninterrupted  succession
 of prelates to the apostle himself4 ,he
 still asserted his  ancient dignity as 
metropolitan of ,india1 and his         
jurisdiction extended  over fourteen    
hundred churches1 and embraced the      
spiritual care of  #bej1jjj souls4 ,he  
was assisted by a sufficient number of  
priests and  spiritual teachers1 who    
administered consolation to the dying1  
and  reproof or correction to the       
living4 ,their meeting-houses were not  
different from ordinary dwellings4 ,they
 had neither pictures nor images4  ,the 

doctrine of purgatory1 the invocation of
 saints1 the merit of  relics1 and the  
observation of the first day1 was       
unknown among them4 ,on  the contrary1  
they rested and attended to divine      
worship upon the  seventh day of the    
week1 administered baptism to adults1   
and by  immersion1 were not ignorant of 
the great doctrines of regeneration and 
justification1 and possessed authentic  
manuscript copies of the ,holy          
,scriptures1 which were publicly read in
 the churches every ensuing  ,sabbath4  
,they were not degenerated into that    
softness1 effeminacy1 and               
licentiousness of manners1 which        
generally distinguish the natives of    
,southern ,india4 ,they were chaste1 and
 observant of their conjugal  relations2
 adultery was a crime unknown4 ,their   
priests were permitted to  enter into   
wedlock once1 with a pure virgin2 they  
were scandalized and  disgraced by a    
second marriage1 and a third could only 
be consummated at  the expense of       

excommunication4    ,the ,portuguese    
were no less surprised at their         
profession than offended  by their      
simplicity2 but1 what appeared most     
unaccountable1 they were  unacquainted  
with the spiritual and temporal majesty 
of ,rome1 and were  ignorant that1 to   
,st4 ,peter's successor1 all the kings  
and prelates of  the earth owed         
subjection and allegiance4 ,they        
adhered1 like their  ancestors1 to the  
communion of the ,nestorian ,patriarch2 
their bishops  had for ages been        
ordained by him at ,mosul1 and thence   
had traversed the  dangers of sea and   
land to their dioceses on the coast of  
,malabar4 ,their  liturgy and sacred    
books were in the ,syriac idiom4 ,they  
were acquainted  with the names of      
,theodore and ,nestorius1 were strenuous
 advocates of  the doctrine of the two  
persons of ,christ1 but they manifested 
a pious  horror1 when they heard the    
appellation ,mother of ,god applied to  
the  ,virgin ,mary4 ,when her image was 

first presented to receive their        
adoration1 they indignantly refused1    
exclaiming1 ,we are ,christians1 not    
idolaters2 we worship ,god4 ,it was the 
first care of the ,romish  emissaries to
 intercept all correspondence with the  
,nestorian ,patriarch1  to forbid their 
observance of the ,sabbath1 and to      
compel them to admit  the baptism of    
infants4 ,their bishops and leaders were
 thrown into the  dungeons of the ,holy 
,office1 which1 under the auspices of   
,alexis de  ,menezes1 had been          
established1 and was in full operation4 
,their towns  were filled with          
,portuguese soldiers1 their churches    
with images1 and  their pulpits by      
shaven monks4 ,all the mighty engines of
 ecclesiastical  authority were brought 
to bear upon these defenceless people2  
all the  passions of the human heart    
were alternately assailed1 in order to  
consummate their conversion to the faith
 of ,rome4 ,is it a wonder that  the    
shepherdless flock succumbed1 at least1 

for a time8 that where1 for  ages1 the  
,sabbath had been observed1 strange     
sounds of secular  employment should be 
heard upon that holy day8 and that the  
communion1  hitherto regarded as a      
symbolic memorial of the ,saviour's     
passion1 was  accepted as a vicarious   
sacrifice8 ,we confess our sins in      
prayer to  ,god1 they exclaimed1 when   
commanded to appear1 for auricular      
confession1 before the priesthood4 ,we  
keep the ,sabbath1 they replied1  when  
told to observe the ,dominical day4 ,but
 ecclesiastical tyranny  prevailed4     
,menezes1 archbishop of ,goa1 announced 
to the synod of  ,diamper1 over which he
 presided1 that a union between the     
heretics of  ,st4 ,thomas and the ,holy 
,church had been piously consummated1   
the  memories of ,theodore and          
,nestorius anathematized1 and the see of
  ,angumala bestowed upon a ,jesuit1 his
 minion and the worthy associate of     
such a prelate4 ,for sixty years        
servitude and hypocrisy prevailed4 ,for 

sixty years the mass was chanted on the 
,lord's day1 and in an unknown  tongue1 
in the chapels of ,malabar4 ,but the day
 for their liberation  arrived4 ,the    
,portuguese empire in the ,east was     
overthrown by the courage  and constancy
 of the ,dutch4 ,of the latter1 the     
,nestorians proved the  most valuable of
 allies2 and no one acquainted with     
human nature can  wonder that they were 
implacable enemies of the former4 ,the  
,jesuits1  though loth to resign it1    
were incapable of defending the power   
they had  abused4 ,forty thousand       
,christians in arms asserted1 by the    
most powerful  arguments1 their rights1 
and their attachment to the creed of    
their  ancestors4 ,the ,jesuits1 with   
their minions1 fled4 ,the ,indian       
archdeacon  was brought from a dungeon  
to the episcopal chair1 which he filled 
until  a new primate could be solicited 
and obtained from the ,nestorian        
patriarch of the ,east4    ,the churches
 were immediately purged of images and  

relics4 ,the  observation of the first  
day was forbidden1 and that of the      
,sabbath  restored4 ,and to crown the   
whole1 a great procession was formed1 in
  which multitudes bearing              
palm-branches1 and with all the ensigns 
of  victory and triumph1 repaired to    
their chapels1 singing the              
,trisagion1#e where the service was     
performed in the ancient manner4        
,since the expulsion of the ,jesuits the
 ,nestorian creed has been fully        
professed on the coast of ,malabar1 and 
these ancient ,christians have  engaged 
the speculations of ,europe and the     
civilized world4 ,dr4 ,buchanan         
represents their episcopal establishment
 to be equally respectable with  that of
 the ,english in ,india1 and says1      
moreover1 that they maintain the  solemn
 worship of ,god in all their churches  
upon the seventh day4    ,another       
eminent author says1 that their         
doctrines are those of the  ,bible1 and 
that they have been sorely tried in     

times past for keeping  the commandments
 of ,god4#f       ,,section ,,iii4 ,a   
,,sketch ,,of ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,the
 ,,abyssinian ,,church4    ,abyssinia1  
or ancient ,ethiopia1 comprehends a vast
 region in the  interior parts of       
,africa1 whose inhabitants1 previous to 
the  acquaintance of their ,queen with  
the ,jewish king ,solomon1 were involved
  in a dark and gloomy superstition1    
resembling in many respects the         
idolatrous worship of the ,egyptians4   
,the connexion and intimacy that        
subsequently existed between the ,jewish
 and ,ethiopian courts resulted in  the 
conversion of this people to ,judaism1  
in the profession of which  they        
remained until the time of our ,saviour4
 ,it is also evident that  considerable 
intercourse was carried on between      
,axuma1 the capital of  ,ethiopia1 and  
the royal city of ,judea1 no less for   
commercial than  religious purposes4 ,it
 is highly probable that business       
connected with  ecclesiastical affairs1 

or perhaps the desire of witnessing and 
participating in the solemnities of     
,pentecost1 had induced a dignitary  of 
the ,ethiopian court to visit           
,jerusalem1 where1 coming in contact    
with  ,philip1 he was converted to      
,christianity1 and baptized by that     
apostle4  ,the subsequent fate of this  
distinguished personage1 the impression 
produced upon the mind of his royal     
mistress and her court by his           
conversion1 or whether the propagation  
of ,christianity throughout the  realm  
was effected by his instrumentality1 are
 all mysteries over which  time has     
drawn an impenetrable veil4             
,ecclesiastical historians are united in
 their testimony that1 early in  the    
fourth century1 ,christianity became the
 established religion of the  empire4   
,this happy result was brought about by 
a train of singular  circumstances4 ,it 
appears that ,meropius1 a merchant of   
,tyre1 having  undertaken a commercial  
voyage to ,india1 was shipwrecked on the

 coast of  ,ethiopia1 when he was       
barbarously murdered by the natives1 and
 his two  sons carried as slaves before 
the ,emperor4 ,the intelligence1        
gentleness1  and peaceable demeanour of 
the two brothers1 of whom the older was 
named  ,frumentius1 gained them many    
friends1 and they were soon promoted to 
high offices at court4 ,the brothers1   
being ,christians1 soon began to  teach 
the natives1 and the work of conversion 
went on rapidly4 ,in a few  years1 so   
great was their success1 that the gospel
 had been preached  throughout the      
length and breadth of the land1 and a   
thriving branch  thereby united to the  
great ,eastern church4 ,frumentius      
subsequently  visited the ,patriarch of 
,alexandria1 who received him and the   
message he  bore with the greatest joy1 
loaded him with honours1 and consecrated
 him  the first bishop of the           
,ethiopians4 ,the system of doctrine was
 the same  as that received in the      
,alexandrian ,church1 of which          

,athanasius gives a  very succinct      
account4 ,this venerable prelate was a  
decided opposer of  the ,arian heresy1  
and he expresses their belief in the    
divinity of our  ,saviour2 ,and we      
assemble on ,saturday1 he continues2 not
 that we are  infected with ,judaism1   
but to worship ,jesus1 the ,lord of the 
,sabbath4  ,the friendly relation thus  
early begun between these churches1 has 
continued to the present time through   
fifteen centuries2 and the office  of   
,patriarch of the ,ethiopic ,church is  
still bestowed upon a ,coptish  priest1 
who receives his appointment and        
consecration from the ,patriarch  of    
,alexandria4    ,the ,abyssinian ,church
 appears to have remained in a state of 
general  peace and prosperity while     
,numidia1 ,carthage1 and other ,african 
provinces1 were convulsed by the faction
 of the ,donatists4 ,neither do  they   
appear to have taken any part in the    
tumults and dissensions  arising from   
the ,arian and ,sabellian controversies4

 ,on the contrary1  they were counted by
 the most rigid as a church of orthodox 
,christians1  until the commencement of 
the seventh century1 when they embraced 
the  ,eutychian sentiments1 in          
consequence1 it is said1 of the         
exhortations  addressed to them by the  
doctors of that sect who resided in     
,egypt4#g  ,about the same time1 the    
,saracens subduing ,egypt and all the   
adjacent  countries1 ,abyssinia became  
isolated from the rest of the world4    
,during  the many centuries that ensued1
 ,christianity1 though not without      
adulteration1 was preserved in this     
ancient empire1 and the solemn          
observance of the seventh day           
unchangeably continued4 ,toward the     
close  of the fifteenth century1 the    
,portuguese1 through their brilliant    
career  of maritime discovery1 succeeded
 in opening a communication into the    
country of the ,abyssinians1 who were   
found observing the rites and           
professing the doctrine of their ancient

 faith4 ,rome1 inflamed with a  bigoted 
zeal to extend the sphere of her        
spiritual triumphs1 early took          
advantage of so favourable an           
opportunity to establish a mission in   
this  remote quarter of the globe4      
,accordingly1 ,john ,bermudez1 one of   
the most  enterprising and crafty of the
 sons of ,loyola1 was despatched into   
,abyssinia1 and in order to give his    
mission a certain appearance of         
dignity1 he was consecrated patriarch of
 that people by the ,pope4  ,according  
to his own accounts of the matter1 he   
found them sunk in the  most deplorable 
state of heresy and ignorance1 observant
 of ,judaical  rites and ceremonies1 and
 unacquainted with the ritual and       
worship of  the true church4 ,as        
,bermudez was accompanied by an         
embassage from the  ,portuguese court1  
who expressed the most solicitous regard
 for the  ,abyssinian monarch1 that     
prince1 hoping to derive some signal    
advantage  from such powerful succours1 

that would enable him to terminate      
successfully a war in which he was at   
that time engaged with a  neighbouring  
prince1 received them most graciously1  
and everything  seemed for a time to    
presage the most happy termination of   
the mission4  ,but their sanguine       
expectations were doomed to             
disappointment1 and  though they were   
several times reinforced1 and neither   
pains nor expense  were spared in the   
prosecution of their enterprise1 it     
became ultimately  apparent to all that 
the ,abyssinians were not to be engaged 
to abandon  their ancient faith1 and the
 ,jesuits becoming weary of such        
fruitless  endeavours1 relinquished the 
enterprise and returned to ,europe4 ,but
 the  ,pope1 unwilling to renounce his  
pretensions in that quarter of the      
world1 took occasion to renew the       
embassy about the commencement of the   
seventeenth century4 ,as before1 the    
mission received at first the most      
auspicious encouragement from ,susneius1

 or ,segued1 the reigning monarch4      
,this prince1 whose right to the throne 
was fiercely contested by some  powerful
 adversaries1 gladly embraced their     
overtures4 ,alphonsa ,mendez1  through  
the exercise of that consummate cunning 
for which his order is  proverbial1     
succeeded in securing to himself the    
appointment of prime  minister of the   
realm1 and of patriarch of the          
,abyssinians4 ,the monarch1  also1 in an
 open and public manner1 swore          
allegiance to the ,pope1 and  issued a  
decree commanding all his subjects to   
embrace the ,romish faith  under penalty
 of confiscation1 mutilation1 and death4
 ,the execution of  this barbarous      
decree was committed to ,mendez1 the new
 patriarch1 who  commenced his mission  
by the most inconsiderate acts of       
violence and  oppression4 ,displaying in
 all his conduct the true spirit of the 
,spanish  ,inquisition1 he employed all 
the arts of persuasion and reward on the
  one hand1 and of terror and cruelty on

 the other1 to compel the  ,abyssinians 
to abandon the tenets of their          
forefathers1 and to adopt the  doctrine 
and worship of ,rome4 ,in this fearful  
alternative1 multitudes of  that people1
 with their priests and leaders1        
steadfastly adhered to the  truth1 with 
a firmness and magnanimity that would   
have done honour to  the primitive ages1
 and resolutely met death in its most   
frightful  forms4 ,popular insurrections
 succeeded1 and force was called in to  
produce submission4 ,multitudes were    
slaughtered1 and many driven into       
exile4 ,at last1 however1 the inhuman   
work of persecution disgusted the       
emperor2 and after a great victory over 
twenty thousand of his  peasantry1 in   
which eight thousand were slain1 he     
relinquished the  bloody task1 and by a 
proclamation1 distinguished for its     
frankness and  simplicity1 restored     
religious freedom to ,abyssinia4    ,the
 result is gratifying as a triumph of   
religious liberty1 and as a  check to   

the extension of ,roman despotism and   
superstition4 ,to attempt  any details  
of the miseries and sufferings which the
 ,abyssinians had  endured during this  
persecution1 would require volumes2 for 
beside the  horrors of the ,inquisition 
and the evils of civil war1 the worst   
passions and vices of mankind1 as an    
unavoidable consequence1 were  released 
from all restraint4 ,intrepid avarice   
took occasion to extort  and pillage    
from its miserable victims2 revenge     
wreaked the hoarded  hatred of years    
upon its unsuspecting objects2 and the  
assassin and the  ravisher proceeded1   
without fear of punishment1 to the      
consummation of  their crimes4          
,mendez had1 likewise1 ordered those to 
be re-baptized1 who1 in  compliance with
 the will of the emperor1 embraced the  
religion of ,rome1  as if they had      
formerly been the votaries of ,paganism1
 and their worship  a system of         
idolatry4 ,they were also compelled to  
renounce the  observance of the seventh 

day4 ,this the ,abyssinian clergy       
regarded as a  most shocking insult to  
the religious discipline of their       
forefathers1  and quite as provoking as 
the violence and barbarity exercised    
upon  those who refused to submit to the
 ,romish yoke4 ,besides his arbitrary   
and despotic proceedings in the church1 
,mendez excited tumults and  dissensions
 in the state1 and with an unparalleled 
spirit of aggression  and arrogance1    
encroached upon the prerogatives of the 
crown1 and even  attempted to give law  
to the emperor himself4 ,many           
circumstances1  indeed1 concur to favour
 the opinion that he entertained the    
design of  subverting the liberties of  
the empire1 and rendering it an         
appendage of  the ,portuguese crown4 ,at
 any rate1 the kingdom became torn to   
pieces by  intestine commotions and     
conspiracies1 and though obliged to     
carry on  his machinations in secret1 he
 filled the court with cabals which     
lasted  until the death of the reigning 

monarch1 in #afcb4 ,basilides1 the son  
and  successor of the former1 deemed it 
expedient to free the country from  such
 troublesome guests1 and accordingly1 in
 #afhd1 he banished ,mendez1  with all  
the ,europeans belonging to his train1  
from the ,abyssinian  territories1      
commanded all his subjects to return to 
the religion of  their ancestors1 and   
forbid the worship of images1 or the    
observance of  the first day4 ,he       
likewise requested the ,patriarch of    
,alexandria to send  them a new abuna1  
with which request that dignitary       
complied4#h    ,the condition of the    
,abyssinian church at this time was most
 deplorable4  ,the reign of the         
,jesuits1 though short1 had been        
attended with blighting  and fatal      
consequences4 ,it had been their aim to 
overthrow in the minds  of the people   
all respect for the moral law and the   
revealed word of  ,god1 and to establish
 in its place a preposterous veneration 
for the  authority of the fathers1 and  

the canons of the church4 ,nor was this 
all2 superstition had immeasurably      
increased1 and its accompaniments1  vice
 and ignorance1 everywhere prevailed4   
,but from this period the very name of  
,rome1 its worship1 or its  pontiffs1   
were objects of the highest aversion to 
the ,abyssinians2 and  even the         
frontiers of the kingdom were guarded   
with the strictest  vigilance and the   
closest attention1 lest any ,jesuit or  
,romish emissary  might steal into their
 territory in disguise1 and excite new  
commotions  in the kingdom4 ,in vain the
 pontiffs made many attempts to recover 
what  they had lost through the         
insolence and misconduct of the         
,jesuits4 ,for  this purpose two        
,capuchin monks were despatched into    
,abyssinia2 but  these unfortunate      
wretches only succeeded in penetrating a
 short  distance into the interior1 when
 they were discovered and immediately   
put to death4 ,the pontiffs1 however1   
were not discouraged1 though they       

employed more clandestine methods of    
reviving the missions1 and even         
solicited in their behalf the           
intercession and influence of ,louis    
,,xiv4  of ,france4 ,the ,jesuits were  
eager to obtain this employment1 and1   
accordingly1 ,poncet1 a ,french         
apothecary1 was despatched from ,cairo  
by  the consul ,maillet1 in company with
 ,brevedent1 a respectable member of    
the former fraternity4 ,brevedent died  
in ,abyssinia1 and1 soon after1  ,poncet
 obtained an introduction to the king1  
who expressed his dislike  of the       
,catholic religion1 and his             
determination not to permit his people  
to embrace it4 ,m4 ,du ,roule was       
afterwards deputed to the same court1   
but  he had advanced no further than    
,sennaar1 when he was cruelly murdered  
by  the natives1 at the instigation1 as 
was supposed1 of the ,franciscans1  who 
were disgusted at seeing the mission in 
the hands of the ,jesuits4 ,in  #agji1  
the throne was usurped by ,ousts1 who   

appears to have been well  affected to  
the ,romish system1 and who secretly    
communed with its  emissaries1 although 
he made no attempt to influence the     
consciences of  his subjects4 ,his      
successor1 ,david1 ordered three of     
these strangers to  be apprehended1 who1
 being condemned as heretics and        
schismatics in a  council of the clergy1
 were stoned to death4 ,since that      
period1 ,pope  ,benedict ,,xiv4 made a  
new attempt to effect a reconciliation  
with the  ,abyssinian church1 but his   
efforts proved abortive2 and1 so far as 
,i am  aware1 neither the pontiffs nor  
their votaries have been able to calm   
the resentment of that exasperated      
people1 or to subdue their enmity       
against the doctrine and worship of     
,rome4    ,in #afcd1 the ,lutherans made
 several attempts to establish missions 
in  ,abyssinia1 in order1 as they said1 
to bring that benighted people to the   
knowledge of a purer religion1 and a    
more rational system of worship1        

although it might appear questionable to
 some which church of the two  most     
required a reformation in its rites and 
doctrines4 ,in accordance  with this    
design1 the learned ,heyling of ,lubec  
made a voyage into  ,abyssinia1 where he
 resided many years1 and acquired such a
  distinguished place in the confidence 
and esteem of the sovereign1 that  he   
was honoured with many important        
offices1 and finally became prime       
minister of the realm4 ,in this eminent 
station he acquitted himself in  the    
most creditable manner1 and gave many   
proofs of his zeal both for  the        
interests of religion and the public    
good4 ,he finally set out for  ,europe  
on business of importance1 but never    
arrived there2 and1 as the  journey was 
being performed by land1 it is supposed 
that he perished in  the deserts of     
,nubia4 ,subsequently1 however1 a       
communication was kept up  between the  
two countries1 and ,ernest1 duke of     
,saxe-,gotha1 surnamed the  ,pious1 on  

account of his sanctity and virtue1 made
 new attempts to  diffuse a knowledge of
 the gospel1 as taught in his church1   
among the  ,abyssinians4 ,this design   
was formed through the counsels of the  
famous  ,ludolph1 and was to have been  
executed by the ministry of ,gregory1 an
  ,abyssinian abbot who had resided some
 time in ,europe4 ,this missionary      
sailed from ,antwerp1 in the ship       
,katerina1 in #afeg1 but1 in passing    
,cape  ,horn1 she was unfortunately     
wrecked1 and all on board perished4 ,the
  mission1 thus frustrated1 was not     
designed to be abandoned2 for the       
prince1 in #affc1 entrusted the same    
important commission to ,john ,michael  
,wansleb1 a native of ,erfurt1 to whom  
he gave the wisest instructions1  and   
whom he charged particularly to employ  
all rational and consistent  means to   
excite in the ,abyssinian nation a      
favourable opinion of the  ,germans1 as 
this1 more than anything else1 would    
contribute to the  success of the       

enterprise4 ,but this wise and laudable 
undertaking failed  through the         
inconstancy of the worthless man to whom
 it was confided1  and whose virtue was 
by no means equal to his ability4       
,instead of  continuing his journey into
 ,abyssinia1 he remained for some time  
in  ,egypt1 and finally returned to     
,europe without ever seeing the country 
he  was intended to visit4 ,but he      
entertained many uneasy apprehensions of
  the account that would naturally be   
demanded of his conduct1 and of the     
manner in which he had expended the     
large sums of money designed for the    
,abyssinian expedition4 ,these          
apprehensions1 together with the        
consciousness of guilt1 made him        
desperate4 ,hence1 instead of returning 
to ,germany1 he went to ,rome1 and1 in  
#affg1 embraced the doctrine of that    
church1 at least in open profession1 and
 entered into the ,dominican  order4    
,other missions have been established1  
or rather attempted1 in this  country4  

,in #ahbi1 ,messrs4 ,gobat and ,kinglar 
were sent by the ,church  ,missionary   
,society1 as missionaries to ,abyssinia4
 ,after many trials1  they succeeded in 
reaching the place of their destination1
 by way of  ,massowa4 ,the ruler of     
,tigre1 who is greatly beloved by his   
subjects1  received them in a friendly  
manner1 and they were much encouraged by
 his  assurances of safety and          
protection4 ,mr4 ,hinglar died when he  
had just  conquered most of the         
difficulties of the language1 but ,mr4  
,gobat  employed his time in            
conversational preaching and            
distributing ,bibles1  until1 in        
consequence of the unsettled state of   
the country1 he was  induced to leave   
for a short time4 ,it is a fact1        
however1 that previous  to this the     
,scriptures had been translated by the  
,abyssinians themselves  from the       
,arabic and ,ethiopic into the ,amharic 
language1 which is the  dialect         
generally spoken throughout the         

,abyssinian empire4 ,in #ahcc1 ,mr4     
,gobat1 accompanied by ,mr4 ,isenberg1  
returned to his field of labour4  ,they 
took up their residence at ,adowa1 the  
capital of ,tigre1 six or  eight days'  
journey from ,massowa4 ,during ,mr4     
,gobat's absence1 the former  monarch1  
,sabagadis1 had been dethroned1 and     
,oobie1 an avaricious and  cruel despot1
 reigned in his stead4 ,it was soon     
perceived that he  regarded the         
missionaries with a jealous eye1 and his
 suspicions were  increased by the      
appearance in the country soon after of 
many  foreigners4 ,mr4 ,isenberg was    
openly accused of bringing them into the
  country for treasonable purposes4     
,these accusations1 and others of a     
similar character1 were circulated by   
the priests1 who complained that        
through the influence of the            
missionaries the ,ethiopic church was   
threatened with extinction4 ,they also  
charged the missionaries with  intrigue 
to overthrow the government of the      

country1 and to introduce  ,english     
troops4 ,oobie was no less suspicious of
 the political designs of  the          
foreigners1 and it was not long before  
an edict came to ,mr4  ,isenberg1 from  
the king1 in which all foreigners were  
commanded to  embrace the ,abyssinian   
creed or to leave the country4          
,preferring the  latter alternative1    
,mr4 ,isenberg and his associate1 ,mr4  
,blumhardt1  retired into ,egypt4 ,mr4  
,krapf1 a former companion of           
,blumhardt1 removed  to ,shoa1 where he 
was favourably received and hospitably  
entertained for  a time4 ,ultimately1   
however1 it appeared that the king      
wished to be  benefited by the superior 
knowledge of the missionaries in        
everything  but what pertained to the   
duties of religion4 ,he said that he    
wanted  workmen1 not priests4 ,after    
,mr4 ,krapf had acquired the language1  
he  established schools1 which succeeded
 well for a time1 or until the  pupils1 
from their superior knowledge of the    

,holy ,scriptures1 began to  question   
the traditions in which they had been   
brought up4 ,here the  priesthood       
interfered1 and through their           
machinations the monarch was  induced to
 express his decided disapprobation of  
the proceedings1 and  the schools were1 
at his command1 suppressed4 ,under these
  discouragements1 the missionaries1    
after distributing ten thousand  copies 
of the ,bible1 returned to ,europe4     
,the empire of ,abyssinia has been      
frequently disturbed by civil wars2 and 
the appointment of a new abuna1 or      
metropolitan1 is often attended by      
intestine commotions4 ,this was the case
 in #agae1 when that dignitary1 in  a   
convocation of the clergy1 declared his 
opinion of the  consubstantiality of    
,christ1 which was different from that  
which had  been proclaimed at the gate  
of the palace4 ,the abuna represented   
,christ  as being one ,god1 of the      
,father alone1 with a body              
consubstantial with  ours1 and by that  

union becoming the ,messiah4 ,the       
emperor maintained1  on the contrary1   
that the ,redeemer was perfect man and  
perfect ,god by  the union2 one ,christ1
 whose body was composed of a precious  
substance1  called bahery1 not derived  
from his mother1 or consubstantial with 
ours4 ,many of the ecclesiastics        
favoured the opinion of the abuna2 and1 
elate with their supposed triumph1 they 
gathered the populace1  surrounded the  
palace1 and insulted the emperor with   
shouts and songs4  ,the enraged         
potentate gave immediate orders for     
their dispersion and  punishment4 ,the  
mandate was executed by a company of    
pagan soldiers1 who  slew about one     
hundred of the delinquents1 and filled  
the streets of the  capital with        
slaughter4 ,the ,christian population of
 ,shoa and ,efat is  estimated at       
#a1jjj1jjj souls1 and that of the ,pagan
 and ,mohammedan  population of the     
numerous dependencies at an equal       
number4 ,but this  people is chiefly    

interesting to us from the fact that    
here1 for so many  ages1 a national     
religious establishment has existed1    
which never  succumbed to the authority 
of ,rome1 and1 consequently1 which has  
ever  been in the observation of the    
holy ,sabbath day4    ,the ,ethiopic    
church maintains the ,eutychian doctrine
 respecting the  nature of ,christ2 and 
it agrees with the other ,eastern       
churches in  holding the procession of  
the ,holy ,ghost from the ,father only4 
,in these  respects it differs from the 
,western churches4 ,from the ,romish    
church it  is distinguished by its      
doctrine regarding the supremacy of the 
,pope1 in  which it agrees with         
,protestants2 to the rule of faith1     
which it limits  to the ,scriptures1    
including the ,apocrypha2 to the        
eucharist1 which it  administers in both
 kinds to the laity1 and regards neither
 as a  transubstantiation nor as a      
sacrifice2 to the celibacy of the       
clergy1  who may be married2 to the     

adoration of images1 which it regards as
  unlawful2 to the state of the soul    
after death1 rejecting purgatory2 and   
as regards several other less important 
and minor points4 ,but1 like  ,rome1 it 
invokes saints and angels as            
intercessors with ,god1 paying  great   
honours to the ,virgin and ,st4         
,michael1 and having a copious  calendar
 of saints1 with a corresponding number 
of fasts and  festivals4#i    ,their    
most extraordinary peculiarities are    
certain forms and ceremonies  retained  
from their ancient ,jewish worship4     
,their churches1 which are  generally   
small and mean1 resemble precisely the  
,jewish temple4 ,like it1  they are     
divided into three parts2 the innermost 
being the holy of  holies1 and          
inaccessible to the laity1 who1 except  
on certain occasions1  are forbidden to 
pass the outer porch4 ,unbelievers1 and 
all subject to  ,levitical uncleanness1 
are carefully excluded4 ,all who enter  
must be  barefoot1 and the doorposts and

 threshold must be kissed in passing4   
,the  service is performed in the       
ancient ,ethiopic1 or ,geez1 now a dead 
language4 ,it commences with the ,jewish
 ,trisagion1 and as ,david danced       
before the ark1 so their priests caper  
and beat the ground with their  feet1   
and1 with other similar antics and      
performances1 complete a  remarkable    
form of devotion4 ,they observe the     
,levitical prohibitions of  unclean     
animals1 and the ,pharisaical ceremonies
 of genuflexions and  ablutions4 ,like  
the ,jews1 they practise concubinage4   
,fasts of unexampled  strictness and    
extraordinary frequency are constantly  
observed4 ,with  scriptural examples    
before them1 and unenlightened by       
science and  philosophy1 it is perhaps  
not surprising that they should believe 
in  witchcraft1 magic1 and sorcery4     
,the whole country is overspread to     
excess with churches1 and the number  of
 the professedly religious in ,shoa     
amounts to one-fourth of the            

population4 ,the aboon1 or abuna1 is the
 ecclesiastical head1 and the  church   
confines to his hands alone the grace or
 virtue that makes a  clergyman1        
differing in this from other churches   
called apostolic1 which  allow it to all
 bishops4    ,the ,grand ,prior of the  
monks of ,debra ,libanos is second in   
dignity2 then  the bishops2 next the    
priests and deacons4 ,monasteries       
abound1 and they  are generally placed  
on eminences near running water1 and    
amid scenes of  beauty and sublimity4   
,an easy ceremony admits to the monkish 
order1 and  the life of the professed is
 one of ease and indulgence1            
consequently  the land swarms with      
monks1 who are in reality the greatest  
of pests and  plagues4 ,every church    
establishment is supported by certain   
lands and  villages particularly set    
apart for that purpose1 and to these are
 added  various fees for baptismal1     
funeral1 and other clerical services1   
besides the voluntary contributions of  

the superstitious people4 ,these        
ecclesiastics1 taken as a body1 are     
ignorant1 superstitious1 and  immoral1  
fearful of innovation1 hating heretics1 
and observant of  religious forms1 some 
with the sincerity of devotees1 and     
others as the  business-like followers  
of a gainful profession4 ,of the        
doctrines of  justification by faith or 
regeneration by the ,holy ,spirit1 the  
,abyssinians are said to be entirely    
ignorant2 but it is possible1 it is     
even probable1 that there has been some 
misapprehension upon that point4  ,it is
 very easy for foreigners1 in a state of
 society so new and  strange1 to        
misapprehend the purport of what they   
behold1 or to arrive  at wrong          
conclusions1 from given premises1 in    
consequence of prejudice  and           
partiality4 ,we trust that the ,divine  
,inhabitant has not entirely  forsaken  
this polluted temple1 and that the      
sacred fire is not utterly              
extinguished1 although the surrounding  

atmosphere may be impure4 ,at any  rate1
 there is hope1 since the ,scriptures   
are the foundation of the  faith of the 
,abyssinian ,church1 and there is no    
infallible pontiff1  consecrating with  
his authority the manifold corruptions  
from which that  authority sprung1 and  
by which it is perpetuated4    ,it is   
scarcely necessary to repeat what all   
authors acquainted with the  subject    
have been unanimous in affirming1       
namely1 that the ,abyssinian  ,church   
observes the seventh-day ,sabbath4      
,sandius says1 ,there is a  ,christian  
empire of the ,abyssinians1 who adhere  
to ,peter and ,paul1 and  observe the   
seventh day4 ,the ,jesuits affirmed that
 they kept as sacred  the ,jewish       
,sabbath4 ,mr4 ,brerewood1 who wrote in 
#afad1 declares that the  midland       
,ethiopians1 the modern ,abyssinians1   
reverenced the ,sabbath1  keeping it    
solemn equal with the ,lord's day4#aj   
,james ,bruce1 a  ,scotsman1 who visited
 ,abyssinia in #agfh1 testifies to their

 observance  of the seventh day2 and    
these accounts have been substantiated  
by the  witness of modern travellers4   
,the numerous dependencies of the       
,abyssinian empire1 as well as some of  
the neighbouring independent  kingdoms1 
contain ,christian communities1 of which
 some much nearer than  others          
approximate in their rites and          
ceremonies to the simplicity of  the    
apostolic age4 ,many of these have for a
 long period of years1  successfully    
held their position among mountain      
fastnesses in the very  midst of a      
,pagan and ,mohammedan population4 ,one 
of the most remarkable  of these seats  
is upon an island of the ,lake ,zovai1  
where1 in the ,church  of ,emanuel1 are 
deposited the silver dishes and other   
sacred utensils1  with numerous         
manuscripts1 which ,nebla ,dengel wished
 particularly to  preserve from the     
grasp of an invading army4 ,the islands 
of this lake  contain upwards of three  
thousand ,christian houses formed of    

lime and  stone4 ,they are shaded by    
lofty trees1 and the whole has a        
luxuriant and  beautiful appearance4 ,in
 ,guragee1 a dependency of ,abyssinia1  
the  population are exclusively         
,christian4 ,twelve isolated churches   
previously unheard of were discovered a 
few years since in a province  called   
,yoya4 ,between ,garro and ,metcha there
 is a small tract peopled by            
,christians1 who reside entirely in     
mountain caves1 as a measure of         
security against the heathens by whom   
they are surrounded4 ,eight days'       
journey hence is ,cambat1 an independent
 ,christian state1 completely  studded  
with churches and monasteries4 ,wollamo1
 another ,christian  province under an  
independent sovereign1 lies below       
,cambat1 and also  contains many        
religious houses4 ,skorchassie1 another 
neighbouring state1  is peopled by      
,christians1 and so is ,sidama1 and both
 are entirely  surrounded by ,pagans4   
,susa is another important ,christian   

country1 whose  king1 in #ahdb1 was said
 to be a very wise and just ruler4 ,the 
government  is liberal1 and the people  
are1 comparatively with the other       
,african  nations1 in a high state of   
civilization4 ,the priests are          
distinguished  by antique robes and     
silver mitres1 and the churches and     
religious  observances resemble those of
 ,shoa1 except as regards the saints'   
days1  most of which are unknown in     
,susa4 ,in this country all labour is   
interdicted upon the ,sabbath1 but the  
observation of any ,lord's day is       
unknown4    ,that the religion of       
,ethiopia should have become corrupt is 
not in the  least surprising1 although  
we can only refer it to the             
superintending  providence of ,god that1
 amid the wreck of ages and the changes 
and  revolutions of time1 it has        
survived at all4 ,the wonder is1 that1  
surrounded as they are by ,pagan and    
,moslem1 together with the corrupt      
propensities of the human heart1 the    

very name and profession of             
,christianity has not been long since   
obliterated from their minds1 the       
,sabbath forgotten1 and the name of the 
,great ,mediator supplanted by that  of 
the false prophet4    ,abyssinia1       
notwithstanding her corruptions1 is     
immeasurably above all  other ,african  
nations in the scale of civilization4   
,this is plainly  enough proved by the  
following extract from the ,narrative of
 the ,travels  of ,charles ,johnston1   
through the country of ,adel to the     
kingdom of ,shoa1  in #ahdb-dc3         
,arrived upon the summit1 the stranger  
finds an extensive table-land  spread   
out before him1 and he cannot divest    
himself of the idea that he  has reached
 some new continent4 ,a ,scotch climate 
and ,scotch vegetation1  wheat1 barley1 
linseed1--and yet in intertropical      
,africa4 ,the country  seems highly     
cultivated1 wheat and barley on all     
sides growing close to  our path1 while 
near the farmhouses were stacks of      

grain1 which gave the  whole country an 
,english appearance4    ,amidst the     
luxuries and conveniences so abundantly 
supplied to the  embassy by the         
indulgent care of a liberal government1 
,i almost fancied  that ,i had returned 
to the comforts of ,european life4      
,mr4 ,johnston says that he was         
furnished with excellent wheaten bread1 
and butter quite as good as any he had  
ever eaten1 with fish1 flesh1  fowl1    
wine1 honey1 and a kind of native beer1 
resembling ,english ale4 ,he  speaks of 
the king as being beloved by his people1
 remarkably just in  all his            
transactions1 moderate in his anger1 and
 benevolent to his  visiters4 ,he       
himself declared that he had the fear of
 ,god before his  eyes4    ,the ,holy   
,scriptures have been preserved in      
,abyssinia1 on parchment  manuscript1   
and in the ,geez language2 but1 in      
#ahbf1 they were translated  by the     
,ethiopians themselves into ,amharic1   
the spoken dialect of the  country4     

,these books1 our traveller declares1   
agree perfectly with the  ,vulgate1     
except the book of the ,maccabees1 in   
which he discovered some  discrepancies4
 ,they also possess a commentary on each
 of the sacred  books1 and1 besides the 
five books of ,moses1 possess a sixth1  
which they  equally revere4 ,the names  
of the books agree with ours1 and appear
 to be  ,ethiopic translations of       
,genesis1 ,exodus1 c4 ,they also possess
 the book  of ,enoch1 which1 however1   
according to ,mr4 ,bruce1 is the        
production of a  ,gnostic philosopher4  
,they have a liturgy in ,ethiopic4 ,it  
is said that  all the literature of the 
country is embraced in #abj volumes4    
,but we trust that great and good things
 are in store for this ancient  people1 
who1 though severely tried and tempted1 
have persisted in  keeping the          
commandments of ,god and the faith of   
,jesus2 who1 though  stumbling1 have not
 wandered altogether out of the way2 and
 who have  within themselves all the    

elements for moral renovation1--the     
,holy  ,scriptures1 the ,sabbath1 and   
the knowledge of the ,redeemer of       
mankind4#aa    ,abyssinia1 as an empire1
 has experienced alternately the        
contraction and  expansion common to the
 ancient monarchies4 ,the ,negus1 as    
friend and  ally of ,justinian1 reigned 
supreme over seven kingdoms1 prosecuted 
an  extensive trade with ,ceylon and the
 ,indies1 and encouraged in his  country
 the arts and letters of ,europe4       
,arabia1 surnamed the blest1  and1 by   
contrast with the neighbouring regions1 
considered as happy1  had been despoiled
 of her rich treasures1 and led in      
captivity1 to  gratify the avarice or   
ambition of an ,ethiopian conqueror1    
whose  hereditary claim1 founded on his 
descent from the beauteous ,queen of    
,sheba1 was warmed and animated by      
religious zeal4 ,the inhabitants of     
,arabia were denominated ,homerites4    
,their prince1 ,duncan1 was not         
insensible to the inflictions1 nor      

inflexible to the entreaties1 of the    
,jews1 who1 powerful even in exile1     
persuaded him to retaliate upon the     
,christians in his dominions the        
persecution that their people suffered  
from the imperial laws4 ,accordingly    
some ,roman merchants were              
ignominiously put to death1 and the     
crown of martyrdom bestowed upon  many  
,christians of ,yemen1 who refused to   
apostatize from their faith4  ,the      
expiring churches of ,arabia invoked the
 name of the ,abyssinian  monarch1 who  
arose like a lion out of his place1     
passed the ,red ,sea with  a fleet and  
army1 dethroned the ,jewish proselyte1  
and extinguished a  royal race who1 for 
many centuries1 had exercised           
sovereignty over the  sequestered region
 of precious gums and aromatic groves4  
,the cities of  ,arabia immediately     
resounded with the ,trisagion1 chanted1 
with rapturous  demonstrations of joy1  
by the conquering army4 ,the ,negus     
himself  despatched a messenger to the  

,alexandrian prelate1 announcing the    
victory of the gospel1 and soliciting of
 that dignitary an orthodox  ruler for  
the ,arabian churches4 ,to ,justinian1  
this announcement  occasioned much      
secret gratulation1 though it may be    
questioned by  posterity whether he     
exulted most in the triumph of          
orthodoxy1 or the  flattering prospects 
he thereby entertained of gratifying his
 ambition1  securing a fortunate ally1  
and reaping the advantages of a         
lucrative  commercial intercourse4 ,he  
was desirous to divert the trade of the 
precious commodities of the             
,east1--silk1 balm1 and                 
frankincense1--no less  than to engage  
the forces of ,arabia and ,africa       
against the ,persian king4              
,accordingly1 an embassage1 under the   
direction of ,nonnosus1 was  despatched 
into ,abyssinia1 to execute1 in the name
 of the ,emperor1 this  important       
commission4 ,declining the shorter but  
more dangerous route  through the desert

 regions of ,nubia1 he ascended the     
,nile1 embarked on  the ,red ,sea1 and  
safely landed at the port of ,adulis4#ab
 ,from this port  to the royal city of  
,axuma is no more than fifty leagues1 in
 a direct  line2 but the winding passes 
of the mountains detained the embassage 
fifteen days1 during which journey they 
were astonished by the droves of  wild  
elephants that roamed the forests4 ,he  
found the capital large and  populous1  
the people ,christian in profession1 and
 strictly observant of  the ,jewish     
,sabbath4 ,he found also many traces of 
,grecian art4#ac ,the  ,negus received  
the ambassador with the splendid        
hospitality suitable to  a potent       
monarch1 and due to the representative  
of an imperial friend4  ,amidst a       
numerous and august assemblage of the   
ladies of the court1 the  dignitaries of
 the church1 and the princes of the     
empire1 the ,negus gave  audience in a  
spacious plain4 ,dismounting from his   
lofty chariot1 to  which was harnessed  

four white elephants1 superbly          
caparisoned1 he  appeared1 clad in a    
linen garment1 with a golden tiara on   
his head2  while around his neck1 arms1 
and ankles1 blazed the regal circlets of
  diamonds1 pearls1 and precious stones1
 interwoven with chains of gold4  ,he   
carried two javelins of rarest temper1  
and wore a light shield of  exquisite   
workmanship4 ,the ambassador of         
,justinian approached with awe1  and    
knelt with becoming deference4 ,he was  
raised and embraced by the  ,negus1 who 
received the imperial missive of which  
he was the bearer1  kissed the seal1    
perused the contents with apparent      
satisfaction1  accepted the imperial    
alliance1 and1 brandishing his weapons1 
denounced  a perpetual anathema against 
the enemies of his new friend and ally4 
,but  the proposal for trade was        
artfully eluded1 and the hostile        
demonstration was not productive of a   
corresponding effect4 ,the  ,abyssinians
 were unwilling to abandon the pleasures

 and luxuries of  peace1 with the       
sensual delights of their aromatic      
bowers1 for the toils  of ambition and  
the benefit of a foreign potentate4     
,discretion is  certainly the better    
part of valour1 and it was proved in the
 sequel  that the ,negus1 instead of    
extending his triumphs1 was incapable of
  preserving what he had already        
obtained4 ,the sceptre of ,arabia was   
wrenched from his hands by ,abrahah1 the
 slave of a ,roman merchant of  ,adulis4
 ,the ,ethiopian legions were seduced   
and enervated by the  luxurious         
influences of the climate4 ,justinian   
solicited the friendship  of the        
usurper1 who returned his complaisancy  
with a slight tribute and  the          
acknowledgment of his nominal supremacy4
 ,after a long course of  prosperity1   
the dynasty of ,abrahah was overthrown1 
his descendants  despoiled of their rich
 possessions by the ,persian conqueror1 
and every  vestige of ,christianity     
obliterated4 ,this short episode of     

,abyssinian  history must be interesting
 to us1 from the fact that1 could a     
,christian  empire have been sustained  
in ,arabia1 it might have prevented the 
rise  of the ,mohammedan imposture1 and 
have materially changed the history of  
the world4#ad    #a ,according to       
,assemanni1 ,christianity was once      
professed by the horde  of ,koraites2   
and their chief1 who received           
ordination1 which probably  gave rise to
 the legend of ,presbyter1 or ,prester1 
,john4    #b ,some modern theorists have
 severely reprehended the ,paulicians1  
or  ,armenians1 for the part they bore  
in these sanguinary scenes4 ,but so     
long as the principle of patriotism is  
cherished2 so long as the names  of home
 and country are accounted sacred2 and  
so long as the memories of  ,tell1 and  
,wallace1 and ,washington1 are held up  
to general emulation1 the  laity1 at    
least1 may be excused for recognising   
the legitimacy of  self-defence4    #c  
,those who desire a more detailed       

account of the ,armenians may  consult  
,la ,croza1 ,galanus1 ,olearius1        
,chardin1 ,fabricius1 in ,lux           
,evangelii1 and1 above all1 ,tavernier4 
#d ,i am aware that the truth of this   
statement has been questioned1 but      
after all there is nothing so very      
improbable in it4 ,alfred was a prince  
of an enterprising disposition1 and     
might have sent an embassy to ,india    
for several reasons1 and their          
performance of the journey was no       
impossibility4    #e ,the ,trisagion is 
the hymn supposed to be chanted by the  
,cherubim  before the throne of glory1  
and commences with ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 
is the  ,lord ,god ,almighty4    #f     
,authors are far from being unanimous in
 their accounts of this  people and     
their origin4 ,it has been maintained by
 not a few that they  are of ,syriac    
extraction1 and that the ,st4 ,thomas1  
from whom their  appellation is derived1
 was an ,armenian merchant and          
missionary who  flourished as their     

leader in the fifth century4 ,others1   
with equal  plausibility1 contend that  
they originated from a colony of        
,abyssinians4  ,dr4 ,buchanan maintains 
an opinion different from either4 ,he   
supposes  them to be natives of ,india1 
whose ancestors were converted by  ,st4 
,thomas1 the ,apostle4 ,he says1 that we
 have as good reason for  believing that
 ,st4 ,thomas died in ,india1 as that   
,st4 ,peter died at  ,rome4             
,according to a tradition of the        
natives1 the ,apostle came first to     
,socotara1 an island in the ,arabian    
,sea1 and thence departed to            
,cranganor1 where he founded several    
churches4 ,the next scene of his        
labours was ,coromandare1 and preaching 
in all the towns and villages he  came  
to ,melsapour1 the chief city1 where he 
converted the prince and a  great part  
of the nobility to the ,christian faith4
 ,this so enraged the  ,brahmins1 that  
one of them secretly followed him into a
 solitary place1  where he retired for  

prayer1 and stabbed him in the back with
 a spear4    #g ,according to another   
account1 their conversion to this creed 
was  effected by the missionaries of the
 ,empress ,theodora1 which1 however1    
has been disputed by ,assemanus4    #h  
,gibbon says that two abunas had been   
slain in battle4    #i ,it has been     
supposed1 and with reason1 that many of 
these customs  were introduced by the   
,jesuits1 and that previous to the      
partial  subjection of this church to   
the ,romish authority1 it was much more 
pure  than it has since been4    #aj    
,the observation of ,sunday was brought 
in by the ,jesuits1 who found  it easier
 to induce them to observe both days    
than to consent to a  substitution of   
the first for the seventh day4    #aa   
,the ,abyssinians still retain the      
physiognomy and olive complexion  of the
 ,arabs1 and afford an incontestable    
evidence that three thousand  years can 
neither change the colour nor the       
intellectual capabilities of  the human 

species4 ,under the burning sun of      
,africa1 the ,abyssinian1 a  branch of  
the great ,caucasian family1 has        
preserved the name and  semblance of    
,christianity and civilization through  
the wreck and  revolutions of ages1 and 
amid the tempests of foreign and        
domestic  dominations4 ,conscious of his
 ignorance1 he once sought the          
fraternity  of ,europe for the sake of  
her letters and her arts4 ,but how is it
 with  the ,nubian1 whose unequivocal   
,african descent is betrayed by his     
stupid  features1 black colour1 and     
woolly hair1 yet who enjoyed equal or   
superior advantages in ancient times8   
,the history of his race would  attest  
to the truth in this case4 ,he has      
relapsed into that barbarism  which     
seems to be his native element1 and from
 which he appears  incapable of         
preserving himself4 ,the only memorials 
of his ,christianity  are a few words1  
of which he is incapable of             
understanding the sense2  the only      

traces of his civilization a few heaps  
of sculptured ruins4    #ab ,the        
negotiations of ,justinian with the     
,abyssinians are mentioned by           
,procopius1 ,john ,malala1 and others4  
,the original narrative of the          
ambassador ,nonnosus is quoted by the   
,historian of ,antioch1 and ,photius    
has given a curious extract4 ,justinian 
reigned over the ,greek empire  from    
#ebg to #efe4    #ac ,the present       
village of ,anuma is conspicuous by the 
ruins of a  splendid ,christian temple1 
and seventeen obelisks1 of ,grecian     
architecture4 ,according to ,alvarez1 it
 was in a flourishing state in  #aebj1  
but was ruined the same year by the     
,turkish invasion4    #ad ,those who    
desire to form an acquaintance with     
,abyssinian history  may consult        
,procopius1 ,baronius1 ,cosmos1         
,indicopleustus1 ,alvarez1 ,lobo1  and  
,bruce4 ,in these works1 the subject is 
very amply and ably treated4            
,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,seventh-,,day         

,,baptists ,,in ,,europe4               
,,section ,i4 ,,waldenses1 ,,albigenses1
 ,,pasaginians1 ,,etc4--,,their         
,,sabbatical   ,,character ,,examined4  
,it is not my design to give even an    
abridged account of ecclesiastical      
affairs as connected with this people   
during the many centuries of their      
existence1 but confine myself to a      
consideration of the origin of their    
distinguishing appellation1 with an     
account of their doctrinal  sentiments  
and religious practices1 and their      
terrible persecutions and  dispersion4  
,it is evident that the ,latin word     
vallis has been the parent of the       
,english word valley1 the ,french and   
,spanish valle1 the ,provenal vaux1     
vaudois1 the ,italian valdesi1 the low  
,dutch valleye1 and the  ecclesiastical 
,valdensis1 ,valdenses1 and ,waldenses4 
,the designation of  the word is        
valleys--inhabitants of valleys--neither
 more nor less4 ,there  being no w in   
the ,latin language1 the terms          

,vallenses and ,valdenses  were employed
 long before the more modern one of     
,waldenses came into  use4    ,it       
appears that from the earliest ages1 the
 inhabitants of the valleys  about the  
,pyrenees did not profess the ,catholic 
faith2 neither was it  embraced by the  
inhabitants of the valleys of the ,alps2
 it occurred1  also1 that one ,valdo1 in
 the ninth century1 a friend and adviser
 of  ,berengarius1 and a man of wealth1 
talents1 and piety1 who had many        
followers1 possessed himself of a       
,bible1 by which he was led to perceive 
the errors and corruptions of ,rome1    
which he severely denounced2  moreover1 
it came to pass that about one hundred  
and thirty years after1  a rich merchant
 of ,lyons1 whose name was ,waldo1      
openly withdrew from the  communion of  
,rome1 and supported many to travel and 
teach the doctrines  believed in the    
valleys4 ,all these people1 though      
different in their  origin1 and         
different no doubt in some minor points 

of faith and  practices of worship1 were
 called ,waldenses as a general term4   
,they had  also other appellations      
imposed upon them1 which1 however1 were 
mostly  local1 and which ,i shall       
subsequently take into consideration4   
,this  accounts in a satisfactory manner
 for the diversity of the statements    
concerning them4 ,in ,languedoc these   
heresies were supposed to be of  recent 
origin1 and to have originated from     
,waldo1 whose immediate  followers were 
called ,waldenses4 ,this1 however1 was  
merely the  renovation of the name from 
a particular cause1 and not its         
original2  for we find that1 in other   
districts1 other branches of this same  
original sect are called by other       
appellations1 significative of some     
distinguished leader4 ,thus1 in         
,dauphiny1 they were called ,josephists1
  and1 in other places1 ,petrobrusians1 
from ,peter ,de ,bruys4 ,sometimes they 
received their names from their manners1
 as ,catharists 7,puritans71 ,bonne     

,homines 7good men72 at others1 from the
 peculiarities of their religious       
ordinances1 as insabbathists            
7sabbath-keepers71 and ,sabbatharians1  
because they contended for the          
observance of the original sabbath1 and 
denied the real presence of ,christ in  
the eucharist4#ae ,by some they  were   
denominated ,bulgarians1 and by others  
,paulicians1 and1 by a  corruption of   
that word1 ,publicans1 because it       
appears that a multitude  of that       
ancient sect had emigrated hither1 and  
amalgamated with  them4#af ,sometimes   
they were named from the city or country
 in which  they prevailed1 as           
,toulousians1 ,lombardists1 and         
,albigenses4  ,nevertheless all these   
branches were distinguished as keeping  
the  commandments of ,god1 and the faith
 of ,jesus4    ,in more recent times    
they were particularly distinguished in 
,france by  the name of ,albigenses1    
from the great numbers of them that     
inhabited  the city of ,alby1 in the    

district of ,albigeons1 between the     
,garonne1 and  the ,rhone4 ,after the   
,council of ,alby1 which condemned them 
as heretics1  that name became general  
and confirmed4 ,in the records of this  
,council  the following passage occurs3 
,they savour of ,judaism1 they practise 
circumcision1#ag they observe the       
,jewish sabbath1 but say the holy       
,dominical day is no better than other  
days2 let them be accursed4    ,very    
laboured disquisitions have been        
written1 and great pains taken1 by  a   
certain class of writers1 to prove that 
the ,albigenses and ,waldenses  were    
very different classes of ,christians1  
and that they held different  opinions  
and religious principles4 ,how far this 
distinction extended it  is impossible  
at present to ascertain2 but when the   
popes issued their  fulminations against
 the ,albigenses1 they expressly        
condemned them as  ,waldenses2 by the   
legates of the ,holy ,see they were     
accused of  professing the faith of the 

,waldenses1 the inquisitors formed their
  processes of indictments against them 
as ,waldenses2 the leaders of the       
crusades made war upon them as          
,waldenses2 they were persecuted on all 
sides as such2 nor did they attempt to  
rebut the charges made against  them1   
but readily adopted the title thus      
imposed upon them1 which they           
considered it an honour to bear4    ,the
 ,pasaginians1 or ,passignes1 were      
another branch of this same sect1  who  
derived their appellation from the      
country of ,passau1 where it is         
computed that eighty or one hundred     
thousand of them resided4 ,that these   
were all one people is evident from the 
fact that the provincial  councils of   
,toulouse in #aaai1 and of ,lombez in   
#aagf1 and the general  councils of     
,lateran1 in #aaci and #aagf1 do not    
particularize them as  ,pasaginians1 or 
,albigenses1 but as heretics1 which     
shows that they  existed and were       
generally known before these names were 

imposed upon  them4    ,their enemies   
confirm their identity as well as their 
great antiquity4  ,father ,gretzer1 a   
,jesuit1 who had examined the subject   
fully1 and who  had every opportunity of
 knowing1 admits the great antiquity of 
the  heretics1 and1 moreover1 expresses 
his firm belief that the ,toulousians1  
,albigenses1 ,pasaginians1 ,arnoldists1 
,josephists1 and the other heretical    
factions1 who1 at that time1 were       
engaging the attention of the popes1    
were no other than ,waldenses4 ,this    
opinion he corroborates by showing      
wherein they resembled each other4      
,among other points he mentions the     
following3 ,moreover1 all these heretics
 despise the fasts and feasts of  the   
church1 such as ,candlemas1 ,easter1 the
 ,dominical day2 in short1 all  approved
 ecclesiastical customs for which they  
do not find a warrant in  the           
,scripture4 ,they say1 also1 that ,god  
enjoined rest and holy  meditation upon 
the seventh day1 and that they cannot   

feel justified in  the observance of any
 other4    ,in the decree of ,pope      
,lucius ,,iii41 dated #aaha1 we find the
 ,catharists1  ,paterines1 ,josephists1 
,arnoldists1 ,passignes1 and those      
calling  themselves the ,poor of ,lyons1
 all considered as one1 and laid under a
  perpetual anathema4    ,it is evident 
from all these testimonies that the     
,waldenses1 as they  penetrated into    
different countries1 became             
distinguished by a great  variety of    
appellations1 which they derived from   
the countries they  inhabited1 or from  
the men who became their leaders at     
particular  periods4 ,thus in ,albi1    
,toulouse1 ,provence1 ,languedoc1 and   
the  neighbouring countries in ,france1 
they were called ,albigenses2 ,vaudois1 
,vallenses1 and ,waldenses in ,savoy2   
,pasaginians in ,passau1 and the        
adjacent regions1 with other names and  
titles too numerous to mention  here4   
,nevertheless it appears that some      
distinction existed between these       

different parties4 ,the old ,waldenses  
were not seceders from the ,church  of  
,rome2 for neither themselves nor their 
ancestors had ever embraced  its faith4 
,claudius ,seyssel1 a popish archbishop1
 declares that the  ,waldensian heresy  
originated from one ,leo1 who1 in the   
days of  ,constantine the ,great1 led a 
party of heretics from ,rome into the   
valleys4 ,pope ,gregory ,,vii4 observes 
that it is well known that in the  days 
of ,constantine the ,great1 some        
assemblies of ,jewish ,christians  being
 persecuted at ,rome1 because they      
persisted in obedience to the law  of   
,moses1 wandered off into the valleys1  
where their descendants remain  unto    
this day4 ,reiner ,sacco declares that1 
in the opinion of many  authors of note1
 their antiquity could be traced to the 
apostolic age4  ,he also observes that  
never1 within the memory of man1 have   
they  acknowledged allegiance to the    
papal see4 ,but that there were seceding
  parties1 who1 at different times and  

under particular leaders1 withdrew  from
 the communion of that church1 and      
became amalgamated with the old         
,waldenses1 we have every reason to     
believe4 ,that these latter1 though     
disposed to condemn many of the grosser 
superstitions of that church1  such as  
the worship of images1                  
transubstantiation1 the sacrament of the
  mass1 etc41 might still hesitate about
 rejecting all her man-made  ordinances1
 is highly probable4 ,indeed1 this very 
thing is mentioned by  a very ancient   
writer1 quoted by ,perrin1 as producing 
divisions among  them4    ,at the head  
of one of these parties was ,claude1    
,bishop of ,turin1 who  flourished in   
the commencement of the seventh century4
 ,it does not  appear that this bold    
reformer ever separated wholly from the 
,church of  ,rome1 but he denounced many
 of her corruptions and abominations in 
no  measured terms1 and had many        
followers4 ,from the death of this      
eminent  man until the time of ,peter   

,waldo1 of ,lyons1 the history of this  
people  is involved in much obscurity4  
,if they possessed any writers among    
themselves capable of giving their      
transactions to posterity1 or if any    
records of their ecclesiastical affairs 
were committed to writing1 the          
barbarous zeal of their opponents has   
prevented their transmission to  our    
times4 ,to the accounts of their        
adversaries1 therefore1 we must look    
for proofs of their existence1 and here 
they are abundant4 ,they are1  also1    
uniformly represented as separated in   
faith and practice from the  ,catholic  
,church1 and as continually multiplying 
in number2 but further  than this we    
have of them very imperfect statements4 
,during all this period the popes appear
 to have been too intent upon  their own
 pleasures1 and too much engaged by     
their own quarrels1 to  interfere with  
the despised ,waldenses1 and it was not 
until the twelfth  century1 that these  
people appear in history as obnoxious to

 the court  of ,rome4 ,about this time  
one ,peter ,waldo1 an opulent merchant  
of ,lyons1  in ,france1 made an attack  
upon the superstitions of the ,romish   
church1  particularly the monstrous     
doctrine of transubstantiation4 ,he     
commenced  by causing a translation of  
the four gospels to be made into        
,french1  which he circulated           
extensively among his countrymen1       
particularly those  of the poorer class4
 ,he soon became a preacher1 gathered a 
large church  in his native city1 from  
which1 a few years after1 himself and   
his  adherents were driven by the       
anathemas of the ,pope4 ,waldo1 with his
  numerous followers1 retired into      
,dauphiny1 where his preaching was      
attended with abundant success4 ,his    
principles were embraced by  multitudes1
 who were denominated ,leonists1        
,vaudois1 ,waldenses1 etc42 for  the    
very same class of ,christians were     
designated by all these different       
appellations at different times1 and    

according to the different  countries in
 which they appeared4    ,driven from   
,dauphiny1 ,waldo sought refuge in      
,picardy1 where1 also1 his  labours were
 abundantly blessed4 ,persecuted thence1
 he fled into  ,germany1 and carried    
with him the glad tidings of salvation4 
,from  ,germany he removed to ,bohemia1 
where he finally finished his course in 
the year #aagi1 and the twentieth of his
 ministry4 ,the amazing success  which  
had crowned the efforts of this holy    
man1 aroused the pontiff and  his       
legates to the most vindictive and      
sanguinary measures4 ,terrible          
persecutions ensued2 the bishops of     
,mentz and ,strasburg breathed nothing  
but vengeance and slaughter against     
them4 ,thirty-five citizens of ,mentz   
were burned in one fire at the city of  
,bingen1 and eighteen in ,mentz  itself4
 ,in ,strasburg eighty were committed to
 the flames4 ,in other  places          
multitudes died praising ,god1 and in   
the blessed hope of a  glorious         

resurrection4       ,,section ,,ii4     
,,concerning ,,the ,,doctrinal          
,,sentiments ,,and ,,religious          
,,practices   ,,of ,,the                
,,waldenses--,,their ,,sabbatarian      
,,character ,,still ,,further           
,,considered4    ,in giving an account  
of the doctrinal sentiments and         
religious practices  of this people1 we 
must principally depend upon the        
testimonies of their  adversaries of the
 ,romish church1 and their own          
apologies1 reasonings1  and confessions1
 some of which have been handed down to 
us through the  records of the          
,inquisition1#ah and by the historians  
of that period4 ,of  these1 ,reineirus  
,saccho is the most celebrated4 ,he had 
been for  seventeen years1 in the       
earlier part of his life1 in connexion  
with the  ,waldenses1 but apostatized   
from their profession1 and joined the   
,catholic church1 in which he was raised
 to the eminence of chief  ,inquisitor1 
and became the bitterest persecutor of  

his former friends4  ,he was deputed by 
the pope to reside in ,lombardy1 at that
 time the  headquarters of the          
,pasaginians1 and about #abej1 published
 a book1 in  which the errors of the    
,waldenses were all summed up under     
three-and-thirty distinct heads4#ai     
,to attempt any exposition of all these 
points would far exceed my  limits1 ,i  
shall therefore confine myself to what  
he says in reference to  that particular
 doctrine by which they were allied to  
us4 ,they hold1  says he1 that none of  
the ordinances of the church1 which have
 been  introduced since ,christ's       
,ascension1#bj ought to be observed1 as 
being  of no value4    ,the feasts1#ba  
fasts1 orders1 blessings1 offices of the
 church1 and  the like1 they utterly    
reject4    ,in the sketch which         
,reineirus furnishes of the doctrines of
 the  ,waldenses1 there is not the      
slightest allusion to any erroneous     
opinions  regarding the doctrines and   
principles of the gospel2 and this      

silence  on his part is a noble         
testimony to the soundness of their     
creed4 ,he had  himself been among them1
 was a man of talents and learning1 and 
intimately acquainted with all their    
doctrinal sentiments2 and1 having       
apostatized from their faith1 and become
 their bitterest enemy and  persecutor1 
no one will suppose that he wanted the  
inclination to bring  against them any  
accusation1 which bore the least        
similitude to the  truth4 ,the errors of
 which he accuses them1 are such as no  
,seventh-day  ,baptist of the present   
day would shrink from the charge of     
holding1  since they all1 in one way or 
other1 resolve themselves into the      
unfounded claims of the ecclesiastical  
order1 or the substitution for          
doctrines of the commandments of men4   
,in the twelfth century1 a colony of the
 persecuted ,waldenses obtained         
permission to settle at ,saltz1 on the  
river ,eger4#bb ,they are  represented  
as working upon1 and despising1 the     

holydays of the  church4#bc ,another    
eminent ,bohemian author1 in giving an  
account of the  ,waldenses of that      
country1 observes1 ,moreover they say   
that of six  days1 one day is as good as
 another1 but as ,god had enjoined rest 
upon  the seventh1 mankind were bound to
 its observance4#bd    ,an inquisitor of
 the ,church of ,rome1 who declares that
 he had exact  knowledge of the         
,waldenses1 at whose trials he had      
assisted many times1  and in different  
countries1 expressly says that they     
contemn all  ecclesiastical customs     
which they do not read of in the        
,gospel2 such as  the observation of    
,candlemas1 ,palm ,sunday1 the adoration
 of the cross on  ,good ,friday1 and the
 reconciliation of penitents4 ,they     
despise the feast  of ,easter1 and all  
the festivals of ,christ and the        
saints1#be and say  that one day is as  
good as another1 working on holydays    
when they can do  so without being taken
 notice of4    ,the same testimony is   

borne of them by ,eneas ,sylvius1 who   
ascended the  pontifical chair with the 
title of ,pope ,pius ,,ii4 ,indeed1 of  
all the  multitude of ,catholic authors 
of eminence1 who have mentioned this    
people1 every one bears testimony to    
this peculiarity in their doctrinal     
sentiments and religious practices4 ,at 
a later period1 and among more  modern  
writers1 we have every reason to believe
 that this feature of  their faith has  
been purposely disguised4 ,nevertheless 
the candour of  some has led them to    
make very important concessions upon    
this point4  ,mosheim expressly declares
 that the ,pasaginians observed the     
,jewish  ,sabbath4 ,bossuet1 ,bishop of 
,meaux1 says1 ,i conceive that the old  
,waldenses1 who rejected all the        
festivals of the church1 and went back  
to the original ,sabbath1 were much more
 consistent with themselves1 than  these
 gentlemen1 the modern ,protestants1    
who1 though they discard all  the       
others1 still retain the ,dominical day4

    ,but1 lest ,i weary my readers by a 
multiplication of testimonies1 ,i shall 
add but one more quotation1 which       
contains a concession that1 coming  from
 the quarter and at the time it does1 ,i
 consider important4 ,mr4  ,benedict1 in
 his ,history of the ,baptists1 says1   
that during the progress  of his        
historical inquiries1 he has met with   
many facts1 where it seemed  as if the  
heretics1 so called1 were unsound on the
 doctrine of the  ,sabbath1 as          
established by law2 but1 he goes on1 it 
is not certain that  all whom the       
ancient inquisitors accused of being    
,sabbath-breakers1  would come under the
 head of ,sabbatarians4#bf    ,it       
appears to me morally certain that the  
,seventh-day ,baptists may trace        
through the ,waldenses1 at least that   
portion of them who were never  united  
to the ,church of ,rome1 an             
uninterrupted succession to the         
apostolic age4 ,indeed1 of all the      
multitude of writers who have treated   

of this people1 all1 without exception1 
are unanimous in declaring that  they   
rejected all the feasts and festivals of
 the church1 as well as  infant baptism1
 and would not observe any ordinance    
which they did not  read of in          
,scripture4 ,others1 especially the     
ancient ,catholics1 accuse  them of     
,judaism1 because1 according to their   
testimony1 they kept the  ,jewish       
,sabbath4 ,the ,council of ,lombez      
derided the ,good ,men of ,lyons as     
,sabbatharians4 ,they were condemned by 
the ,lateran ,council of #aaci for      
refusing to observe the festivals of the
 church1#bg and the same  accusation was
 brought against them in canons1 synods1
 chronicles1  conferences1 decrees1     
sermons1 homilies1 bulls1 confessions1  
creeds1  liturgies1 c4 ,it is hardly    
possible that all this concurrent       
testimony1  published at different times
 and in different countries1 could have 
been  fabricated4 ,it is barely possible
 that such men as ,evervinus1 of        

,steinfield2 ,peter1 ,abbot of ,clugny2 
,ecbertus ,schonangiensis1 a very       
celebrated author in his day2           
,ermengendus1 a ruler both spiritual and
  temporal2 ,alexander ,,iii41 in       
council2 ,alanus ,magnus2 ,izam1 the    
troubadour1 and an inquisitor2 ,favin1  
,mazeray1 ,reineirus ,saccho1 etc41     
could have been mistaken upon this      
point4 ,but we are not to conclude  that
 no persons bearing the name of         
,waldenses saw and imitated the         
practices of the ,catholics1 in the     
observance of the holydays of the       
church4 ,that many of them1 particularly
 those branches that seceded from  the  
,church of ,rome1 paid a superstitious  
veneration to the ,dominical  day1 we   
are ready to admit4 ,we have no data for
 tracing the extent of  those persons   
who held the truth unsophisticated4 ,a  
considerable portion  of the writers to 
whom reference has been made were       
,catholics1--men high  in office in that
 church1 and justly distinguished for   

natural and  acquired abilities4 ,as    
this class of men placed great reliance 
upon  tradition and custom for the      
defence of their forms and ceremonies1  
and  laid no claim to ,scripture        
testimony or command to sanction the    
rites of  their church1 it is not       
strange that they should be open and    
unreserved  in all their details of the 
facts1 and in the freedom of their      
comments  on ancient affairs1 which go  
to prove the ,sabbatarian character of  
the  heretical sects4 ,with modern      
writers1 particularly those of ,english 
and  ,german extraction1 the case is    
materially different1 as they belong to 
a  class which repudiates all arguments 
from any source but the ,scriptures  for
 ,sunday-keeping1 and who take unusual  
pains to date the origin of             
,sabbatarianism as late as possible4    
,indeed1 as it appears that the term    
,sabbatharians was first bestowed upon  
this very ancient and holy people1  ,i  
must consider it as a most honourable   

appellation when applied to our         
denomination4 ,i am surprised1 that     
though ,presbyterians1 ,episcopalians1  
and every other class of ,protestant    
dissenters1 have striven to  establish  
an affinity with the old ,waldenses1 our
 own denomination have  remained so     
inert upon the matter4 ,can it be       
possible that among all our  ministers  
not one was acquainted with the facts   
bearing upon this case8    ,i must      
confess that it gives me inexpressible  
pleasure to think that we  have         
conclusive testimony1 that1 for so many 
centuries1 in the midst1  too1 of       
,catholic countries1 ,god had reserved  
to himself such a goodly  number who had
 not bowed the knee to ,baal1 and whose 
mouths had not  kissed him2 for         
certainly next to idolatry is that sin  
which would  substitute for doctrines   
the commandments of men1 and neglect the
  ,sabbath of ,god's appointment1 giving
 preference to a man-made  institution4 
,there is something extremely ridiculous

 in the manner in which modern  writers 
attempt to explain this feature in the  
faith of the ancient  ,waldenses1 and in
 this particular they are highly        
favoured by the  popular prejudices of  
the day4 ,they bring long quotations    
from ancient  ,roman authors to prove   
that the ,waldenses rejected every      
ordinance not  commanded in the         
,scripture1 but are very careful not to 
inform their  readers that in the       
opinion of the same authors1            
,sunday-keeping was one  of those       
ordinances4 ,because they would not     
observe the festivals of  ,christ and   
the saints1 says an author of this      
stamp1 they were falsely  supposed to   
neglect the ,sabbath also4 ,however1 he 
suppresses the fact  that1 whatever     
title ,sunday may bear in modern        
phraseology1 in the times  of which we  
are speaking it was neither spoken of   
nor regarded as the  ,sabbath1 but as a 
festival of the church the same as      
,easter or  ,christmas4 ,all authorities

 are unanimous in declaring that the    
,waldenses  had been from time          
immemorial in the possession of the     
,holy ,scriptures1  and that all1 even  
the children1 were deeply read in them4 
,the ,french  ,bible was translated from
 the original manuscript which the      
,waldenses  had retained1 according to  
the testimony of the translators1 from  
the  times of the ,apostles1 and which  
they handed down1 in their native       
tongue1 from generation to generation4  
,the following quotation may serve  to  
give some idea of their proficiency in  
the ,scriptures3--    ,in the time of a 
great persecution of the ,waldenses of  
,merendol and  ,provence1 says ,perrin1 
a certain monk was deputed by the       
,bishop of  ,cavaillon to hold a        
conference with them1 that they might be
 convinced  of their errors1 and the    
effusion of blood prevented4 ,but the   
monk  returned in confusion1 owning     
that1 in his whole life1 he had never   
known so much of the ,scriptures as he  

had learned during the few days  that he
 had been conversing with the heretics4 
,the ,bishop1 however1 sent  among them 
a number of doctors1 young men who had  
lately come from the  ,sorbonne1 which1 
at that time1 was the very centre of    
theological  subtlety at ,paris4 ,one of
 these publicly owned that he understood
 more  of the doctrine of salvation from
 the answers of little children in      
their catechisms1 than by all the       
disputations he had ever heard  before4 
,a ,dominican inquisitor declared that  
for the first time in his  life he heard
 the ten commandments of the ,decalogue 
from the mouth of a  ,waldensian        
heretic4    ,that the deportment and    
daily walk of the ,waldenses was        
conformable with  their religious       
profession and scriptural knowledge1 we 
have every  reason to believe4 ,reinerus
 ,saccho declares that they live        
righteously  before men1 believing      
rightly concerning ,god in every        
particular1 and  holding all the        

articles contained in the ,apostle's    
,creed4 ,the first  lesson1 says he1    
that the ,waldenses teach those whom    
they bring over  to their party1 is to  
instruct them what kind of persons the  
disciples  of ,christ ought to be1 and  
this they do by the doctrine of the     
evangelists and apostles1 saying that   
those only are the followers of  the    
apostles who imitate their manner of    
life4    ,an ancient inquisitor gives of
 them the following account3--    ,these
 heretics are known by their manners and
 conversation1 for they  are orderly and
 modest in their behaviour and          
deportment4 ,they avoid all  appearance 
of pride in their dress2 they neither   
indulge in finery of  attire1 nor are   
they remarkable for being mean and      
ragged4 ,they avoid  commerce1 that they
 may be free from falsehood and deceit4 
,they get  their livelihood by manual   
industry1 as day labourers or mechanics1
 and  their teachers are weavers or     
tailors4 ,they are not anxious about    

amassing riches1 but content themselves 
with the necessaries of life4  ,they are
 chaste1 temperate1 and sober4 ,they    
abstain from anger4 ,even  when they    
work they either learn or teach4 ,in    
like manner1 also1 their  women are     
modest1 avoiding backbiting1 foolish    
jesting1 and levity of  speech1         
especially abstaining from lies or      
swearing4    ,it may be interesting to  
notice in this connexion some of the    
peculiarities of their religious        
practices4    ,they constantly appealed 
to the ,scriptures both of the ,old and 
,new  ,testament1 as their only guide   
and rule of faith and practice as to    
religious duties4 ,they are perpetually 
accused by ,catholic writers of         
rejecting all human institutions1       
traditions1 and inventions1 and both    
friends and foes are unanimous in       
confessing that there was scarcely a    
person among them1 either man1 or woman1
 or child1 that was not better          
acquainted with ,holy ,writ than the    

doctors of the church4 ,they were       
likewise accused of being without       
priests4 ,this must be understood as    
applying to the absence among them of a 
certain class of men paid or  pensioned 
by yearly salaries for discharging the  
ministrations of the  gospel4 ,an old   
historian who was intimately acquainted 
with their  affairs1 observes1 ,that    
they severely denounce the whole body of
 the  clergy on account of their idle   
course of life1 and say that they ought 
to labour with their hands1 as did the  
,apostles4    ,another says--,their     
preachers are weavers and mechanics1 who
 get their  own living1 and are not     
chargeable upon their hearers4 ,the same
 author  goes on to say that even their 
missionaries were accustomed to travel  
from place to place in the character of 
travelling merchants2 and this1  he     
assures us1 subserved to good purposes2 
first1 they were enabled to  support    
themselves2 and second1 they gained     
thereby readier access to  persons of   

rank and fortune4    ,their treatment of
 females in their religious assemblies  
was liberal and  courteous in the       
extreme4 ,they were not only allowed to 
preach1 but bore  an equal part with the
 men in all the business of the church2 
and the  deeper we go into antiquity the
 more evident does this appear4         
,against war1 capital punishment1 and   
oaths1 they were decided in  expressing 
their disapprobation4 ,their opposition 
to bearing arms1 and  to war in all its 
operations1 was unanimous and           
unequivocal4 ,whoever  commanded them to
 the field they refused to obey1        
alleging that they  could not           
conscientiously comply4 ,no             
contingencies would induce them to      
assume the weapons of death2 and this   
peculiarity was well understood by  all 
the world1 and made the onsets of the   
inquisitors and crusaders upon  these   
weaponless ,christians the more cruel   
and contemptible4 ,concerning  oaths1   
they appear to have adopted the language

 of our ,saviour in a  literal sense1   
where he commands his disciples1 ,swear 
not at all4    ,such were their rules4  
,whatever deviations there might have   
been were  exceptions4 ,such deviations1
 it is natural to suppose1 frequently   
occurred2 but they generally came from  
those portions of the community  who had
 been educated in the faith of ,rome4   
,as it relates to their ,baptist        
character ,i shall produce but one      
quotation1 although a multitude might be
 given4    ,as the ,catholics of these  
times baptized by immersion1 the        
,paterines1  by what name soever they   
were called1 as ,manicheans1 ,gazara1   
,josephites1  ,pasaginians1 c41 made no 
complaint of the mode of baptizing2 but 
when  they were examined upon the       
subject1 they objected vehemently       
against  the baptism of infants1 and    
condemned it as an error4#bh    ,of     
their doctrinal sentiments we can know  
but little1 as no other  portion of     
their history is involved in so much    

obscurity4 ,reinerus  ,saccho1 however1 
represents them as believing rightly in 
everything  pertaining to ,god and the  
,apostles' ,creed4 ,and they must have  
been  evangelical ,christians2 for1 when
 we see religious societies1 century    
after century1 holding on to their      
principles1 and persisting in their     
religious practices1 amidst the severest
 persecutions that were ever            
experienced1 there is irrefragable      
evidence that they were built on a  firm
 foundation4 ,indeed1 it is hardly      
probable that among people whose        
religious teachers were obliged to      
depend upon manual labour for a         
livelihood1 there would be much time    
wasted in unprofitable discussions      
about abstract points of theology4      
,the locality of these ,christians1     
before they were dispersed by           
persecution1 was in the principality of 
,piedmont1 which derives its name  from 
the singularity of its situation at the 
foot of the ,alps1--a  prodigious range 

of mountains that form a natural        
boundary between  ,italy1 ,france1      
,switzerland1 and ,germany4 ,it is      
bounded on the north by  ,savoy1 on the 
east by the duchies of ,milan and       
,montferrat1 on the south  by the county
 of ,nice1 and on the west by ,france4  
,in ancient times it  formed a part of  
,lombardy1 but recently it has become an
 appanage of the  ,sardinian monarch1   
whose capital is ,turin1 one of the     
finest cities of  ,europe4 ,it comprises
 an extensive tract of rich and fruitful
 valleys1  embosomed in mountains1 which
 are again encircled in mountains1      
intersected with deep and rapid rivers1 
and exhibiting1 in strong  contrast1 the
 utmost beauty and luxuriance with the  
most frightful  spectacles of barrenness
 and desolation4 ,the country is an     
interchange  of hill and vale1 mountain 
and plain1 through which four principal 
rivers wind their way to the            
,mediterranean4 ,besides these1 there   
are  eight-and-twenty smaller streams1  

which1 winding their courses in         
different directions1 contribute to the 
beauty and fertility of these           
,eden-like valleys4    ,the ,pyrenees   
are another huge mountain range1 that   
separate ,france from  ,spain1 and      
extend from the ,mediterranean ,sea to  
the ,atlantic ,ocean1 a  distance of at 
least two hundred miles by a breadth of 
one hundred4 ,this  surface1 like the   
former1 is wonderfully diversified with 
hills and  dales1 mountains and valleys1
 in which places1 and all along the     
borders  of ,spain1 throughout the south
 of ,france1 among and below the ,alps1 
along the ,rhine1 and even to ,bohemia  
and ,passau1 thousands of ,christians   
were found1 even in the darkest times1  
who preserved the faith in its  purity1 
rejected the traditions of men1 took the
 ,scripture for their  guide and rule of
 conduct1 and were persecuted only for  
righteousness'  sake4 ,this place1 in   
the desert1 mountainous country1 almost 
inaccessible and unknown to the rest of 

the world1 was probably the  place      
especially meant in ,revelation1 as     
prepared of ,god for the woman1  where  
she should be fed and nourished during  
the reign of ,antichrist4    ,these     
people were deeply imbued with the      
spirit of missions2 but in  this1 as    
everything else1 they closely adhered to
 apostolic example4  ,they had none of  
the cumbrous machinery of modern times  
in their  arrangements for disseminating
 the light of the gospel4 ,they knew    
nothing of supporting in worldly state  
expensive teachers in foreign           
countries1 or of building costly chapels
 for them to preach in4 ,but1 in  the   
simple style of itinerating merchants or
 peddlers1 their  missionaries travelled
 from country to country1 carrying with 
them a few  pages of the ,scriptures in 
manuscript1 holding little meetings1    
ordaining deacons1 and sustaining the   
hopes and faith of the persecuted  and  
tempted ones4    ,of their modes of     
worship we know but little4 ,their      

churches1 however1  were divided into   
compartments1 such as in modern times   
are called  associations2 and these were
 again subdivided into congregations4   
,they  generally assembled for worship  
in private houses or in the shade of    
groves4 ,their churches contained from  
two to fifteen hundred members4 ,in     
times of persecution they met in small  
companies of six1 ten1 fifteen1  or     
twenty1 but never in large assemblies4  
,besides these churches  established in 
their mountain fastnesses1 the          
,waldenses1 or  ,passagines1#bi had     
instituted churches in nearly all the   
principal  cities in the south of       
,france and the northern parts of       
,italy4 ,at ,modena  their place of     
meeting was in a large manufactory1     
which was owned and  worked by the      
brethren4 ,in ,milan they occupied      
almost an entire street1  and their     
church is said to have contained nearly 
two thousand  communicants4 ,in #ajef1  
their church in ,avignon contained six  

hundred  members1 and a remnant         
continued1 notwithstanding various      
reverses of  fortune1 so late as #afih4 
,we are also informed that there were   
churches  of the same order at ,brescia1
 ,ferrara1 ,verona1 ,rimini1            
,romandiola1 and  many other places4    
,for many centuries they remained       
untroubled by the  state2 but the clergy
 preached and published books against   
them4 ,in the  eleventh and twelfth     
century they comprised the bulk of the  
inhabitants  of ,lombardy1 and several  
men eminent for rank1 station1 and      
talents1  belonged to their communion4  
,it is to these that ,m4 de la ,roque   
refers  when he says1 ,we have had many 
worthy and pious men1 well instructed in
  science and the history of the        
,fathers1 who were neither ashamed nor  
afraid to adopt both the practice and   
defence of the observation of the       
seventh day against their opponents2    
and1 contrary to popular custom1        
withstood every allurement and          

temptation that the enlightened and     
persecuting ages could afford4 ,the     
observation of the ,sabbath remained    
not with them a matter of doubtful      
disputation1 as that of the first day   
did with the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,watts1 and many
 others who were engaged in the         
controversy upon that subject4 ,a modern
 ,french writer1 in treating the        
history of the ,gallican church1        
observes that it is well known that all 
,lombardy1 the south of ,france1 and    
even the mountainous district in the    
north of ,spain1 were infested by a     
class of heretics1 who not only  derided
 all the festivals of the church1 but   
kept the ,jewish ,sabbath2  and ,i have 
heard1 he continues1 that the primitive 
,waldenses were  guilty of the same     
practices4    ,from these plain facts1  
and a multitude of others that might be 
recorded1 we may conclude that a large  
proportion of these ancient  people were
 ,sabbatarians1--were ,seventh-day      
,baptists4 ,in tracing their            

peculiarities1 ,i have been forcibly    
reminded of our own denominational      
traits1 especially at a former period4  
,there is no doubt but that they        
continued for ages1 preserving a        
sameness of views1 and keeping the      
commandments of ,god and the faith of   
,jesus4 ,when their congregations became
 too numerous1 they separated1 and      
formed new assemblies4 ,they continually
 refused to observe any religious       
ordinances for which they found no      
warrant in the ,scriptures4 ,they       
refused baptism to children1 only       
admitting to that ordinance those       
persons of whose repentance and         
spiritual regeneration no doubts were   
entertained4 ,they maintained church    
discipline upon all1 even their         
ministers4 ,and though cast down1 they  
were not disheartened2 though           
persecuted1 they were not extirpated1   
until the days for their  prophesying#cj
 were accomplished1 until they had borne
 witness for the  truth during the time 

appointed1 when it pleased the great    
,head of the  ,church to permit their   
enemies to consummate their everlasting 
glory1 by  bestowing upon them the crown
 of martyrdom1 and1 from being the      
church  militant1 they were removed1    
almost in a body1 to join the church    
triumphant4    ,of their ,sabbatarian   
character there is not the least room   
for doubt4  ,indeed1 whatever novelty   
may be connected with this idea1 ,i     
believe that  every one1 upon mature    
consideration1 will perceive its        
consistency4  ,they were planted in the 
valleys--if not in the apostolic        
age--before the  antichristian power had
 obtained the dominance at ,rome4       
,robinson asserts  that there were many 
churches of ,jewish ,christians in the  
imperial city  during the fourth        
century1 which well accords with the    
declaration of  ,pope ,gregory ,,vii41  
that the ,waldensian heresy originated  
from a company  of ,jewish heretics1 who
 removed from ,rome thither in the time 

of  ,constantine the ,great2 while a    
multitude of authorities1 both friends  
and foes1 are unanimous in declaring    
that they were never subjected to       
,rome1 but persisted to the end in the  
abhorrence of all her feasts and        
festivals4       ,,section ,,iii4       
,,concerning ,,their ,,persecutions1    
,,dispersion1 ,,and                     
,,extirpation--,,more ,,accounts ,,of   
,,their ,,sabbatarian ,,character4      
,it was not until the twelfth century   
that the ,waldenses1 and other          
heretical parties1 appear in history as 
a people exposed to the  persecuting    
edicts of ,rome4 ,and even then it seems
 to have been  occasioned1 in a great   
measure1 by the great success that      
crowned the  labours of ,peter ,waldo1  
whose followers first obtained the name 
of  ,leonists1 or ,poor ,men of ,lyons2 
and who1 when persecuted1 fled to the   
mountains1 and became incorporated with 
the other inhabitants of the  valleys4  
,by this means1 the ,waldenses were     

brought into collision with  the power  
of ,rome1 who1 arming against them the  
civil authorities1  proceeded to        
consummate their destruction and        
extirpation4 ,at this time  it appears1 
that under the protection and through   
the connivance of the  ,counts of       
,toulouse1 the ,viscount of ,beziers1   
and many others of the  ,french         
nobility1 a score of the principal      
cities in ,languedoc1 ,provence1  and   
,dauphiny1 were filled with the         
different heretical parties4 ,but the   
civil power1 and even the more summary  
efforts of the ,inquisition1  appear to 
have been too slow in their operations  
to meet the wishes of  papal vengeance1 
although persecuted under the agency of 
,dominic1 the  chief inquisitor4 ,the   
,pope was dissatisfied--new schemes were
 projected1  apparently more mild and   
conciliatory1 but under this pleasing   
exterior  was concealed the most        
abominable treachery4 ,the papal legates
 proposed  holding a public debate1 in  

which the points at issue between the   
parties should be decided by amicable   
arbitration4 ,to this reasonable  offer 
the unsuspecting brethren readily       
consented4 ,the place of  conference    
agreed upon was ,montreal1 near         
,carcassone4 ,two umpires were          
appointed from each side2 those of the  
,catholics were the ,bishops of         
,villeneuse and ,auxerre1 and those of  
the opposite party1 ,r4 de ,bot and     
,anthony ,riviere4 ,on the part of the  
,albigenses1 a number of the pastors    
were appointed to manage the debate1 of 
whom the principal was ,arnold  ,hot4   
,he first arrived at the appointed      
place1 accompanied by a number of  his  
friends4 ,he was met on behalf of the   
papacy1 by a bishop named  ,eusas1 the  
renowned ,dominic1 two legates of the   
,pope1 and several others  of the       
,catholic clergy4 ,according to         
,catholic historians1 who are very      
concise and remarkably unanimous in     
their accounts of this celebrated       

conference1 the points which ,arnold    
undertook to prove were1 that the       
sacrament of the mass was idolatry1 that
 the baptism of infants was             
unscriptural1 that the festivals of the 
church were heathen  appointments1#ca   
and1 finally1 that the ,pope was        
,antichrist1 and the  ,church of ,rome  
the harlot mentioned in ,revelations4   
,in maintenance of  these points1       
,arnold drew up certain propositions1   
which he transmitted  to the bishop1 who
 required two weeks to answer them1     
which was granted4  ,at the appointed   
time the bishop appeared1 and read his  
reply in the  public assembly4 ,arnold  
requested permission to make a verbal   
answer1  only entreating their patient  
hearing if he took a considerable time  
in  answering so prolix a writing4 ,he  
was answered with fair speeches and     
many promises of a patient hearing4 ,he 
then discoursed upon the subject  for   
four days1 with such perspicuity1       
fluency and precision1 such order  and  

forcible reasoning1 that a powerful     
impression was made upon the  minds of  
the audience4 ,he finally called upon   
the ,catholics for their  defence1 when 
the ,bishop of ,villeneuse declared that
 the conference must  be broken up1     
because the army of the crusaders was   
approaching1 and  near at hand4    ,what
 he asserted was true4 ,the papal armies
 advanced1 and all points of            
controversy were instantly decided by   
fire and fagot4 ,it is estimated  that  
not less than two hundred thousand of   
these innocent people  perished in the  
short space of two months4 ,the war of  
extermination  continued twenty years1  
and one million persons were put to     
death4 ,these  disastrous scenes        
occurred in the commencement of the     
twelfth century1  and three hundred     
years previous to the dawn of the       
,reformation in  ,germany4 ,during this 
long period1 the circumstances of the   
,waldenses  were always afflictive1 but 
at some times and in some countries more

 so  than in others4 ,the ,church of    
,rome1 with the armies of crusaders who 
were always at hand1 and always ready to
 lend their assistance for the          
extirpation of heresy1 and the monks of 
the ,inquisition1 who were never  more  
numerous and active1 seemed determined  
to exterminate them from the  face of   
the earth4 ,but the contests of the     
,catholic states among  themselves1 the 
quarrels of the popes with the secular  
princes1 whose  affairs they attempted  
to control1 combined with other causes1 
afforded  these victims of              
ecclesiastical tyranny some short and   
temporary seasons  of repose4    ,of the
 multitudes who perished beneath the    
iron power of the  ,inquisition1 we have
 little account4 ,nevertheless some     
details of cases  of individual         
suffering have been given to the world1 
and multitudes of  others lie concealed 
among the manuscripts preserved in      
ancient  libraries4 ,from records of    
this kind1 ,philip de ,mornay1 a ,french

 author  of some distinction1 composed a
 work purporting to be the memoirs of   
celebrated ,waldensian martyrs1 in which
 detailed and circumstantial  narratives
 of many trials were given1 together    
with the interrogatories  and answers of
 the criminals1 and the heresies of     
which they were  accused4 ,according to 
these statements they were perpetually  
accused of  ,judaism1 of practising     
circumcision1 and observing the ,jewish 
,sabbath4  ,the former charges they     
repelled with disdain4 ,of the latter1  
they  generally replied that ,god had   
commanded the observance of the seventh 
day1 which command was binding upon     
,christians1 as much as ,jews1 since    
neither ,christ nor his ,apostles had   
ever commanded its abrogation4    ,some 
of these accounts are very interesting1 
and the ,sabbatarians  reasoned in      
precisely the same manner as we do now4 
,on the #adth of ,september1 #adib1     
about thirty persons were committed to  
the inquisitorial dungeons of ,toulouse1

 upon a charge of ,judaism1 which1  as  
every one knows1 was considered a mortal
 sin in ,catholic countries4  ,of these1
 the most eminent was ,anthony ,ferrar1 
who had been a pastor or  teacher in the
 ,sabbatarian church of that city4      
,after remaining in  prison ten days1 he
 received a visit from an ,italian monk 
named ,gregory1  to whom his examination
 had been committed4 ,he was accompanied
 by two  other monks1 who were to act as
 witnesses4 ,after a long conference    
touching his age1 property1 manner of   
living1 associates1 relations1 and      
similar subjects1 ,gregory at last came 
to the matter in question4              
,greg4--,but1 ,anthony1 you must be a   
liar and a deceiver1 for ,i have been   
credibly informed that yourself1 and all
 your friends1 were of the  cursed race 
of ,israel4    ,an4--,it is false1 we   
were all honest ,frenchmen1 and         
,christians1  followers of ,jesus4      
,greg4--,nay6 but you were ,jews1 for   
instead of baptizing your infant        

children1 you have all the males        
circumcised4    ,an4--,you do very wrong
 to accuse us of that practice2 for it  
is  something of which we are entirely  
innocent4    ,greg4--,hey6 do you then  
baptize your children8    ,an4--,we do  
not1 neither do we circumcise them4     
,greg4--,nevertheless1 you must be      
,jews1 since you say that the law of    
,moses is still binding4    ,an4--,we   
say that the ten commandments are still 
binding4    ,greg4--,yes1 and instead of
 observing the festivals of the ,holy   
,church1  and honouring the holy day of 
the ,lord1 on which he arose from the   
dead1  you were accustomed to meet for  
worship upon the old ,sabbath1 or       
,saturday4    ,an4--,we did1 indeed1    
rest and attend to divine worship upon  
the seventh  day1 even as ,god          
commanded4    ,my limits will not permit
 me to transcribe the remainder of this 
interesting conversation4 ,anthony1 with
 his associates in misfortune1  were    
subsequently burned in the marketplace  

in ,toulouse1 and all died  praising    
,god that they were worthy to suffer for
 his name4 ,hundreds of  others1 of whom
 the names of ,jean de ,borgen1 ,matthew
 ,hainer1 ,auguste  ,riviere1 ,philippe 
,nicola1 and ,henri ,maison1 have been  
preserved1 were  accused of and         
confessed to the same4    ,of the many  
who were burned1 and otherwise destroyed
 for ,judaism1  observes a ,spanish     
author of the sixteenth century1 it is  
not probable  that one-tenth were of the
 race of ,israel1 but heretics1 who1 for
  persisting in saying that the law of  
,moses was still binding1 were  accused 
of ,jewish practices1 such as           
circumcision and sabbatizing1 to  the   
latter of which they uniformly plead    
guilty4    ,a ,dominican inquisitor1 in 
giving an account of the proceedings of 
that  infernal tribunal in the north of 
,spain1 declares that since it was      
known that many of the heretics were    
accustomed to solemnize the old         
,sabbath by religious worship1 and an   

absolute inattention to secular         
employments1 it became the policy of the
 ,holy ,office to take notice of  such  
shops as were shut up on that day1 and  
of such persons as were  found to be    
absent from worldly engagements4 ,the   
result answered my  expectations1 he    
continues1 for when these people were   
arrested1 and  being brought before me1 
were shown the rack1 they generally     
confessed  their ,judaical practices1 at
 least so far as it related to          
sabbatizing1  which the holy church had 
expressly forbidden4    ,other          
testimonies of this same character might
 be produced1 but enough  has been said 
to prove to our own denomination1 and to
 the world1 that  at the time when the  
crusading armies made their frightful   
onsets upon  the heretical churches of  
,piedmont1 the ,south of ,france1 and   
,catalonia1  there were large           
communities of ,sabbath-keeping         
,christians in all these  parts4 ,but   
historians are unanimous in confessing  

that they were drowned  in blood1 and   
driven into exile4 ,their race          
disappeared1 and their  opinions ceased 
to influence society4 ,in hundreds of   
villages1 all the  inhabitants were     
massacred with a blind fury4 ,year after
 year new armies  continued to arrive1  
more numerous than were employed in     
other wars4 ,it  is impossible to       
ascertain how many were destroyed by    
these dreadful  crusades1 but it is     
certain that the visible churches of    
these  ,christians were extirpated by   
fire and sword2 though a bleeding       
remnant  escaped by flight1 concealment1
 and ,catholic conformity4 ,of the      
details  of their sufferings and        
miseries it is impossible to give in    
this place  even an abridged account4   
,for many consecutive years they        
suffered every  species of cruelty1     
barbarity1 and persecution1 which the   
crusades and  the ,inquisition could    
inflict4 ,those who remained were       
indiscriminately  slaughtered1 and of   

those who fled1 multitudes miserably    
perished by the  way4 ,their total      
extirpation was effected in #afhf1 at   
which time the  ancient ,waldensian and 
,albigensian churches ceased to exist4  
,it is true1  that in #afhi1 three years
 after the expulsion of the whole       
fraternity1 a  company1 sword in hand1  
fought their way back to the valleys of 
,piedmont1 of which they took           
possession1 and in which their          
descendants  still reside4 ,this        
company1 under the command of one       
,amand1 committed  the most frightful   
acts of wickedness and barbarity1 and   
exhibited in  all their conduct a spirit
 entirely different from the ancient    
,waldenses4 ,their leader acted in the  
double capacity of spiritual pastor  and
 military chieftain1 and the creeds and 
formulas which he instituted1  and which
 are still observed among them1 are     
comparatively of modern  date4    ,in   
closing these very brief and imperfect  
accounts of these ancient  witnesses for

 the truth1 a few remarks may not be    
inappropriate1 more  especially as ,i   
have made a claim regarding their       
denominational  character1 that has     
never1 to my knowledge1 been advanced by
 our  friends1 and which will not be    
readily conceded by our opponents4      
,if we take the ,waldenses under the    
great variety of names which they  bore 
at different periods and in different   
locations1 it appears that  they were by
 far the most important branch of       
dissenters from the ,church  of ,rome1  
and that they were divided among        
themselves like the present  dissenters 
in ,england4 ,the more ,i have          
investigated this matter1 the  more     
evident it appears2 and as it would be  
unwise for us to attempt to  establish  
an affinity with all of them in the     
distinctive feature of our  order1 it is
 certain that our claims at least to a  
due proportion can  never be disproved4 
,that many of them observed the seventh 
day1 and that  some of them paid a      

superstitious veneration to the first   
day1 is quite  as certain as the fact   
that they were all persecuted by the    
,church of  ,rome4 ,the farther we go   
back into antiquity1 the more distinctly
 does  their ,sabbatarian character     
appear4 ,nothing but the blindness of   
bigotry  can induce any man1 or class of
 men1 who have paid the smallest        
attention to the accounts of all the    
,catholic authors concerning them1  to  
deny that complaints against them for   
disregarding the festivals of  the      
church1 in which they included the      
,dominical day1 were widespread  and    
long-continued2 and that almost equally 
with the former were the  accusations of
 their paying an undue regard to        
,saturday1 or the ,jewish  ,sabbath4 ,on
 the other hand1 it is clear1 from the  
terms some of them1  and a part1 with   
similar expressions employed by the     
writers in  question1 that they did not 
accuse all of having fallen into this   
monstrous heresy4 ,the keeping of the   

first day appears to be the last  thing 
that is given up by those who withdraw  
from the old1 corrupt  establishments2  
and nothing affords a clearer evidence  
of the prejudices  of education than the
 slow reluctance with which it is       
yielded1 as they  find that the proofs  
for its support from the ,scriptures    
fail them1 and  the moral and immutable 
character of the ancient ,sabbath comes 
up to  their view in its practical      
operations4 ,such has been the case in  
all  places where we have certain       
knowledge1 and the probability is that  
it  was so in the dark ages beyond our  
sight4    ,it is not for us to claim the
 whole body of dissenters of the better 
class2 but we may claim1 and ,i believe 
that candid men of all parties  will    
concede1 upon a thorough examination of 
the ancient ,catholic  authors1 that    
,sabbatarian sentiments have prevailed  
much more  extensively among these      
ancient sects than has generally been   
supposed4  ,neither my time nor my      

limits would allow a full investigation 
of this  very interesting subject4 ,the 
most that ,i could hope to do was to    
make a  beginning4 ,the field for       
research is very wide1 and upon the     
,sabbatarian  question it is wholly     
unoccupied4 ,and here ,i would remark1  
for the  information of those who may   
feel disposed to examine the subject    
hereafter1 that it is only by an        
immediate reference to the old ,catholic
  writers that we can ever hope to      
obtain much information upon this       
point4 ,these speak with great          
plainness1 and without paraphrase1      
omission1 or concealment1 of the        
rejecters of the church-festivals1 and  
the observers of the ,jewish ,sabbath4  
,they were open and undisguised1 and    
were far from exhibiting the            
cautiousness of the moderns upon this   
subject4 ,they had no concern about the 
proofs for the observance of the  first 
day1 and no fear of publishing to the   
world how many of the  incorrigible     

heretics refused to venerate it4 ,it    
made no difference to  them if it was   
not found in the ,bible1 since it was in
 the decrees of  the councils and the   
bulls of the popes1 which1 with them1   
were of equal  authority with the       
,scripture command4    ,for a long time 
their complaints ran high on this head  
against many of  the seceding parties2  
and it is well for us that this         
testimony is  placed beyond the reach of
 modern writers1 where it cannot be     
garbled1  mutilated1 and suppressed4 ,it
 is not to be expected that our         
first-day  brethren1 even those of the  
,baptist persuasion1 would take any     
pains to  prove that these apostolic    
communities were ,sabbatarian1 though   
possessing the knowledge that such was  
the fact4 ,it has been their  policy to 
represent us as insignificant in number 
and recent in origin4  ,unfortunately1  
we have contributed to extend that      
delusion4 ,for my own  part1 ,i am of   
the opinion that in the dark ages there 

were many more of  our denomination than
 there are at present4 ,not that any in 
these ages  were called ,seventh-day    
,baptists2 no such thing3 but that      
multitudes1  like ourselves1 refused to 
observe the festivals of the church1    
contended that the ,decalogue was moral 
and immutable1 and refused  baptism to  
any but professing believers4 ,like     
ourselves1 they took the  ,scriptures   
for their guide and rule of faith in    
everything1 and were  most decided in   
rejecting everything for which they     
found no warrant in  that holy book1    
despising all human appointments1 all   
priestly  traditions1 and man-made      
institutions4 ,for many ages the valleys
 formed  an asylum1 to which all        
seceding parties from the ,romish       
hierarchy fled  for protection4 ,it is  
not strange--indeed1 we might           
expect--that this  amalgamation with new
 parties would beget new customs1 which 
in the end  might entirely change their 
denominational character4 ,this was     

certainly  the case as it respects the  
discipline and government of their      
churches1  which for a number of the    
first centuries partook of all the ease 
and  freedom characteristic of modern   
,baptist communities1 then was modelled 
by degrees into a ,presbyterian form1   
and finally ended in something of  the  
,episcopalian character4 ,such          
denominational changes are neither new  
nor strange1 especially when we consider
 the severity of penal statutes  on the 
one hand1 and the spirit of conformity1 
lukewarmness1 and  indifference on the  
other1 which continually operate to     
prepare  dissenters for an approximation
 to the established church1 and1        
finally1  for a union with it4    ,at   
the time of the ,reformation these old  
communities were in  circumstances of   
peculiar trials and distress4 ,new      
persecutions of  unusual severity had   
been stirred up against them by the     
,catholics1  whose resentment had been  
exasperated in the keenest manner1 in   

consequence of the new and unexpected   
attacks that had been made upon  the    
authority of the church by the          
,protestant reformers1 and who were     
thereby led to vent their spite upon all
 whom they found without their  pale1   
whatever might be their innocence1 or   
however quiet and  inoffensive they     
might have been4 ,thus harassed and     
distressed1 these  afflicted people were
 ready to submit to almost any terms1   
for the sake  of gaining new friends and
 protectors2 and one company after      
another of  those who had been driven   
into exile1 and were settled in         
,bohemia1  ,germany1 and the            
,netherlands1 became associated1 as an  
incipient  measure1 and in the end were 
amalgamated with1 the ,reformed or      
,presbyterian party1 under the direction
 of ,calvin and ,zuinglius4 ,of the     
fact of this union of the ,waldenses    
with the ,reformers there can be no     
dispute2 but the process of this        
confederacy1 and the terms upon which   

it was consummated1 have never been     
satisfactorily decided4 ,it is  morally 
certain1 however1 that the subject of   
the ,sabbath was discussed  by some of  
these parties1 since we are informed by 
various historical  documents that      
,calvin objected to the seventh day1 but
 conceded that the  old ,fathers had    
substituted the first day in its place1 
and proposed1 as  an instance of        
,christian liberty1 to reject both1 and 
make a ,sabbath of  the fifth day of the
 week4 ,this overture1 we are informed1 
was  indignantly rejected2 but there is 
reason to believe that the observance   
of the first day1 together with infant  
baptism1 were among the changes  in     
their denominational character which    
were brought about by their  union with 
the ,german reformers4 ,in #aecj1 a     
,waldensian community1  located in      
,provence1 sent two of their ministers1 
,george ,morrel and  ,peter ,masson1 as 
deputies to the ,swiss reformers1 which 
resulted in  their union with the new   

party4 ,these deputies1 after their     
return1  declared to their brethren how 
many and great errors their old         
ministers  had kept them in1 and how    
their new allies had happily set them   
right4  ,subsequently a part of them1 at
 least1 became one with the ,huguenots  
of  ,france1 and the ,protestants of    
,germany4    ,but1 so late as #ahbc1 an 
,english clergyman1 named ,gilly1       
visited the  ,vaudois in the valley of  
,perosa1 making his journey thither by  
,turin1  and had an interview with ,mr4 
,peyrani1 who was then seventy years    
old1  and is since dead4 ,he was the    
successor of a line of pastors whom     
tradition would extend to the ,apostles 
themselves4 ,in his possession was  a   
library amply supplied with books1 and  
parchments1 and paper  manuscripts1     
accumulated by his ancestors4 ,according
 to his accounts1  in the summer1 when  
these pastoral people are tending their 
cattle at a  distance from the valleys1 
and occupying their chalets1 or         

temporary  cabins1 upon the summits of  
the mountains1 the clearness of the     
atmosphere allows the sound of the      
,sabbath bells to reach them1 calling   
them to the worship of the ,creator1    
beneath the canopy of heaven4 ,they     
assemble in a convenient place on the   
green turf1 to listen to the            
exhortations of their minister1 who     
follows them on every seventh day to    
their remotest pasturings4 ,from this it
 appears that a portion of them1  at    
least1 still observe the ancient        
,sabbath4       ,,section ,,iv4         
,,semi-,,judaisers--,,their ,,origin1   
,,history1 ,,etc4    ,we have already   
seen that the different branches of the 
great ,waldensian  community were known 
under a variety of names1 which were    
generally  significative of some        
distinguished leader among them1 the    
country  whence they came1 or something 
descriptive of their peculiar tenets4   
,the epithet of ,semi-,judaisers1 which 
was applied as a term of reproach  to a 

sect which flourished in ,transylvania1 
,holland1 and some parts of  ,germany1  
and even extended itself into ,russia   
and ,poland1 in the latter  part of the 
fourteenth and during the commencement  
of the fifteenth  centuries1 is of      
itself sufficient to show the           
,sabbatarian character of  the people it
 was designed to distinguish4 ,to       
,judaise1 ,judaising1 and  ,judaisers1  
being synonymous terms of reproach1 or  
rather terms  appellative1--the former  
to signify the action of sabbatizing1   
and the  latter to designate the person 
by whom the ,sabbath was thus observed4 
,of  this we have abundant testimony4   
,the ,council of ,laodicea1 in #cej1    
passed  a decree1 in which ,christians  
are reproved for ,judaising4 ,if any be 
found ,judaising1 let him be            
anathematized1 was the language of these
  pretended fathers of the church4#cb   
,athanasius says1 ,we assemble on       
,saturday1 not that we are infected with
 ,judaism2 thus repelling a  charge     

which1 in every age and country1 has    
been affixed as a stigma to             
,sabbath-keepers4    ,the first glimpse 
that ,i have been able to obtain of this
 sect is given  by an old ,german       
author1 whose works were published at   
,antwerp1 in #affg4  ,in speaking of the
 religious parties and factions which   
agitated the  country1 he says3 ,as to  
the people called by their enemies the  
,semi-,judaisers1 it is certain that    
they originated from a colony of the    
persecuted ,waldenses1 who fled from    
,lombardy into ,bohemia about #adej1    
and thence removed into ,transylvania1  
which subsequently became their         
headdquarters4 ,they say that the law of
 ,moses is binding upon  ,christians1   
and1 accordingly1 solemnize divine      
service upon ,saturday1 or  the old     
,sabbath4    ,as to the outward         
circumstances of this people1 they were 
generally  among the industrious        
poor1--mechanics and husbandmen4 ,they  
were never in  squalid wretchedness or  

beggarly destitution1 when left to enjoy
 the  fruits of their industry4 ,many of
 them1 both male and female1 became     
inmates of the households of the great1 
in the capacity of nurses and  servants1
 and were greatly esteemed on account of
 their sobriety1  intelligence1 and     
faithfulness4 ,others settled on the    
outskirts of the  neglected domains of  
the nobility1 where they soon converted 
the barren  wastes into productive      
fields1 and reared new and flourishing  
settlements1 to the great satisfaction  
of the landlords4    ,from the very     
brief and imperfect accounts that ,i    
have been able to  obtain concerning    
them1 there does not appear to have been
 anything  strange or singular in their 
manner of worship4 ,they took the       
,scriptures  for their guide1 rejected  
all ,popish ceremonies1 inventions1 and 
institutions1 administered baptism by   
immersion1 and contended that the       
church of ,christ should be inaccessible
 to unholy and unregenerate  persons4   

,their ministers were allowed no        
salaries1 and were not  distinguished   
from the lay brethren by any superior   
authority or  attainments4 ,all who felt
 disposed to do so were permitted to    
teach1 or  prophesy1 and in this        
particular they seem to have strongly   
resembled  the ,quakers4    ,that they  
possessed a decided missionary spirit is
 evident from the fact  that their      
doctrines were secretly and silently1   
but very effectually1  disseminated     
throughout many parts of ,europe1 where 
they took deep and  lasting root4       
,subsequent to their removal into       
,bohemia1 they became incorporated with 
the ,united ,bohemian ,brethren1 whose  
numbers were considerable in every  part
 of the empire4 ,scarcely1 however1 were
 they reduced to order1 when  a terrible
 persecution was set on foot by the     
,catholic party1 and they  were called  
upon to prove the strength of their     
faith by endurance and  perseverance to 
the end4 ,they were compelled to forsake

 their towns and  villages in the depths
 of winter4 ,the sick were cast into the
 fields4  ,hundreds expired in flames1  
or on the rack4 ,the public prisons were
  filled with suspected persons4 ,such  
as effected their escape retired  into  
the caves and deserts of the country1   
where they held religious  assemblies1  
elected teachers1 and decided upon their
 future course4    ,about #aejj1 a large
 company of the ,semi-,judaisers removed
 into  ,transylvania1 where they        
experienced many vicissitudes until the 
dawn of  the ,reformation in ,germany4  
,at this time they had many large and   
flourishing congregations1 and being    
generally of the poorer class1 and      
withal extremely peaceable and          
inoffensive in their manners1 they were 
suffered by the princes and nobility of 
the country to live upon their  estates 
without molestation4 ,in #aefe1 they    
first appear in history as a  people    
obnoxious to the rulers of              
,transylvania2 and then it was chiefly  

in consequence of the success which had 
attended the propagation of  their      
doctrines1 and the conversion of        
,francis ,davidis1 superintendent  of   
the ,socinian churches in that country1 
to their creed4 ,davidis1 to  eminent   
talents and great learning1 united the  
most ardent zeal and  untiring          
perseverance4 ,besides taking advantage 
of every opportunity to  disseminate his
 own peculiar views1 he boldly attacked 
the doctrines of  the adverse party1    
disputing in person with the ,socinian  
doctors1 and  contending that the ten   
commandments of the ,decalogue were of a
 moral  and immutable nature1 and1      
consequently1 that the seventh day of   
the  week should be observed as a       
sabbatical rest4 ,his views were highly 
offensive to ,christopher ,bathori1     
prince of ,transylvania1 who threw him  
into prison1 where he died in #aegi1 at 
an advanced age4 ,his doctrines1  thus  
brought into public and general notice1 
spread rapidly1 and were  embraced by   

several men of eminence4 ,of these the  
most distinguished  were ,christiern    
,francken1 who disputed in public for   
three days with  ,faustus ,socinus1 upon
 the question of the ,sabbath1 and ,john
 ,somers1  ,master of the ,academy of   
,clausenberg4 ,the violent contentions  
that  ensued made a noise in all parts  
of ,germany1 and reached the ears of    
,luther1 who wrote a book upon the      
subject4 ,in #aehe1 ,jacob ,paleologus1 
of  the isle of ,ohio1 was burned at    
,rome for ,judaism4 ,at his trial1 he   
declared that the ten commandments were 
moral and immutable in their  nature4   
,in other countries executions of a     
similar character took place2  and the  
,semi-,judaisers were persecuted from   
region to region1 like the  vilest of   
mankind4 ,many of them fled into        
,poland1 ,lithuania1 and ,russia1       
where1 mingling with the other          
dissenters from the established         
churches1  they formed congregations1   
and became quite numerous4 ,under the   

mild  reign of ,udislaus ,,ii41 king of 
,poland1 their numbers greatly          
increased1  and many persons of wealth  
and respectability united in their      
communion4  ,a ,polish writer informs us
 that their churches were numerous and  
flourishing in many parts1 but          
particularly in the ,palatinates of     
,polotsk1 ,witepsk1 ,nuislaw1 ,mohilev1 
and ,minsk4 ,at ,dorpat1 in ,livonia1   
there was a church containing five      
hundred members1 where1 in #ahaf1 a     
small remnant still resided4 ,from      
,poland they extended themselves into   
the middle and southern provinces of    
,russia1 where they remained in a  state
 of general peace until the year #afch1 
when a persecution began in  ,poland1   
through the instigation of the          
,catholics1 extended to this  country1  
and multitudes of dissenters of all     
ranks and classes were  barbarously put 
to death4 ,at this time the             
,semi-,judaisers were known in  these   
countries under the name of ,sabbaton1 a

 name sufficiently  descriptive of their
 peculiar and distinguishing tenets4 ,in
 consequence  of these terrible         
persecutions1 they retired into the most
 obscure and  unfrequented districts1   
and their history is wrapped in a great 
degree  of obscurity1 until the reign of
 the ,empress ,catherine ,,ii41 when    
they  are again brought into view as a  
people obnoxious to the government4     
,under her persecuting edicts1 their    
churches were demolished1 their         
congregations broken up and scattered1  
and the more eminent for piety  and     
learning put to death by a variety of   
cruel tortures4 ,but a remnant  was     
saved to perpetuate the truth4 ,since   
that period they have  experienced many 
vicissitudes1 but1 upon all and every   
occasion1 they  have found their safety 
in obscurity4 ,they are distinguished   
for their  ardent love of the ,holy     
,scriptures1 for their opposition to the
 use of  images or pictures1 and for    
their uniformly pious and consistent    

conduct4 ,they have no paid or salaried 
body of ecclesiastics4 ,they  consider  
the invocation of saints to be idolatry1
 and insist upon the  right of private  
judgment in the interpretation of       
,scripture2 a  circumstance that renders
 them highly obnoxious to the ,russian  
priests4  ,they only admit professing   
believers to the rite of baptism4 ,in   
their  sentiments concerning the        
,trinity they are said to be ,arian4    
,in #ahbd1 a large community of these   
,christians were found by a  celebrated 
,french traveller settled on the banks  
of the river ,moskwa4  ,they numbered   
several thousand1 and wore the ,armenian
 costume1 which  people they strongly   
resembled in manners and customs4 ,he   
gives as their  peculiarities that they 
accounted as no better than fable       
whatever was  preached without          
,scripture proof1 and affirm that the   
traditions of the  church are no better 
than the traditions of the ,pharisees4  
,they look  upon a church built of stone

 as no better than any other building2  
neither do they believe that ,god dwells
 there4 ,they say that to suppose  that 
,god is found in churches1 monasteries1 
and oratories1 any more than  in any    
other place1 is limiting the divine     
majesty4 ,their prayers and  sermons are
 extempore4 ,their ministers1 like      
themselves1 are generally  mechanics or 
labourers2 nor is there any difference  
of rank among them4  ,they admit all the
 sacraments instituted by ,christ1 but  
none others4  ,they regard the ten      
commandments as moral and immutable1    
and1 moreover1  are conscientious       
observers of the old ,sabbath1 or       
,saturday4    ,i was told1 continues the
 same author1 that these people were    
very  numerous in many parts of ,russia2
 and that their missionaries could      
travel all over the empire1 and pass    
every night with their brethren4  ,they 
were known to each other by a secret    
sign1 and all their houses are          
distinguished by a private mark1 known  

only to the initiated4 ,in  consequence 
of their extreme caution that none but  
members of their  churches should be    
present at their assemblies1 they have  
been accused  of many horrid and        
abominable practices1--such as drinking 
the blood of a  child1 and the          
indulgence of licentiousness1--their    
accusers not  considering that the only 
security for their safety is in their   
avoidance of public notoriety4 ,all     
testimonials concur in stating that     
their numbers are considerable1 but     
that1 through fear of a recurrence  of  
persecution1 they courted obscurity2    
being content with the humblest         
stations1 and only seeking to keep the  
commandments of ,god and the faith  of  
,jesus4 ,of the sect called ,sabbaton1  
who reside in ,russia1 says  ,voltaire1 
some say one thing and some another4 ,it
 is evident1 however1  he continues1    
that they originated from the ,vaudois1 
who fled before  the ,crusaders into    
,germany1 ,bohemia1 and ,poland1 and    

thence into the  imperial territories4  
,they pay great attention to the ,bible1
 and but  little to the priests1 for    
which reason1 probably1 they have been  
so  hated by the latter4 ,again1 he     
observes1 that it is quite impossible   
to ascertain their numbers1 or the      
proceedings of their meetings1 since1   
through fear of persecution1 they keep  
both entirely secret4 ,a ,russian       
historian testifies to the same4 ,i have
 no means of determining the  numbers of
 the sect denominated ,sabbaton1 as they
 have been estimated by  various        
authorities at from #aj1jjj to #ajj1jjj4
 ,it is certain1 however1  that they are
 harmless1 simple1 and inoffensive in   
their lives1 and that  they avoid all   
publicity1 having a good reason for so  
doing4 ,i have  been credibly informed1 
says the ,rev4 ,joseph ,wolfe1 in       
private  correspondence1 that the       
,sabbatarians in ,russia are quite      
numerous1 and  are called ,sabbaton4 ,in
 a work entitled ,the ,annals of        

,russia1 which  was published at ,st4   
,petersburg1 in #agif1 and afterwards   
translated into  ,french by ,m4 de      
,brissembourg1 we are told that these   
people are not only  found in the large 
cities1 but that they had congregations 
in the  remotest parts of the           
empire1--in ,siberia1 and upon the      
northwest coast  of ,north ,america4    
,this was proved to be the case in      
#ahbi1 when the ,rev4  ,j4 ,s4 ,green1  
of the ,american ,board of ,foreign     
,missions1 visited a church  of fifty   
communicants on the northwest coast of  
,russian ,america1 who  religiously     
observed the seventh day4 ,he gives     
rather a deplorable  picture of their   
ignorance1 but upon one point at least  
he might have  learned a lesson of them4
       ,,section ,v4 ,,some ,,account   
,,of ,,the ,,sabbatarians ,,in          
,,holland4    ,in my foregoing          
statements ,i have been governed        
entirely by the language  and opinions  
of the writers from whom ,i derived my  

information1 and who  are almost        
unanimous in supposing that the         
,semi-,judaisers of ,bohemia and        
,transylvania were descendants of the   
primitive ,waldenses4 ,however this  may
 be1 we have every reason to believe    
that both these countries1 with         
different parts of ,germany and         
,holland1 were the abodes of evangelical
  ,christians1 and probably of          
,sabbatarians1 before the dispersion of 
the  ,waldenses4 ,an ancient author     
informs us that long before the dawn of 
the  ,reformation in ,germany1 there lay
 concealed in all these countries1      
particularly in ,bohemia1 a class of    
persons who contended for the  spiritual
 nature of the kingdom of ,christ1 and  
that this kingdom should  be exempt from
 all human institutions1 of which       
first-day keeping is  such a principal  
one4 ,it is certain1 however1 that they 
were first  brought into public notice  
about this time1 and the probability is1
 that  being similar to1 they became    

amalgamated with the persecuted         
,waldenses2  and as their safety lay in 
their obscurity1 they took no pains to  
form  records to perpetuate their       
memories4 ,this opinion is further      
strengthened from the fact that many of 
the ,anabaptists of ,holland1  whose    
origin is confessedly hid in the remote 
depths of antiquity1 are  known to have 
been ,sabbatarians1 and the same was    
true of multitudes in  the ,netherlands1
 or ,low ,countries1 as we learn from   
,father ,lebo1 a  ,spanish inquisitor1  
who accompanied the ,duke of ,alva on   
his expedition  to that unhappy country1
 of which he wrote an account4 ,he says1
 ,of all  the heretics1 none were more  
incorrigible than a certain set1 who    
were  quite numerous1 who refused to pay
 any regard to the festivals of the     
church1 but persisted in ,judaising1 and
 openly declared that the ,mosaic       
ritual was still binding4    ,of the    
origin of ,sabbatarianism in ,holland1  
however1 we have no account2  neither   

have the names of its teachers been     
handed down to us4 ,whether  its first  
observers were led to its adoption by an
 examination of the  sacred records     
alone1 or whether the commandments there
 laid down1 were  argued and explained  
by some popular leader1 ,i have at      
present no means  of ascertaining4      
,certain it is that the ,sabbath        
controversy became1 in  the commencement
 of the sixteenth century1 the principal
 one of the age1  in all those northern 
,germanic countries1 and engaged not    
only the  attention of prelates and     
doctors of divinity1 but of princes and 
sovereign states4 ,in this controversy  
learning was opposed to ignorance1  and 
influence to obscurity4 ,wealth1 talent1
 and civil power1 were  arrayed on the  
side of the ,no-,sabbath doctrine4 ,here
 ,i would remark1  that the             
,sabbatarians in ,europe1 at this       
period1 were engaged in a  controversy1 
which1 originating upon different       
principles1 required to  be managed in  

altogether a different manner1 from the 
present  controversial discussions of   
the ,sabbath question4 ,the change of   
the  ,sabbath at this time had not been 
broached4 ,it was conceded by all that  
the ,dominical day was a mere festival  
of the church1 brought in and           
perpetuated by human authority1 and the 
mass of the people1 with the  so-called 
great ,reformers at their head1         
contended that all sabbatical  statutes 
had been abrogated1 and consequently    
that1 under the present  dispensation1  
it was a matter of perfect expediency1  
whether or not any  day of rest was     
observed4 ,on the contrary1 the         
,sabbatarians maintained  that a ,divine
 law could only be abrogated by its     
institutor1 that the  law of the        
,sabbath had not been so abrogated1 and 
consequently1 that it  must be still in 
force4 ,they appealed to the            
,scriptures2 the opposite  party        
appealed to the sword3 and though the   
arguments of the former  could never be 

answered in a satisfactory manner1 their
 upholders could  be hushed in death or 
driven into exile4 ,one of the most     
eminent and  learned men of this age1   
was a ,sabbatarian1 and a bold advocate 
of  ,sabbatarian views4 ,i refer to     
,grotius1 who wrote and published a     
book1  in which he proved that the ten  
commandments are moral and immutable1   
and consequently the law of the ,sabbath
 is still binding4 ,this book was       
condemned in the celebrated council     
convened at ,dort in #afah1 and its     
author denounced in the severest manner4
 ,but however much this  distinguished  
man contributed to support the          
,sabbatarian cause1 he was  certainly   
not its founder4 ,a ,catholic historian1
 in treating of the  ,anabaptists in    
,holland1 at the commencement of the    
sixteenth century1  remarks1 that1 these
 heretics1 through the instigation of   
the devil1  for their overthrow1 were   
divided among themselves1 part teaching 
one  thing1 and part another2 for1      

though all unanimously rejected the holy
  sacraments of the church1 and refused 
to obey its ordinances1 a certain  set  
were for going back to ,moses for a     
,sabbath1 in which matter1 they  went so
 far as to form congregations1 and hold 
meetings on the seventh  day4 ,in       
another place he observes1 ,i never     
heard that they were  persecuted by     
their brethren1 the other ,anabaptists1 
except by the way  of jeers1 scoffs1 and
 ridicule4#cc    ,again1 ,the followers 
of ,moses being chiefly among the poorer
 classes1  they escaped for a long time 
the notice of the civil authorities1 and
 so  greatly increased in numbers1 that 
they had teachers and congregations  in 
all the principal cities of ,holland1   
but when the persecutions broke  out1   
some fled1 others conformed1 and their  
meetings were generally  broken up4 ,it 
is well known that the ,lutheran princes
 and prelates  practised upon the       
,anabaptists all the cruelties to which 
themselves had  been subjected by the   

,roman hierarchs4 ,the names of ,luther1
 ,calvin1 and  ,zuinglius1 have been    
marked in this manner with an indelible 
stain4 ,the  conscientious ,sabbatarians
 neither expected nor found sympathy in 
the  bosoms of these men4 ,luther1 who  
could send a circular to the princes of 
the empire1 urging them to execute      
summary vengeance upon the heretical    
sect1 and who bitterly denounced        
,carlostadt for sympathizing with them2 
,calvin1 who could smile with           
complacency over the tortures of those  
who  refused to be governed by his own  
opinions2 and ,zuinglius1 who1 when     
questioned regarding the fate of certain
 ,anabaptists1 replied1 ,drown  the     
,dippers1--what sympathy could be       
expected from princes whose  consciences
 were guided1 and whose opinions were   
influenced by such men8  and is it a    
wonder1 that while the horrible scenes  
of the ,inquisition  were re-enacted in 
,protestant countries2 that while women 
and children1  old men and maidens1     

indeed1 a multitude of all classes1 were
 being  drowned1 hung1 burned1 racked1  
and crowded into prisons to be literally
  starved to death2 is it a wonder1 ,i  
say1 that under all these               
circumstances1 posterity is beginning to
 inquire whether they were  reformers or
 deformers1 and whether pure and        
undefiled religion was  really benefited
 by their services8 ,this inquiry       
appears the more  rational1 when we     
consider that it was for being baptized 
as baptism was  practised in the        
primitive church1 and1 so far as the    
,sabbatarians were  concerned1 for      
observing the ,sabbath that ,god had    
commanded1 that these  frightful        
persecutions were carried on4 ,although 
many ,sabbatarians  doubtlessly         
perished1 the name of only one martyr   
known to have been of  that faith has   
been preserved4 ,this was ,barbary ,von 
,thiers1 who had been  baptized by a    
,sabbatarian minister named ,stephen    
,benedict4 ,at her  examination1 she    

declared her rejection of ,sunday and   
the holydays of  the church1 but said   
that the ,lord ,god had commanded rest  
on the  seventh day2 in this she        
acquiesced1 and it was her desire1 by   
the help  and grace of ,god1 to remain  
as she was1 for it was the true faith   
and  right way in ,christ4 ,at the time 
when the ,arminian schism was creating  
such a great excitement in ,holland1 the
 ,sabbatarians appear to have  become   
amalgamated1 at least to a certain      
extent1 with that people4 ,both  were   
equally obnoxious to the state1 and that
 of itself would have  created a        
sympathy between them4 ,it is well known
 that ,grotius embraced  the ,arminian  
tenets4 ,maurice1 at that time the      
reigning prince1 exerted  his utmost    
efforts to crush both parties4          
,inquiries were set on foot  with all   
the rigours of the ,inquisition4 ,the   
suspected were tortured not  so much to 
make them criminate themselves1 as to   
betray their friends  and associates4   

,some were beheaded1 and others escaped 
into foreign  countries4 ,of the latter 
class was ,grotius1 who1 being condemned
 to  perpetual imprisonment1 escaped his
 doom by flight4 ,their houses were     
demolished1 their property confiscated1 
and every measure that tyranny  and     
malice could invent1 was exerted for    
their extirpation4 ,partially1  at      
least1 these efforts were attended with 
success1 and since that  period few     
,sabbatarians have been found in that   
country4       ,,section ,,vi4          
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptists ,,of         
,,england4    ,about sixty years after  
the ascension of our ,lord1             
,christianity was  first introduced into
 ,britain1 and many of the nobility1 as 
well as  those of inferior birth1 were  
happily converted4 ,as it can be proved 
that1 at this early period1 the seventh 
day was observed by the  ,christians in 
general1 we may conclude that these     
primitive churches  were ,sabbatarian4  
,the ,british ,christians experienced   

various changes of  prosperity and      
adversity1 until about the year #fjj1   
when ,austin1 the  monk1 with forty     
associates1 was sent hither to subject  
the island to  the dominion of ,rome4   
,various ancient authors might be quoted
 to prove  the ,sabbatarian character of
 the ,english at this period4 ,in the   
,biography of ,austin1 published in the 
,lives of the ,saints1 we are told  that
 he found the people of ,britain in the 
most grievous and intolerable  heresies1
 being given to ,judaising1 but ignorant
 of the holy sacraments  and festivals  
of the church4 ,the author then goes on 
to relate the  prodigies wrought in     
their conversion4    ,the terms of      
conformity proposed to these ,christians
 by ,austin related1  among other       
things1 to the observation of ,easter   
and the festivals of  the ,romish       
church4 ,a division among the people    
immediately ensued1 and  the different  
branches of the church were designated  
as the old and the  new4 ,the old1 or   

,sabbatarian ,baptist church retained   
their original  principles2 while the   
new adopted the keeping of the          
,dominical day1  infant baptism1 and the
 other superstitions of the ,romish     
hierarchy4    ,benius' ,councils1 fol4  
#addh1 says that a council was          
celebrated in  ,scotland in #abjc1 in   
which the initiation or first bringing  
in of the  ,lord's day was determined4  
,lucius says of this council1 that it   
was  enacted that the ,dominical day    
should be holy1 beginning at the twelfth
  hour on ,saturday1 until ,monday4 ,the
 same year1 says ,hoveden1  ,eustachius1
 ,archbishop of ,flay1 returned into    
,england1 and therein  preached the word
 of ,god from city to city1 and from    
place to place1 and  said the command   
under written1 came from heaven about   
the observation  of the ,dominical day2 
that it was found in a letter at        
,jerusalem1 on the  tomb of ,st4        
,simeon1 which the ,archbishop1 after   
fasting1 praying1 and  doing penance1 at

 length ventured to take and read1 which
 was as  follows3    ,i1 the ,lord1 who 
commanded you that you should observe   
the ,dominical  holy day1 and ye have   
not kept it1 and ye have not repented of
 your  sins1 as ,i said by my gospel4   
,heaven and earth shall pass away1 but  
my  word shall not pass away4 ,i have   
caused repentance unto life to be       
preached unto you1 and ye have not      
believed4 ,i sent ,pagans against you1  
who shed your blood1 yet ye believed    
not2 and because ye kept not the        
,dominical holy day1 for a few days ye  
had famine4 ,but ,i soon gave you       
plenty1 and afterwards ye did worse4 ,i 
will again1 that none1 from the  ninth  
hour of the ,sabbath1#cd until the      
rising of the sun on ,monday1 do  work  
anything1 unless what is good1 which1 if
 any do1 let him amend by  repentance4  
,and if ye be not obedient to this      
command1 amen1 ,i say unto you1 and ,i  
swear unto you1 by my seat and throne1  
and cherubim1 who keep my holy  seat1   

because ,i will not command anything by 
another epistle1 but ,i will  open the  
heavens1 and for rain ,i will rain upon 
you stones1 and logs of  wood1 and hot  
water by night1 that none may be able to
 prevent1 that ,i  may destroy all      
wicked men4 ,this ,i say unto you2 ye   
shall die the death2  because of the    
holy ,dominical day1 and other festivals
 of my saints1  which ye have not kept1 
,i will send unto you beasts having the 
heads of  women1 and the tails of       
camels2 and they shall be so            
hunger-starved that  they shall devour  
your flesh4    ,there is more of this   
wretched stuff2 but let this suffice as 
a specimen  of the arts and intrigues   
used to impose upon the simple and      
unsuspecting1 by a forged letter        
purporting to be from heaven4    ,the   
same author goes on to state that the   
king and government of  ,england opposed
 the discontinuance of the markets upon 
the ,dominical  day1 and required that  
those who observed it in such a way     

should be  brought to the king's court  
to make satisfaction1 or otherwise purge
  themselves of the observance of the   
,dominical day4    ,in this connexion ,i
 will just add a few more expedients of 
the ,romanists  at that time to deceive 
the people of ,england into a           
superstitious  veneration for the first 
day4    ,but our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1  
whom we ought to obey rather than man1  
who1  made famous and exceedingly       
renowned1 dedicated unto himself this   
day1  which we call the ,dominical or   
,lord's day1 by his birth1 and by his   
resurrection1 by his coming1 and by the 
sending of the ,holy ,spirit upon  his  
disciples1 he raised up miracles of his 
virtue1 and thus manifested  it upon    
some transgressors of the ,dominical    
day3    ,upon a certain ,sabbath1 after 
the ninth hour1 a certain carpenter in  
,beverlac1 making a wooden pin against  
the wholesome admonition of his  wife1  
being struck with a palsy1 fell to the  
ground4 ,a certain woman1  knitting     

after the ninth hour of the ,sabbath1   
whilst she was very  anxious to knit out
 part of her work1 falling to the earth1
 struck with  the palsy1 she became     
dumb4 ,and at ,nosfortum1 a village of  
,master ,roger  ,arundel1 a certain man 
made for himself bread1 baked under the 
ashes1 on  the ,sabbath1 after the ninth
 hour1 and eat of it1 and reserved to   
himself part until the morning1 which   
when he brake1 upon the ,dominical  day1
 blood came out of it4 ,and he that saw 
it hath given testimony1 and  his       
testimony is true4    ,and at           
,wakefield1 upon a certain ,sabbath1    
when a miller1 after the  ninth hour1   
endeavoured to grind corn1 suddenly1 in 
the place of meal1  there issued out so 
great a stream of blood1 and the        
mill-wheel stood  immovable against the 
vehement impulse of the water2 and those
 who saw  marvelled1 saying1 ',forgive1 
,lord1 forgive thy people6' ,and at     
,lincolnshire1 a certain woman had      
prepared dough1 or paste1 or pudding    

pie1 which carrying to the oven1 after  
the ninth hour of the ,sabbath1  she put
 into a very hot oven2 and when she had 
drawn it out1 she found  it not baked1  
and she put it again into the oven1 made
 very hot2 and on  the morning1 and on  
,monday1 when she thought to have found 
the bread  baked1 she found the dough   
unbaked4 ,also1 in the same province1   
when a  certain woman had prepared her  
dough1 willing to carry it to the oven1 
her husband said1 ',it is the           
,sabbath3--the ninth hour is now past4  
,let it  alone until ,monday4' ,and the 
woman1 obeying her husband1 did as he   
commanded1 and wrapped the dough in     
linen1 and1 in the morning1 when she    
went to look at the dough1 lest it      
should exceed the vessel1 because of    
the leaven put into it1 she found1 by   
divine will1 bread made thereof1  and   
well baked with material fire4 ,this is 
a change of the right hand of  the ,most
 ,high2 and although the ,almighty      
,lord1 by these and other  miracles of  

his power1 did invite the people to the 
observation of the  ,dominical day1 yet 
the people1 fearing more kingly and     
human power than  divine1 and fearing   
more those who kill the body1 and can do
 no more1  than ,him who1 after killing 
the body1 can send the soul to hell1 and
  fearing more to lose earthly things   
than heavenly1 and transitories than    
eternals1 as a dog to the vomit1        
returned to keep markets of things      
saleable upon the ,dominical day4       
,the term ,sabbath1 during all this     
period1 was applied exclusively to the  
seventh day4 ,indeed1 whenever1 for     
fourteen or fifteen centuries1 that     
name occurs1 it must be understood as   
applying to the last day of the  week4  
,up to the present time1 on the records 
of ,england1 particularly on  the       
,journals of the ,house of ,lords1 the  
highest court of ,england1 all  things  
entered as done on the seventh day are  
entered as done die  ,sabbati1 upon the 
,sabbath day4 ,from the time of         

,constantine to the  ,reformation1      
,sunday was never regarded as the       
,sabbath1 nor called by  that sacred    
name4 ,during all this time1 in         
,england1 here and there1 were  found   
individuals who observed the            
,sabbath--the seventh day of the        
week--strictly1 though exposed to many  
privations and frequent  persecutions4  
,of their numbers or their locations we 
have at present but  very imperfect     
accounts4 ,the mass of men regarded the 
,sabbath as  abolished2--,sunday as no  
,sabbath1 but merely a church-holiday1  
to which  they paid no conscientious    
regard4 ,with the dawn of the           
,reformation a  new spirit of inquiry   
was awakened in regard to the duties of 
practical  godliness4 ,among the        
subjects for discussion we find the     
,sabbath early  introduced and          
thoroughly examined4 ,there was one     
class of reformers  who1 dwelling alone 
on the sufficiency of faith and the     
freeness of the  ,gospel1 trembled at   

the thought of imposing rules upon men1 
and  expressed a sort of holy horror at 
the term1 law4 ,of this description     
were ,luther and ,calvin4 ,it is well   
known that the former recommended to    
,christians to ride1 dance1 and feast1  
on ,sunday1 rather than to submit  to   
any infringement of the liberty of      
conscience4 ,but there were others1  who
 contended that an institution given in 
,paradise1 and enforced by one  of the  
commandments of the ,decalogue1 could   
not have been abolished2  yet1 finding  
themselves in the dilemma of observing  
another day than  that originally       
appointed1 they maintained that the day 
had been changed  so early as to justify
 us in allowing it4 ,a third class      
contended that  an institution so early 
given1 and so often enforced1 could not 
have  been abolished or changed without 
explicit authority2 that this explicit  
authority had never been given2 and1    
therefore1 the seventh day of the  week1
 and that only1 should be observed4     

,compared with the whole1 the  number   
who acknowledged the perpetuity and     
morality of the ,sabbath1 and           
manifested a sacred regard for either   
the first or the seventh day1 was       
small4 ,however1 they were sufficient to
 prove that wherever the subject  of the
 ,sabbath has been considered1 there has
 always been found those  who1 by       
precept and example1 have witnessed for 
the ,sabbath of the  fourth commandment4
    ,in #aeie1 a book was written and   
published by ,dr4 ,bound1 in which the  
morality of the ,sabbath1 and a change  
of the day1 was advocated in quite  a   
masterly manner4 ,this excited a        
controversial spirit1 and was soon      
followed by many others1 both for and   
against his view4 ,the orthodoxal       
doctrine of the ,church of ,england1 by 
bishops and historians1 then was1  that 
the ,sabbath had been abolished1 and    
that the ,lord's day1 so called1  was   
altogether another institution1 which   
could not be enforced by the  fourth    

commandment4 ,among the men who held    
this view1 we may mention ,dr4  ,francis
 ,white1 ,lord ,bishop of ,ely1 ,dr4    
,peter ,heylyn1 ,edward ,brerewood1     
,gilbert ,ironsides1 and others4        
,against these men were arrayed the     
leading ,puritans1 who maintained the   
morality of the ,sabbath and the        
necessity of restraining men by the     
sanctions of the fourth commandment4    
,many true ,sabbatarians1 however1 stood
 opposed to both these parties1         
maintaining not only the morality of the
 ,sabbath1 but the obligation to        
observe the seventh day of the week4 ,a 
work supporting this view1 from  the pen
 of ,theophilus ,brabourne1 appeared in 
#afbh4 ,he took the position  that the  
fourth commandment was simply and       
entirely moral2 that the  seventh day of
 the week ought to be an everlasting    
holyday in the  ,christian ,church2 and 
that the ,sunday is an ordinary working 
day1 which  it is superstition and      
will-worship to make the ,sabbath of the

 fourth  commandment4 ,this view was    
adopted by considerable numbers in      
,england1  and has been represented from
 that day to this1 by men of learning   
and  piety4 ,many who remained in       
connexion with the established church1  
were  conscientious observers of the    
seventh day ,sabbath1 among whom were   
several ministers of piety1 and authors 
of eminence4    ,about the same time1   
small dissenting parties began to       
organize churches  and to boldly        
maintain the worship of ,god upon the   
,sabbath4 ,of these the  ,natton ,church
 has been much celebrated4 ,it is       
situated in the west of  ,england1 near 
,tewksbury1 and about fifteen miles from
 ,gloucester1  thirty-five from         
,birmingham1 and ninety from ,london4   
,the first pastor of  this church whose 
name has come down to us was ,mr4 ,john 
,purser4 ,he is  represented as a very  
worthy man1 and a great sufferer for    
conscience  sake4 ,he was descended from
 an honourable family1 and was heir to a

  considerable estate1 but his father   
disinherited him because he observed    
the seventh day for the ,sabbath4       
,notwithstanding this wrong1 it pleased 
,divine ,providence to bless him        
abundantly in the little that he        
possessed4 ,he became a respectable     
farmer1 and lived at                    
,ashton-upon-,carrant1 in the ,parish of
 ,ashchurch1 in the county of           
,gloucester1 during the reigns of       
,charles and ,james the ,second4 ,in    
common  with other nonconformists1 he   
experienced much oppression and great   
opposition on account of his religion4  
,at one time his persecutors came  upon 
him while he was engaged in ploughing a 
field1 and took from him  his team and  
utensils of husbandry4 ,notwithstanding 
the severity of the  laws against       
dissenters1 the officers1 in many       
instances1 far exceeded  their          
commission1 and sometimes were made to  
suffer for it4 ,such was the  case in   
this instance2 for one ,william ,surman1

 ,esq41 a conformist1 but  worthy man1  
seeing the cruelty and injustice of thus
 depriving an honest  man of his        
property and the means for procuring a  
livelihood1 obliged  his adversaries to 
return the property thus wrongfully     
taken4 ,it appears  from authentic      
testimonies that he suffered much during
 the persecutions  between #affj and    
#afij4 ,but he overcame all by faith and
 patience1 and  came out of the furnace 
like gold doubly refined4    ,it is     
probable that ,mr4 ,purser commenced his
 ministry in #affj1 but did  not receive
 ordination until some years later4 ,in 
the mean time one ,mr4  ,cowell was the 
chief preacher at ,natton1 and an author
 of some eminence1  having published a  
book entitled ,the ,snare ,broken1 which
 seems to have  occasioned considerable 
difficulty between the observers of the 
first  and seventh day4 ,mr4 ,cowell    
appears to have been rather wavering and
  unstable1 but withal a pious and      
well-meaning man4 ,he departed this life

  in #afhj1 when ,mr4 ,purser took the  
principal charge of the church4 ,the    
,sabbatarians at this time were widely  
scattered4 ,there was no  meeting-house1
 and ,mr4 ,purser opened his dwelling   
for that purpose4 ,he  also held        
meetings at various other private       
houses1 in different places1  by which  
those living at a distance were         
accommodated by his labours4 ,it  may be
 remarked1 that although this worthy man
 steadily pursued the  occupation of    
husbandry1 and reared a large family1 he
 faithfully served  the church4 ,while  
his hands were industriously employed1  
his meditations  were upon things above1
 and upon these occasions he was highly 
favoured  with manifestations of the    
divine presence4 ,all his children and  
grandchildren were also distinguished   
for virtue and piety1 though many  of   
them adopted the first day for the sake 
of convenience1 and became  worthy      
members of ,baptist churches4 ,mr4      
,purser1 through age and  infirmity1 was

 unable to discharge the duties of the  
sacred office for  some time before his 
death1 which occurred in #agbj4    ,his 
successor1 ,mr4 ,edmund ,townsend1 was  
plain and unobtrusive in his  manners1  
but was highly respected for his candour
 and integrity4 ,soon  after his        
ordination he took up his residence for 
a time with the  ,mill-,yard ,church2   
and then1 in #agbg1 accepted an         
invitation to become  the pastor of the 
,cripplegate fraternity1 which had been 
left destitute  by the death of ,joseph 
,stennett4    ,when ,mr4 ,townsend left 
this church1 he was succeeded by ,mr4   
,philip  ,jones1 who discharged the     
duties pertaining to this sacred office 
for  nearly fifty years4 ,his colleague1
 ,mr4 ,thomas ,boston1 was a young man  
of  great promise and usefulness4 ,mr4  
,jones lived for several years at       
,cheltenham1 but held meetings at       
,natton1 ,panford1 and other towns1 for 
the purpose of accommodating members    
living at each of those places4 ,in     

#agca1 he removed to ,upton1 but        
continued his ministry in different     
places4 ,in this way he encountered many
 difficulties1 sometimes having  to     
travel in the worst of weather1 and at  
others running great risks  from the    
floods of the ,severn and ,avon4 ,yet   
neither dangers nor  inconveniences were
 suffered to interfere with his duty4   
,his character  has been thus given by a
 contemporary3 ,he was a holy man of    
,god1 and a  great and lively preacher  
of the gospel4 ,few were better         
acquainted with  the scriptures2 for1   
whatever his subject was1 he could have 
chapter and  verse to prove the whole4  
,in short he was a living concordance2 a
 man of  unblemished character1 a       
sincere friend1 and a faithful reformer1
 but  always in the spirit of meekness4 
,perhaps but a few living had a greater 
command over the passions than he had4  
,previous to the death of this worthy   
man1 in #aggj1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,hiller1    
his nephew1 accepted the pastoral care  

of the ,baptist church in  ,tewksbury1  
near ,natton4 ,he was a ,sabbatarian in 
both opinion and  practice1 and         
consequently was invited to serve the   
,sabbath-keeping  church at the same    
time that he remained pastor of the     
,first-day ,baptist  church4 ,he        
accepted the invitation1 and continued  
to minister to both  churches until his 
death1 a few years ago4 ,his ministry is
 said to have  been successful in both  
,natton and ,tewksbury2 although in what
 that  success was seen it would        
probably be problematical to determine4 
,the  church over which he presided has 
become a mere handful1 in the greatest  
want of spiritual strength and support4 
,mr4 ,hiller was doubtlessly a man  of  
worth1 and deeply interested in the     
,spiritual welfare of both  churches1 by
 whom his memory is still highly        
venerated2 but the history  of his      
connexion with these fraternities proves
 that no man can  successfully serve two
 masters4 ,it is barely possible that a 

minister of  the gospel1 who is at one  
and the same time the pastor of one     
church  worshipping on the seventh day  
of the week1 and another church         
worshipping on the first day of the     
week1 can be faithful to both4 ,since   
the death of ,mr4 ,hiller1 the          
congregation at ,natton have been       
without a  pastor4 ,however1 it has     
engaged the services of a worthy        
,baptist  minister from ,tewksbury for a
 considerable time4    ,it is worthy of 
note1 that1 in #agdf1 ,mr4 ,benjamin    
,purser1 the youngest  son of ,rev4     
,john ,purser before mentioned1         
purchased an estate in the  village of  
,natton1 and fitted up1 at his own      
expense1 a chapel for  divine worship1  
adjoining his dwelling-house4 ,it is a  
small room1  distinguished only for     
neatness and convenience4 ,he also      
walled in a  corner of his orchard for a
 burial-place4 ,when he died1 in #agfe1 
he  donated the house and burial-place  
to the church1 together with ten  pounds

 a year out of his estate to all        
succeeding ministers4 ,at the  present  
time the congregation is so small that  
the chapel is not opened  except upon   
extraordinary occasions1 such as a      
funeral or the like4 ,it  serves1       
however1 as the depository for a small  
collection of rare and  valuable books4 
,,the ,,cripplegate ,,church4    ,a     
congregation of ,sabbatarians1 known    
under that denomination1 was  gathered  
in ,london by ,francis ,bampfield1      
during the reign of ,charles the        
,second4 ,mr4 ,bampfield was descended  
from an ancient and honourable  family  
in ,devonshire1 and was a brother of    
,thomas ,bampfield1 ,speaker in  one of 
,cromwell's ,parliaments4 ,having been  
designed for the ministry  from         
childhood1 he received a classical      
education1 at ,wadham ,college1         
,oxford1 where he remained for eight    
years4 ,subsequently he was provided    
with a living in ,dorsetshire1 and was  
likewise chosen ,prebend of ,exeter     

,cathedral4 ,thence he was transferred  
to the populous town of ,sherburne1     
where he exerted a most extensive and   
happy influence among the members  of   
the established church4 ,in this        
connexion he continued only a short     
time2 for beginning to doubt the        
authority of the church to prescribe    
forms of worship1 he became in the end a
 decided nonconformist4  ,consequently  
he was not only ejected from the        
ministry1 but confined in  ,dorchester  
jail1 for preaching and conducting      
religious services  contrary to law4    
,during his imprisonment1 which         
continued about eight  years1 his views 
upon the subjects of the ,sabbath and   
baptism were  materially changed1 and he
 became a decided advocate of           
,seventh-day  ,baptist sentiments4 ,he  
preached his new opinions boldly to his 
fellow-prisoners1 and several were led  
to embrace them4 ,soon after his        
release from ,dorchester1 ,mr4          
,bampfield went to ,london1 where he    

preached  the gospel for about ten      
years4 ,in ,bethnal ,green1 in the      
eastern parts  of ,london1 he gathered a
 small church1 whose place of meeting   
was in his  own hired house4 ,this      
church was organized in #afgf1 and ,mr4 
,bampfield  continued its pastor until  
#afhb1 when he was brought before the   
,court of  ,sessions1 on a variety of   
charges connected with his              
nonconformity4 ,he  was several times   
examined1 and upon each examination     
required to take  the oath of           
allegiance1 which he persisted in       
refusing1 alleging that  his conscience 
would not allow him to take it4 ,this   
resulted in his  condemnation1 the      
forfeiture of his goods1 and a sentence 
of  imprisonment during life1 or what   
was equivalent1 during the king's       
pleasure4 ,the anxieties incident to    
this trial1 combined with a  naturally  
feeble constitution1 together with his  
great privations1  brought on a disease1
 of which he died in ,newgate prison1 on

 the #aeth of  ,february1 #afhd1 aged   
#fh years4    ,the imprisonment of ,mr4 
,bampfield was followed by the          
dispersion of his  flock1 but the times 
becoming more favourable1 they reunited 
in church  fellowship in #afhf1 and     
invited ,mr4 ,edward ,stennett1 of      
,wallingford1 to  accept the pastoral   
care of their church4 ,he partly        
complied1 coming to  ,london at stated  
periods to preach and administer the    
ordinances1 though  he still retained   
his connexion with the people at        
,wallingford4 ,but  finding that he     
could not consistently serve both       
churches1 he resigned  the pastoral care
 of the ,london church in #afhi4 ,mr4   
,stennett is  distinguished as being the
 ancestor of the famous ,stennett       
family1 who  were all ,sabbatarians1 and
 were for several generations an        
ornament to  religion1 and champions for
 the cause of ,protestant dissent4      
,being on  the side of ,parliament in   
the civil wars1 he was exposed1 in      

consequence1 to the neglect of his      
relations and many other  difficulties4 
,although a faithful minister1 he       
possessed no stated  salary1 but        
supported his family by the practice of 
physic4 ,he bore a  part in the         
persecutions which fell upon the        
,dissenters of that time4 ,in  several  
instances his escape seems altogether   
miraculous1 and affords a  striking     
evidence of ,divine interposition4      
,he was succeeded by his second son1    
,joseph ,stennett1 who had enjoyed the  
advantages of a liberal education4 ,he  
came to ,london in #afhe1 and was       
employed for a time in the instruction  
of youth4 ,his first appearance in  the 
pulpit created a great sensation4 ,his  
ministry was eminently  evangelical and 
faithful2 and while preaching constantly
 to his own  church upon the ,sabbath1  
he almost always waited in the ministry 
upon  other congregations on the first  
day4 ,perhaps no ,dissenting minister in
  ,england1 at that time1 exerted a more

 powerful influence1 or maintained  a   
higher standing than did ,mr4 ,stennett4
 ,he was at different times  appointed  
by his brethren in the ministry to draw 
up letters and  addresses of            
congratulation to be presented to the   
sovereign upon  particular occasions1   
,mr4 ,stennett likewise appeared before 
the public  as the author of other      
works1 which acquired considerable      
popularity4  ,early in the year #agac1  
he began to decline1 and on the #aath of
 ,july  fell asleep1 in the forty-ninth 
year of his age1 and the twenty-third of
  his ministry4    ,the death of this   
worthy man was a particularly disastrous
 event to his  little flock1 who        
remained for fourteen years without a   
shepherd1 during  which time they       
generally met for worship with the      
,mill-,yard ,church4 ,but  in #agbg1    
,mr4 ,edmund ,townsend became their     
spiritual guide1 in which  relation he  
continued until his death in #agfc4     
,subsequent to the decease of ,mr4      

,townsend1 the church1 for four years1  
was supplied with ministerial assistance
 by different ,baptist ministers1  until
 ,mr4 ,thomas ,whitewood accepted the   
pastoral office1 in ,june1 #agfg4  ,his 
race1 however1 was short2 for after     
preaching three times1 and              
administering the ,lord's ,supper once1 
he was attacked by a fatal  disease1 of 
which he died the ensuing ,october4     
,dr4 ,samuel ,stennett1 son of ,dr4     
,joseph ,stennett1 being at that period 
pastor of the ,baptist church in ,little
 ,wild ,street1 ,london1 was  solicited 
to accept the pastoral office4 ,it      
appears that he complied in  part1      
performing all the duties without       
accepting the nominal relation  of      
pastor4 ,he administered the ,lord's    
,supper1 and preached to them  regularly
 on the ,sabbath morning2 while the     
afternoon service was  conducted by four
 ,baptist ministers in rotation1 among  
whom were ,dr4  ,jenkins and ,dr4       
,rippon4    ,in #aghe1 ,robert ,burnside

 accepted the pastoral charge of this   
church1 in  which relation he continued 
forty-one years4 ,mr4 ,burnside united  
to  great natural abilities1 a kind and 
loving heart1 by which he was           
particularly qualified to impart        
instruction4 ,he became tutor1 at       
different periods1 to the sons of       
several of the nobility1 and  discharged
 the duties attendant upon that         
difficult office in a manner  honourable
 to himself1 and advantageous to his    
pupils4 ,he also prepared  several works
 for the press2 among which was a volume
 on the subject of  the ,sabbath4 ,he   
died in #ahbf1 and was succeeded by     
,john ,brittain  ,shenstone1 whose early
 labours had been in connexion with     
,first-day  ,baptist churches4 ,for more
 than forty years he was connected with 
the  ,board of ,baptist ministers in    
,london1 of which he appears to have    
been  the principal projector and main  
support4 ,he commenced the observation  
of the ,sabbath in #ahbe1 and upon the  

decease of ,mr4 ,burnside accepted  the 
pastoral care of the church1 which he   
continued to serve until his  death1 in 
#ahdd4 ,since that event this church has
 been without a pastor1  and is in a    
very low and enfeebled condition4       
,,the ,,mill-,,yard ,,church4    ,this  
church is located in the eastern part of
 ,london1 but of its  founder1 or the   
date of its origin1 our accounts are    
very imperfect and  unsatisfactory4 ,the
 present records1 in possession of the  
church1 date  back to #afgc2 but as they
 refer to another book which had been   
previously used1 it is certain that the 
church was organized much  earlier4     
,indeed1 we have every reason to believe
 that this church is a  perpetuation of 
the fraternity gathered by ,john ,james1
 the martyr1 which  originally met in   
,bull-,steak ,alley1 ,whitechapel4 ,we  
shall therefore  consider ,mr4 ,james as
 the first pastor of this church4 ,on   
the #aith day  of ,october1 #affa1 while
 in the midst of a warm and fervent     

discourse1 an  officer entered the place
 of worship1 forcibly ejected him from  
the  pulpit1 and led him away to the    
police under a strong guard4 ,thirty    
members of his congregation were        
likewise taken before a bench of        
justices1 then convened at a public     
house in the vicinity1 where each  one  
was required to take the oath of        
allegiance1 and those who refused  to   
comply were committed to prison4 ,mr4   
,james underwent a long and  tedious    
examination1 when he was committed to   
,newgate1 upon the  testimony of several
 profligate witnesses1 by whom he was   
accused of  speaking treasonable words  
against the king4 ,at his trial1 which  
came on  about one month afterwards1 his
 apparent innocence1 deep piety1 and    
resignation1 sensibly affected a large  
concourse of spectators1 but  could not 
soften the obdurate hearts of his       
judges1 by whom he was  sentenced to be 
hanged1 drawn1 and quartered4 ,he was   
unaffected by this  horrid sentence1 and

 calmly observed1 ,blessed be ,god1 whom
 man  condemneth1 ,god justifieth4      
,while he lay in prison under sentence  
of  death1 he was visited by several    
persons of distinction1 who were deeply 
affected by his patience and            
resignation1 and who cheerfully engaged 
to  exert their utmost influence to     
secure his pardon4 ,but he appears to   
have been too well acquainted with the  
power and designs of his enemies1  to   
have entertained much hopes of their    
success4    ,mrs4 ,james1 by the advice 
of her friends1 was induced to present a
  petition twice to the king1 setting   
forth her husband's innocence1 and      
entreating his majesty to grant a       
pardon4 ,but in both instances she was  
repulsed with scoffs and ridicule4 ,at  
the scaffold1 on the day of his         
execution1 he addressed the people in a 
very sensible and affectionate  manner4 
,having finished the address1 and       
kneeling down1 he thanked ,god  for     
covenant mercies1 and for conscious     

innocence4 ,he then prayed for  all1    
both his friends and his enemies1 for   
the executioner1 for the  people of     
,god1 for the spectators1 for his       
church1 and his family1 and  lastly1 for
 himself1 that he might enjoy a sense of
 the divine presence  and support in    
this his hour of trial1 and entrance    
into glory4 ,when he  had finished1 the 
executioner1 who was much affected1     
said1 ,the ,lord  receive your soul2 to 
which ,mr4 ,james replied1 ,i thank you4
 ,a friend  then observed to him1 ,this 
is a happy day for you2 he replied1 ,i  
thank ,god it is4 ,he then thanked the  
sheriff for his courtesy1 and bade      
farewell to his friends2 then saying1   
,father1 into thy hands ,i commit  my   
spirit1 was launched into eternity4 ,but
 the rage of the bigoted  tyrant did not
 end here4 ,his heart was taken from his
 body and burned1  his body itself      
quartered1 and the mutilated parts      
affixed to the gates  of the city1 and  
his head set up in ,whitechapel1 on a   

pole opposite to  the alley in which his
 meeting-house stood4    ,at the time   
when the present record of this church  
commences1 #afgc1  ,william ,sellers    
exercised the pastoral function4 ,the   
church was then in  a flourishing       
condition2 the members being quite      
numerous1 and strict  discipline        
maintained4 ,mr4 ,sellers was probably  
the author of a work on  the ,sabbath1  
in review of ,dr4 ,owen1 which appeared 
in #afga4 ,his ministry  is supposed to 
have continued until #afgh4 ,he was     
succeeded by ,mr4  ,toursby1 who was a  
man of considerable controversial       
talent1 which he  exercised in defence  
of the ,sabbath4 ,he prepared a work for
 the press  upon that subject1 but it is
 believed that it has long been out of  
print4 ,his ministry ceased in #agaj4   
,about this time two persons named      
,slater preached occasionally1 though   
it does not appear that they were ever  
ordained4    ,mr4 ,savage1 in #agaa1    
accepted the pastoral office4 ,his      

colleague1 the  venerable ,john         
,maulden1 had long been the pastor of a 
,baptist ,church in  ,goodman's ,fields1
 which he left on account of his having 
embraced  ,sabbatarian principles4      
,after the decease of these worthy men1 
the  pastoral office was vacant for some
 time1 during which the preaching       
brethren officiated in the ministry in a
 manner prescribed at the  business     
meetings of the church4 ,in #agbj1 ,dr4 
,joseph ,stennett was  invited to accept
 the pastoral care of this church4 ,he  
was then  presiding over a ,baptist     
,church in ,exeter1 and after           
considerable delay  declined the call4  
,mr4 ,robert ,cornthwaite became their  
pastor in #agbf4 ,he had been  connected
 with the ,established ,church1 but     
becoming convinced that the  gospel did 
not authorize any such establishment1 he
 withdrew from its  communion and       
identified himself with the dissenters4 
,becoming  interested in the ,sabbath   
controversy he soon decided for the     

seventh  day1 and was chosen pastor of  
this church1 in which relation he       
continued until his death in #aged4 ,he 
was distinguished for great mental      
vigour1 and a firm adherence to whatever
 he deemed true and scriptural4  ,he    
published several works relating to the 
,sabbath1 which greatly  contributed to 
draw attention to that important        
subject4    ,daniel ,noble1 his         
successor1 was a member of a            
,sabbath-keeping family1  and being     
designed for the ministry1 received the 
advantages of a  liberal education4 ,his
 studies were pursued first in ,london1 
and  afterward at the ,glasgow          
,university4 ,he commenced preaching    
occasionally  at ,mill-,yard in #ageb1  
took the pastoral charge when that      
office became  vacant1 in which         
connexion he remained until his death in
 #aghc4    ,at this time ,william       
,slater1 a member of the church1 was    
invited to  conduct the services4 ,this 
he did with such general acceptance that

 he  received ordination1 and became the
 pastor of the church4 ,his ministry    
was very successful1 and continued until
 he died1 in #ahai4    ,for several     
years ensuing that event the church was 
without a pastor1  being supplied with  
ministerial assistance by brethren of   
other  denominations1 until ,william    
,henry ,black1 the present incumbent1   
became  its spiritual guide4 ,through   
the pious liberality of one of its      
members1  the ,mill-,yard ,church enjoys
 the benefit of an endowment4 ,mr4      
,joseph  ,davis1 who united in its      
connexion at the time that ,john ,james 
suffered  martyrdom1 purchased1 in      
#afia1 the grounds adjoining the present
  ,mill-,yard ,church1 erected the place
 of worship1 and provided for the       
permanency of the society4 ,this        
property was conveyed to trustees1      
appointed by the church1 in #agjj4 ,in  
#agjf1 shortly before his death1 ,mr4   
,davis bequeathed his property to his   
son1 with an annual rent-charge in      

favour of the ,mill-,yard ,church1      
together with seven other ,sabbatarian  
churches in ,england4 ,he likewise      
provided1 conditionally1 that his whole 
property might afterward come into the  
possession of the church1 and be  vested
 in trustees for its benefit4 ,mr4      
,davis1 in the earlier part of  his     
life1 had suffered extremely from severe
 persecutions4 ,he was a  prisoner in   
,oxford ,castle for nearly ten years1   
from which he was  released in #afgc4   
,subsequently he entered into business  
in ,london1 where  prosperity attended  
him1 and he not only obtained a         
competence1 but  became a wealthy man4  
,few have made a more laudable use of   
riches1 and ,i  would say to the reader1
 go thou1 and do likewise4    ,a short  
account of some of the most eminent     
among those who embraced                
,sabbatarianism previous to the         
organization of these churches1 may be  
interesting to the general reader4      
,shortly after the publication of ,dr4  

,bound's book1 in which he advanced  the
 modern notion regarding the so-called  
,christian ,sabbath1 that it is  a      
perpetuation of the fourth commandment1 
but that the day specified  therein had 
been changed by divine authority1 we    
first hear of ,john  ,traske1 who both  
wrote and spoke in defence of the       
seventh day4    ,he also contended that 
the scriptures are sufficient to direct 
in  religious services1 and that the    
state has no right to prescribe any     
ordinances contrary to the laws of ,god4
 ,for this he was brought before  the   
,star-,chamber1 where a long discussion 
was held respecting the  ,sabbath1 in   
which ,dr4 ,andrews1 ,bishop of         
,winchester1 took a prominent  part4    
,traske could not be turned from his    
opinion1 but received a  censure in the 
,star-,chamber4 ,he was sentenced on    
account of his being a  ,sabbatarian1   
says ,paggitt's ,heresiography1 to be   
set upon the ,pillory  at ,westminster1 
and from thence to be whipped to the    

,fleet ,prison1 there  to remain a      
prisoner for three years4 ,his wife1    
,mrs4 ,traske1 was  confined in ,maiden 
,lane and the ,gate ,house ,prisons     
fifteen years1 where  she died1 for the 
same crime4    ,another distinguished   
advocate for the truth was ,theophilus  
,brabourne1 a  learned minister in      
connexion with the ,established ,church4
 ,he wrote a  book1 which was published 
in ,london in #afbh1 wherein he argued  
that the  ,lord's ,day is not the       
,sabbath by divine institution1 but that
 the  seventh day is still in force4    
,for this1 and similar works1 he was    
arraigned before the ,lord ,archbishop  
of ,canterbury1 and the ,court of  ,high
 ,commission4 ,his examination was      
conducted in the presence of many       
persons of high distinction1 and several
 lords of his ,majesty's ,privy         
,council4 ,for some reason1 it is not   
possible to ascertain distinctly  what1 
though probably he was over-awed by the 
character of the assembly1  he signed a 

recantation and went back to the bosom  
of the church4  ,nevertheless he        
continued to assert1 that if the        
,sabbatic institution be  indeed moral  
and perpetually binding1 the seventh day
 ought to be  sacredly kept4    ,about  
the same time1 it appears that ,philip  
,pandy commenced propagating  the same  
doctrines in the northern parts of      
,england4 ,he was educated in  the      
,established ,church1 of which he became
 a minister4 ,he withdrew from  its     
communion1 however1 and became the mark 
for many shots4 ,he held  several       
important disputes about his peculiar   
sentiments1 and  contributed much to    
promulgate them4    ,james ,ockford1    
another early advocate of the ,sabbath  
in ,england1 appears  to have taken part
 in the discussions in which ,traske and
 ,brabourne were  engaged4 ,he also     
wrote and published a book in #afdb1    
which was seized  and burned by the     
authorities of the ,established ,church4
    ,there does not appear to have been 

any regularly organized churches of     
,sabbatarians in ,england1 until the    
commencement of the seventeenth         
century1 though subsequent to that      
period there were eleven of these       
fraternities1 besides many scattered    
,sabbath-keepers1 in different parts  of
 the kingdom4 ,these churches were      
located in the following places1  viz43 
,braintree1 in ,essex2 ,chersey2        
,norweston2 ,salisbury1 in ,wiltshire2  
,sherbourne1 in ,buckinghamshire2       
,natton1 in ,gloucestershire2           
,wallingford1  in ,berkshire2           
,woodbridge1 in ,suffolk2 and three in  
,london--the ,mill-,yard1  ,cripplegate1
 and ,pinner's ,hall ,churches4 ,eight  
of the eleven are now  extinct1 and     
hence a complete account of them cannot 
be obtained4    ,a very interesting     
correspondence between the ,mill-,yard  
,church and the  ,general ,conference of
 the ,seventh-day ,baptists in the      
,united ,states has  been carried on for
 the last fifty years4 ,in #ahdd1       

,george ,b4 ,utter1 as  delegate from   
that body1 visited the brethren in      
,england1 where he was  hospitably      
entertained4 ,the worthy pastor of the  
,mill-,yard ,church is1 ,i  understand1 
collecting materials for a history of   
the ,lives and ,writings  of            
,sabbatarians in ,england1 and likewise 
preparing a list of ,sabbatarian        
authors1 together with an account of all
 the books which have been  published   
that relate to the ,sabbath controversy4
    ,from an attention to the foregoing 
it will be perceived that               
,sabbatarianism has greatly declined in 
,england2 and that decline seems  to    
have been produced by the operation of a
 variety of causes4 ,there are          
certainly great inconveniences1         
particularly in large towns and cities1 
connected with the observance of a day  
of rest so utterly at variance  with the
 popular custom as that of the seventh  
day has ever been4 ,this1  with that    
spirit of conformity by which men are   

ever prone to accede to  established    
usages1 together with the fact that they
 never instituted  any associational    
organization1 sufficiently accounts for 
their early  declension1 without        
supposing any unsoundness in their      
creed4#ce    ,we have every reason to   
believe that formerly1 and down so late 
as the  commencement of the seventeenth 
century1 ,seventh-day ,baptist churches1
  of considerable magnitude1 existed at 
the foot of the ,grampians1 and  among  
the ,welsh mountains1 but their history 
appears to be buried in  oblivion4    ,i
 have also been recently informed that  
there is a ,seventh-day ,baptist  church
 near ,burton-upon-,trent1 and nine     
miles from ,derby4 ,that a ,mr4  ,witt1 
in #ahcb1 officiated as pastor4 ,that   
they own a large brick  meeting-house1  
in which their meetings are solemnized  
every ,sabbath day1  and are a very     
respectable body of people4    #ae      
,historical ,annals1 published in       
,paris1 #affg1 p4 #bcj4    #af ,with the

 former inhabitants of the valleys1 whom
 they closely  resembled in principles  
and practices1 and to whom1 in times of 
persecution1 they would naturally fly   
for refuge4    #ag ,this accusation was 
undoubtedly false1 and reminds one of   
the  endless charges of a community of  
wives1 made at a later period against   
the ,anabaptists4    #ah ,here is a vast
 field for research1 of which the world 
is just  beginning to discover the      
importance4 ,the martyrs1 with the      
exception of  those who were destroyed  
by mobs1 by clandestine malevolence1 and
 local  crusades1 were allowed formal   
trials according to the established     
usages  of law1 which were generally in 
conformity to the ,roman system of      
jurisprudence4 ,in these records of the 
old ecclesiastical courts1 the  charges 
against them1 with their apologies and  
confessions1 are detailed  at length4   
,some of these documents have already   
been examined1 but  multitudes of others
 lie concealed in the galleries of      

ancient  libraries4    #ai ,reineirus1  
under the title of ,waldenses1 includes 
all the heretics  of that period1       
,pasaginians1 ,albigenses1 ,waldenses1  
,josephists1  ,arnoldists1 ,henricians1 
c41 from which it appears that these    
names were  derived from local causes4  
#bj ,this of course included the keeping
 of the first day1 which the  ,catholics
 unanimously declare originated with    
their church4    #ba ,in the time of    
,reineirus1 and even to this day1 in    
,catholic  countries1 the ,dominical day
 is regarded as a feast1 or festival of 
the  church1 as much as ,easter1        
,christmas1 c4    #bb ,these are        
particularly mentioned by ,crantz1 in   
his ,history of the  ,bohemian          
,brethren4    #bc ,this is important    
testimony1 because the ,catholics never 
dreamed of  attempting to establish the 
sacredness of the first day from the    
authority of the ,scriptures1 but       
referred it at once to the power of     
,holy ,mother ,church4 ,consequently1   

the ,dominical day was regarded as a    
holyday of the church4    #bd ,it       
remained for more modern theologians to 
discover1 that the  inspired writers    
were mistaken1 and that instead of the  
seventh1 it was  a seventh day1 or the  
seventh part of time4    #be ,first-day 
doubtlessly included1 which is ever     
spoken of1 by the  ,catholic writers1 as
 a festival of ,christ1 and a holyday of
 the ,church1  and regarded in no other 
light4    #bf ,of this ,i would remark  
that the ,dominical day was established 
by  law1 not as the ,sabbath1 but as a  
festival of the church2 and that        
whatever uncertainty may exist about all
 the ancient heretics being             
,sabbatarians1 it is very certain that  
few1 if any1 of them were  observers of 
the first day1 at least for a very long 
period4    #bg ,that the ,catholic      
writers regarded the ,dominical day as a
 festival  of the ,church can be very   
easily proved4 ,that they regard it as  
such to  this day in ,catholic countries

 is an undeniable fact4 ,when they speak
 of  the festivals of the ,church1 they 
include the ,dominical day as much as   
,christmas1 ,palm ,sunday1 or ,easter4  
,they smile when they hear learned      
,protestant sages attempt to prove from 
the ,scriptures either the  abrogation  
or a change of the ,sabbath4 ,we have   
also the testimony of a  host of        
,protestants in the earlier part of the 
,reformation1 who  acknowledged that the
 observation of the first day had no    
other  foundation than the authority of 
the ,church1 among whom is the          
celebrated ,john ,calvin1 who says--,the
 old fathers put in the place of  the   
,sabbath the day which we call ,sunday4 
,king ,charles ,i4 declares that  the   
celebration of the feast of ,easter was 
instituted by the same  authority that  
changed the ,sabbath into the ,lord's   
day1 or ,sunday2 for  it will not be    
found in ,scripture where ,saturday is  
discharged to be  kept1 or turned into  
,sunday4 ,therefore1 my opinion is1 that

 those who  will not keep this feast may
 as well return to the observation of   
,saturday1 and refuse the weekly        
,sunday1 since it was the ,church's     
authority that changed the one and      
instituted the other4    #bh ,robinson4 
,history of ,baptism4    #bi ,all       
writers1 both ancient and modern1 concur
 in admitting that the  branch of the   
,waldenses called ,passagines1 were     
,sabbatarians4    #cj ,reference to     
,revelation4    #ca ,that is1 that they 
were adopted from the ancient heathen   
festivals2  and as the ,dominical day   
was in that time regarded as a festival 
of the  church1 of course it must have  
been included with the others4    #cb   
,will not ,balaam1 the son of ,bozor1   
rise up in judgment against  these men8 
,for1 though he loved the wages of      
unrighteousness1 he had  enough of the  
fear of ,god before his eyes to make him
 hesitate about  cursing those whom ,god
 had not cursed4 ,these1 however1 are   
bold in  cursing those whom ,god has    

blessed1--such as observe his ,sabbath4 
#cc ,the ,anabaptists had not the power 
of persecution2 for their  disposition1 
particularly in some cases1 ,i would not
 be answerable4    #cd ,observe1 the    
seventh day is called the ,sabbath4     
#ce ,i have been informed that there is 
at this time a small society of         
,seventh-day people in the west part of 
,england1 in the vicinity of  ,st4      
,asaph1 but will not vouch for the      
accuracy of the statement4              
,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,seventh-,,day        
,,baptists ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states4
       ,,section ,i4 ,,general          
,,history4    ,the ,seventh-day ,baptist
 churches in the ,united ,states occupy 
isolated  situations in different parts 
of the ,union1 and are distinguished    
from  other religious denominations by  
certain distinctive views relative to   
the immutability of every precept of the
 moral law4    ,the term ,sabbatarian   
was formerly adopted by those of the    
same  persuasion in ,england1 subsequent

 to the ,reformation1 when the word     
,sabbath was applied exclusively to the 
seventh day of the week1 and  those     
observant of it as holy time were       
regarded as the only  ,sabbath-keepers4 
,this term1 though highly expressive of 
the main ,sabbath  doctrine1 was1 on    
account of its supposed indefiniteness1 
rejected by  the ,general ,conference of
 the ,american ,churches1 in #ahah1 and 
the  appellation of ,seventh-day        
,baptist1 which was considered more     
generally  expressive1 adopted in its   
stead4    ,the differences existing     
between the ,seventh-day ,baptists and  
the other  ,baptist denominations1 all  
relate to the ,sabbatical ordinance4 ,in
  respect to this the former believe    
that no system of morality can be       
complete which does not include time    
devoted to ,god and religious  worship2 
that the seventh day was particularly   
appropriated and set  apart for this    
purpose in ,paradise1 and was designed1 
not for any one  class or race of men1  

but for all mankind2 that it forms a    
necessary  part of the moral law1 which 
is immutable and unchangeable in its    
nature1 and of universal obligation2    
that no other day was substituted  for  
this by divine authority at the         
introduction of ,christianity2 that  the
 first day is nowhere mentioned in the  
sacred volume as possessing a  divine   
character2 that whatever respect was    
paid to it in the primitive  ages       
originated from the supposition that it 
was the weekly anniversary  of the      
glorious triumph of the risen ,saviour1 
and not from the idea of  its being the 
,sabbath2 and that the substitution of  
the first for the  seventh day1 as holy 
time1 was brought about by the          
,antichristian power1  who1 according to
 the word of prophecy1 was to usurp the 
prerogatives of  the ,deity1 and change 
times and laws4    ,these opinions1     
though countenanced by ,holy ,writ1 and 
perfectly  agreeable with many          
historical records1 are directly in     

opposition to  the popular prejudices of
 the day1 and1 consequently1 their      
conscientious supporters have been      
exposed1 sometimes1 to downright        
persecution in the shape of fines and   
imprisonment1 and at others1 to  the    
equally cruel1 though less ostensible1  
suffering imposed by  vituperative      
sarcasm and disingenuous ridicule4      
,we have all heard of a very expressive 
proverb1 importing that the world  will 
think of us just as we think ourselves4 
,perhaps the seventh-day  people have   
not made sufficient exhibitions of      
self-gratulation4 ,perhaps  they have   
walked too contentedly down the valley  
of humiliation1  involved in the shadows
 of obscurity4 ,certain it is1 that they
 have  striven to make themselves       
acceptable to ,god rather than to men2  
that  they have been distinguished more 
for morality1 good sense1 and quiet1    
unobtrusive manners1 than for brilliant1
 but superficial1 attainments2  and that
 they have been rewarded1 not by        

outbursts of popular applause1  not by a
 rising upon them of the sun of worldly 
prosperity1 but by the  sweet           
consciousness of doing right1 and a slow
 but steady progress in  ,christian     
knowledge and acquirements4 ,the        
,seventh-day ,baptist churches  have    
been blessed and honoured by the labours
 and example of a  succession of worthy 
ministers4 ,men1 pre-eminently qualified
 to break  the bread of life1 and       
administer the milk of the word2--men   
truly  apostolic in simplicity and      
purity of doctrine1 in fervour of piety 
and  zeal4 ,true1 they have not been    
distinguished for the wisdom of this    
world4 ,they have not rejoiced in the   
learning of ,bossuet1 neither have  they
 exhibited the eloquence of ,bourdalone1
 ,massillon1 or ,whitefield2  but they  
have adhered steadily to the truth1 have
 been uncompromising in  opposition to  
error1 and little prone to seek worldly 
honours and  emoluments4 ,few of them   
have ever grown rich except in grace2   

indeed1  the possibility of opulence was
 precluded by the cost of living1 and   
the  smallness of their salaries4 ,the  
same has also operated to prevent the   
accumulation of large libraries by the  
ministry1 or their devoting much  time  
to learned research or literary         
pursuits4    ,few denominations of      
,christians have been equally           
distinguished for  fraternal feeling and
 unanimity of sentiment2--in no one has 
society  assumed a more healthy and     
moral tone4 ,industry1 frugality1 and   
integrity1 are their leading            
characteristics2 mendicity is rare among
  them1 and squalid poverty unknown4    
,man is eminently a social being4 ,no   
one perceives1 perhaps no one           
apprehends1 how much society contributes
 to strengthen and perfect the  noblest 
virtues and highest attainments4 ,the   
affections are particularly  under the  
control and guidance of social          
influences4 ,the interchange of  the    
forms of hospitality and courtesy       

powerfully promotes the growth of       
friendship and kindliness of feeling4   
,consequently1 social worship is of  the
 highest importance to every ,christian 
fraternity2 and nothing is  more        
productive of congeniality of sentiment 
and unity of design between  churches of
 the same faith and order than frequent 
convocations for  mutual encouragement  
and edification4 ,the ,seventh-day      
,baptists were  aware of this1 and1     
accordingly1 when the church in         
,newport1 ,r4 ,i41  organized a part of 
its members into a separate and distinct
 body1 now  known as the ,first         
,hopkinton ,church1 it was stipulated   
that an annual  interview should take   
place1 which was subsequently known as  
the yearly  meeting4 ,thus was formed a 
little confederacy1 whose bounds        
gradually  enlarged as new churches were
 instituted1 until it included the      
parent  churches of ,rhode ,island1     
,connecticut1 ,new ,york1 and ,new      
,jersey4 ,these  meetings were held     

alternately at different places1 and    
were usually  attended by the ministers 
and other leading members of the        
respective  churches1 who generally     
travelled at their own expense1 and     
spent some  time in this social and     
religious visit4 ,the consequences of   
this  interchange of ,christian         
sympathies and feelings were every way  
delightful4 ,the bonds of union were    
cemented1 many pleasing  acquaintances  
were formed1 and a warm and growing     
attachment to the  ,sabbath1 and the    
cause of truth1 increased in the minds  
of all4 ,so early  as #ahjj1 the        
churches composing this denomination    
began to consider the  expediency of    
establishing some formal ecclesiastical 
organization4 ,this  was considered the 
more necessary in consequence of certain
 differences  in some doctrinal         
sentiments that prevailed to a          
considerable extent4  ,the question was1
 under consideration until #ahje1 when1 
at a meeting  convened at ,hopkinton1   

certain articles of union were agreed   
upon1 and  subscribed by delegates from 
eight sister churches2 and thus an      
ecclesiastical body for the transaction 
of business was formed1 which  was      
denominated the ,general ,conference4   
,the second session of this venerable   
body was held at ,berlin1 the third  at 
,cohansey1 now ,shiloh1 and the fourth  
again at ,hopkinton4 ,in #ahjh1 the     
,lost ,creek and ,new ,salem churches1  
in ,virginia1 united with the           
,conference1 which subsequently received
 continual and almost annual  additions4
    ,the meetings of this body were     
solemnized alternately from place to    
place1 and were attended with the most  
happy consequences4 ,before the         
venerable body1 whose members were      
uniformly distinguished for  integrity1 
candour1 and piety1 all difficult cases 
were brought for  consideration and     
adjustment4 ,here divisions were        
reconciled1 schisms  healed1 and such   
differences as appeared likely to       

disturb the general  peace removed4     
,here1 also1 religious and benevolent   
enterprises were  projected and         
recommended to the churches for their   
action and  consideration4 ,the         
authority of the ,general ,conference   
was subject to  several limitations1    
which will be perceived by attending to 
the form  and government of the         
,sabbatarian fraternities4 ,every church
 is in  itself a distinct body1 capable 
of transacting its own concerns1 of     
receiving or expelling members1 of      
appointing its own pastor and other     
officers1 fixing their salaries1 and    
suspending their ministrations in  case 
of impiety or gross immorality4 ,the    
internal regulations of these  churches 
are simple and democratic1 every member 
being equally entitled  to a vote1 and  
the pastor1 except by the superior      
respect attached to  his station1 having
 no more voice1 and exercising no more  
influence in  business affairs1 than a  
private individual4 ,it could not be    

expected  that these churches1 after    
having experienced the benefits of their
  equal and impartial government1 would 
accede to the establishment of any      
ecclesiastical organization that might  
tend to subvert their  independence1 or 
to centralize in an extraneous body the 
authority which  was then disseminated  
through and exercised by the members of 
the  churches themselves4 ,accordingly1 
we find that the right to choose1       
elect1 and ordain their own deacons was 
still retained by the churches1  as well
 as the privilege of specifying from    
their numbers such  candidates for the  
ministry as appeared eligible for that  
sacred office1  which specification and 
appointment1 being submitted to the     
,presbytery  7a board of ministers      
appointed for that purpose71 by whom the
  qualifications1 talents1 and          
character1 of the candidate is examined1
  which examination proving             
satisfactory1 he is forthwith ordained  
by the  laying on of hands4    ,neither 

has the ,conference any right to        
institute a judicial  investigation of  
any difficulties that may arise between 
individual  members and the churches to 
which they belong1 nor to attempt any   
interference with dissensions between   
sister churches1 except by special  and 
particular invitation1 and unless the   
subject has been previously  laid before
 the respective churches1 and their     
delegates to the  ,conference instructed
 to take cognizance of the matter4      
,such churches of the ,sabbatarian order
 as desired admission into this         
confederacy1 were required to furnish a 
written exposition of their  doctrinal  
sentiments respecting regeneration by   
the ,holy ,spirit1  justification by    
faith1 and salvation through the merits 
of ,jesus  ,christ1 which1 proving      
satisfactory1 the right hand of         
fellowship was  extended to their       
delegate on behalf of the ,conference4  
,here we may  observe that this         
proceeding was not calculated nor       

intended to  establish any inquisitorial
 censorship of doctrinal views1 but to  
perpetuate good order1 unanimity of     
sentiment1 and purity of faith4    ,at  
the time of the organization of the     
,general ,conference1 there were        
several churches of ,seventh-day        
,baptists who remained aloof from that  
confederacy4 ,of these1 one was situated
 in a very pleasant country1 on  the    
west fork of the ,monongahela ,river1 in
 ,harrison ,county1 ,virginia4  ,this   
church1 in #ahjh1 sent a letter to the  
,conference1 requesting  admission into 
that body1 but stating their practice of
 receiving  first-day members4 ,in      
consequence of this1 their reception was
  postponed1 and an admonitory message  
upon the subject prepared and sent  to  
them4 ,this church soon fell into a     
decline2 its members removed into  other
 parts1 and it finally became extinct4  
,with the exception of the minutes of   
the ,general ,conference1 and one or    
two other works scarcely deserving of   

consideration1 the ,seventh-day         
,baptists made no attempt to form a     
denominational literature until #ahbj1  
when an association of ministers edited 
and published a periodical  designated  
the ,missionary ,magazine4 ,about the   
same time a collection of  hymns for the
 use of the denomination was made1 which
 met with very  general acceptance and  
applause4 ,after the publication of the 
magazine  had been continued for two or 
three years1 various causes contributed 
to  render the further prosecution of   
the enterprise inexpedient and          
unadvisable4 ,upon the discontinuance of
 the magazine1 the necessity of a       
denominational literary organ was very  
generally felt1 but engagements  in     
other pursuits1 fears of pecuniary      
losses1 and other causes1 operated  to  
prevent the enterprise until #ahbg1 when
 ,deacon ,john ,maxson1 of ,scott1      
projected and brought into successful   
operation a weekly newspaper1  called   
the ,protestant ,sentinel1 which1 by    

untiring energy and  perseverance1 he   
succeeded in supporting and publishing  
for several  years4 ,the paper was first
 issued at ,homer1 then at ,schenectady1
 and  finally at ,de ,ruyter4 ,to       
,deacon ,maxson1 the publication of this
 paper  appears to have been1 from the  
first1 a losing concern4 ,his engagement
  in the enterprise was not undertaken  
with the view of expectation of         
pecuniary profit4 ,he was influenced by 
considerations far more sacred  and     
important4 ,no doubt in the advantages  
secured by that enterprise to  his      
brethren he feels amply repaid for all  
his toils and difficulties2  for a man  
of his benevolent heart and amiable     
disposition ever forgets  all personal  
considerations in the general good4     
,when the press was removed to ,de      
,ruyter1 ,deacon ,maxson resigned the   
editorial charge1 which passed in a very
 short period through several  hands2   
the paper bearing the name of ,the      
,seventh-day ,baptist ,register4  ,even 

here its location was not considered as 
the most favourable1 and  many supposed 
that the city of ,new ,york would afford
 a more eligible  situation4 ,to that   
place1 therefore1 in #ahdd1 it was      
removed1 and the  ,rev4 ,george ,b4     
,utter assumed the editorial chair1     
since which removal it  has borne the   
name of ,the ,sabbath ,recorder4    ,the
 denomination became early aware of the 
utility of tract  publications1 and the 
,general ,conference in #ahca1          
recommended the  formation of tract     
societies in the different churches1    
which should  become auxiliary to a     
general tract executive committee1      
annually  appointed by that body1 to    
procure1 examine1 and publish such      
tracts as  in their opinion might be    
desirable4 ,in compliance with this     
suggestion1  such organizations were    
instituted in nearly all the churches1  
and  several tracts were procured and   
printed4 ,but the tract cause1 like that
  of the denominational paper1 laboured 

under much discouragement and  great    
embarrassment4 ,as a means for          
disseminating ,christian truth and      
knowledge1 it does not seem1 even yet1  
to be duly appreciated4 ,the want  of   
available funds crippled its operations1
 and lessened its usefulness2           
nevertheless it continued to support a  
nominal existence until #ahdc1  when it 
was remodelled and reorganized under the
 name of the ,sabbath  ,tract ,society1 
since which period its activity and     
usefulness have been  abundantly        
exhibited4 ,it has a series of          
stereotyped tracts1 of which  editions  
are published according to the means and
 demands of the  society4 ,in connexion 
with this1 is a publishing society1     
recently  organized1 that has issued    
several publications not connected with 
the  series1 but all relating to the    
,sabbath controversy4 ,the              
denominational  paper is also published 
under the auspices of this society2 and 
it is  believed that whatever obstacles 

may have impeded the progress of our    
publishing interests1 they are rapidly  
disappearing before the  development of 
our literary resources4    ,the utility 
of missionary organizations engaged1 at 
a very early period1  the attention of  
the ,general ,conference4 ,at this time 
it was the  practice of the individual  
churches to depute their ministers to   
make  short journeys1 of which they     
generally defrayed the expense4 ,the    
inefficiency of this course had become  
painfully manifest1 and it  remained for
 the ,conference to devise some plan by 
which the missionary  efforts of the    
denomination could be concentrated4 ,the
 subject was under  consideration for   
two or three years1 and finally resulted
 in the  organization of the            
,seventh-day ,baptist ,missionary       
,society4 ,by reference  to the         
constitution of this society1 which     
bears the date of #ahai1 it  appears    
that its object was to consolidate the  
funds and concentrate the  efforts of   

the denomination1 in order to promote   
the interests of  religion by employing 
missionaries and sending them to the    
destitute and  scattered brethren in our
 fellowship4 ,this society1             
notwithstanding its  laudable object1   
was destined to meet with many          
difficulties and  embarrassments4 ,the  
poverty of some of the churches1 and the
  unwillingness of others to contribute1
 were serious obstacles in the way  of  
its accomplishment of the good it had   
purposed to perform4 ,yet under  its    
auspices1 several missionaries were     
annually appointed1 for three1  six1 or 
nine months1 to occupy such fields of   
labour as appeared most  eligible1 and  
generally embracing visitations to      
,sabbath-keepers who  were removed to   
distant localities4 ,these journeys1    
though attended in  the sequel with the 
happiest results1 often required no     
small share of  personal sacrifice and  
inconvenience on the part of the        
performer4  ,difficulties were always to

 be encountered2 many times dangers4    
,these  were greatly enhanced1 from the 
fact that the missionary field generally
  lay in some new region1 where the     
forests were as destitute of roads as   
the rivers of bridges1 and where the    
uniformity of the one might prove  quite
 as perplexing to the wanderer1 as the  
swollen tides of the other  might render
 dangerous the unaccustomed ford4 ,not  
unfrequently  circumstances required the
 performance of these journeys in the   
winter  season1 when every discomfort   
was proportionately increased4    ,these
 missionaries held meetings1 organized  
churches where such a course  seemed    
expedient1 and administered baptism to  
believers4 ,sometimes their  visits to  
the destitute would be attended by a    
gracious revival1 but at  all times were
 accompanied with gratifying results4   
,but the  embarrassments of the society 
continued1 and finally1 in #ahda1 it was
  formally extinguished1 in order to    
make room for another1 whose            

regulations1 it was conceived1 were more
 judicious1 and which commenced         
operations in #ahdb4 ,to the domestic   
this adds a foreign field4 ,under its   
direction1 ,messrs4 ,solomon ,carpenter 
and ,nathan ,wardner1 with their  wives1
 are labouring at ,shanghai1 in ,china1 
and the mission1 with which  a small    
school1 under the management of the     
excellent ,mrs4 ,wardner1 is  connected1
 is in a highly flourishing condition4  
,the ,board are  collecting funds to    
build a chapel for public worship1 to   
purchase an  eligible site for which1   
about one thousand dollars have been    
already  despatched to that country4    
,a ,seventh-day ,baptist society for the
 dissemination of religious truth  among
 the ,jews1 took a permanent form in    
#ahch1 and ,elder ,william ,b4  ,maxson 
was appointed to labour1 under its      
direction1 with that ancient  and       
bigoted people4 ,the success of this    
enterprise was not proportionate  to the
 anticipation indulged1 although        

probably as great as could have  been   
expected1 had all the difficulties and  
obstacles of the mission  been fully    
considered4 ,in connexion with this     
society1 a small work on  the prophetic 
character of the ,messiah was published1
 and many copies  gratuitously          
distributed among the ,jews4 ,recently  
this society has only  supported a      
nominal existence4    ,the attention of 
the ,seventh-day ,baptists was early    
called to the  subject of education1 and
 two institutions of a high classical   
character1 have been established among  
them4 ,of these1 one is located at      
,alfred1 ,alleghany ,county1 ,new ,york1
 and is denominated the ,alfred         
,academy and ,teachers' ,seminary2 the  
other at ,de ,ruyter1 ,new ,york1 was   
founded in #ahcg1 at an expense of near 
thirty thousand dollars4 ,the  first has
 a charter from the state1 and both have
 acquired a high  reputation1 and       
furnish the means of a classical        
education to a large  number of         

students4 ,besides these1 academic      
schools have been projected  and brought
 into successful operation in other     
sections1 in connexion  with our        
denomination4    ,the ,sabbatarians have
 repeatedly taken action in their       
ecclesiastical  bodies1 against war1    
intemperance1 slavery1 secret societies1
 and the  like1 and in favour of the    
great moral reforms and benevolent      
enterprises of the age4    ,within the  
last twenty years a very interesting    
correspondence has been  carried on with
 the ,sabbatarians of ,england1 through 
the medium of ,rev4  ,robert ,burnside1 
and ,rev4 ,william ,henry ,black4       
,about #ahcj1 the great increase of     
business1 as well as the scattered      
situation of the churches1 seemed to    
justify1 in the opinion of many1  some  
modification of a general annual        
,conference4 ,it was therefore  proposed
 to divide the denomination into two    
,conferences1 according to  their       
geographical position4 ,when the subject

 came up for action1 it was  judged most
 expedient to continue the ,conference1 
but to divide the  churches into        
,associations1 which should meet        
annually1 to transact the  business of  
the churches within their own bounds1   
and appoint delegates  to represent them
 in the ,general ,conference1 which1    
according to a  resolution passed at one
 of its meetings1 convened at ,shiloh1  
in #ahdf1  is hereafter to meet         
triennially instead of annually4 ,five  
,associations  have been formed1 in     
accordance with this plan1--the         
,eastern1 embracing  the churches in    
,rhode ,island1 ,connecticut1 and ,new  
,jersey1--the ,central1  including those
 in the ,state of ,new ,york1 east of   
the small lakes1--the  ,western1        
composed of the churches in ,western    
,new ,york and  ,pennsylvania1--the     
,southwestern1 comprising those in ,ohio
 and  ,virginia1--and the ,northwestern1
 including those in ,wisconsin and      
,iowa4  ,the utility of this arrangement

 is unquestionable1 and1 so far as it   
has  been tested1 has been found to     
answer all the purposes of an ,annual   
,conference without its disadvantages4  
,but it must not be supposed that       
during all this time1 the sun of        
prosperity to this people has been      
unclouded2 that no difficulties have    
arisen in their straight and narrow     
path4 ,on the contrary1 they have been  
subjected to many and peculiar  trials4 
,they have been despised by the worldly 
and the great1 have been  oppressed by  
law1 and persecuted in more ways than   
one by those  professing the ,christian 
name4 ,even now they are subjected to   
many  inconveniences from their         
nonconformity1 and are deprived of many 
social  and literary privileges that    
they might otherwise enjoy4 ,in         
consideration of this1 and the strong   
worldly tendencies that bind the  human 
heart1 it is not surprising that        
thousands who have been brought  up to  
recognise the obligatory and sacred     

character of the fourth  commandment1   
and who were fully convinced of its     
unalterable claims1  have been induced  
to abandon it2 while others1 for the    
same reasons1  although fully convinced 
of their duty1 have refused to embrace  
it4 ,yet  some have been able to        
appreciate the vast importance of the   
stake at  hand1 have felt the danger of 
trifling in an affair on which eternal  
interests depended1 and have concluded  
that popular applause was nothing       
comparative with an approving           
conscience1 and the smiles of ,god4     
,such  have strictly adhered to the     
,sabbath1 or have embraced it1          
notwithstanding the consequences4 ,of   
the latter1 we might instance  several  
eminent and worthy ministers1 who now   
occupy prominent places in  the         
denomination4 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,m4 ,jones1#cf 
and ,rev4 ,j4 ,w4 ,morton1  ,professor  
of ,modern ,languages in the ,de ,ruyter
 ,institute1 are both  converts to      
,sabbatarianism4    ,in the history of  

,sabbath-keepers we have had a beautiful
  exemplification of the truth of that  
promise1 that he who soweth in  labour  
and with many tears1 shall return       
rejoicing1 laden with the  products of  
an abundant harvest4 ,their numbers were
 few1 their churches  isolated1 and     
their opportunities for sharing in the  
emoluments of the  world both limited   
and unfrequent1 nevertheless the        
dissemination of  their doctrines has   
become1 through ,divine ,providence1 the
 means of  reclaiming many wanderers to 
the ,bible ,sabbath4 ,the increase of   
the  number of the ,sabbath-keeping     
churches may be attributed to a variety 
of  causes4 ,every society possesses    
within itself the principle of extension
  and multiplication1 by which it will  
ultimately quadruplicate its  numbers1  
when no counteracting agencies of more  
potent influence are at  work4 ,in      
consequence of this1 the numerosity of a
 church sometimes  became burdensome1   
and it was considered necessary to      

establish a new  fraternity from the    
surplus members of the old4 ,emigration 
also became a  great source for the     
dissemination of the scriptural doctrine
 of the  ,sabbath1 as well as indicative
 of the ground to be occupied by future 
churches4 ,thus some brother1 whom      
poverty or untoward circumstances had   
forced to abandon his native state1 and 
the ,christian society of his           
childhood1 has been the pioneer of      
religious instruction to the            
neighbourhood1 and the honoured founder 
of a religious establishment4    ,in the
 third place1 the perceptions of many   
have been enlightened by an             
unprejudiced perusal of the ,holy       
,scriptures1 accompanied by the         
convincing energies of the ,spirit of   
truth4 ,a venerable lady1 resident  in  
the ,state of ,new ,york1 embraced the  
,sabbath1 to which she rigidly  adhered1
 notwithstanding the opposition and     
persecution of her husband  and kindred1
 although at the time unaware that any  

denomination of  ,christian             
,sabbatarians existed4 ,she had obtained
 her knowledge of the  ,sabbath1 its    
ordinance and obligation1 from the      
,bible alone4 ,a gentleman  of          
,maryland1 with his family1 embraced the
 ,sabbath without having any  previous  
communication or connexion with the     
,sabbatarians2 but the  unprejudiced    
perusal of the ,scriptures had          
instructed him in the  knowledge of his 
duty1 and he hesitated not in the       
performance of it4 ,a  multitude of     
similar cases might be recorded2 these1 
however1 are  sufficient to show that   
,scripture testimony1 when acting upon  
unprejudiced minds1 will invariably lead
 to a clear conviction of the  holy and 
sabbatical character of the seventh day4
    ,it is well known1 that in nearly   
every ,state of the ,union1 the         
observance of the first day is enforced 
by law4 ,it is certainly  remarkable    
that these ,states1 so distinguished for
 their otherwise  liberal and           

enlightened policy1 should retain1 with 
such tenacity1 this  hateful feature in 
their legislative system2 thus          
subjecting to the  alternative of       
conformity1 or to the liability of fines
 and  imprisonment1 a large and         
respectable portion of the community4   
,to  obtain the redress of these        
grievances1 and the exemption from being
  made amenable to civil processes      
served1 or made returnable upon the     
,sabbath1 petitions were circulated for 
two or three consecutive years1  in the 
different ,states where the             
,sabbatarians reside1 and then          
presented to the consideration of the   
legislative bodies4 ,in no case1        
however1 were they attended with the    
results anticipated1 either by a  repeal
 of the obnoxious statutes1 or by the   
enactment of other laws1  more          
conformable to the spirit of the age4   
,upon several occasions1 the            
,seventh-day ,baptists have attempted to
  participate with their first-day      

brethren1 in ,sabbath ,conventions1 and 
similar convocations4 ,but1 as might    
have been expected1 they have been      
uniformly excluded from these           
deliberations2 courteously1 it is true1 
and with expressions of ,christian      
feeling and charity4 ,in consequence of 
this1 they have instituted1 and held1   
within their own bounds1 several        
,conventions and similar meetings1      
designed to advance and disseminate  the
 ,bible doctrine of the ,sabbath4       
,,section ,,ii4 ,,eastern ,,association4
    ,the ,eastern ,association of       
,seventh-day ,baptists1 embraces the    
churches  located in ,connecticut1      
,rhode ,island1 and ,new ,jersey4 ,the  
history of  these communities must be   
highly interesting1 and fraught with    
instruction to every pious mind4        
,,churches ,,in ,,rhode ,,island4       
,this little territory1 which           
circumstances have rendered so          
peculiarly  dear and interesting to     
every pious mind1 was settled at a      

remarkable  period in the history of the
 world1 and under circumstances not only
 new  and peculiar1 but strongly adverse
 to former theories and practices4 ,it  
remained for the founder of this little 
colony to make the discovery  that the  
consciences of men were above the       
cognizance of penal  regulations or     
legal processes2 but the principles of  
religious freedom  which he exposed and 
incorporated in his government were     
regarded by all  other bodies1 both     
civil1 judicial1 and ecclesiastical1 as 
in the  highest degree visionary in     
theory1 and dangerous1 disorganizing1   
and  impracticable in real life4    ,it 
is not surprising that a pampered       
priesthood and lordly prelates1  whose  
honours and preferments were based upon 
a system of ecclesiastical  tyranny1    
should oppose1 by every possible means1 
the establishment of  unlimited         
toleration2 although we may well wonder 
that those who had  felt themselves the 
heavy weight of religious persecution1  

should commit  so great an error1 so    
palpable an inconsistency1 as to attempt
 to  deprive others of the inestimable  
blessing of worshipping ,god according  
to the dictates of their own            
consciences4 ,roger ,williams1 who fled 
from  the persecuting ,puritans1 became 
the founder of the first ,baptist       
,church  in ,america1 which was         
instituted at ,providence1 #afdd1 and   
from which  originated a church at      
,newport1 in #afeb1 under the auspices  
of ,rev4  ,william ,vaughan4 ,from this 
community seven persons seceded in      
#afga1 and  established the first       
,seventh-day ,baptist1 and the ,third   
,baptist ,church  upon the ,american    
continent4 ,this secession took place in
 consequence of  the teachings of       
,stephen ,mumford1 who emigrated from   
,england in #affe1  and who contended1  
with zeal and fervour1 for the          
perpetuity and  unchangeable nature of  
the ,sabbatical ordinance4 ,it is       
greatly to be  lamented that of the     

early life of this man1 the parent1     
under ,god1 of  so many flourishing     
religious communities1 so little is     
known4    ,only a few facts have been   
preserved1 and these rest on            
questionable  evidence4 ,i have not been
 able to obtain any knowledge of his    
parents1  of the place of his birth and 
education1 or any of the circumstances  
connected with his conversion4 ,it is   
certain1 however1 that he embraced      
,sabbatarian sentiments1 or was educated
 in that belief in ,europe4    ,mr4     
,mumford1 when he arrived in this       
country1 was in the middle of life2  a  
period when the energy of youth remains 
without its rashness1 and the  mind is  
prepared to act with steadiness without 
exhibiting the timidity  and pertinacity
 of old age4    ,it has been observed1  
with more beauty of expression than     
either truth  or consistency1 that great
 circumstances make great men4 ,it is   
certain  that extraordinary trials1 new 
situations1 and difficult exigencies may

  and will develope unexpected powers1  
and give prominence to certain  traits  
of character2 nevertheless1 the mind1 in
 its essential qualities1  generally    
remains unchanged4 ,horace1 whose       
knowledge of human nature no  one has   
ever distrusted1 very pertinently       
remarks1 that those who cross  the ocean
 pass under a new sky1 but do not change
 their disposition4  ,this was          
undoubtedly true of ,mr4 ,mumford2 and  
could we trace his early  history1 we   
should doubtless find an exhibition of  
the same principles  and conduct which  
marked his subsequent career4 ,but the  
actions of  ,mumford speak loudly in his
 behalf4 ,he was evidently a lover of   
the  truth1 and one neither ashamed nor 
afraid to advocate unpopular tenets  if 
they agreed with the ,word of ,god4 ,he 
cannot be accused of bigotry or         
intolerant feelings towards those who   
differed from him in sentiments1  for he
 united with1 and continued in the      
communion of the ,first-day  ,baptist   

,church in ,newport for a considerable  
time4 ,neither does it  appear that he  
attempted to make proselytes by any     
violent or  injudicious methods1 but    
simply showed the way of right by       
expounding  the ,scriptures in friendly 
conversation4 ,it is evident that he had
 no  ambition to be considered as a     
partisan leader1 for he never aspired to
  become an elder even in the church    
which he had been instrumental in       
gathering4 ,while a conclusive testimony
 of his generally irreproachable        
character1 and the piety of his little  
band of followers1 is evinced by  the   
fact that they were not excluded from   
the ,first-day community1 but           
voluntarily withdrew from it1 in        
consequence of the hard things which    
were spoken against them by their       
brethren4    ,it is probable that ,mr4  
,mumford was one of those amiable and   
worthy  characters1 who1 possessing an  
humble and unaspiring disposition1 never
  dream of worldly distinction or       

popular applause1 or that their actions1
  or the perpetuation of their memories1
 can be beneficial or grateful to       
posterity4 ,at this time1 too1 the      
founder of a poor and despised sect     
must have had other subjects of greater 
moment in mind1 and must have  been too 
busy to record his own fortunes1 and too
 pious to feel any  pride in recounting 
his ancestry1 his adventures1 and his   
sufferings4    ,in the colony of ,rhode 
,island liberty of conscience was       
professedly  established1 and the       
friends of ,roger ,williams have chanted
 his praise  in no measured terms upon  
that account2 but how do their eulogies 
agree  with the fact that even here the 
,sabbatarians were subjected to peculiar
  troubles1 and suffered much           
inconvenience1 being exposed to insults 
and  annoyances upon their ,sabbaths1   
and likewise driven from their fields of
  labour upon the first day of the week 
by the magistrate1 although  peaceably  
at work in a manner that precluded any  

disturbance4 ,of the  manner of ,mr4    
,mumford's death ,i have no account2 but
 mark the perfect1  and behold the      
upright1 for the end of that man is     
peace4 ,doubtless it  was so with him4  
,,newport ,,church4    ,the ,sabbatarian
 church at ,newport was instituted in   
#afda4 ,it then  contained seven        
members1 who had withdrawn from the     
communion of the  ,first-day church on  
account of the differences subsisting   
between them  with respect to the       
,sabbatical ordinance4 ,their names were
 ,stephen  ,mumford1 ,william ,hiscox1  
,samuel ,hubbard1 ,roger ,baster1 and   
three  sisters2 ,william ,hiscox became 
their first pastor4    ,the early       
history of ,elder ,hiscox1 like that of 
most of his  contemporaries1 is wrapped 
in obscurity4 ,he appears1 however1 to  
have  held an eminent place in the      
,first-day ,baptist ,church of ,newport1
 then  under the pastoral care of ,rev4 
,mr4 ,clark1 as we find that he was     
appointed by that body1 in conjunction  

with ,joseph ,torrey and ,samuel        
,hubbard1 to assist the ,baptists at    
,boston1 in a public dispute  concerning
 infant baptism1 to which they were     
challenged by the ,puritan  persecutors4
 ,this dispute was actually held and    
continued for two days1  though to      
little purpose1 for all turned out a    
farce so far as the  ,baptists were     
concerned1 who1 as it appeared1 were    
only invited there to  be tantalized and
 abused4    ,it is very probable that   
,mr4 ,hiscox had acquired a reputation  
for public  speaking before he was      
chosen or ordained to the ministerial   
office by  the infant church at         
,newport4 ,be that as it may1 his       
faithfulness1 the  prosperity of the    
church under his ministry1 and the      
successful manner  in which he          
vindicated the ,scriptural tenets which 
he had espoused1  evinced the wisdom of 
their choice4 ,he fell asleep in ,jesus 
in #agjd1 in  the sixty-sixth year of   
his age4    ,rev4 ,william ,gibson1 from

 ,london1 where he received his         
ordination1 was  his successor4 ,elder  
,gibson is said to have descended from  
an ancient  and highly respectable      
family in ,warwickshire4 ,from his youth
 he was  destined for the church1 and   
consequently he received a classical    
education in ,oxford1 that nursery of   
ecclesiastics4 ,while prosecuting  his  
preparatory studies1 he accompanied his 
fellow-students to see what  they       
denominated sport1 which was1 in        
reality1 the public whipping of  a poor 
woman for nonconformity as it respected 
infant baptism1 and the  religious      
observance of the first day4 ,the great 
patience and apparent  piety of the     
victim1 together with the brutality of  
the sentence1  wrought powerfully upon  
his sympathetic mind1 and finally he    
abandoned  the study of logic for that  
of the ,bible1 in order to discover what
 part  of the sacred volume authorized  
such proceedings4 ,this inquiry1 to the 
inexpressible grief of his parents1 who 

saw the prostration of their  worldly   
hopes1 terminated in his conversion to  
,baptist sentiments1 and  his emigration
 to ,america4 ,he filled the office of  
pastor to the church  at ,newport until 
his death1 which occurred in #agag1 in  
the #gith year of  his age4 ,joseph     
,crandall1 who had been his colleague   
for two years1  succeeded him4 ,he was  
an able and worthy minister1 although   
illiterate1  and the church prospered   
under his administration4 ,he died in   
#agcg4    ,rev4 ,joseph ,maxson1 another
 father in ,israel1 followed1 who died  
in  #agdc4 ,mr4 ,maxson is said to have 
been extremely apt and pointed in       
argument1 but he was mainly             
distinguished for judicious adaptation  
of  means to ends in all his intercourse
 with the unconverted4 ,this will be    
illustrated by the following anecdote4  
,he had a neighbour notorious for       
infidel principles and unchristian      
conduct1 but as such characters         
generally are1 he was entirely ignorant 

of the ,bible1 nor could he be          
prevailed on to read or accept one4 ,mr4
 ,maxson did not press the matter1  but 
manifested as much unconcern as he could
 assume4 ,some time after1  our infidel 
friend was returning home1 when near his
 gate1 he discovered  a book presenting 
the appearance of having been           
accidentally dropped4 ,he  took it up2  
it was a ,bible4 ,upon the blank leaf   
was written--      ',twas for me1 thy   
soul death tasted1    ,seeking me1 thy  
worn feet hasted2    ,let such labour   
not be wasted4    ,the exquisite beauty 
of this stanza struck the mind of the   
scoffer2 he  thought that certainly his 
principles could not be shaken by a     
slight  examination of the book1 as he  
wished particularly to discover to what 
passage such beautiful lines could      
apply4 ,he did so2 the result was his   
conversion4    ,rev4 ,john ,maxson1     
their next pastor1 was a man of eminent 
piety4 ,he was  not a proficient in the 
wisdom of this world1 but he possessed  

that  without which all learning is     
vain4 ,he was eminently distinguished   
for  his knowledge and love of the      
,scriptures4 ,he died in #aggh4    ,rev4
 ,william ,bliss received the mantle of 
the ascending ,elijah4 ,mr4  ,bliss1 in 
his early life1 was much inclined to    
deism1 but when about  thirty years of  
age1 he became truly serious1 and       
finally he was happily  converted1 and  
united in communion with the church4    
,soon after his  public profession of   
religion1 he became exercised on the    
subject of the  ministry4 ,he had       
frequently improved his gift for        
speaking1 in the  prayer and conference 
meetings2 and he received a public call 
of the  church in #aggc4 ,in #aghj1 he  
was installed pastor of the church1 in  
which  station he continued during the  
remainder of his life1 which was about  
twenty-eight years4    ,mr4 ,bliss was a
 warm and steady friend of his country1 
and suffered much  by the ,english      
soldiery1 during the ,revolutionary war1

 being completely  in their power while 
the city of ,newport remained in their  
possession4  ,they took possession of a 
part of his farm1 on which they erected 
forts1  and a part of his dwelling1 in  
which were quartered many of their      
officers4 ,they also cut down his       
orchards to barricade the roads1 and    
committed many depredations of a similar
 character4    ,mr4 ,bliss was the      
father of a large family1 and some very 
interesting  circumstances are related  
of one of his daughters4 ,this young    
lady1 when  about sixteen years of age1 
had a long and painful sickness1 in     
which  time she became hopefully        
converted2 and ,god was pleased to      
recommend  himself to her in a          
remarkable manner4 ,during her illness1 
at a time  when she was very low1 she   
lay for a long time as one asleep1      
without  sense or motion4 ,her          
attendants looked upon her as dying2 but
 presently  she revived1 and was in the 
greatest transports of joy4 ,she        

declared to  them that she had been     
favoured with a view of another world1  
and had  been conducted both to the     
mansions of misery1 and the abodes of   
felicity2 and that in both places she   
saw and recognised those with whom  she 
had been acquainted1 and were then dead1
 but that she was forbidden  to tell    
them who were in misery2 that she had   
water given her to drink1  which was    
inexpressibly sweet1--that she was told 
that she would not  recover from her    
sickness1 but must return for a season1 
and then that  she should be admitted   
back to stay for ever4 ,she lived about 
a year  after this1 during which time   
she looked forward with the greatest    
pleasure to the time of her departure1  
and died in full confidence that  she   
should be immediately reconducted to    
those scenes of felicity with  which she
 had been made acquainted4    ,as a     
minister of the gospel1 ,mr4 ,bliss was 
more distinguished for  logical and     
spiritual argumentation1 than for       

oratorical fervour4 ,few  have excelled 
him in solidity of judgment1 and the    
happiest consequences  uniformly        
resulted from following his advice4 ,as 
a ,christian he was  remarkably         
exemplary1 and adorned his profession in
 both public and  private life4 ,he was 
warm and tender-hearted1 circumspect in 
his  deportment1 and always anxious to  
promote the happiness and usefulness  of
 all about him4 ,he was distinguished   
for a pleasant cheerfulness1  which made
 his conversation agreeable to persons  
of all ages4    ,the circumstances      
attending his death were quite          
remarkable4 ,for a few  months previous 
to his decease1 he experienced several  
paralytic  strokes1 which1 though light1
 greatly reduced his physical strength4 
,still he retained his mental faculties 
to the last1 and was not confined  to   
his house but a few days4 ,from this    
period he was sensible that his         
departure was at hand1 and he waited in 
the greatest composure of mind  for his 

approaching change4 ,for a few days     
before his death1 he found  his strength
 decaying1 but felt no other disease    
than a gradual loss of  physical power4 
,the day before his death1 he was       
visited by his intimate  friend1 the    
,rev4 ,mr4 ,eady4 ,to him1 he remarked1 
,i am going to try the  truth of my     
doctrine4 ,the morning before he died1  
he was visited by a  grandson who had   
recently returned from ,spain4 ,with him
 he conversed  freely on the political  
and religious state of that country4    
,from these  subjects1 he referred to   
his own circumstances1 observing that he
 no  longer possessed any interest in   
the busy scenes of this world1 as he    
was on the point1 he believed1 of       
departing for a better one4 ,he         
signified that he thought himself to be 
dying1 and appeared animated  with the  
prospect before him4 ,he seemed like    
,moses1 who in his full  strength1 was  
permitted to ascend the summit of ,mount
 ,pisgah1 and thence  view the fair and 

fertile fields of the promised          
inheritance4 ,towards  evening he was   
visited by ,deacon ,b41 from ,hopkinton1
 who called1 not  intending to tarry    
through the night4 ,he observed to this 
gentleman that  he was going to die1 and
 thought he would be needed about his   
person4 ,he  also made1 with great      
deliberation1 further arrangements for  
calling  assistance1 as he believed he  
should leave them before morning4 ,when 
,deacon ,b4 retired to rest1 he was     
walking the house without exhibiting    
any unusual symptom except a strange    
coldness of the hands and the feet4  ,he
 had left him but a short time when he  
heard an unusual stir below1  and       
immediately arose and repaired to his   
bedside2 but his spirit had  fled4 ,thus
 closed his long and useful life on the 
#dth day of ,may1 #ahjh1  in the #hast  
year of his age4    ,the ,rev4 ,henry   
,burdick1 was his successor1 and was    
assisted in the  ministry by ,rev4      
,arnold ,bliss4 ,both were young men of 

eminent piety and  considerable ability1
 and both continued to exercise their   
holy  vocation1 until they were called  
to rest from their labours at a very    
advanced age4 ,subsequent to the death  
of ,elder ,bliss1 which occurred in     
#ahbf1 this church appeared to sink     
under an accumulation of misfortunes    
and unpleasant influences4 ,this        
deplorable state of things continued for
  several years1 when the ,general      
,conference took into consideration the 
utility of appointing a missionary to   
labour in that vicinity4  ,accordingly1 
,lucius ,crandall received an           
appointment to that field1 in  which    
connexion he continued for three years4 
,he was succeeded in #ahdf  by ,libbeus 
,cottrel1 a young man of considerable   
promise4    ,besides this succession of 
pastors1 the church at ,newport had     
several  highly eminent men in its      
connexion4 ,of these1 the ,wards were   
distinguished for holding high official 
stations in connexion with the  royal   

government of the province4 ,they were  
descended from an ancient  and highly   
respectable family in ,england1 whose   
elder members espousing  the cause of   
the ,parliament in the civil wars1      
thereby became obnoxious  to the        
dominant party at the time of the       
,restoration4 ,mr4 ,thomas ,ward1       
,esq41 emigrated to ,america1 and joined
 the ,sabbatarian church1 of which  he  
continued a member until his death4     
,richard ,ward1 his son1 was one of     
those rare characters1 who1 with        
talents and capacities fitted to adorn  
the highest circles1 are1  nevertheless1
 not ashamed of godliness1 or of a      
consistent observance of  the humble    
duties of religion4 ,he made a public   
profession of ,christian  faith1 in     
#agec1 and uniting with this1 then      
infant church1 contributed  greatly by  
his talents1 and wealth1 and influence1 
to its support4  ,determined likewise to
 give his brethren a solid proof of his 
affection  and regard he bequeathed five

 hundred pounds sterling to the church  
at  his death1 which occurred in #agff4 
,this eminent man1 as a citizen and     
statesman1 was distinguished for        
patriotism and philanthropy4 ,in his    
executive character as royal governor of
 the province1 he displayed a  singular 
ability1 and his memory will long be    
remembered with affection  and respect  
by the people whom he served4 ,samuel   
,ward1 his son1 was also  governor in   
the years #agfb and #agfe2 the duties of
 which office he  administered with     
fidelity and zeal4 ,in the years #aggd  
and #agge1 he was  a member of the      
,continental ,congress1 in which        
difficult station all his  conduct was  
signalized by an inflexible integrity   
and unfailing  patriotism4 ,as a man1 a 
scholar1 a statesman1 and a ,christian1 
his  character was equally respectable4 
,mr4 ,henry ,collins1 another member of 
this church1 was pre-eminently          
distinguished in his time1 being one of 
the wealthiest citizens of  ,newport in 

the days of her colonial glory1 a       
munificent patron of the  fine arts1 and
 a highly respectable literary          
character4 ,he donated the  ground upon 
which the ,redwood ,library now stands1 
and was a liberal  contributor to all   
public enterprises of a benevolent and  
useful  character4 ,mr4 ,collins        
participated at all times in the labours
 of his  brethren with much zeal and    
great effect2 being always ready to act 
his  part1 sometimes as a messenger to  
the other churches1 and often at home   
in the service of the congregation4 ,in 
#agbi1 he was elected ,trustee1 and     
with ,mr4 ,jonathan ,weeden had the sole
 charge of erecting the house of        
worship4 ,this venerable structure      
stands upon a lot of land donated by    
,mr4 ,almy to the church for that       
purpose4 ,a rather singular anecdote    
relative to this meeting-house is on    
record4 ,during the ,revolutionary  war1
 when ,newport was occupied by the      
,british army1 most of the              

meeting-houses in the town were         
converted into barracks for the         
soldiers4 ,the ,seventh-day             
meeting-house was also selected for this
 use1  but when the officer sent to take
 possession of it opened the door1 he   
discovered the ten commandments1 which  
were written on two tables  representing
 marble1 and placed over the pulpit4    
,pausing a moment1 he  ordered his men  
to retire1 remarking that he could not  
spoil a house in  which were written the
 sacred laws of ,god4 ,the meeting-house
 was  accordingly saved1 although of but
 little use to the church during the    
captivity of the town4    ,,first       
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,hopkinton1 ,,rhode ,,island4    ,this 
church was first organized in #agjh1    
although ,seventh-day ,baptists1  in    
connexion with the church at ,newport1  
had resided here for a long  period4    
,rev4 ,john ,maxson1 their first pastor1
 and one of the earliest ancestors  of  
the large and respectable family of that

 name1 was distinguished for  great     
oratorical fervour and pathos in public 
speaking1 although he did  not possess  
the advantages to be derived from a     
classical education4 ,his  voice is said
 to have been remarkably strong1 clear1 
and harmonious2 his  eye mild1 blue1 and
 beaming2 his countenance noble and     
expressive1 and  then he knew so well   
how to touch the hearts of his auditory3
 always  beginning his discourses in a  
low and subdued tone1 but warming with  
his  subject1 and exhibiting throughout 
the general course of his  argumentation
 an air of vivacity and glowing energy2 
and in his appeals1  an ardour1         
pungency1 and force altogether          
irresistible4 ,when addressing  sinners1
 he would weep from sympathy and        
feeling2 but how would his  countenance 
irradiate and brighten when he told of a
 ,saviour's love6 ,he  died in #agbj1 in
 a ripe old age4    ,rev4 ,joseph       
,clarke1 who succeeded him1 was ordained
 in #agab1 and  exercised his ministry  

with great acceptance until #agai1 when 
he fell  asleep in ,jesus4    ,rev4     
,john ,maxson1 ,jun41 his successor1    
received ordination in #agai1 and       
continued his pastoral care over the    
church1 until #agdg1 when he went to    
receive his crown4 ,it is said that     
,elder ,maxson possessed one gift most  
rare1 and at the same time most         
essential for a ,christian minister4    
,this  was great fervency and frequency 
in prayer4 ,from the closet he went to  
the pulpit1 and he went from the pulpit 
to the closet4 ,he wrestled with  the   
angel of the covenant like the patriarch
 of old1 and like him he  secured a     
blessing4    ,upon the death of ,elder  
,maxson1 the ministration of ,gospel    
ordinances in  this church devolved on  
,elder ,joseph ,maxson1 of ,newport1 who
 served both  churches until #agej4     
,rev4 ,thomas ,hiscox assumed at this   
time its  pastoral charge4 ,he was a man
 of rare piety and eminent ability4     
,evangelical in sentiment1 eloquent in  

delivery1 forcible and pointed in       
argumentation1 he was very successful as
 a minister4 ,endowed with great        
conversational powers1 a pleasing and   
affable address1 he was eminently       
qualified to adorn the social circle1   
and no one could frequent his  company  
without being benefited by his piety and
 improved by his wisdom4    ,he made a  
public profession of religion in early  
life1 and was even then  distinguished  
for close application to the study of   
the ,scriptures4  ,contemning the vain  
and fickle amusements of youth1 he was  
ever found at  the prayer circle1 and   
delighted particularly in solitude and  
retirement4 ,his maturity amply         
fulfilled the promise of his spring1 and
  the autumn of his days was accompanied
 by an abundant harvest4 ,he died  in   
#aggc1 in the seventy-seventh year of   
his age4 ,rev4 ,thomas ,clarke1 his     
colleague1 was appointed to the work of 
the ministry in #agej1 and  departed    
this life in #agfg1 aged eighty-two     

years4 ,his death was  eminently        
triumphant1 and even after he had ceased
 to speak1 his pallid  countenance shone
 with a glory1 and his glazing eye      
glowed with a  rapture altogether       
indescribable4    ,rev4 ,joshua ,clarke1
 son of the former1 was eminently       
distinguished1 not  only as a ,christian
 minister1 but as a citizen4 ,he        
sustained with  fidelity and trust      
several important town offices in the   
early part of  his days1 and as a member
 of the corporation for the ,college at 
,providence2 was highly distinguished   
for classical and literary taste1  as   
well as the faithful discharge of the   
laborious and varied duties  pertaining 
to that station4 ,his patriotism and    
public spirit were  continually         
exhibited during his long and honourable
 service in the  legislature of the     
state2 but it was chiefly in his        
position as a  ,christian minister1 that
 his gifts and graces were brought into 
action1  and his character displayed in 

all its beautiful and symmetrical       
loveliness4 ,for this station he was    
eminently fitted both by nature and     
grace3 a form lofty and commanding2 eyes
 deep and dark as midnight2  voice clear
 and musical4 ,his preaching was        
powerful1 and chiefly for  this reason1 
it came from the heart4 ,the church1    
during his  ministration1 was blessed   
with several revivals of religion4 ,he  
travelled many journeys on business     
connected with the church1 but  finally 
rested from his labours in ,march1      
#agic1 in the seventy-seventh  year of  
his age4    ,rev4 ,john ,burdick1 his   
successor1 was equally distinguished for
 eminent  piety and natural ability4    
,his discourses were marked by a fervid1
 yet  gracefully simple eloquence4 ,he  
was also eminent for faithfulness in    
discipline4 ,no member under his        
auspices was retained in the church     
whose conduct or reputation could be a  
blot upon her bright escutcheon2  yet no
 one could accuse him of injustice or   

partiality4 ,his ministry was  signally 
blessed by a powerful revival1 in which 
more than two hundred  persons were     
added to the church in one year4 ,as a  
citizen1 he was  liberal1               
public-spirited1 and benevolent4        
,incessant in his ,gospel  labours1 he  
travelled much1 visiting destitute      
churches1 many of which  he had assisted
 in organizing4 ,he never received nor  
required a stated  salary1 but wrought  
at the useful and healthful occupation  
of husbandry4  ,he was highly respected 
by other ,christian denominations1 and  
maintained  the most friendly intimacy  
with their ministers4 ,he died in the   
seventieth year of his age1 in #ahjb4   
,rev4 ,abraham ,coon1 his successor1 was
 ordained in #agih1 and was very        
generally admired for solidity of       
judgment1 copiousness of thought1 and   
eloquence of delivery4 ,he was          
frequently employed among other         
denominations to their great            
satisfaction4 ,he died in #ahac4        

,rev4 ,matthew ,stillman1 his colleague1
 was ordained in #ahjd1 and  continued  
his ministry with great acceptance for  
nearly half a century4  ,elder          
,stillman1 was a man of moderate        
ability1 but he possessed1 in an        
eminent degree1 those excellencies of   
character and disposition1 that  are far
 more desirable than brilliancy of wit1 
or depth and variety of  talent4        
,although others might be more admired1 
none were more  extensively and         
universally beloved4 ,in #ahai1 ,elders 
,william ,b4 ,maxson1  ,daniel ,coon1   
,thomas ,v4 ,wells1 and ,amos ,r4       
,wells1 are all reported as  associated 
with ,elder ,stillman in the ministry of
 this church4 ,in #ahcb  ,christopher   
,chester is reported as licentiate4 ,he 
was ordained in #ahcd1  and continued in
 connexion with ,elder ,stillman1 to    
administer ,gospel  ordinances to this  
church1 until #ahcf1 when ,elder ,coon  
became1 for the  second time1 a resident
 minister in the place4 ,subsequently he

 assumed  the pastoral relation in      
connexion with the church1 which        
situation he  still occupies4    ,beside
 these ministers1 others have been      
ordained by this church and  that of    
,newport1 who removed into other parts1 
and became the founders  of new         
fraternities4 ,of these we may mention  
,john ,davis1 of ,burlington1  ,nathan  
,rogers1 of ,berlin1 and ,ebenezer      
,david1 afterwards chaplain in the      
,american ,army4 ,several members of    
this church have risen to places of     
trust and importance in the state4      
,their deacon1 ,daniel ,babcock1 held   
for a long time1 the office of          
,assistant ,governor in the upper house 
of  the legislature4 ,others have been  
elected to fill offices of              
responsibility in civil1 judicial1 and  
local affairs4 ,as a community1  they   
are noted for wealth and intelligence1  
for improvements in the  useful arts1   
proficiency in scientific pursuits1 and 
steady industrious  habits4    ,this    

community1 notwithstanding the numerous 
amicable dismissions that  have been    
made from it to form other churches1    
still remains one of the  largest and   
wealthiest in the connexion4    ,,second
 ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1    
,,hopkinton1 ,,rhode ,,island4    ,this 
church1 a branch of the former1 was     
organized in #ahce1 and ,amos ,r4       
,wells became its first pastor1 in which
 relation he continued for two  years4  
,rev4 ,john ,green assumed the pastoral 
charge in #ahci1 which he held until    
#ahdf4    ,rev4 ,lucius ,crandall1 his  
successor1 remained two years1 and was  
succeeded by ,rev4 ,s4 ,s4 ,griswold1   
the present incumbent4    ,,third       
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,hopkinton1 ,,rhode ,,island4    ,this 
community1 like the one last mentioned1 
is a branch of the ,first  ,hopkinton   
,church1 and seceded from the present   
body in #ahce4 ,it may be  observed1    
that previous to this separation the    
,hopkinton ,church became  very         

numerous1 and built three meeting-houses
 for the accommodation of  the different
 neighbourhoods4 ,these meeting-houses  
are now occupied by  the respective     
churches4 ,this church1 however1        
remained in a rather low  and depressed 
condition1 in consequence of being      
deprived of the  services of a settled  
pastor1 until #ahde1 when ,rev4 ,a4 ,b4 
,burdick  assumed the responsibility of 
that station4 ,rev4 ,charles ,m4 ,lewis1
 the  present incumbent1 was installed  
in #ahdh4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist  
,,church1 ,,westerly1 ,,rhode ,,island4 
,this church was organized in #ahcg1 and
 was served by ,henry ,clarke as        
licentiate1 and subsequently as pastor1 
for several years4    ,rev4 ,jacob      
,ayres1 the present incumbent1 was      
installed in #ahdh4 ,elder  ,ayres1 is  
the grandson of ,rev4 ,jacob ,ayres of  
the ,marlborough ,church1  and he seems 
to have inherited ,elisha's portion of  
the spirit and  ability of his venerable
 ancestor4 ,he possesses1 in an eminent 

degree1  one most rare and inestimable  
qualification for a gospel minister1--a 
remarkable talent in prayer4            
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,pawcatuck1 ,,rhode ,,island4    ,the  
distinct organization of this body took 
place in #ahdj1 and ,rev4  ,alexander   
,campbell became its pastor1 in which   
connexion he remained  until #ahdg4     
,rev4 ,isaac ,more1 his successor1 was a
 convert to ,sabbatarian sentiments     
from the ,first-day ,baptist            
denomination4    ,rev4 ,a4 ,b4 ,burdick1
 the present pastor1 was installed in   
#ahdh4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist     
,,church1 ,,richmond1 ,,rhode ,,island4 
,this infant community was organized in 
#ahdc1 and contains about twenty        
members4 ,its prospects1 however1 are   
highly encouraging1 and it must be      
regarded as a very auspicious omen1 that
 ,rev4 ,john ,green has consented  to   
assume the pastoral charge4 ,perhaps no 
one in the denomination is  better      
calculated to encourage the timid and   

strengthen the weak4    ,,seventh-,,day 
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,south ,,kingston1 
,,rhode ,,island4    ,this church1      
another infant community1 was organized 
in #ahdc4 ,elder  ,henry ,clarke is     
their present pastor4    ,rev4          
,christopher ,chester has also been a   
very efficient labourer in this  region4
 ,his ministry has been blessed at      
different seasons with the  outpourings 
of the ,spirit of grace1 and the hopeful
 conversion of many4  ,this was         
particularly the case in #ahda1 when a  
,first-day ,baptist church1  consisting 
of forty members1 was gathered and      
organized altogether  through his       
instrumentality4 ,in #ahdg1 he visited  
them again1 and another  revival was the
 consequence4 ,in this the ,seventh-day 
church  participated4    ,,extinct      
,,church4    ,a church was organized1 in
 #agia1 at ,oyster ,pond1 on ,long      
,island1 by  ,elisha ,gillette1 who came
 from ,new ,jersey1 #aghi4    ,but he   
soon began to admit members who observed

 the first-day1 in  consequence of which
 intestine difficulties arose4 ,this    
church soon fell  into decay1 and       
ultimately became extinct4              
,,section ,,iii4 ,,seventh-,,day        
,,baptists ,,in ,,connecticut4    ,in   
the first settlement of this country1   
,baptists were persecuted by            
,pedobaptists1 on account of their      
tenacity for believer's baptism2 but    
all parties were united in oppressing   
and persecuting the ,sabbatarians4      
,soon after the organization of the     
church at ,newport1 the sentiment1  that
 the moral law was immutable and        
unchangeable1 found advocates in  ,new  
,london1 ,connecticut1 where the spirit 
of persecution was under less  restraint
 than it was in ,rhode ,island4 ,there  
is an old work1 which was  written by a 
,friend1 and published in ,baltimore in 
#afih1 and which gives  a very detailed 
and circumstantial account of the       
sufferings of the  dissenting parties in
 ,new ,england4 ,according to his       

statement1 no less  than ten            
,sabbatarians were mutilated1           
imprisoned1 and subjected to  barbarous 
and cruel scourgings by their           
,puritanical brethren4 ,of these1  ,john
 ,rodgers1 a member of the church at    
,newport1 but a resident in ,new        
,london1 was fined1 imprisoned1 and     
sentenced to sit a certain time upon    
the gallows with a rope about his neck4 
,another1 named ,philip ,rodney1  who   
was a ,seventh-day ,baptist in          
sentiments1 although not a member of    
the church1 was scourged1 and then      
deprived of one of his ears4  ,sometimes
 their meetings would be disturbed and  
broken up by the lawless  violence of a 
mob4 ,at others they would be fined1    
imprisoned1 and  maltreated for pursuing
 any ordinary business or labour upon   
the first  day of the week2 and such was
 the opposition to them1 in many places1
  that a man who religiously observed   
the ,bible ,sabbath1 would much sooner  
be subjected to fines and imprisonments1

 than if he had acknowledged it  to be  
the ,sabbath4 ,these hostilities against
 the observers of the  seventh-day1     
occasioned a remonstrance1 addressed to 
the ,governor of ,new  ,england1 by     
,peter ,chamberlain1 ,senior ,doctor of 
both ,universities1 and  first elect    
,physician in ordinary to ,his          
,majesty's person4 ,this somewhat       
abated the rage of persecution1 although
 the ,sabbatarians were  continually    
exposed to great inconveniences4 ,it    
does not appear1  however1 that any sect
 was ever extirpated by persecution1    
particularly  one that had the testimony
 of ,scripture upon its side1 and       
flourished in  an age of general        
inquiry4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist   
,,church1 ,,burlington1 ,,connecticut4  
,the distinct organization of this      
church took place in #agej1 and ,elder  
,john ,davis1 who had been ordained at  
,hopkinton1 became their first  pastor4 
,the place was then called ,farmington1 
,west ,britain4 ,this church1  while yet

 in its infancy1 was considerably       
weakened by the loss and  removal of    
several of its most influential members4
 ,other difficulties  arose of a        
peculiarly trying and painful character1
 and few1 if any1  additions were made  
to their numbers for more than ten      
years4 ,but  previous to the decease of 
,elder ,davis1 which occurred in #agib1 
they  were blessed with a precious      
revival1 and the church received several
  additions4 ,in the character of ,elder
 ,davis1 we discover few points that    
are brilliant or remarkable1 but many   
that are lovely and amiable4 ,it is     
said1 that he pre-eminently exemplified 
the ,christian duty of loving his       
neighbour4 ,his entire life exhibited a 
series of actions illustrative of  that 
virtue4 ,the quiet placidity of his     
mien1 his venerable and  dignified      
countenance1 were long remembered with  
enthusiastic veneration  by the people  
of his charge4 ,his glory was not of    
this world--his name  has never been    

ranked with those of ecclesiastical     
dignitaries1  scholars1 or civilians2   
but it was set in the ,lamb's ,book of  
,life--it was  known to angels1 and the 
spirits of just men made perfect4       
,rev4 ,amos ,burdick succeeded him in   
the pastoral care of the church1 in     
which station he continued until his    
death1 in #ahjc4 ,the church1 under  his
 ministry1 enjoyed great prosperity and 
union4 ,rev4 ,amos ,stillman1  for some 
time his colleague1 was his successor4  
,elder ,stillman1 though  subject to    
many temporal embarrassments1 was a     
preacher of considerable  ability and   
unblemished character2 he was           
universally esteemed4 ,in the  autumn of
 #ahjg1 he visited the churches in ,new 
,jersey1 where the  ,conference was     
being held1 in which he presided and    
preached many times  to great           
satisfaction4 ,but on his return home1  
he caught the yellow  fever1 of which he
 died in #ahjg1 in the forty-fifth year 
of his age4  ,from the loss occasioned  

by the death of ,elder ,stillman1 this  
church  never recovered4 ,a general     
declension in religious feeling almost  
immediately followed1 and although      
meetings were regularly sustained a     
number of years1 and the name occurs in 
the ,conference minutes1 it never  after
 possessed that inestimable blessing1 a 
stated pastor4 ,from #ahaj1  its decline
 was gradual but sure1 and a few years  
since1 it was publicly  announced that  
the ,sabbatarian church at ,burlington  
had ceased to exist4  ,nevertheless1 it 
must not be supposed that the           
,sabbatarians of this  community        
apostatized from their ancient faith4   
,without a regular  administration of   
gospel ordinances1 there could be few1  
if any1  additions to their numbers4    
,some of the old members were removed by
  death to that home where congregations
 never break up1 and ,sabbaths  never   
end4 ,others have been the pioneers of  
,sabbatical sentiments1 and  the        
founders of new churches1 in distant    

regions4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist   
,,church1 ,,at ,,waterford1             
,,connecticut4    ,soon after the       
organization of the ,sabbatarian church 
at ,newport1 we  find that ,john ,rogers
 of ,new ,london1 ,connecticut1 was     
fined and  imprisoned1 on account of his
 adherence to ,sabbatical sentiments4   
,others  were subsequently persecuted   
for the same cause2 but they persisted  
in  their adherence to the truth1 and   
ultimately became the founders of a     
church at the place now called          
,waterford4 ,the church was organized in
  #aghd1 and ,rev4 ,davis ,rogers became
 their first pastor4 ,their number was  
sixteen2 but soon after1 several        
families emigrated from ,hopkinton and  
settled among them4 ,in #ahjd1 ,elder   
,rogers resigned the pastoral care of   
the church1 and removed to ,preston1    
,chenango ,county4 ,he was succeeded by 
,rev4 ,jabez ,beebe1 whose ordination   
took place in #agif1 and whose  ministry
 was very acceptable1 though not of a   

long duration4    ,rev4 ,lester ,rogers1
 his successor1 was distinguished for   
sobriety of  mien1 and although not     
calculated to shine as the preacher of a
  promiscuous assembly1 was very useful 
and acceptable as a pastor of this      
church4 ,he died in #ahbb4    ,rev4     
,lester ,t4 ,rogers1#cg the present     
incumbent1 was licensed to preach  in   
#ahbb1 and ordained in #ahbd4 ,rev4     
,benedict ,wescott1 for some time his   
colleague1 was licensed in #ahbh1 and   
ordained in #ahca4       ,,section ,,iv4
 ,,churches ,,in ,,new ,,jersey4    ,the
 churches in ,new ,jersey are large and 
efficient bodies1 and date back  to an  
early period in the history of the      
state4 ,they were distinguished  in     
early times1 and when the denomination  
was in its infant state1 for  wealth and
 respectability of character1 and for   
pastors of eminent piety  and worth4    
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,piscataway1 ,,new ,,jersey4    ,this  
fraternity1 the third ,sabbatarian      

,church in ,america1 was organized  in  
#agje1 and ,rev4 ,edmund ,dunham became 
their first pastor4    ,elder ,dunham   
had been for some time a leader in the  
,first-day ,baptist  ,church at that    
place1 and was moreover extremely       
scrupulous in his  observance of the    
first day4 ,this led him to reprove one 
,hezekiah  ,bonham1 for attending1 upon 
that day1 to secular concerns4 ,mr4     
,bonham  replied by requesting his      
censor to prove from ,scripture that the
 first  day was holy by divine          
appointment4 ,upon examination1 ,mr4    
,dunham not  only discovered that his   
point was untenable1 but became in the  
end a  zealous advocate of the sacred   
character of the seventh day4 ,in a     
short  time1 the force of his arguments 
carried conviction to the minds of      
seventeen others1 who formed a church1  
chose him for their pastor1 and  sent   
him to ,rhode ,island to be ordained4   
,he served the church until his  death  
in #agcd1 and was succeeded by his son1 

,rev4 ,jonathan ,dunham4 ,the  talents  
of ,elder ,dunham were above mediocrity1
 and although he had not  been favoured 
with literary advantages1 his preaching 
was very  effective1 and he was greatly 
beloved by his brethren4 ,in the earlier
  part of his ministry their first      
meeting-house was built1 the church     
having formerly met for worship in      
private houses4 ,it was erected upon a  
lot of one acre of land1 which had been 
donated to them for that purpose  by    
,jonathan ,fitz ,randolph4 ,elder       
,dunham1 after serving this church      
upwards of forty years1 rested from his 
labours in #aggg1 in the  eighty-sixth  
year of his age4 ,rev4 ,jonathan        
,jarman1 for some time his  colleague1  
was ordained in #aggb1 but soon after   
removed to ,french ,creek1  in          
,pennsylvania4 ,subsequent to the       
decease of ,elder ,dunham1 this church  
remained for several years without a    
pastor1 but depended for  ministerial   
assistance upon the occasional visits of

 travelling  missionaries1 or a         
precarious supply by first-day brethren4
 ,the church  also suffered much from   
being near the seat of war1 and in the  
vicinity  of the ravages of the ,british
 army4    ,rev4 ,nathan ,rogers1 in     
#aghf1 assumed the pastoral charge1 and 
during  that summer and autumn the      
church was blessed with a remarkable    
revival  of religion1 in which upwards  
of sixty were added to its numbers4     
,during  the same year1 ,rev4 ,elisha   
,gillette received ordination as        
evangelist1  in connexion with this     
community1 which relation he sustained  
for three  years4    ,rev4 ,henry ,m4   
,lafferty1 for three years the colleague
 of ,elder ,rogers1  was subsequently   
his successor in #agig1 and continued to
 occupy the  pastoral office until      
#ahaa1 when he was succeeded by         
,gideon ,wooden1 as licentiate1 and     
subsequently as pastor1 who served the  
church until #ahbe1 when he was         
succeeded by    ,rev4 ,john ,watson1    

whose ministry continued until #ahdj4   
,rev4 ,william ,b4 ,maxson1 for eight   
years his colleague1 was for one year   
his successor1 when    ,rev4 ,walter ,b4
 ,gillette1 the present incumbent1 was  
installed4 ,besides  these pastors1     
other ministers have1 at different      
times1 been connected  with this church1
 who have removed to other fields of    
labour4    ,this church occupies a very 
pleasant situation1 about thirty miles  
from  the city of ,new ,york4           
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,plainfield1 ,,new ,,jersey4    ,this  
church1 a branch of the former1 was     
organized in #ahch1 and ,lucius         
,crandall1 first as licentiate and      
subsequently as pastor1 assumed the     
spiritual charge2 in which relation he  
still continues4    ,both these churches
 are very wealthy and highly            
intelligent1 and occupy  a distinguished
 position in the denomination4          
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,shiloh1 ,,new ,,jersey4    ,this      

church dates to a very early period4 ,so
 long ago as #afie1 an  itinerant       
minister of the ,seventh-day ,baptist   
persuasion1 named ,jonathan  ,davis1    
removed from ,long ,island to the ,state
 of ,new ,jersey1 where he  settled near
 ,trenton1 and preached until his death1
 which occurred in  #agej4    ,elder    
,davis visited ,cohansey1 where his     
nephews resided1 one of whom1  also     
named ,jonathan ,davis1 was a minister1 
and a principal agent in  gathering this
 church1 which was constituted in #agcg1
 and consisted of  twenty members1 some 
of whom were emigrants from ,piscataway4
 ,elder ,davis  continued to serve this 
church until his death1 in #agfi4       
,during his  ministry their first       
meeting-house was erected4 ,it stands on
 a lot of  one acre of ground1 which was
 donated to them by ,mr4 ,caleb ,ayars4 
,the  burial-ground1 as might be        
supposed1 contains many time-honoured   
monuments4    ,rev4 ,jonathan ,davis1   
his successor in the ministry1 was of   

,welsh  extraction1 and the son of ,rev4
 ,david ,davis1 a distinguished minister
 of  the ,welsh ,tract ,church4 ,he was 
born in #agcd1 received ordination in   
#agfh1 and installed as pastor of the   
church upon the death of his            
predecessor1 in which relation he       
continued until his death in #aghe4     
,elder ,davis was eminently             
distinguished for sound judgment1 great 
stability1 and moral worth4 ,he was     
universally beloved1 and the church1    
under his ministry1 attained a          
considerable degree of strength and     
permanence4    ,rev4 ,jonathan ,jarman1 
for some time his colleague1 removed to 
,cape ,may1  where he died1 but his     
remains were subsequently brought back  
to ,shiloh  for interment4    ,deacon   
,philip ,ayars was likewise considered a
 leader in this church1 and  an         
administrator of baptism4    ,rev4      
,nathan ,ayars was ordained in this     
church in #aghf1 and remained its       
pastor until #ahaj4    ,rev4 ,john      

,davis1 youngest son of ,elder ,jonathan
 ,davis1 was for several  years his     
colleague1 and finally his successor4   
,elder ,davis was ordained  in #ahjg1   
and continued to serve the church until 
#ahdb1 when1 overcome  with age and     
infirmity1 he resigned the pastoral     
charge to    ,rev4 ,azor ,estee1 who was
 succeeded in #ahdd by    ,rev4 ,solomon
 ,carpenter1 whose transfer to the      
,china ,mission left the  church without
 a pastor4 ,however1 in the latter part 
of #ahde they  secured the services of  
,rev4 ,samuel ,davison1 a convert to the
 ,sabbath1 and a very able preacher1    
who remained for about two years1 and   
was succeeded by    ,rev4 ,giles ,m4    
,langworthy1 whose illness and premature
 death left them  again in a destitute  
condition4    ,during the past summer   
the church was served by ,rev4 ,enoch   
,barnes1 a  very worthy man1 and a      
convert to ,sabbatarianism from the     
,methodist  connexion4    ,rev4 ,george 
,r4 ,wheeler is also a member of this   

church1 but he resides  at ,salem1 about
 ten miles distant4 ,mr4 ,wheeler and   
family were likewise  converts to       
,sabbatical sentiments4    ,this church 
has been blessed with many auspicious   
revivals4 ,one took  place in #ahjg1 and
 continued for a long time4 ,it was very
 extensive1 and  about seventy were     
added to the church4 ,subsequently many 
precious  seasons were enjoyed1 but     
perhaps the greatest in-gathering       
occurred in  the commencement of the    
year #ahdc1 when about ninety were added
 to the  church4 ,this gracious         
visitation of the ,holy ,spirit         
commenced and  continued through a      
meeting of days1 in which ,elder ,john  
,green and ,elder  ,estee were the      
leaders4 ,it was marked at first by a   
deep and unusual  seriousness in the    
congregation1 that gradually increased1 
and seemed to  pervade every heart in   
the vast assembly4 ,meetings for prayer 
and  religious inquiry succeeded1 at    
which old and young attended1 whose     

countenances were indicative of the     
various emotions of their souls4  ,some 
in a fixedness of look that seemed to   
say1 ,god and eternity are  near2 some  
with a settled gloom and depression of  
countenance2 some  with marks of        
indescribable anguish2 and some with the
 holiest and  happiest serenity1 placid 
and beautiful as the loveliest sky after
 a  storm4    ,sabbath after ,sabbath   
scores of candidates of all ranks and   
ages1 from  the child of ten summers to 
the old man of seventy winters1 came    
together requesting the ordinance of    
baptism1 and what was most  remarkable1 
the greatest order and propriety        
prevailed4 ,there were no  exhibitions  
of enthusiasm1 no rapturous outbursts1  
or passionate  exclamations4 ,all was   
calm1 sedate1 and tranquil4 ,every one  
seemed to be  impressed with a sense of 
the indescribable holiness of ,god1 and 
the  sinfulness of the human heart4     
,every one seemed to feel himself within
  the most holy place4 ,there was       

confession1 thanksgiving1 and           
entreaty1--so humble1 and yet so        
confiding1--so confiding1 and yet so    
presumptuous1--so importunate1 and yet  
so submissive4 ,there were songs of     
praise and sighs of penitence4 ,there   
were tears of holy joy1 of exalted      
hope1 of remorseful sorrow4 ,from this  
church the sacred excitement  extended  
to others1 and many precious revivals   
occurred in the  neighbourhood4    ,this
 community is at present engaged in     
building a new meeting-house1 at  a cost
 of five thousand dollars1 having       
donated the old one to a school  and    
society formed for educational and      
agricultural purposes4    ,this church  
was for a long time concerned in a very 
tedious affair  relative to a lot of    
land in ,philadelphia1 which had been   
left by the  will of ,richard ,sparks to
 the ,seventh-day ,baptists for a       
burial-ground4  ,the date of the will ,i
 have been unable to obtain1 but it     
appears that  ,sparks was one of the    

,keithian ,seventh-day ,baptists2 that  
he was  baptized by ,william ,davis1 in 
#afii2 and that he belonged to a church 
of  our persuasion in ,newtown1 ,chester
 ,county4 ,he was a man of large        
property1 and being determined to give  
his brethren some substantial  proof of 
his regard1 donated to them the         
before-mentioned lot1 which1 at  that   
time was in the suburbs of the city1    
although at present it is  nearly in the
 centre4 ,it was used1 for some time1 as
 the burial-ground  of the church1 and  
upon a marble slab1 placed in the wall  
by which it is  surrounded1 are         
inscribed the names of those who are    
interred within4  ,subsequent to the    
extinction of that church1 and the      
removal of its  members1 many of whom   
emigrated to ,shiloh1#ch it became a    
question  whether the disposal of this  
property might not be effected1 and the 
proceeds of the sale appropriated by the
 ,general ,conference4 ,pursuant to     
this design1 ,caleb ,shepherd1 of       

,shiloh1 was appointed as agent for the 
sale of said lot1 with instructions to  
present a memorial to the  ,legislature 
of ,pennsylvania1 petitioning them to   
authorize its disposal  for pecuniary   
compensation1 or in exchange for other  
land more  conveniently situated4 ,but  
these tedious negotiations resulted in a
  manner the most unsatisfactory4 ,the  
,legislature decided that according  to 
the tenure of the will1 their only right
 to it was founded upon their  using it 
for burial purposes2 and that therefore 
there could be no legal  disposal made  
of it4    ,about this time the          
,conference1 in its denominational      
capacity1 withdrew  all claim to it in  
favour of the ,shiloh and ,piscataway   
churches4  ,subsequently it was leased  
to a hose company2 and afterwards sold  
by  these churches to ,stephen ,girard1 
by whom it was conveyed to the          
corporation of the city of              
,philadelphia1 in whose possession it   
still  continues4    ,,seventh-,,day    

,,baptist ,,church1 ,,marlborough1 ,,new
 ,,jersey4    ,this church1 a branch of 
the former1 was organized in #ahaa1 and 
,rev4  ,jacob ,ayras became its pastor1 
in which relation he continued until his
  death1 in #ahch1 having served the    
church nearly twenty-five years4        
,rev4 ,samuel ,davis1 brother of ,elder 
,john ,davis1 of ,shiloh1 was for some  
time his colleague in the ministry4     
,rev4 ,david ,clawson1 his successor1   
was returned as licentiate in  connexion
 with the church at ,piscataway1 in     
#ahcc2 was ordained in #ahcf1  and      
installed as pastor of this church in   
#ahci1 in which relation he  still      
continues4    ,,observations4    ,it    
will be perceived that this ,association
 embraces the oldest churches1  and is  
emphatically the stronghold of          
,sabbatarianism4 ,most of them also     
have originated from ordinary causes4   
,those of ,piscataway and ,shiloh  have 
each produced a branch4 ,three of those 
in ,rhode ,island originated  from a    

remarkable revival1 which progressed in 
#ahcg1 under the  ministrations of      
,elder ,john ,green1 in which sinners   
were converted to  ,god by hundreds4    
,all the older churches have been the   
seats of stated  pastors2 consequently  
they escaped1 at least in former times1 
all the  evils to be apprehended from   
frequent changes4 ,these pastors1 also1 
however deficient they might appear in  
the graces of elegant diction1  were    
distinguished for sound reasoning and   
plain sense4 ,their zeal was  tempered  
with moderation2 their piety with       
rationality4 ,if not very  scrupulous as
 to method and language1 they were      
correct in their views1  and orthodox in
 their principles4 ,the themes of their 
discourses were  the doctrines of the   
,gospel1 and the nature of experimental 
religion1  which they explained in a    
manner adapted to the capacities of     
their  hearers4 ,that much of this      
old-fashioned system is being done away 
with1  is evident to the most casual    

observation4 ,this profitable mode of   
preaching has been exchanged for one    
disposed to harp on opinions and        
debatable points4 ,but1 although a deep 
explication of mysterious  subjects may 
look more wise1 and excite1 for the     
moment1 more interest  than to travel on
 in the old track1 the tampering with   
matters beyond  knowledge1 to the       
neglect of plain but edifying subjects1 
will be  attended by a general dearth of
 religious feeling4       ,,section ,v4 
,,central ,,association4    ,this body  
embraces all those large and respectable
 churches which are  situated in the    
,state of ,new ,york1 east of the small 
lakes4 ,most of this  great body of our 
denomination have been collected here   
within half a  century4 ,about ninety   
years ago1 we first find traces of      
,sabbatarian  sentiments in this        
extensive country4 ,since that period   
the  dissemination of this scriptural   
truth has been slow but sure4 ,churches 
have one after another been constituted1

 which1 taken as a whole1 have  occupied
 an important position1 not only as to  
location1 but likewise as  to the tone  
of feeling which they have given to the 
efforts and  enterprises of the         
denomination in benevolent and          
educational pursuits4  ,they were among 
the earliest promoters of ,domestic     
,missions in the then  destitute regions
 of their own and the ,southwestern     
,states4 ,by their  unwearied and active
 exertions1 amid all the discouragements
 incident to  poverty1 limited means1   
and untoward circumstances1 evangelists 
were  sent out to disseminate the truth 
in those then destitute places1 where1  
for many years past1 flourishing        
churches and powerful auxiliaries have  
existed4 ,they seem also to have first  
become interested in the subject  of    
,sabbath schools1 conference meetings1  
and monthly concerts for  prayer4 ,their
 anniversaries are held at different    
places in their long  range of          
territory1 and so commodious and        

expeditious is the modern mode  of      
travelling1 that although the churches  
are spread along a distance of  two or  
three hundred miles1 yet the labour of  
attending them is but  small1 and more  
than repaid by witnessing the varied and
 beautiful  scenery along the route4    
,the very flourishing institution       
denominated  the ,de ,ruyter ,institute1
 is located within the limits of this   
,association4 ,it is situated1 as its   
name imports1 in the pleasant  village  
of ,de ,ruyter1 on the southwestern part
 of the county of ,madison4  ,it was    
projected in #ahce1 and went into       
operation in #ahcg4 ,the building  is of
 stone1 ninety-four feet front1 and     
sixty-four in width1 including  the     
depth of the wings projecting backwards4
 ,it contains a chapel1 a  room for     
philosophic lectures1 one for the       
library and society for  natural        
history1 six recitation rooms1 and      
fifty-six students' rooms4    ,there is 
both a male and female department in the

 institution2 and the  faculty1 by their
 ability and assiduity1 have commended  
it to the good  opinion of the public1  
among whom it has hitherto sustained a  
high  reputation4    ,,seventh-,,day    
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,berlin1 ,,new     
,,york4    ,this church1 the oldest body
 in this ,association1 was organized in 
#aghc1  although many years previous1 a 
number of ,sabbath-keepers1 principally 
members of the ,sabbatarian churches in 
,rhode ,island1 had removed into  these 
parts1 being among the first settlers of
 the place4 ,of these1 the  large and   
respectable families of the ,coons1     
,greenmans1 ,crandalls1  ,greens1 and   
,randalls1 were most distinguished for  
enterprise and  intelligence4 ,they     
occupied a very pleasant situation in   
the  northeasterly parts of the ,state  
of ,new ,york1 adjoining ,massachusetts4
  ,the place was first called ,little   
,hoosack1 and the ,sabbatarians resided 
in the towns of ,berlin1 ,petersburg1   
and ,stephentown1 in which branch       

churches have since been established4   
,after the organization of the church1  
,rev4 ,william ,coon1 from ,hopkinton1  
became their first pastor4 ,elder ,coon 
was a man of great natural  ability1 and
 was so pre-eminently blessed in his    
ministry1 that nearly  two hundred      
persons were added to the church in one 
year4 ,he died in  #ahja4 ,he was highly
 esteemed by ,mr4 ,van ,rensselaer1 then
 deputy governor  of the state1 who     
bestowed upon him a valuable farm1 and  
contributed  liberally towards defraying
 the expenses of their new              
meeting-house4    ,rev4 ,asa ,coon1 his 
nephew and successor1 officiated in the 
ministry but  a few months1 when he was 
removed by death4    ,rev4 ,william     
,satterlee received ordination in #ahje1
 in the  thirty-seventh year of his age1
 and was immediately installed as pastor
  of the church1 in which relation he   
still continues4 ,elder ,satterlee has  
been emphatically a father in ,israel4  
,thousands have walked in more          

brilliant paths1 have risen to loftier  
stations1 and acquired more  extensive  
renown1 but perhaps no one has been more
 really useful as a  ,christian         
minister4 ,in his family1 in the church1
 in the conference1 he  was equally     
amiable1 equally attentive to the       
desires of others1 and  equally anxious 
to do good4 ,while others pursued the   
phantom of  popularity1 ,elder          
,satterlee remained content with the    
applause of his  own conscience1 and his
 brethren were so well aware of his     
ability and  paternal character1 that   
for many years he was unanimously chosen
  ,moderator of the ,general            
,conference4    ,under his ministry the 
church became another mother of         
churches1 and  nursery of ministers1    
besides producing several eminent       
characters4    ,rev4 ,james ,h4 ,cochran
 was installed as assistant pastor in   
#ahdi4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist     
,,church1 ,,petersburg1 ,,new ,,york4   
,this community1 a branch of the ,berlin

 ,church1 was organized in #ahbi1  but  
remained until #ahce without a pastor1  
when ,bethuel ,c4 ,church became  a     
licentiate in their connexion1 where he 
continued for one year4    ,rev4 ,azor  
,estee1 his successor1 was licensed in  
#ahcf1 and received  ordination in the  
autumn of the same year4 ,in #ahda1 he  
resigned the  pastoral charge of this   
church to ,jared ,kenyon1 who continued 
in its  service as licentiate until     
#ahdd1 when ,elder ,estee returned to   
them  again4    ,rev4 ,william ,b4      
,maxson was resident here in #ahde4     
,rev4 ,james ,summerbell was ordained1  
pursuant to the request of this  church1
 in #ahdi1 and was immediately installed
 as pastor4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist
 ,,church1 ,,new ,,york ,,city4    ,this
 church was organized in #ahde1 although
 ,sabbatarians had resided in  ,brooklyn
 and its vicinity for a long time       
previous4 ,they have a large  and       
commodious meeting-house4 ,rev4 ,t4 ,b4 
,brown is their present pastor4         

,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,adams1 ,,jefferson ,,county1 ,,new    
,,york4    ,this church was organized in
 #ahbb1 and ,rev4 ,william ,green became
 its  first pastor1 which relation he   
sustained with great acceptance until   
#ahda1 when    ,rev4 ,eli ,s4 ,bailey   
assumed the pastoral charge for one     
year1 and was  succeeded by    ,rev4    
,joel ,green1 who1 in #ahde1 resigned   
his station to ,rev4 ,g4 ,m4            
,langworthy4    ,rev4 ,alexander        
,campbell is the present incumbent4     
,this church has been blessed with      
several revivals of religion1 and is a  
very efficient community4 ,unlike some  
of its sister churches1 it has  always  
been in a sound and healthy condition1  
and at present holds a  high rank among 
the most decided friends of all the     
principles and  institutions of the     
denomination4    ,,first ,,seventh-,,day
 ,,baptist ,,church1 ,,brookfield1 ,,new
 ,,york4    ,as early as #agia1 several 
members of the ,hopkinton ,church       

emigrated to  this place and began a    
settlement4 ,the country at that time   
was wild and  uninhabited4 ,hills and   
valleys were covered with forests in all
 their  primeval majesty1 through which 
the wild deer and the ,indian roamed4   
,but  the hand of industry soon wrought 
a wonderful transformation in this now  
beautiful country4 ,the woods           
disappeared4 ,green pastures and yellow 
harvests waved in the valleys4 ,the     
hills were crowned with cottages1       
homely1 indeed1 but delightful1 for they
 were the abodes of piety and  content4 
,there was temporal comfort and         
prosperity4 ,there was spiritual        
happiness and godly hope4 ,the ,sabbath 
was neither forgotten nor  neglected4   
,it was linked with too many hallowed   
memories1 too many sweet  and pleasant  
associations1 too many blessed          
reminiscences of home1 of  kindred1 of  
heaven1 ever to be deserted by those who
 were exiled by the  force of           
circumstances from the delightful scenes

 of their youth4  ,meetings were        
instituted1 and continued from house to 
house1 and many  precious seasons were  
enjoyed before the organization of the  
church4    ,in the autumn of #agig1 they
 were visited by ,elders ,burdick and   
,coon1 of  ,hopkinton1 and by them      
constituted a church in sister relation4
 ,they  numbered at first but twenty    
members4    ,rev4 ,henry ,clarke became 
their first pastor1 in which relation he
  continued until #ahbi4    ,rev4 ,eli  
,s4 ,bailey received ordination in      
#ahai1 and the same year became         
associated with ,elder ,clarke in the   
ministry4    ,rev4 ,daniel ,coon removed
 from ,hopkinton the same year1 and     
became a  resident in connexion with    
this church4    ,rev4 ,william ,b4      
,maxson assumed the pastoral relation as
 assistant of  ,elder ,clarke1 in #ahbc1
 and remained until #ahcc4    ,rev4     
,john ,green1 his successor1 continued  
four years1 and was succeeded  by       
,rev4 ,sebeus ,m4 ,burdick1 who1 in     

#ahda1 resigned the office to    ,rev4  
,william ,b4 ,maxson1 who remained for  
two or three years1 and was  succeeded  
by    ,rev4 ,o4 ,p4 ,hull1 for a short  
period1 when ,elder ,maxson1 the present
  incumbent1 was again installed4       
,several licentiates have1 at different 
times1 been connected with this  church4
 ,of these we may mention ,charles      
,card1 in #ahcb1 and more  recently1    
,charles ,m4 ,lewis1 ,waitstill         
,phillips1 and ,david ,burdick4         
,,second ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist      
,,church1 ,,brookfield1 ,,new ,,york4   
,this community1 a branch of the ,first 
,brookfield ,church1 was organized  in  
#ahbc1 and ,eli ,s4 ,bailey became its  
first pastor4 ,under his ministry  the  
church enjoyed several of those         
auspicious seasons denominated  revivals
 of religion1 and continued many years  
in a state of general  peace and        
prosperity4 ,elder ,bailey was educated 
for the medical  profession1 which he   
pursued for some time with eminent      

success4 ,at this  period neither his   
habits of life nor associations gave    
promise of his  ever becoming a         
,christian minister2 but1               
notwithstanding that his  profession was
 one of honour1 and opened before him a 
fair path to  wealth and eminence1 his  
heart turned towards the task of winning
 souls  to ,god4 ,in #ahci1 ,james      
,bailey was associated as licentiate1   
and  subsequently as elder1 in the      
ministry of this church4 ,rev4 ,samuel  
,b4  ,crandall succeeded in #ahdb1 and  
continued for one year1 when ,elder     
,bailey again assumed the spiritual     
charge1 which he continues to  exercise4
    ,,third ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist   
,,church1 ,,brookfield1 ,,new ,,york4   
,this church1 like the former1          
originated from the ,first ,brookfield  
,church1 and was also organized in      
#ahbc4    ,rev4 ,daniel ,coon became its
 first pastor1 in which relation he     
continued  until #ahcf4    ,rev4 ,samuel
 ,b4 ,crandall1 his successor1 and the  

present incumbent was  licensed in      
#ahca1 and ordained in #ahcb1 since     
which period1 with the  exception of one
 year1 he has been connected with this  
church4#ci    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist 
,,church1 ,,truxton1 ,,new ,,york4      
,originally1 this church was composed of
 emigrant members from the ,first       
,brookfield ,church4 ,its distinct      
organization took place in #ahbd4 ,in   
#ahbf  it became the seat of ,rev4      
,alexander ,campbell1 who remained until
 #ahcc4    ,rev4 ,zuriel ,campbell1 his 
successor1 was licensed in #ahce1 and   
ordained  in #ahch4 ,subsequent to his  
removal1 which took place in #ahci1     
,rev4 ,russell ,g4 ,burdick1 assumed the
 spiritual care for one year4 ,he was   
followed by ,elias ,rogers as           
licentiate1 who1 in #ahdd1 was succeeded
 by  ,solomon ,coon1 and ,varnum        
,burdick1 in the same capacity4 ,varnum 
,burdick  is the present incumbent4     
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,diana1 ,,lewis ,,county1 ,,new ,,york4

    ,this church originated from a small
 company of ,sabbatarians who removed   
from ,brookfield1 several years ago1 and
 who1 although deprived of  sabbatical  
and sanctuary privileges1 nevertheless  
maintained prayer and  conference       
meetings1 and exhibited in their daily  
walk and conversation  an exact         
conformity to their holy vocation4      
,recently several influential  and      
highly respectable families in this     
vicinity have embraced the  ,sabbath1   
and in #ahdf1 a church was organized    
consisting of sixteen  members1 with    
prospects of large additions at an early
 period4 ,it is  supplied with          
ministerial assistance by the           
,missionary ,society4    ,,seventh-,,day
 ,,baptist ,,church1 ,,de ,,ruyter1     
,,new ,,york4    ,this church1          
originally composed of emigrants from   
the ,berlin and  ,hopkinton communities1
 was constituted in #ahjf4 ,david ,davis
 became their  first1 pastor4    ,rev4  
,john ,green1 his successor1 was        

ordained to the work of the ministry  in
 #ahai4 ,a well-written biography of    
,elder ,green would be most edifying1   
as perhaps no other minister in the     
denomination has been the leader in  so 
many auspicious revivals4 ,in numerous  
instances1 his visitations to  the      
churches have been accompanied with the 
most remarkable outpourings  of the     
,spirit of grace4 ,indeed1 so often has 
this been the case1 that  long since it 
became proverbial among the people1 and 
a promised visit  from ,elder ,john     
,green was considered as the sure       
precursor of a  reformation4 ,it is no  
wonder1 therefore1 that this venerated  
man is1  with few exceptions1 so        
universally beloved and respected1 for  
multitudes look up to1 and regard him as
 their spiritual father4 ,it is  no     
wonder that the aspersions of malice1   
and the machinations of envy  have been 
unable to destroy his credit or his     
influence with the  denomination at     
large4 ,yet this man1 who has received  

so many seals to  his ministry1 and     
whose presence to the churches is so    
auspicious1 is a  plain old-fashioned   
man1 neither skilled in logic nor taught
 in the  schools4 ,he has none of the   
polish or blandishments of modern       
eloquence1  no affectation of learning1 
no parade of jingling phrases or        
high-sounding words4    ,o how many of  
our young men1 who discourse learnedly  
of preparatory  studies for the         
ministry1 might1 with infinite          
advantage1 sit at the  feet and learn of
 this ,shamgar in the churches1 who1    
coming from the  fields of honest       
industry to the pulpit1 has been more   
instrumental in  winning souls to ,god1 
than most of the scholars who have come 
to the  contest elate with the honours  
of a full collegiate course4 ,like a    
certain remarkably effective preacher of
 old1 who came into the ministry  with  
hands undried from the fisherman's net1 
or like another1 of some  account at one
 time in the churches1 who wrought at a 

useful occupation  that he might not be 
burdensome to any1 ,elder ,green was    
undoubtedly  called and set apart as a  
chosen vessel1 by the ,spirit of truth4 
,what  weeping sinner1 what returning   
backslider1 ever thought or inquired    
whether he was skilled in algebraic     
problems1 ,hebrew nouns1 or ,greek      
verbs8 ,learning to such a preacher     
would not and could not be any help2  it
 might be a hindrance4 ,it might lead   
him to trust in earthly  availments1 and
 make him forget in what his great      
strength lay4 ,have we  not reason to   
fear that a vain trust in learning and  
temporal advantages  is the ,delilah    
that has shorn the locks from so many   
spiritual ,samsons1  and rendered them  
powerless before their enemies8 ,it     
would be a  difficult matter to attempt 
an analyzation of the sermons of ,elder 
,green1 or to show in what the secret of
 his success consisted4 ,no one1  while 
listening to his discourses1 would think
 of applying to them the  ordinary tests

 of criticism2 indeed1 no one would be  
half so much  pleased with the speaker  
as displeased with himself4 ,he would   
probably  forget the time1 the place1   
and the congregation1 and see himself   
transported at once to the bar of ,god1 
with the world in flames4 ,his          
cogitations would not be1 ,oh1 what a   
learned and beautiful discourse6  but   
,oh1 wretched man that ,i am6 or1 ,oh1  
blessed ,jesus1 how wonderful  is thy   
love and goodness6 ,yet in these        
sermons1 so remarkably  effective1 there
 does not appear the least striving for 
effect1 no  attempt to enlist the       
passions of the auditory1 no forced and 
laboured  ejaculations2 but the         
attention is first engaged by the voice1
 the look1  the manner1 the appearance  
of the speaker2 our interest increases  
with  his amplification of the subject1 
and his application of it every one     
that hears must feel4    ,elder ,green  
remained at ,de ,ruyter until #ahbf1    
when the church was for  some time      

without a pastor4    ,rev4 ,alexander   
,campbell1 his successor1 was installed 
in #ahcd1 and  remained for several     
years4    ,rev4 ,james ,bailey succeeded
 him in #ahdb1 and remained until #ahdh4
    ,rev4 ,james ,r4 ,irish1 ,principal 
of the ,de ,ruyter ,institute1 is the   
present incumbent4    ,many licentiates1
 in connexion with the ,literary        
,institution1 have at  different times  
officiated in this church4              
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,hounsfield1 ,,jefferson ,,county1     
,,new ,,york4    ,this church originated
 from the ,seventh-day ,society in      
,adams1 and was  constituted in #ahda1  
,william ,green assuming the pastoral   
charge1 in  which relation he still     
continues4    ,the services of a settled
 pastor are1 to these infant churches1  
of  inestimable value4#dj               
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,lincklain1 ,,chenango ,,county1 ,,new 
,,york4    ,this church was organized in
 #ahca1 and ,sebeus ,m4 ,burdick became 

its  spiritual guide4    ,in #ahci1 ,g4 
,m4 ,langworthy and ,thomas ,e4 ,babcock
 were returned as  licentiates in its   
connexion1 but ,elder ,burdick1 in      
#ahdb1 assumed its  parochial charge for
 the second time4 ,he was succeeded1 in 
#ahdf1 by the  ,rev4 ,joshua ,clarke4   
,at present it is supplied with         
ministerial assistance by the brethren  
at  ,de ,ruyter1 of the church in which 
place it is a branch4    ,,seventh-,,day
 ,,baptist ,,church1 ,,otselic1         
,,chenango ,,county1 ,,new ,,york4      
,this church was organized in #ahcj1 and
 ,ephraim ,curtiss became its  pastor4  
,elder ,curtiss was a man of            
distinguished merit and great  promise4 
,his talents and services were of       
inestimable value to this  infant       
community2 but the ,great ,head of the  
church was pleased1 for wise  but unseen
 purposes1 to remove him from earth     
while yet in the noon of  his days4 ,his
 decease1 combined with other causes1   
has contributed to  keep this church in 

a backward state4 ,for a long time their
 harps were  hung upon the willows1 and 
although they remained inflexible in    
their  attachment to the great          
distinctive principles of the           
denomination1 and  supported sabbatical 
ordinances in a regular manner1 they    
have been  blessed with few additions to
 their numbers4    ,rev4 ,joshua        
,clarke1 their present pastor1 was      
installed in #ahdg4    ,,seventh-,,day  
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,preston1          
,,chenango ,,county1 ,,new ,,york4      
,this church dates back to a very early 
period4 ,in #ahjd1 ,davis ,rogers1  who 
had been ordained in #aghd1 with several
 members of the ,waterford              
7,connecticut7 ,church1 emigrated to    
this place1 where they organized a      
church1 which1 under his ministry1      
continued for a long time in a          
flourishing condition4 ,in #ahah1 it was
 admitted into the ,conference1 at      
which period ,david ,davis was          
associated with ,elder ,rogers in the   

ministry4 ,the death of ,elder ,rogers1 
which1 as ,i am informed1 occurred      
about #ahcb1 left this weak and sickly  
community in peculiarly trying and      
painful circumstances1 and the members  
became scattered like sheep  without a  
shepherd4 ,subsequently they were       
gathered and the church  reorganized by 
,elder ,benedict ,wescott1 of           
,waterford1 in #ahcd4 ,this  worthy and 
useful man then assumed the spiritual   
charge of the scattered  flock1 in which
 relation he continued until #ahdb4     
,rev4 ,varnum ,hull1 his successor1 was 
ordained in #ahdc1 and continued to     
serve this church for four or five      
years4    ,rev4 ,joshua ,clarke1 the    
present incumbent1 is connected both    
with this  and the ,sabbatarian         
community at ,otselic4                  
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,richland1 ,,oswego ,,county1 ,,new    
,,york4    ,this infant community was   
gathered and organized in #ahde4 ,though
 few in  number1 they give promise of   

great efficiency4    ,rev4 ,elias       
,burdick is their pastor4               
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,scott1 ,,cortland ,,county1 ,,new     
,,york4    ,this church was originally  
composed of members from the ,berlin and
 ,rhode  ,island ,churches4 ,of these we
 may notice the large and respectable   
families of the ,burdicks1 ,babcocks1   
and ,hubbards1 who1 even to this day1   
are the bone and sinew of the ,scott    
fraternity4 ,it was organized in  #ahbj1
 and ,william ,b4 ,maxson became its    
first pastor1 and ,holly ,maxson  the   
first deacon4 ,it is justly due to the  
memory of this venerable man  to remark1
 that for piety1 disinterested          
benevolence1 and every amiable  and     
,christian grace1 he has rarely been    
equalled and never excelled4  ,mild and 
equable in disposition1 complacent and  
affable in manner1 he  was particularly 
qualified to soften animosities and     
settle  difficulties2 while the uniform 
estimation in which he was held1 and the

  known impartiality of his decisions1  
caused him to be chosen as umpire  and  
arbitrator in all disturbances and      
divisions of whatever kind4 ,his  memory
 is still venerated1 and the most       
honourable testimonies to his  merit are
 yet borne by the community where he    
resided4 ,his death was in  character   
with his life4 ,he died repeating       
,jesus can make a dying bed    ,feel    
soft as downy pillars are4    ,rev4     
,joel ,green was licensed in #ahbc1 and 
ordained1 agreeably to the  request of  
this church1 in #ahbd1 in which         
connexion he continued until  #ahdj4    
,rev4 ,job ,tyler1 for a long time his  
colleague1 was also licensed in  #ahbc1 
and received ordination in #ahbe4       
,rev4 ,orson ,campbell1 of ,berlin1     
assumed the spiritual guidance of this  
church1 in connexion with and during the
 prolonged absence of ,elder  ,green1 in
 #ahch and #ahci4    ,rev4 ,russell ,g4 
,burdick1 the present incumbent1        
succeeded to the  parochial care of this

 church in #ahdb4    ,this church has   
been blessed with several powerful and  
extensive  revivals1 and twice to my    
remembrance these auspicious seasons    
occurred  during the visitations of     
,elder ,john ,green4 ,these religious   
excitements  were generally attended    
with extraordinary exhibitions4         
,sometimes nearly  every individual in  
the congregation would be prostrate upon
 their  knees1 while a mingled utterance
 of screams1 wailings1 prayers1 notes of
  grief and joy1 would rise in one deep 
chorus4 ,ever and anon some sinner  who 
felt his burden removed would burst out 
in a song of triumph and  loud hosannah2
 others1 who had been groaning for hours
 in the deepest  agony1 or sitting      
silent1 sullen1 and dejected1 like      
images of  unutterable woe1 would arise 
with a glory upon their countenances1   
and  words of praise and exultation on  
their lips4 ,many entirely lost the use 
of their limbs1 and lay a long time as  
if entranced4 ,at these meetings  there 

would generally be several ministers1   
who would officiate at the  same time in
 different parts of the congregation1   
some in exhortation1  some in praying   
for the distressed1 and some in         
arguments with opposers1  who considered
 such proceedings the height of         
fanaticism4    ,,first ,,seventh-,,day  
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,verona1 ,,oneida  
,,county1 ,,new ,,york4    ,this church 
was organized in #ahbj1 although several
 years previous a  number of families of
 ,seventh-day ,baptists had removed from
 ,hopkinton  and settled in this place1 
where they kept up meetings on the      
,sabbath4  ,the large and respectable   
family of ,williamses appears to have   
been the  principal support of this     
infant church1 which1 until #ahdb1      
remained  without the services of a     
settled pastor1 when    ,rev4 ,charles  
,m4 ,lewis assumed the spiritual charge4
    ,rev4 ,christopher ,chester1 his    
successor1 was installed in #ahdh4    ,a
 branch church was organized at         

,schenectady in #ahcd4 ,john ,maxson    
became  its deacon1 but so far as ,i am 
aware it never had a settled pastor4 ,it
  continued only a few years4 ,a church 
was likewise organized in ,baltimore    
the same year1 which long since ceased  
to exist4    ,,second ,,seventh-,,day   
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,verona1 ,,oneida  
,,county1 ,,new ,,york4    ,this church1
 a branch of the former1 was organized  
in #ahcg1 but remained  in a destitute  
condition until #ahdb1 when ,rev4 ,elihu
 ,robinson became its  pastor1 in which 
relation he continued for several years4
    ,at present they have no settled    
pastor4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist    
,,church1 ,,watson1 ,,lewis ,,county1   
,,new ,,york4    ,this church was       
organized in #ahda4 ,joshua ,clarke and 
,william ,g4 ,quibell  were recognised  
as licentiates in its connexion4        
,subsequently they  received ordination1
 and the latter assumed the parochial   
charge1 in  which he still continues4   
,this church1 although in its infancy1  

gives great promise of future           
efficiency and usefulness4              
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,newport1 ,,herkimer ,,county1 ,,new   
,,york4    ,this small but interesting  
community was formed in #ahch4 ,it has  
received  ministerial assistance from   
the ,missionary ,society at different   
times1  although deprived of the        
services of a settled pastor4    ,elihu 
,robinson officiated as licentiate in   
this place for a short  period4         
,,extinct ,,churches4    ,in #ahbj1 a   
branch of the ,berlin ,church was       
organized in ,fox ,township1            
,clearfield ,county1 ,pennsylvania1     
which continued for several years in a  
flourishing condition4 ,in #ahbb1 ,john 
,bliss was ordained to the work of  the 
ministry1 and subsequently ,jeremiah    
,bliss was returned as  licentiate4 ,but
 many evil influences were at work1     
which this church1  always weak and     
feeble1 was unable to withstand4 ,its   
decline may be  dated from #ahcb1 since 

which period it gradually sunk1 its     
members  removed into other parts1 and  
finally it ceased to exist4    ,it may  
be conceded that neither legal          
enactments1 penal statutes1 nor  popular
 customs1 can suppress the course of    
truth1 or prevent the  exercise of its  
legitimate effects upon the minds of    
men4 ,the progress  of our denomination1
 notwithstanding the adverse            
circumstances and many  disadvantages   
under which we have laboured1 has been  
steady and  unceasing2 and although many
 of our churches are in a state of      
infancy1  their numbers are respectable1
 and their influence considerable4      
,many ministers who have arisen in these
 fraternities1 have removed  thence into
 other parts4 ,ministers distinguished  
for evangelical  enterprise and fervent 
zeal1 some of whom have been among the  
first  pioneers of the gospel in the    
western regions4    ,in connexion with  
these churches are some very efficient  
,high ,schools1  and one ,literary      

,institution of a higher class4 ,it is  
true that these  institutions are not of
 a theological character2 nevertheless1 
they are  important appendages of the   
denomination1 and1 if well managed1 will
  become what is most needed1 and will  
confer immense benefits upon the        
community at large4 ,the general        
diffusion of knowledge will elevate the 
moral and intellectual standard1 and    
will be the sure forerunner of  higher  
ministerial attainments1 and the better 
management of the  churches4            
,,section ,,vi4 ,,western ,,association4
    ,the churches embraced in this      
,association1 are situated on what was  
formerly considered missionary ground1  
although some of them are at  present   
among the most efficient bodies in the  
denomination4 ,the  principal ornament  
of this section is the ,alfred ,academy1
 a very  flourishing literary           
institution1 of a high classical        
character4 ,it  appears to have         
originated from a ,high ,school1 and    

went into operation  two or three years 
previous to the ,de ,ruyter ,institute4 
,,first ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist       
,,church ,,alfred1 ,,alleghany ,,county1
 ,,new ,,york4    ,this church was      
originally composed of emigrants from   
the ,rhode ,island  and ,new ,jersey    
fraternities1 and was constituted in    
#ahaf4 ,the region at  that time was    
extremely destitute1 and these pioneers 
of our faith were  required to undergo  
many hardships1 and experience great    
deprivations in  the prosecution of     
their schemes4 ,generally their means   
were moderate1  and their worldly       
advantages limited2 but they were       
zealous for the  truth and rich in      
faith4 ,they found a wilderness1 here   
and there broken  by the hand of man3   
they left smiling fields and growing    
villages4 ,they  found penury and       
destitution3 they left wealth and       
plenty4 ,they found a  region where the 
songs of ,david were not repeated1 where
 the ,sabbath was  not observed3 they   

left flourishing schools and churches4  
,did they live  in vain8    ,rev4 ,amos 
,satterlee was installed as pastor of   
the ,alfred ,church in  #ahbj1 which    
station he filled with great acceptance 
for several years4    ,his successors1  
,daniel ,babcock and ,richard ,hull1    
were ordained in #ahbd1  and remained   
with this church about fifteen years1   
when they removed to  other fields4     
,rev4 ,james ,r4 ,irish became their    
pastor in #ahcg1 in which relation he   
continued until #ahdf4    ,during the   
ministry of these brethren1 the church  
has been blessed at  intervals with many
 precious revivals2 and it appears to   
have been from  the first in a sound and
 healthy condition4    ,rev4 ,hiram     
,cromwell1 his successor1 remained for  
only a short period1  and was succeeded 
by    ,rev4 ,n4 ,v4 ,hull1 the present  
incumbent4    ,elder ,hull is endowed   
with talents of the very highest order1 
and  perhaps no minister in the         
denomination is better qualified to     

shine in  a promiscuous assembly4 ,his  
fine understanding1 ready wit1 and      
brilliant  imagination1 are united to   
the most fascinating powers of oratory1 
a  demeanour of princely elegance1 and  
the highest style of manly beauty4  ,his
 services either as a settled pastor1 or
 visiting evangelist1 have  been highly 
efficient in this region1 and his       
preaching has been  attended with many  
powerful revivals4    ,,second          
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,alfred1 ,,alleghany ,,county1 ,,new   
,,york4    ,this church1 a branch of the
 former1 was organized in #ahca1 and    
,elder  ,ray ,green became its pastor4  
,in #ahce ,clarke ,potter and ,n4 ,v4   
,hull were  returned as licentiates in  
its connexion4 ,in #ahdb1 ,amos ,burdick
 was also  licensed1 who continued to   
serve this church after the removal of  
,elder  ,green1 until #ahdd1 when       
,rev4 ,james ,h4 ,cochran assumed the   
pastoral charge4    ,he was succeeded by
 ,amos ,burdick and ,p4 ,c4 ,witter1 the

 present  incumbents4    ,,first        
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,genesee1 ,,new ,,york4    ,this church
 was organized in #ahbg1 and ,henry ,p4 
,green served as  licentiate until      
#ahce1 when his ordination took place4  
,under his  ministry1 which continued   
until #ahdg1 the church received many   
additions1 and became a large and       
efficient body4    ,rev4 ,james ,bailey1
 his successor1 was installed in #ahdh4 
,,second ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist      
,,church1 ,,genesee1 ,,new ,,york4      
,this church1 a branch of the former1   
was organized in #ahcd1 and was  served 
by ,prentice ,c4 ,maine as licentiate1  
for some time4 ,at present it  has no   
settled pastor1 but is supplied with    
ministerial assistance by  travelling   
missionaries4    ,,third ,,seventh-,,day
 ,,baptist ,,church1 ,,genesee1 ,,new   
,,york4    ,this church1 likewise a     
branch of the former1 was organized in  
#ahdb1 but  remained until #ahdc without
 a settled pastor1 when their spiritual 

charge was assumed by ,l4 ,d4 ,ayres1   
who remained until #ahdg4    ,rev4 ,h4  
,p4 ,green1 the present incumbent1 was  
installed #ahdh4    ,,seventh-,,day     
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,clarence1 ,,erie  
,,county1 ,,new ,,york4    ,this church 
was organized in #ahbh1 although        
,sabbatarians had for some  time        
previous been among the inhabitants of  
the country1 and maintained  worship    
upon their holy day4 ,they remained for 
a long time without a  pastor1 but1 in  
#ahch1 ,rev4 ,nathan ,v4 ,hull consented
 to settle among  them4 ,in #ahci1      
,james ,h4 ,cochran was returned as     
licentiate1 and  subsequently1 in #ahdf1
 as pastor4    ,at present they have no 
settled minister4    ,,seventh-,,day    
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,friendship1 ,,new 
,,york4    ,this community1 like that of
 ,alfred1 dates back to an early period4
 ,it  originated1 likewise1 from an     
emigration of the members of older      
churches4 ,between the years #ahab and  
#ahbj1 many families in connexion  with 

the ,new ,jersey fraternities removed to
 this place1 and became the  pioneers of
 our faith in its then lonely regions4  
,in #ahbd a church was  constituted4    
,rev4 ,john ,green became its first     
pastor1 in which relation  he continued 
until #ahcc1 when    ,rev4 ,walter ,b4  
,gillette succeeded him1 and remained   
until #ahdb1 when he  removed to another
 field4    ,rev4 ,zuriel ,campbell      
followed1 who continued until #ahde4    
,rev4 ,a4 ,a4 ,f4 ,randolph1 his        
successor1 had been for some time his   
colleague4    ,rev4 ,b4 ,f4 ,robbins1 a 
man of deep piety and irreproachable    
character1  who embraced the ,sabbath in
 #ahde1 is the present incumbent4    ,a 
short time since ,elder ,john ,green    
visited this place1 and his  presence1  
as usual1 was attended with a gracious  
revival4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist   
,,church1 ,,hartsville1 ,,alleghany     
,,county1 ,,new ,,york4    ,this infant 
community1 a branch of the ,alfred      
,church1 was organized in  #ahdg4       

,rev4 ,hiram ,cornwell is its present   
pastor4    ,it gives a cheering promise 
of future efficiency and usefulness4    
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,hayfield1 ,,pennsylvania4    ,this    
church is the oldest one in this        
,association1 and originated from  the  
,keithian ,seventh-day ,baptists1 who1  
in #aggj1 resided in the  neighbourhood 
of ,philadelphia4 ,about this time it   
appears that ,rev4  ,james ,dunn1 with  
several families of ,sabbatarians1      
removed to this  place1 where he        
instituted meetings and organized a     
church1 over which  he assumed the      
pastoral relation4 ,elder ,dunn lived to
 be very old1 but  sometime previous to 
his decease1 his reason failed1 and he  
became  partially insane4 ,this         
misfortune1 combined with other         
disadvantages1  brought the church into 
a state of deep depression4 ,in #ahba1  
,rev4 ,john  ,davis1 of ,shiloh1 made   
them a visit1 and by their unanimous    
request  ordained ,isaac ,davis to the  

work of the ministry4 ,subsequently1    
however1  the church remained in very   
low circumstances1 and in #ahbi1 at     
which  time it was admitted into the    
,general ,conference1 it only numbered  
twenty-four members1 and was without a  
settled pastor4#da ,beside the          
occasional visits of missionaries1 it   
remained thus destitute until  #ahcf1   
when    ,rev4 ,job ,tyler removed into  
that region and assumed the pastoral    
charge4    ,rev4 ,thomas ,b4 ,brown1 his
 colleague in #ahdj and #ahda1 and      
subsequently  his successor1 was        
installed in #ahdb1 and continued until 
#ahdd4    ,morris ,cole succeeded him as
 licentiate1 in which relation he served
 the  church until #ahdf1 when    ,rev4 
,a4 ,a4 ,f4 ,randolph1 the present      
incumbent1 was installed4               
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,independence1 ,,new ,,york4    ,this  
church was organized in #ahcd1 with very
 auspicious prospects1 and    ,rev4     
,stillman ,coon became its pastor1 in   

which relation he continued  until      
#ahdb1 when1 being transferred to       
another field1 the church was  served by
 ,decatur ,m4 ,clarke1 as licentiate1   
for two or three years4    ,rev4        
,sherman ,s4 ,griswold1 assumed the     
parochial charge in #ahde1 and          
continued two years4    ,rev4 ,t4       
,babcock1 the present pastor1 was       
installed in #ahdh4    ,,seventh-,,day  
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,wirt1 ,,alleghany 
,,county1 ,,new ,,york4    ,at a very   
early period in the history of this     
district1 ,sabbath-keepers  were found  
among its inhabitants1 chiefly emigrants
 from the older  settlements1 but they  
were not gathered and arranged into a   
church until  #ahbg4 ,subsequent to that
 period they remained in low and        
depressed  circumstances1 which may be  
chiefly attributed to their want of the 
services of a settled pastor4 ,recently1
 however1 they have been mostly         
supplied with ministerial assistance by 
,rev4 ,james ,l4 ,scott1 until #ahde1   

when they engaged the services of       
,rev4 ,zuriel ,campbell for one year2   
who was succeeded by ,rev4 ,thomas ,e4  
,babcock4    ,c4 ,t4 ,champlin1 the     
present incumbent1 is a licentiate4     
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,scio1 ,,alleghany ,,county1 ,,new     
,,york4    ,this church was organized in
 #ahcd1 but remained for a long time    
without  many additions1 or the services
 of a settled pastor4    ,rev4 ,ray     
,green assumed the parochial charge in  
#ahde1 and continued until  #ahdg4      
,rev4 ,rowse ,babcock1 the present      
incumbent1 was installed in #ahdh4      
,in reviewing the progress of           
,sabbatarianism within the bounds of    
this  ,association1 we find abundant    
reasons for encouragement4 ,an interest 
hitherto unprecedented in the modern    
history of the ,sabbath-keepers1 has    
been awakened4 ,many have embraced the  
truth in opposition to the popular      
sentiments of the day1 among whom are   
several ministers of eminent  talent and

 piety1 who may be reckoned as pillars  
in the cause of ,god4    ,the number of 
churches has proportionately increased1 
but it must be  confessed that many of  
them are infant bodies1 utterly unable  
to support  the pastor whose services   
they require1 and without whose presence
 they  can never rise to any degree of  
strength and usefulness4 ,they want such
  pastors as the ,hopkinton1 the        
,berlin1 the ,piscataway1 and the       
,shiloh  ,churches possessed during the 
first century of their existence4 ,men  
who  could preach the truth for its own 
sake1 who could share with and for      
their brethren--live as they did--dress 
as they did--and even work as they      
did4#db ,under such plain but           
substantial guidance1 these churches all
  rose to great spiritual strength and  
permanence4 ,whatever honour belongs  to
 him who is instrumental in gathering   
and organizing a church1 much  more is  
justly due to the one1 who1 at the      
expense of personal  sacrifices and     

temporal inconveniences1 adopts the     
spiritual infant1  administers to its   
necessities1 leads it through the green 
pastures and  by the still waters of the
 heavenly pilgrimage1 and finally brings
 it to  such a degree of maturity that  
it is able to go alone4 ,it is a        
lamentable fact1 that some of these     
churches for the want of such  leaders  
are even now threatened with extinction4
 ,upon whom in such cases  must the     
delinquency rest8       ,,section ,,vii4
 ,,southwestern ,,association4    ,most 
of the churches embraced in this        
confederacy are of recent origin4  ,many
 of them occupy highly advantageous     
situations in the broad1 the  bright1   
the glorious ,west1 and give every      
promise of rising to future  eminence   
and usefulness4    ,,seventh-,,day      
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,new ,,salem1      
,,harrison ,,county1 ,,virginia4    ,the
 history of this church1 the oldest one 
in this ,association1 is  highly        
interesting4 ,it appears that in #agde1 

a company of  ,sabbath-keepers1         
including one ,john ,davis1 removed from
 ,rhode ,island1 to  a place called     
,square1 in ,monmouth ,county1 ,new     
,jersey4 ,here they  organized a church1
 and sent said ,davis back to ,westerly 
to be ordained1  which was done in      
#agdf4 ,they remained here nearly forty 
years1 when the  whole church1 men1     
women1 and children1 emigrated to the   
place that  their descendants now       
inhabit in ,virginia4 ,they went in     
wagons1 drove  their cattle1 and the    
cavalcade was many days in performing   
their  journey4 ,their venerable        
minister continued with them for many   
years4 ,he  was also assisted by one    
,jacob ,davis1 who was esteemed as a    
very amiable  man and worthy minister4  
,rev4 ,john ,davis his son and          
successor1 was installed about #ahjj1   
and  continued to serve the church for a
 number of years4 ,zebulon ,maxson1     
,peter ,davis1 and ,lewis ,a4 ,davis1   
were likewise associated with him in    

the ministry at different times1 and    
,rev4 ,peter ,davis finally succeeded   
him in #ahcd1 in which relation he      
still continues4    ,ezekiel ,bee is a  
licentiate in connexion with this       
church4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist    
,,church1 ,,lost ,,creek1 ,,virginia4   
,this church was constituted in #ahje1  
and the large and respectable  family of
 ,bonds--its first originators--appear  
to be still its principal  supporters4  
,richard ,bond1 while a resident in     
,maryland1 became convinced  of the     
sacred character of the seventh day1    
from reading the ,bible  alone4 ,once   
convinced of his duty he was not slow in
 performing it2 but  embracing the      
,sabbath1 he instituted weekly religious
 meetings in his  family1 and was1 for a
 long time1 the priest of his household4
  ,subsequently he emigrated to         
,virginia1 and became the founder of the
  ,lost ,creek ,church4 ,this church has
 never been large1 and for a great      
proportion of the time it has been      

without the services of a stated        
pastor1 but the fact of its steady and  
uniform course amidst these  privations1
 affords conclusive evidence of the     
valuable materials of  which it is      
composed4    ,richard ,c4 ,bond1 the    
present incumbent1 was installed in     
#ahdc4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist     
,,church1 ,,hughes ,,river1 ,,virginia4 
,this church1 a branch of the former1   
was organized in #ahcc4 ,it is in a     
very weak and depressed condition1      
containing only seven members4          
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,south ,,fork1 ,,hughes ,,river1       
,,virginia4    ,this church1 another    
branch of the eldest fraternity1 was    
constituted in  #ahdb4 ,it contains only
 nineteen members1 and was served by    
,asa ,bee and  ,joshua ,s4 ,davis1 as   
licentiates4    ,,seventh-,,day         
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,northampton1      
,,clarke ,,county1 ,,ohio4    ,this     
church originated from a division1 on   
the temperance question1 in  the        

,sabbatarian church at ,pike1 in the    
same county4 ,it was organized  with    
seventeen of the seceding members1 in   
#ahcg4 ,in #ahdj1 it was blessed  with a
 precious revival1 and received many    
additions4    ,rev4 ,samuel ,babcock is 
the present pastor1 assisted by ,l4     
,lippencott as  licentiate4             
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,pike1 ,,clarke ,,county1 ,,ohio4      
,this church was constituted in #ahbd1  
although ,sabbatarians had for some     
time previous resided in that region4   
,rev4 ,simeon ,babcock and ,rev4 ,samuel
 ,f4 ,randolph1 were for several years  
connected with these churches1 under    
whose ministry they were greatly        
blessed1 and the fraternity under       
consideration numbered #ajb members4    
,subsequently1 however1 it fell into a  
decline4 ,the secession of a part  of   
its members1 the death and removal of   
others1 combined with other  causes1    
left it in a very weak condition4 ,in   
#ahdb1 ,james ,b4 ,davis was a          

licentiate in its connexion4 ,at present
 it has no stated pastor4               
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,port ,,jefferson1 ,,shelby ,,county1  
,,ohio4    ,this church was organized in
 #ahdj1 and contained nineteen members4 
,it is  in a very pleasant situation1   
and gives great promise of future       
usefulness4    ,rev4 ,lewis ,a4 ,davis  
has been the father1 and is the pastor  
of this  church4    ,,seventh-,,day     
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,sciota1 ,,ohio4   
,this church was organized in #ahdb1 by 
emigrant members from ,scott and        
,brookfield4 ,it is situated in a very  
pleasant country1 and will probably     
become1 in time1 a large and efficient  
body4    ,it is occupied as missionary  
ground1 but has no stated pastor4       
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,stokes1 ,,ohio4    ,this church was   
organized in the same year as the       
former1 and is much in  the same        
condition4 ,it is blessed with the      
services of ,rev4 ,joshua ,hill1  as    

pastor4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist    
,,church1 ,,jackson1 ,,ohio4    ,this   
church was organized in #ahdj1 and      
embraced thirty-eight members1  most of 
whom had removed from ,pike1 ,clarke    
,county1 to this place4 ,for  some time 
it appeared quite flourishing1 and      
received several additions1  but it is  
at present in a very low and depressed  
condition1 owing to the  want of        
ministerial assistance4                 
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,woodbridgetown1 ,,pennsylvania4       
,this church was gathered through the   
exertions of ,rev4 ,samuel  ,woodbridge1
 and was organized about #agij4 ,all the
 knowledge that ,i have  been able to   
obtain of ,elder ,woodbridge is1 that he
 was a ,first-day  ,baptist minister1   
who became convinced of the sacred      
character of the  seventh day1 and      
embraced it accordingly4 ,subsequently  
he removed to  this place with his      
family1 where his preaching was blessed 
to the  conversion of many1 a church    

organized1 and a meeting-house erected1 
whose pulpit he occupied until his      
death4 ,this church likewise received   
several additions from an emigration of 
the members of the ,nottingham  and     
,pennapack fraternities1 among whom we  
may mention the children of  ,rev4      
,enoch ,david4 ,but the death of ,elder 
,woodbridge was the commencement  of its
 decline1 as no one arose to take his   
place4 ,its ancient and  venerable      
meeting-house1 being without a pastor1  
soon became almost  deserted4 ,some of  
its members removed to other parts1 and 
others of them  went to receive their   
reward for loving the law and keeping   
the  commandments of ,god4 ,in #ahdc1   
they numbered sixteen1 and ,lewis       
,sammons  served the church as          
licentiate4 ,since that period its      
decline has been  gradual1 and it is a  
moral certainty that but a very short   
time will  elapse before we shall have  
to announce the disappearance of another
  star from our constellation1 the      

extinction of another luminary in the   
moral world4    ,,seventh-,,day         
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,madison1          
,,indiana4    ,this small company of    
,sabbath-keepers was organized into a   
church in  #ahdh1 since which period it 
has received few additions1 and has been
 in  a low and depressed condition for  
the want of pastoral services4          
,,section ,,viii4 ,,northwestern        
,,association4    ,,seventh-,,day       
,,baptist ,,church1 ,,milton1 ,,rock    
,,county1 ,,wisconsin4    ,this large   
and flourishing church was organized in 
#ahch1 since which  period it has       
rapidly increased in numbers1 and       
promises to become a  very useful and   
efficient body4 ,for a long time this   
region was  considered as missionary    
ground4 ,recently1 however1    ,rev4    
,stillman ,coon and ,rev4 ,zuriel       
,campbell have connected themselves in  
the pastoral relation with the church1  
in which they still continue4    ,many  
of its members were emigrants from      

,scott and the older churches4          
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,albion1 ,,dane ,,county1 ,,wisconsin4 
,this church was organized in #ahdc1 and
    ,wm4 ,h4 ,redfield became its       
servant in the capacity of licentiate1  
which  relation he sustained for one    
year1 when he was succeeded by    ,rev4 
,o4 ,p4 ,hull1 the present incumbent1   
under whose ministry it has  enjoyed    
many precious seasons1 and received many
 additions4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist
 ,,church1 ,,walworth1 ,,wisconsin4     
,this church1 mostly composed of        
emigrants from ,new ,jersey1 was        
organized  in #ahdi1 and contains       
twenty-one members1 with a prospect of  
large  additions4    ,it has no settled 
pastor4    ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist    
,,church1 ,,fredonia1 ,,iowa4    ,this  
church was organized in #ahdb1 and ,rev4
 ,rolean ,m',reynolds1 formerly  a      
,first-day ,baptist1 a minister of      
exemplary character and eminent  talent1
 became its pastor1 in which relation he

 continued for some time4    ,at present
 it has no settled pastor4              
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptist ,,church1     
,,farmington1 ,,illinois4    ,this      
church was constituted in #ahdi1 and    
consists mostly of emigrants  from      
,shiloh1 with the family of    ,rev4    
,samuel ,davison1 the present pastor4   
,it is said to occupy a pleasant and    
healthful situation4    ,,remarks4    ,a
 majority of the churches embraced in   
this ,association may be  considered as 
enjoying all the advantages of a        
healthful climate and  fertile soil1    
with facilities for commerce4 ,although 
few in numbers1  their prospects are    
most encouraging1 perhaps too much so4  
,it is not in  the sunlight of worldly  
prosperity that the good seed rises to  
maturity  and bears much fruit3 the     
mind1 exulting in temporal advantages1  
the  accumulation of riches1 or the     
acquisition of worldly honours1 is too  
apt to become cold and indifferent to   
the subject of religion4 ,we trust  that

 it may not be so with these sister     
fraternities1 who have designed  to hold
 up the light of the truth1 and to      
witness for the ,sabbath among  an      
apostatizing community4 ,may they grow  
in grace as in numbers2 may  they become
 rich in heavenly wisdom as in earthly  
goods2 moreover1 as  they have received 
liberally may they be disposed to give  
liberally1 and  to bear in their hearts 
and upon their prayers the burdens of a 
perishing world4 ,in connexion with this
 subject another consideration is       
presented4 ,these churches occupy       
situations as desirable as can be found 
throughout the whole country for        
mercantile1 mechanical1 or agricultural 
avocations1 and embrace every variety of
 soil1 scenery1 and climate4  ,some are 
located on broad meadow-like prairie2   
others amid a diversified  landscape of 
hills and valleys2 and yet others in the
 neighbourhood of  marts of commerce1   
and communicating with lakes and rivers4
 ,no brother  need forsake the ,sabbath1

 in order to find a more eligible or    
advantageous situation than could be    
obtained in contiguity with the         
settlements of the ,sabbath-keepers2 and
 no person1 whatever may be his         
denominational character1 who wishes to 
emigrate1 will find in any  locality a  
state of society more elevated1 moral1  
and ,christian-like1 or  schools more   
really useful and well-conducted than   
are to be found among  the              
,sabbatarians4 ,in tracing the history  
of our denomination1 there  occur many  
reflections of a pleasant and           
interesting character1  particularly in 
connexion with our missionary efforts4  
,the review of the  fields of labour    
thus occupied would prefigure in a      
remarkable degree  our gradual expansion
 and increase4 ,first we see those good 
old fathers1  over whose graves the     
flowers of centennial summers have      
bloomed and  withered1 making short     
journeys from ,rhode ,island to ,new    
,jersey1 and  perhaps to some parts of  

,pennsylvania4 ,this1 at that time1 was 
missionary ground4 ,subsequently the    
area was extended4 ,where was the       
missionary ground in their youth to     
those venerable men who have grown  gray
 in the service of the sanctuary8 ,in   
the wildly beautiful and  romantic      
region of western ,new ,york and        
,pennsylvania1 where a glorious  harvest
 has arisen as the fruit of their       
labours4 ,then gradually  expanding     
westward1 ,ohio1 ,wisconsin1 and ,iowa1 
became alternately the  theatres of new 
scenes of trial and triumph4 ,intimately
 connected with  the progress of our    
denomination in this region are the     
names of ,rev4 ,l4  ,a4 ,davis and ,rev4
 ,j4 ,l4 ,scott1 both indefatigable     
missionaries1 through  whose            
instrumentality several of these        
churches have been gathered and         
organized4 ,is not our missionary ground
 still expanding8 ,does not the  time   
approach when the broad plains of the   
,missouri will be so occupied8  when the

 region of the ,rocky ,mountains will be
 so occupied8 when ,oregon  and         
,california will be so occupied8 ,does  
it appear impossible or  improbable8    
,all that is necessary for its          
realization1 is the  application of     
means1 and faith in the promises of     
,god4       ,,section ,,ix4 ,,general   
,,summary4    ,the reader who has       
followed me through this brief and      
imperfect sketch  of the history of the 
,seventh-day ,baptist ,denomination1    
cannot fail to  perceive that our       
churches have gradually and healthfully 
increased in  numbers1 notwithstanding  
the continual opposition which is       
manifested to  the cause we advocate1   
and the continual discouragements that  
we have to  encounter both in society   
and business4 ,it is now about one      
hundred and  seventy years since the    
first ,seventh-day ,baptist church was  
organized  in ,america2 and the efforts 
which have been made within the last    
thirty  years have accomplished more to 

advance the interests of the cause than 
what was done for nearly a century and a
 half preceding4 ,this has not  been    
produced by any special excitement1 but 
by increased energy and  courage1 and by
 the multiplication of means for        
disseminating the truth2  and those     
means have but just begun to develope   
their influence4 ,our  ,education1      
,missionary1 and ,tract ,societies are  
yet in their infancy2 our               
denominational paper is only beginning  
to acquire a circulation  corresponding 
to its merits1 indicative to other      
denominations of  ,christians of our    
literary resources1--and yet effects    
that would have  astonished our         
ancestors have been realized4 ,in #ahje1
 we numbered eight  churches1 and about 
one thousand five hundred communicants4 
,twenty-five  years increased that      
number to three thousand four hundred2  
but the five  subsequent years to more  
than four thousand five hundred4 ,in    
#ahdj1 we  numbered a fraction over five

 thousand members1 which in three years 
increased to six thousand4 ,at this     
period1 there are about seven  thousand 
communicants in the connexion4 ,there   
are sixty-five churches  united with the
 ,conference2 sixty ordained ministers1 
and about thirty  licentiates4          
,,recapitulation ,,of ,,churches ,,for  
#ahdi4     ,,eastern ,,association4     
,date of       ,number of               
,designation4                           
,organization4   ,communicants4         
,newport1                       #afga   
#bh   ,first ,hopkinton1                
#agjh             #cdd   ,second        
,hopkinton1              #ahce          
#agc   ,third ,hopkinton1               
#ahce             #aff   ,marlborough1  
#ahaa             #aca   ,new ,york1    
#ahde              #cc   ,piscataway1   
#agjg             #agd   ,pawcatuck1    
#ahdj             #agb   ,plainfield1   
#ahch              #hc   ,richmond1     
#ahdc              #be   ,shiloh1       
#aghg             #bfa   ,south         

,kingston1                #ahdj         
#be   ,waterford1                       
#aghd             #aaj   ,westerly1     
#ahcg              #gb       ,,central  
,,association4     ,adams1              
#ahbb             #bcj   ,first         
,brookfield1              #agig         
#bjj   ,second ,brookfield1             
#ahbc             #aji   ,third         
,brookfield1              #ahbc         
#abh   ,de ,ruyter1                     
#ahjf             #aaa   ,diana1        
#ahdf              #ah   ,hounsfield1   
#ahda              #fe   ,lincklean1    
#ahca             #ajd   ,otselic1      
#ahcj              #ej   ,preston1      
#ahjf              #ha   ,richland1     
#ahde              #ad   ,scott1        
#ahbj             #agf   ,truxton1      
#ahbd              #ea   ,watson1       
#ahda              #ff   ,first ,verona1
                  #ahbj              #gj
   ,second ,verona1                     
#ahcg              #ca   ,berlin1       
#aghd             #bgb   ,petersburg1   

#ahbi             #aji       ,,western  
,,association4     ,amity1              
#ahcd              #bg   ,first ,alfred1
                  #ahaf             #dcg
   ,second ,alfred1                     
#ahca             #bdi   ,clarence1     
#ahbh              #gg   ,friendship1   
#ahbd             #aee   ,first         
,genesee1                 #ahbg         
#aga   ,second ,genesee1                
#ahcd              #fj   ,third         
,genesee1                 #ahdb         
#ci   ,hartsville1                      
#ahdg              #ed   ,hayfield1     
#agga              #he   ,hebron1       
#ahcc              #fa   ,independence1 
#ahcd             #aah   ,pendleton1    
#ahdd              #bj   ,persia1       
#ahcb              #ei   ,scio1         
#ahcd              #dj   ,ulysses1      
#ahde              #ag   ,wirt1         
#ahbg              #cd                  
,,southwestern ,,association4     ,first
 ,hughes ,river1 ,va41       #ahcc      
#ab   ,second ,hughes ,river1 ,va41     

#ahdj               #g   ,new ,salem1   
,va41                #agde              
#ga   ,lost ,creek1 ,va41               
#ahje              #fh   ,jackson1      
,ohio1                 #ahdc            
#dj   ,northampton1 ,ohio1              
#ahcg              #bj   ,port          
,jefferson1 ,ohio1          #ahdj       
#ca   ,sciota1 ,ohio1                   
#ahdb              #bj   ,stokes1 ,ohio1
                  #ahdb              #bb
   ,pike1 ,ohio1                        
#ahbd              #cj   ,madison1 ,ia41
                  #ahdc              #ab
   ,woodbridgetown1 ,pa41               
#aghj               #d                  
,,northwestern ,,association4           
,albion1 ,wis41                  #ahdc  
#ij   ,milton1 ,wis41                   
#ahch             #aab   ,walworth1     
,wis41                #ahdi             
#ba   ,fredonia1 ,ia41                  
#ahdb               #i   ,farmington1   
,ill41              #ahdi               
#af    ,in dating the organization of   

the churches1 ,i have had recourse to   
,clarke's ,history1 and to the old      
,conference ,minutes2 between which and 
the minutes for #ahdi1 ,i discovered    
some discrepancies4 ,should the reader  
wish to institute a comparison between  
my work and other documents1 he  will   
please refer to these sources1 by which1
 for several reasons1 ,i  consider it   
safest to be guided4    ,besides these  
churches1 there are many scattered      
families of  ,sabbath-keepers in        
different parts of the ,union4 ,the     
,rev4 ,isaac ,p4  ,labagh1 a minister of
 eminent ability and attainment1 in     
connexion with  the ,episcopal ,church  
in ,new ,york1 is an observer of the    
,sabbath4    ,,conclusion4    ,it may be
 observed1 in conclusion1 that these    
churches exhibit nothing  peculiar in   
their forms of worship4 ,psalmody is    
universally practised1  and the science 
of vocal music is cultivated in all the 
older churches4    ,previous to #ahbb1  
,rippon's ,collection of ,hymns was     

generally used4 ,about  that time a new 
collection1 designed particularly for   
this denomination1  was made and        
published by a committee appointed for  
that purpose by the  ,general           
,conference4 ,recently that collection  
has been superseded by  another1 which  
is in present use4    ,sabbath schools  
and ,bible classes have been instituted1
 and generally  receive attention in all
 the churches2 and the same may be said 
of  conference and prayer meetings4     
,there are also tract and missionary    
societies within the bosoms of the      
different fraternities1 whose officers  
constitute the board for the            
transaction of business4    #cf ,it is  
questionable1 however1 whether ,mr4     
,jones will be an addition  to our      
society or not1 since he appears to be a
 man of inferior  abilities and         
attainments1 and one disposed to meddle 
with subjects  above his capacity or    
information4    #cg ,in the autumn of   
#ahej ,elder ,rogers was removed by     

death4    #ch ,the large and respectable
 families of the ,swinneys1 ,tomlinsons1
 and  ,thomases1 were among the earliest
 members of the ,shiloh ,church4    #ci 
,since the above was written1 this      
church has been visited by a most       
extraordinary and afflictive            
dispensation of ,providence4 ,elder     
,crandall1  supposed to be labouring    
under a temporary fit of insanity1 put a
 period  to his existence by suspending 
himself from a beam in his barn1 in     
,september1 #ahej4    #dj ,since writing
 the above1 ,i have been verbally       
informed that ,elder  ,joel ,green was  
called to preside over the church at    
,hounsfield1 as  colleague to ,elder    
,william ,green1 to the great           
dissatisfaction of the  latter1 and in  
consequence of which1 such a great      
difficulty arose1 that  the             
ministrations of both were              
suspended1--but ,i will not vouch for   
the  accuracy of this statement4    #da 
,for all the incidents relating to the  

early history of this  organization1 ,i 
am indebted to ,rev4 ,john ,davis1 of   
,shiloh4    #db ,one of these fathers1  
who was considered no mean preacher in  
his  day1 and who was instrumental1 not 
only in organizing1 but in supporting   
and bringing to maturity an infant      
church1 used to remark that he  desired 
no better time for studying a sermon    
than when following the  plough4        
,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,seventh-,,day         
,,baptists ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states1
 ,,continued4       ,,section ,i4 ,,the 
,,keithian ,,seventh-,,day ,,baptists4  
,the ,keithian ,baptists were seceders  
from the ,quakers of ,pennsylvania1  and
 were so called from their leader1 the  
famous ,george ,keith1 who1 in  #afia1  
with forty-eight other individuals1     
withdrew from the communion of  the     
,quakers1 and set up separate meetings  
in different places1 and a  general one 
at ,burlington1 in opposition to that of
 ,philadelphia4  ,subsequently they     
published several works of a            

controversial character1  and finally1  
by resigning themselves to the guidance 
of ,scripture1 they  became altogether  
,baptist in their religious practices4  
,at the time of  this change in their   
denominational character they numbered  
four  churches1 of which one was        
situated at ,upper ,providence1 another 
at  ,philadelphia1 a third at           
,southampton1 and a fourth at ,dublin4  
,these  continued for some time1 but in 
#agjj1 a difference arose among them    
concerning the ,sabbath1 that broke up  
their societies4 ,some of them          
contended rightly that the original     
,sabbath remained unchanged1 and that   
its observance was still incumbent upon 
,christians4 ,the division appears  to  
have been fomented by one ,abel ,noble1 
who1 according to ,morgan  ,edwards1    
came to this country in #afhd1 and who  
appears to have been the  first         
,seventh-day ,baptist in the state of   
,pennsylvania4 ,his name is  found among
 those who1 in #afia1 signed the        

articles of the ,keithian  separation4  
,by him was the first ,keithian baptized
 in #afig1 and by him  were they gained 
over to the observance of the seventh   
day4 ,through his  instrumentality four 
churches of that order were constituted4
 ,the first  at ,newtown1 in ,upper     
,providence1 about twenty-four miles    
from the city  of ,philadelphia4 ,their 
meeting was held at the house of one    
,david  ,thomas4 ,three families        
belonged to this place1 of whom seven   
individuals  were baptized members of   
the church1 in #aggj4    ,another       
society resided at ,pennapack1 in the   
county of ,philadelphia4 ,it  was to    
this society that ,richard ,sparks      
belonged1 and to it he donated  the lot 
of land for a burial-place1 which       
subsequently became the  property of the
 ,shiloh and ,piscataway ,churches4     
,william ,davis was their  minister4 ,he
 was baptized in #afig1 by ,rev4 ,thomas
 ,killingworth1 of  ,cohansey1 now      
,greenwich4 ,in #agja1 they built a     

place for worship in  ,oxford township1 
on a lot given to them by ,thomas       
,graves1 but neglecting  to take a deed 
in due time1 the ,episcopalians         
dispossessed them of both  the house and
 lot4 ,in #agaa1 their preacher1        
,william ,davis1 leaving them1  and no  
one rising to supply the vacancy1 they  
were soon scattered like  sheep without 
a shepherd4 ,the third society of them  
was at ,nottingham1  about fifty miles  
from ,philadelphia4 ,their meetings were
 sometimes held  at the house of        
,abigail ,price1 and at others in the   
dwelling of ,samuel  ,bond1 in the      
contiguous state of ,maryland4 ,the     
,sabbatarian families to  which         
,nottingham was central1 were six1 of   
which eight persons were  baptized4     
,here a yearly meeting was kept during  
the last week in ,august1  #aggj4 ,this 
church originated from the ,keithians at
 ,upper ,providence2 but  being         
destitute of a settled pastor1 it       
received few additions4 ,its most       

influential members were the family of  
,samuel ,bond1 whose son1 ,richard      
,bond1 became subsequently the founder  
of a ,sabbatarian church in  ,virginia4 
,another society of them was in ,east   
,nantmill ,township1 about thirty-two   
miles from ,philadelphia4 ,here was a   
meeting-house1 built in #agfb1 on a  lot
 of one acre square1 the gift of ,david 
,rogers4 ,the ,sabbatarian  families in 
this place were six1 of whom ten        
individuals were baptized4  ,they had no
 settled pastor1 and subsequently they  
removed in a body to  ,french ,creek1   
near ,meadville1 and became the fathers 
of the present  church at ,hayfield4    
,thus it appears that in #aggj there    
were twenty-six  families of            
,sabbatarians in ,pennsylvania1 and     
thirty-one baptized  individuals of that
 order4 ,that they had two yearly       
meetings and one  meeting-house4 ,at    
this time also they had one minister1   
,rev4 ,enoch  ,david4 ,he was born in   
#agah1 at ,duck ,creek1 county of ,kent1

 in the state  of ,delaware2 called to  
the ministry1 at ,welshart1 in #agea2   
and ordained  in #agfi4 ,he was married 
four times1 and became the father of    
nine  children4 ,ebenezer1 his oldest   
son1 was considered a very promising    
young man4 ,he entered ,rhode ,island   
college as a student in #aggj1 and      
became a member of the ,newport ,church 
the same year4 ,he was ordained to  the 
work of the ministry in #agge1 and being
 a young man1 accepted the  office of   
chaplain in the ,american army1 under   
,washington1 where he  remained until   
his death1 in #aggh4 ,he was highly     
esteemed by both  officers and soldiers1
 and afforded every promise of future   
eminence and  usefulness4    ,about this
 time1 ,zedekiah ,david1 with several   
others1 removed to ,fayette  ,county1   
and became the founders of a            
,seventh-day ,baptist church in that    
place1 where ,rev4 ,samuel ,woodbridge  
exercised his ministry for many  years4 
,to his children and to the church in   

this place1 ,rev4 ,enoch ,david  paid a 
visit in the autumn of #agie1 where1    
preaching in the open air1 he  caught a 
violent cold1 which settled on his      
lungs1 and finally  terminated in a     
consumption1 of which he died in the    
seventy-seventh  year of his age1 and   
the fortieth of his ministry4 ,his      
remains were  deposited in the          
burial-place at ,woodbridgetown1 in the 
certain hope of  a joyful resurrection4 
,this venerable man was one of the good 
old ministers of the ancient  school1   
who could preach the truth for its own  
sake1 and who neither  required nor     
expected a salary4 ,he supported his    
numerous family by  working at his      
trade1 that of a tailor4 ,four times he 
was left a  widower1 and each time with 
the care of an infant4 ,he lived to see 
six  of his children consigned to the   
grave4 ,he had an estate of some value  
in the city of ,philadelphia1 which was 
sold at his decease and the  proceeds   
divided among his family4    ,from the  

church in ,east ,nantmill ,township1    
,pennsylvania1 a church was  formed on  
,broad ,river1 in the parish of ,st4    
,mark1 ,south ,carolina1 in  #aged4 ,in 
#aggj1 it had increased to eighteen     
families1 of whom  twenty-four persons  
were baptized4 ,at this time there were 
several  churches of the ,dunker        
,baptists1 in this state1 who observed  
the seventh  day4    ,in #agei1 eight   
families of the ,seventh-day ,baptists  
passed over from  ,south ,carolina1 and 
settled near ,suckaseesing1 in ,georgia4
 ,their leader  was ,richard ,gregory1  
son of ,john ,gregory4 ,another of their
 preachers was  named ,clayton4 ,after  
remaining here about five years1 the    
whole company  returned to ,edisto1 in  
,south ,carolina4    ,it is believed    
that these churches have been for a long
 time extinct4       ,,section ,,ii4 ,a 
,,general ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,german 
,,seventh-,,day ,,baptists4    ,the     
,reformation in ,germany and ,holland   
was productive of great and  glorious   

effects1 although it was not complete4  
,errors in doctrine1  nearly or quite as
 incongruous with ,scripture as those   
abandoned1 were  retained2 ceremonies1  
nearly equal in absurdity to those      
prohibited1  were still celebrated2 and 
persecutions1 exhibiting more similarity
 to  the practices of ,papacy than to   
the meekness and quietude of pure       
,christianity1 were still prosecuted4   
,the ,reformation required to be        
reformed1 and of this many pious and    
holy men were aware4 ,at length1 in     
#afid1 a violent controversy arose in   
nearly all the ,protestant churches  of 
those two countries1 in consequence of  
the attempts which were being  made to  
promote a practical and vital religion4 
,at this time the pious  ,spener was    
ecclesiastical superintendent of the    
court of ,saxony4 ,he was  likewise at  
the head of the party distinguished for 
its advocacy of  reformatory measures4  
,however1 neither his dignified and     
important  station1 nor the fact that   

the tenets of his followers were        
predicated  upon scripture according to 
its literal interpretation1 could       
preserve  them from falling under the   
odium of heresy1 and incurring the      
effects  of a virulent opposition4      
,their doctrines were examined by the   
ecclesiastical dignitaries1 who1 instead
 of instituting a comparison  between   
them and ,holy ,writ1 sought to discover
 whether or not they were  conformable  
to the tenets deemed orthodox by the    
,consistory of  ,wittemberg4 ,the       
decision was in the negative2 hence they
 were suppressed  in their public       
lectures and ministrations4 ,this       
prohibition1 while it  shut up churches1
 and hushed the eloquence of public     
lecturers1 savoured  of persecution1 and
 consequently excited a spirit of       
inquiry in the  minds of the multitude4 
,in such cases as this1 reverend divines
 would  consult their own interest by   
bestowing greater attention upon the    
study  of human nature4 ,persecution    

agitates the public mind1 excites the   
sympathy of some1 the curiosity of all1 
and promulgates the very  sentiments it 
is endeavouring to restrain4 ,besides1  
persecutors are not  omniscient1        
conventicles will be held1 and to their 
other charms that of  secrecy is then   
added4 ,in the year #agjh1 ,alexander   
,mack1 of ,schriesheim1  and seven      
others in ,schwartzenen1 ,germany1 met  
together1 regularly to  examine1 in a   
careful and impartial manner1 the       
doctrines of the ,new  ,testament1 in   
order to ascertain what obligations it  
imposes upon  professing ,christians4   
,these inquiries terminated in the      
formation of  the society now called the
 ,dunkers1 or ,first-day ,german        
,baptists4  ,persecution1 while it      
scattered them1 likewise led to the     
dissemination  of their doctrines2 some 
were driven to ,crefelt1 in the ,duchy  
of ,cleves1  and the mother church      
voluntarily removed to ,sevustervin1 in 
,friesland1  whence its members         

emigrated to ,america in #agai1 and     
dispersed to  different parts of        
,pennsylvania4 ,in #agbc1 they formed a 
church at  ,germantown1 under the       
pastoral care of ,peter ,becker4 ,the   
rapid growth of  this church has rarely 
been excelled1 and it received continual
  accessions of new members from the    
banks of the ,wissahickon1 and from     
,lancaster ,county4 ,in this county1    
another community was soon after        
established by ,conrad ,beissel1 a      
native of ,germany4 ,he was a man of    
eminent piety and ability1 much given to
 metaphysical speculations1 and         
distinguished for his love of solitude4 
,being determined to seek out the  true 
obligations of the ,word of ,god1       
independent of all preconceived         
opinions and traditional observances1 he
 was soon led to perceive that  the     
sentiments of the ,dunkers were         
erroneous so far as they related to  the
 day designed to be hallowed as the     
,sabbath4 ,it appeared evident to  him  

that the seventh day was the command of 
the ,lord ,god1 and that day  being     
established and sanctified by the ,great
 ,jehovah1 for ever1 and no  change1 nor
 authority for change1 ever having been 
announced to man1 by  any power         
sufficient to set aside the solemn      
decree of the ,almighty1 he  felt it to 
be his duty to contend for the          
observance of that day4 ,these  opinions
 he maintained1 not only in many        
eloquent discourses1 but1 about  the    
year #agbe1 he published a short        
treatise which entered into a full  and 
very able discussion of this point4 ,the
 publication of this tract  formed1 in  
more ways than one1 an epoch in the     
community1 and created so  much stir and
 excitement among the ,society at ,mill 
,creek1 that ,beissel  quietly retired  
from the settlement1 and took up his    
abode in a small  cell on the banks of  
the ,cocalico1 which had been occupied  
previously by  one ,elimelech1 an       
anchorite4 ,here1 retired from all the  

world1 he  sought1 by prayer1 fasting1  
and meditation1 to converse with        
superior  intelligences1 and to perfect 
himself in holy knowledge4 ,but the     
community that had opposed his fervent  
and spiritual teachings when  present1  
found his absence a great deprivation1  
and although many  inquiries were made1 
it was a long time before the place of  
his  retirement became known4 ,by this  
time many members of the society at     
,mill ,creek had become convinced of the
 truth of his proposition relative  to  
the ,sabbath1 who now removed and       
settled around him in solitary          
cottages4 ,they rested from secular     
labours and celebrated the public       
services of religion upon the original  
,sabbath1 the seventh day of the  week1 
which has ever since been observed by   
their descendants4    ,in #agbh1 they   
resolved themselves into an             
ecclesiastical body1 and a  monastic    
society was instituted in #agcb1 for the
 accommodation of which  suitable       

buildings were erected4 ,other buildings
 were likewise erected  by the          
community1 and all together constituted 
the irregular1 yet lovely  village of   
,ephrata4 ,both men and women were      
admitted into the convent1  and both    
appear to have been singularly attached 
to the monastic state4  ,they wore the  
habit of the ,capuchins1 or ,white      
,friars1 which consisted  of a shirt1   
trowsers and vest1 with a long white    
gown and cowl1 of  woollen web in       
winter1 and linen in the summer4 ,that  
of the sisters  differed only in the    
substitution of skirts for trowsers1 and
 some  slight peculiarities in the form 
of the cap4 ,all who entered the        
cloister received monastic names4 ,their
 first ,prior was ,onesimus1  7,israel  
,eckerlin17 who was succeeded by ,peter 
,miller1 surnamed ,jabez4  ,beissel1    
whose monastic name was ,friedsam1      
received the title of                   
,father--spiritual father1--and         
subsequently that of ,gottrecht1        

implying  together1 ,peaceable          
,god-right1 from the brethren of the    
community4 ,in  the year #agdj1 there   
were thirty-six single brethren in the  
cloister1  and thirty-five sisters2 and 
at one time the society1 including the  
members living in the neighbourhood1    
amounted to near three hundred4  ,the   
government and arrangement of this      
little community were perfectly         
republican1 and all the members stood   
upon the most fraternal equality  and   
freedom4 ,they were bound by no vows1   
neither had they any written  covenant4 
,the ,new ,testament was their          
confession of faith1 their code of      
laws1 and their rule of discipline4     
,such property as accumulated with  the 
society1 by donation and from the labour
 of the single brethren and  sisters1   
was held as common stock1 but none were 
obliged to devote their  personal       
property to this purpose or to resign   
any of their temporal  possessions4 ,a  
considerable income was derived from the

 farm1 which1  with the proceeds of the 
grist-mill1 paper-mill1 oil-mill1       
fulling-mill1  and the industry of the  
brethren and sisters1 sufficed to       
support the  society in a comfortable   
manner4    ,the principles of this      
society appear to have been             
superficially  understood and partially 
represented by most writers upon the    
subject1  although there is nothing     
about them mysterious or intricate4     
,they receive the ,bible as the only    
rule of faith1 covenant1 and code of    
laws for church government4 ,they do not
 admit the least license with the       
letter and spirit of the ,scripture1    
especially with the ,new ,testament1  do
 not allow one tittle to be added or    
rejected in the administration of  the  
ordinances1 but practise them precisely 
as they are instituted and  made an     
example by ,jesus ,christ in his word4  
,they believe in the divinity of our    
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and the trinity   
of the ,godhead2 having unfurled this   

distinctive banner on the first  page of
 a hymn book which they had printed for 
the society as early as  #agci1 viz43   
',there are three that bear record in   
heaven1 the ,father1 the  ,word1 and the
 ,holy ,ghost2 and these three are one4 
,and there are three  that bear witness 
on earth1 the ,spirit1 and the water1   
and the blood2  and these three agree in
 one4'    ,they believe that salvation  
is of grace1 and not of works2 and they 
rely solely on the merits and atonement 
of ,christ4 ,they believe1 also1  that  
that atonement is sufficient for every  
creature2 that ,christ died  for all who
 will call upon his name1 and offer     
fruits meet for  repentance2 and that   
all who come to ,christ are drawn of the
 ,father4    ,they contend for the      
observance of the original ,sabbath1    
believing that  it requires an authority
 equal to that of the ,great ,institutor
 to change  any of his decrees4 ,they   
maintain1 that as he blessed and        
sanctified  that day for ever1 which has

 never been abrogated in his word1 nor  
any  scripture to be found to warrant   
that construction2 it is still as       
binding as it was when it was reiterated
 amid the thunders of ,mount  ,sinai4   
,to alter so positive and hallowed a    
commandment of the ,almighty1  they     
consider would require an explicit edict
 from the ,great ,jehovah4 ,it  was not 
foretold by any of the prophets1 that   
with the new dispensation  there would  
be any change in the ,sabbath or any of 
the commandments4  ,christ1 who declared
 himself the ,lord of the ,sabbath1     
observed the  seventh day1 and made it  
the day for his special ministrations2  
nor did  he authorize any change4 ,the  
,apostles have not assumed to do away   
the  original ,sabbath1 or give any     
command to substitute the first for the 
seventh day4    ,they hold to ,apostolic
 baptism--and administer trine          
immersion1 with the  laying on of hands 
and prayer while the recipient yet      
remains kneeling  in the water4    ,they

 celebrate the ,lord's ,supper at night1
 washing1 at the same time1  each       
other's feet1 agreeably to his command  
and example4 ,this is  attended to in   
the evening after the close of the      
,sabbath--the ,sabbath  terminating at  
sunset of the seventh day2 thus making  
the supper an  imitation of that        
instituted by ,christ1 and resembling   
also the meeting  of the ,apostles on   
the first day to break bread1 which has 
produced much  confusion in some minds  
in regard to the proper day to be       
observed4    ,although celibacy was     
neither enforced nor required1 it was   
considered a  virtue4 ,there was no     
prohibition of marriage or of legalized 
sexual  intercourse1 as many writers    
have erroneously stated1 but when two   
concluded to be joined in wedlock1 they 
were assisted by the society4  ,they    
conceived with ,paul1 whose opinion and 
practice does not find many  clerical   
imitators at the present day1 that      
celibacy was more conducive  to a holy  

life4 ,there are many passages of       
,scripture to that effect1  which they1 
unlike the ministers of other           
,protestant denominations1 kept  in     
perpetual remembrance4 ,he that is      
unmarried1 careth for the things  that  
belong to the ,lord1 how he may please  
the ,lord2 but he that is  married      
careth for the things of the world1 how 
he may please his wife4  ,there is this 
difference between a wife and a virgin4 
,the unmarried  woman careth for the    
things of the ,lord1 that she may be    
holy both in  body and in spirit2 but   
she that is married careth for the      
things of the  world1 how she may please
 her husband4 ,i say therefore to the   
unmarried  and widows1 it is good for   
them if they abide even as ,i4 ,they    
likewise1  and1 in my opinion1 truly    
considered that those who sacrificed    
conjugal  endearments for ,christ's     
sake1 were better fitted for1 and will  
enjoy  the highest places in glory4     
,hear the sublime language of the       

,revelator3  ,i looked up1 and lo1 a    
,lamb stood on ,mount ,zion1 and with   
him an  hundred and forty and four      
thousand1 having his ,father's name     
written in  their foreheads4 ,and ,i    
heard a voice from heaven as the voice  
of many  waters1 and as the voice of a  
great thunder2 and ,i heard the voice of
  harpers harping with their harps2 and 
they sung as it were a new song  before 
the throne1 and before the four beasts  
and the elders2 and no man  could learn 
that song but the hundred and forty and 
four thousand1 which  were redeemed from
 the earth4 ,these are they that are not
 defiled with  women2 for they are      
virgins4 ,these are they which follow   
the ,lamb  whithersoever he goeth4      
,these were redeemed from among men1    
being the  first fruits unto ,god and   
the ,lamb4 ,this idea was fondly        
cherished1 and  continually inculcated4 
,it formed the foundation of the        
monastic  institution at ,ephrata1 whose
 support and prosperity was entirely    

dependent on its being properly         
appreciated4 ,it formed the subject of  
many an eloquent harangue1 the theme of 
many a pleasant song1 the object  around
 which the holiest memories gathered1   
and with which the sweetest             
associations were combined4 ,it was     
sedulously kept before them by their    
ministers and teachers in its most      
favourable light1 and all the  scripture
 susceptible of this application1 which 
was not a little1 was  brought to excite
 their enthusiasm1 and to inspire them  
with  faithfulness and perseverance4 ,it
 promised capabilities for the divine   
life which others could not possess1 and
 held out to their enraptured           
imaginations the brighter rewards of    
heaven4    ,their ministers never       
received a stated salary4 ,in their     
opinion the  ,gospel was destined to be 
free1 without money and without price1  
and  they thought that every one called 
to preach the word1 should do it from   
the love of the cause1 and in this      

matter1 as in that of celibacy1 to      
follow the advice and example of ,paul4 
,nevertheless1 their ministers  were    
always well supplied with such          
necessaries as the brethren  themselves 
enjoyed4 ,individual members gave as    
presents whatever they  could           
conveniently spare1 in money1 goods1 and
 the like2 and whenever  the minister   
travelled for religious purposes1 he was
 supplied from the  treasury to bear his
 expenses4    ,this is not the place1   
neither am ,i disposed to institute any 
comparison  between the doctrines of the
 ,scripture1 according to its literal   
interpretation1 and the great and       
leading tenets of the ,german           
,seventh-day ,baptists of ,pennsylvania4
 ,however1 it is evident1 from the  most
 casual observation1 that few religious 
communities have adhered  more closely  
to the letter and language of ,holy     
,writ1 have been more  scrupulous about 
conformity to worldly opinions and      
practices1 or have  given1 in their     

conduct1 a more faithful and practical  
exemplification  of ,christianity4      
,their peculiarities sprung1 likewise1  
from the same  source as many of their  
virtues2 and these will be adverted to  
in  replying to the charges of error    
which have been urged against them1     
with more gravity than truth1 by many   
writers1 who were1 probably1  offended  
by the pure and primitive simplicity of 
their tenets and  habits4    ,it is not 
necessary to attempt a full exposition  
of their peculiar  views1 or to describe
 the minuti of the manner in which they 
perform  the ceremonies and ordinances  
of religion4 ,however1 in their regular 
worship1 they commence with singing2    
then prayers1 the assembly  kneeling2   
then singing again2 after which the     
minister requests any  brother to read a
 chapter out of the ,scriptures1 which  
they are at  liberty to choose from     
either the ,old or the ,new ,testament4 
,this the  minister expounds1 tracing   
its bearings and historical connexions  

with  the other parts of the ,bible4    
,then the exhorters enforce the duties  
it  inculcates2 and should any brother  
or single sister be able to improve  the
 subject to the edification of the      
others1 or to make any remarks  relative
 to the topic1 there is perfect liberty 
for such an expression4  ,prayer and    
singing1 with the reading of a psalm1   
conclude the  service1--than which      
nothing can be more solemn and          
impressive4    ,ignorance1 in a writer1 
is nearly or quite as culpable as       
misrepresentation2 for no one has any   
right to assume the  responsibilities of
 the historian1 without first making    
himself the  master of his subject4 ,by 
a contrary course1 he may inadvertently 
expose  the most innocent and virtuous  
community to the reprobation and        
ridicule  of contemporaries1 and the    
abhorrence of posterity4 ,few societies 
have  suffered more in their reputation 
from ignorant and unprincipled  authors1
 than the society of ,ephrata2 others1  

however1 have borne  honourable         
testimony to its merits4    ,the account
 of their sentiments in ,buck's         
,theological ,dictionary1 is a  tissue  
of misrepresentation and calumny1       
unworthy a place in such a  work4 ,we   
are there told that their principal     
tenets appear to be these3  that future 
happiness is only obtained by penance   
and outward  mortification in this life2
 and that ,jesus ,christ1 by his        
meritorious  sufferings1 became the     
,redeemer of mankind in general1 so that
 each  individual of the human race1 by 
a life of abstinence and restraint1 may 
work out his own salvation4 ,nay1 they  
go so far as to admit of works of       
supererogation1 and declare that a man  
may do much more than he is in  justice 
or equity bound to do1 and that his     
superabundant works may  therefore be   
applied to the salvation of others4     
,this1 as well as the  accounts given of
 them in many other ,english books1 is a
 gross  falsehood4 ,gordon's ,gazetteer 

of ,pennsylvania is almost equally      
reprehensible1 as the account which it  
contains was first published by  the    
,historical ,society of ,pennsylvania1  
and contains many erroneous  charges1   
that are entirely without foundation1   
and could only have  originated in gross
 ignorance or shameful wickedness4      
,among other  misrepresentations1 the   
good and devout founder is declared to  
have been  a crafty and designing       
usurper of ecclesiastical authority1 and
 as  assuming honours and titles4 ,these
 statements are utterly unfounded4      
,beissel had been educated in the       
,calvinistic faith1 but perceiving its  
dissimilarity to the word of ,god1 as   
respects church government1  ministerial
 salaries1 and other things of a like   
nature1 he emigrated to  ,america in    
order to enjoy liberty of conscience1   
and he left the society  of ,dunkers at 
,mill ,creek1 because his peculiarities 
relative to the  ,sabbath created some  
dissension4 ,it is true that he was     

drawn from his  seclusion1 but it is no 
less true1 that the people whom he had  
forsaken1  sought him out and came and  
settled around him1 entreating his      
ministry4  ,after this time he devoted  
his whole time1 life1 and property to   
advance  the welfare of the society1    
giving the management of the secular    
affairs  entirely into the hands of     
others1 while he gave his attention     
wholly to  instructing the people in the
 word of life4 ,the doctrine of celibacy
  which he taught was no new-fangled    
idea1 being quite as old as the time  of
 the ,apostle ,paul4 ,he received the   
title of ,father1 and ,gottrecht1  from 
the brethren1 instead of presumptuously 
assuming them himself4    ,in their     
habits of life1 they have been equally  
misrepresented4 ,they are  not          
accustomed to wear long beards1 as is   
frequently said of them1  neither did   
the rules of the society forbid meat for
 the purpose of  mortifying the natural 
appetite1 or require them to repose on  

wooden  benches with billets of wood for
 pillows1 as acts of penance4           
,nevertheless they did so1 but their    
conduct admits of a different           
explanation4 ,they practised austerity  
from considerations of economy4  ,with  
limited means and restricted            
circumstances they had undertaken an    
expensive enterprise4 ,hence1 all their 
arrangements1 though  distinguished for 
neatness1 were extremely simple4 ,wooden
 flagons1  wooden goblets1 and wooden   
trays were used in the administration of
 the  sacrament1 and although they have 
been presented with richer and  costlier
 ones1 the same service is still in use4
 ,their domestic and  kitchen utensils  
were likewise made of wood4 ,the plates 
off which they  ate1 were thin          
octangular pieces of poplar boards4     
,their forks and  candlesticks1 and     
indeed every article that could be1 were
 made of that  material4 ,subsequently1 
when they were relieved from the burdens
 of  their expensive enterprise1 they   

generally enjoyed the cot for nightly   
repose1 and partook1 though in the most 
moderate and temperate manner1  of the  
comforts1 and even some of the luxuries 
of life4 ,temperance  societies had not 
been instituted1 but there were no      
ardent spirits  used in building the    
whole village1 although the timber was  
hewn and all  the boards sawn by hand   
during the winter months4 ,the society  
was a  social community1 organized for  
mutual support and assistance4 ,its     
members were distinguished for kindness1
 hospitality1 and promptness in         
affording relief to the suffering1      
whatever might be their character or    
denomination4 ,the following account of 
them is taken from a work1  entitled the
 ,journal of an ,officer1 which was     
published in #aghd4 ,he  says1 ,i came  
among this people by accident1 but ,i   
left them with  regret4 ,i have found   
out1 however1 that appearances may be   
delusive1 and  that where we expected to
 meet with a cold reservedness1 we may  

sometimes be surprised by exhibitions of
 the most charming affability  and      
disinterested benevolence4 ,they all    
acted the part of the good  ,samaritan  
to me1 for which ,i hope to be ever     
grateful2 and while  experiencing the   
benefits of their kindnesses and        
attentions1 witnessing  the sympathies  
and emotions expressed in their         
countenances1 and  listening to the     
words of hope and pity with which they  
consoled the  poor sufferers1 is it     
strange that1 under such circumstances1 
their  uncouth garments appeared more   
beautiful in my eyes than ever did the  
richest robes of fashion1 and their     
cowls more becoming than  head-dresses  
adorned with diamonds1 and flowers1 and 
feathers8 ,until ,i  entered the walls  
of ,ephrata1 ,i had no idea of pure and 
practical  ,christianity4 ,not that ,i  
was ignorant of the forms1 or even of   
the  doctrines of religion4 ,i knew it  
in theory before2 ,i saw it in practice 
then4    ,many a poor wounded soldier   

will carry to his grave the sweet       
remembrance of those gentle sisters1 who
 watched so patiently by his  side1     
supported his fainting head1            
administered the healing draught1 and   
cheered him with both earthly and       
heavenly hopes4 ,what mattered it to    
him that their words were couched in an 
unknown dialect2 he read their  meaning 
in the deep1 earnest1 liquid eyes4      
,eternity likewise will bear a  glorious
 testimony to the labour of the ,prior1 
who could converse in the  ,english     
language4 ,many a poor fellow1 who      
entered there profane1  immoral1 and    
without hope or ,god in the world1 left 
it rejoicing in the  ,saviour4    ,this 
officer had been wounded in the battle  
of ,brandywine1 and had been1  with many
 of his comrades1 despatched to the     
hospital at ,ephrata4 ,i  shall allude  
to this circumstance again4 ,morgan     
,edwards bears the  following testimony 
of this people4    ,from their recluse  
and ascetic habits1 sour aspects and    

rough manners  might be expected2 but on
 the contrary1 a smiling innocence and  
meekness  grace their countenances1 and 
a softness of tone and accent adorns    
their  conversation1 and makes their    
deportment gentle and obliging4 ,their  
singing is charming1 partly owing to the
 pleasantness of their voices1  the     
variety of the parts they carry on      
together1 and the devout manner  of the 
performance4 ,the following character of
 ,beissel is derived from  the same     
source4    ,he was very strict in his   
morals1 and practised self-denial to an 
uncommon degree4 ,enthusiastic and      
whimsical he certainly was1 but an      
apparent devoutness and sincerity ran   
through all his oddities4 ,he was  not  
an adept in any of the liberal arts and 
sciences except music1 in  which he     
excelled4 ,he composed and set to music1
 in two1 four1 five and  seven parts1 a 
volume of hymns1 and another of anthems4
 ,he left behind  him several books in  
manuscript1 curiously written and       

embellished1 and  likewise published    
several other works4 ,one writer has    
observed1 that  the sisters apparently  
took little delight in their state of   
single  blessedness1 as two only1 7aged 
and ill-favoured ones1 we may suppose17 
remained steadfast in the renunciation  
of marriage4 ,this invidious  remark is 
entirely unfounded2 for though they were
 not required to  renounce matrimony on 
entering the cloister1 only four or five
 of the  whole number that were received
 in it as inmates1 during the period of 
one hundred and ten years1 left and were
 married4 ,one of these became  the wife
 of a gentleman of ,philadelphia1 and   
afterwards1 amid the cares  and burdens 
of a large family1 she regretted her    
change exceedingly1 as  did all the     
others who were induced to leave the    
stille einsamkeit4  ,the others remained
 steadfast in their state of single     
blessedness1 and  now1 with the         
exception of those remaining in the     
convent1 lie beside  each other in the  

beautiful cemetery in the foreground of 
the village4  ,these gratuitous         
aspersions would be passed over with the
 silence they  deserve1 were it not that
 a fresh currency has been given to them
 by a  late popular work4 ,they have    
likewise been charged with denying the  
doctrine of original sin1 and the       
eternity of punishment4 ,they do not    
indeed believe that every individual of 
mankind is included in the  condemnation
 of ,adam1 for many who are born1 die   
without sinning2 but  they admit that in
 the fall of ,adam1 all disposition to  
good was lost1  and that the whole race 
inherit a natural innate depravity1     
which will  lead them to sin1 and prove 
their sure condemnation1 unless they    
repent  and are born again of the ,holy 
,spirit4 ,beissel wrote a most curious  
and  ingenious treatise upon this       
subject1 in which he enters into long   
disquisitions on the nature and         
intellectual capabilities of ,adam in   
his  primeval state of innocence4 ,he   

then explains in what manner he was     
affected by the fall1 and with it       
elucidates many passages of scripture1  
which have escaped the attention of men 
of more erudition1 but less  profundity 
of penetration and genius4 ,his views1  
however1 though deep  and ingenious1 are
 somewhat mysterious1 and would1 in the 
present day1  be considered as little   
better than the hypothetical            
speculations of an  overwrought         
imagination4 ,however1 there is nothing 
that can be construed  as denying the   
doctrine of human depravity1 and the    
woeful consequences  that the fall of   
,adam has entailed upon his posterity1  
unless each one  be regenerated by the  
sanctifying influences of the ,spirit of
 ,grace4  ,they never received the      
doctrine of universal salvation in the  
usual  acceptation of that term4 ,they  
believe in the sure reward of submission
  and obedience to the requisitions of  
,god1 through faith in ,christ1 but     
they teach likewise1 that the wages of  

sin is death1 death to  holiness1 and   
exclusion from the joys of heaven and   
the presence of the  ,lord4 ,it is not  
to be denied that the idea of a         
universal restoration of  all things was
 cherished by some of them in former    
days1 and that it was  based upon       
several passages of ,scripture1         
particularly the fifteenth  chapter of  
the first epistle to the ,corinthians1  
and the twentieth  chapter of the       
,revelations4 ,nevertheless it was never
 taught as a  doctrine1 but was treated 
with the greatest caution and delicacy  
by the  pastor1 and aged members1 in    
private circles1 and was always         
accompanied  by expressions of the      
necessity of making their calling and   
election  sure1 that thereby they might 
be prepared to participate in the first 
resurrection4 ,many of the brethren were
 no less distinguished for high         
literary attainments than for piety1 and
 they established a school at a  very   
early period which afforded every       

facility for the acquisition of         
classical and scientific education1 and 
which gained for itself so  honourable a
 reputation1 that many young men from   
the first families of  ,baltimore and   
,philadelphia were sent here to be      
educated4 ,a ,sabbath  school was       
likewise instituted1 which afforded the 
best facilities for  moral and religious
 instruction4 ,it flourished many years1
 and was  attended by important         
consequences4 ,the minds of the juvenile
 population  were excited to a state of 
religious inquiry1 which increased to   
what  would be termed1 in these days1 a 
powerful revival1 accompanied by the    
most intense excitement4 ,the scholars  
met together1 before and after  common  
school hours1 for prayer and            
exhortation1 but their zeal1 at  least  
in the minds of the older brethren1 ran 
into excess1 which induced  ,beissel to 
discourage the enterprise1 and also to  
object to the erection  of a building1  
which was already commenced1 for the    

especial use of the  school1 to be      
called ,succoth4 ,this ,sabbath school  
had been instituted  under the following
 circumstances4 ,ludwig ,hcker1 or      
,brother ,obed1 as he  was designated1  
who was the teacher of the common       
school1 perceiving  that many of the    
indigent children were kept from regular
 attendance by  necessary employments   
during the week1 projected the plan of  
holding a  school in the afternoon of   
the ,sabbath1 where instruction would be
  administered to those of all          
circumstances4 ,it is not known1 neither
 is  it material1 in what year the      
,sabbath school was commenced4 ,hcker   
took  up his residence at ,ephrata in   
the year #agci1 and it is presumed that 
he  commenced the enterprise soon after4
 ,by reference to the minutes of the    
,society1 we find that the materials for
 the building were provided in  #agdi4  
,after the battle of ,brandywine1 the   
,sabbath school-room1 with  others1 was 
turned into a hospital1 which it        

continued to be for some  time4 ,the    
school thus broken up1 was never        
afterwards resumed4 ,the  honour of     
having projected and successfully       
introduced the present  general system  
of ,sunday ,school instruction1 is      
certainly due to ,robert  ,raikes2 but  
the ,seventh-day ,baptists of ,ephrata  
had established and  maintained in      
operation for upwards of thirty years1 a
 ,sabbath school1  nearly half a century
 before one was opened by the           
,gloucester  philanthropist4    ,in     
#aggg1 the ,society began to decline1   
but the declension cannot justly  be    
attributed to the causes which some     
writers have erroneously stated4        
,beissel died in #agfh1 and his         
successor1 ,peter ,miller1 was a man of 
much  higher attainments and more       
eminent mental powers4 ,indeed1 ,miller 
had  the principal management of the    
establishment during ,beissel's time1   
and  to his extraordinary abilities the 
early prosperity of the institution  is 

mainly imputable4 ,its decline1 however1
 can be rationally accounted  for1      
without supposing either incapability or
 degeneracy in those who  were intrusted
 with the direction of its affairs1     
especially when we  take into           
consideration the great changes in      
politics and government  that           
transpired1 and the consequent          
alterations in public sentiment4 ,the   
seventeenth century was prolific in     
monastic institutions1 of which this    
was one2 and the feelings and motives   
that animated its founders were         
decidedly ,european4 ,during the first  
fifty years from the establishment  of  
,ephrata1 a remarkable progress was made
 in liberal opinions1 and with  the     
march of intellect and politics1        
different opinions with regard to       
religious institutions were also        
entertained4 ,it was commenced as a     
social community1 and as such it        
succeeded admirably1 and was adapted to 
every purpose of life1 when surrounded  

by a howling wilderness1 filled  with   
wild beasts1 and wilder inhabitants2 but
 when the hand of  improvement had      
turned the forests into fields smiling  
with plenty1 and  the neighbouring      
country became filled with a dense and  
promiscuous  population1 it appeared    
evident to all that it was not          
compatible with  the circumstances of   
the times1 or the spirit of the age4    
,besides this1  its members were exposed
 to incessant persecutions1 and were    
kept in  perpetual contentions and      
turmoils by their envious neighbours1   
which1  of themselves1 were enough to   
have produced a declension in the       
,society4    ,the community at ,ephrata 
still comprises a small band who retain 
the  principles and manners of their    
forefathers1 and who meet regularly to  
worship ,god on the evenings and        
mornings of their ,sabbaths4 ,but       
although  they have the forms1 they are 
without the spirit or the zeal of their 
ancestors4 ,in ancient times they had   

bestowed upon them in ridicule the      
epithet of ,zealots4 ,zeal1 however1    
when it is according to knowledge1  is  
commendable2 under any circumstances it 
is preferable to  indifference4         
,christianity without zeal is like the  
body without life1  and it is an honour 
to any denomination to receive1 even in 
ridicule1 a  title designative of       
faithfulness and activity4 ,ephrata     
would be a  paradise now as it was in   
former days1 did its inhabitants        
possess1 in  the same degree1 that      
desirable quality which those of old    
possessed1  and for which they were     
stigmatized4 ,yet in this zeal there was
 neither  noise nor display4 ,it was not
 the occasional gleam of the meteor1 but
  the pure1 steady1 unchangeable light  
of the pole-star1 so quiet and          
all-absorbing1 in which the world1 with 
its pomps and vanities1 was  sacrificed 
upon the altar of pure and constant     
devotion4 ,they lived and  moved in the 
world1 performed the routine of all the 

duties devolving  upon them1 and        
cherished the highest and holiest       
affections2 but their  treasures and    
their hearts were centred in heaven4    
,could they stoop to  quaff from the    
springs of earth1 who had once slaked   
their thirst at the  fountains of       
immortality8 could those ears be        
delighted with terrestrial  songs1 that 
had once been ravished by the           
unimaginable harmonics of the  upper    
world8 ,how would they thirst and long  
for another draught6 ,how  would they   
wait and listen to catch another echo6  
,and how would the  ignorant world      
deride their enthusiasm and mock their  
zeal6 ,of those  who1 at ,ephrata1 were 
derided as zealots and enthusiasts1 ,mr4
 ,winchester  makes the following       
declaration3 ,god will always have a    
visible people  upon earth1 and these   
7speaking of the ,society at ,ephrata71 
are his  people at present1 above any   
other in the world4 ,they walk in all   
the  commandments and ordinances of the 

,lord blameless1 both in public and     
private4 ,they bring up their children  
7alluding to the married members71  in  
the nurture and admonition of the ,lord2
 no noise1 rudeness1 shameless  mirth1  
loud laughter1 is heard within their    
doors4 ,the law of kindness  is in their
 mouths2 no sourness or moroseness      
disgraces their religion1  and          
whatsoever they believe their ,saviour  
teaches1 they practise1  without        
inquiring or regarding what others do4  
,they read much2 they sing  and pray    
much2 they are constant attendants upon 
the worship of ,god2  their             
dwelling-houses are all houses of       
prayer4    ,although ,ephrata has       
degenerated--is now spiritually         
dead--the truth has  not become extinct1
 but is still extending4 ,from this     
parent society  several branches have   
originated4 ,one in ,bedford ,county was
 founded in  #agec1 which is still in a 
flourishing situation4 ,another in ,york
 ,county1  about fifteen miles from the 

town of ,york1 was founded on the       
,bermudian  ,creek1 in #ageh1 of which  
some of the members remain1 although    
they have  been without a leader for    
many years4 ,a third branch was         
established at  ,snowhill1 in ,franklin 
,county1 under the superintendence of   
,peter ,lehman  and ,andrew ,snowberger1
 where the greatest part of the ,society
 are still  resident4 ,besides these1   
there are other smaller branches in     
,western  ,pennsylvania4       ,,section
 ,,iii4 ,,particular ,,history ,,of     
,,the ,,german ,,seventh-,,day          
,,baptists ,,of   ,,pennsylvania4       
,ephrata is located in the interior of  
the state of ,pennsylvania1 and is  one 
of its earliest settlements4 ,few places
 in ,america are hallowed by  more      
interesting associations1 and none      
perhaps are connected with an           
institution of such a peculiar character
 and ancient establishment4 ,it         
occupies a pleasant position in         
,cocalico ,township1 ,lancaster ,county1

 at  the intersection of the ,reading   
,road with the ,downingtown and         
,harrisburg  ,turnpike1 sixty miles     
northwest of ,philadelphia1 thirteen    
northeast from  ,lancaster1 and         
thirty-eight from ,harrisburg4 ,at      
present this name is  applied to the    
vicinity of ,ephrata proper for at least
 a mile along the  turnpike1 making     
,cocalico ,creek the centre4 ,thus      
considered1 it contains  many dwellings1
 several stores1 two taverns1 and a     
paper mill4 ,new  ,ephrata is a small   
village1 about a mile further west on   
the turnpike4    ,ephrata proper is an  
irregular enclosed village1 lying in a  
triangle  formed by the turnpike1 the   
old ,reading ,road1 and the ,cocalico   
,creek1  and belongs entirely to a      
,seventh-day ,baptist community4 ,it    
contains the  first ,protestant         
monastery established in ,america1 and  
several other  buildings for the        
accommodation of the ,society2 to which 
is attached and  belongs a farm         

containing one hundred and forty acres  
of land1 with a  grist and saw mill4    
,the post-office bearing this name is   
situated half a  mile from the original 
village4    ,kedar and ,zion1 a         
meeting-house and convent1 were the     
first buildings of  consequence erected 
by the ,society4 ,they were located in a
 pleasant  situation1 on a hill called  
,mount ,zion4 ,in the meadow below1     
larger  accommodations were subsequently
 erected1 comprising a sisters' house1  
called ,saron1 to which a large chapel  
is attached1 with a ,saal1 where  are   
held the ,agapas or love-feasts4 ,they  
likewise erected a brothers'  house1    
called ,bethania1 with which was        
connected the large meeting-room  with  
galleries1 in which the whole ,society  
assembled for public worship1  in the   
times of their prosperity4 ,these       
edifices are still standing1  surrounded
 by smaller buildings1 which were       
occupied as a  printing-office1         
school-house1 bake-house1 almonry1 and  

others for  different useful purposes1  
on one of which the town clock is       
erected4  ,these buildings are all of   
singular character1 and very ancient    
architecture1 all the outside walls     
being covered with shingles4 ,the two   
houses for the brethren and sisters are 
large and commodious1 being  three or   
four stories high4 ,each contains an    
apartment particularly  appropriated to 
their night meetings1 and the main      
buildings are divided  into small       
compartments1 of which each building    
contains fifty or sixty4  ,the rooms are
 so arranged1 that six dormitories1     
which are barely large  enough to       
contain a cot1 a closet1 and an         
hourglass1 surround one of  larger      
dimensions1 in which each subdivision   
pursued their respective  avocations4   
,these silent cells and long winding    
passages possess an  indescribably      
romantic air2 and one can scarcely      
divest himself of the  belief that he is
 threading the tortuous windings of some

 old baronial  castle4 ,the ceilings    
have an elevation of about seven feet2  
the passages  leading to the cells1 or  
kammers1 as they are designated1 and    
through  the different parts of both    
convents1 are barely wide enough to     
admit  one person1 and if two should    
meet from opposite directions1 one would
  invariably be obliged to retreat4 ,the
 doors of the kammers are five feet     
high1 and twenty inches wide2 and the   
windows1 of which each contains  but    
one1 is only eighteen by twenty-four    
inches4 ,the walls of all these  rooms1 
including the public meeting-room1 the  
private chapels1 the  saals1 and the    
dormitories1 are nearly covered with ink
 paintings1 or1  in other words1 with   
large sheets of elegant penmanship4     
,some of these  are texts from the      
,scriptures1 handsomely done in         
ornamented ,gothic  letters1 called in  
the ,german1 ,fractur-schrifften4       
,the sheets of paper employed for this  
purpose were manufactured at their  own 

mill1 and some being put into frames1   
admonish the residents1 as  well as the 
casual visiter1 whichever way they may  
turn their heads4 ,two  very curious    
ones still remain in the chapel attached
 to ,saron4 ,one  represents the        
straight and narrow way1 which it would 
be difficult to  describe4 ,it is very  
curiously and ingeniously formed on a   
sheet of  about three feet square1 the  
whole of the road being filled with     
texts  of ,scripture1 reminding the     
disciples of their duties1 and the      
obligations their profession imposes    
upon them4    ,another is a             
representation of the three heavens4 ,in
 the first1 ,christ1  the ,good         
,shepherd1 is represented as calling his
 flock together2 in the  second1 which  
is one foot in height1 and three feet   
wide1 three hundred  figures in the     
,capuchin dress appear with harps in    
their hands1 and  behind them the heads 
of an innumerable host2 in the third is 
seen the  throne of glory surrounded by 

two hundred archangels4 ,many of these  
,fractur schrifften express the most    
enthusiastic sentiments on the  subject 
of celibacy1 and the happiness of a     
recluse life1 whilst others  are        
devotional pieces4 ,the following are   
transcribed from two found in  the      
chapel of the sister's convent3         
,die ,lieb ist unsre ,kron und heller   
,tugend ,spiegel1    ,die ,weisheit     
unsre ,lust1 und reines ,gottes ,siegel2
    ,das ,lamm ist unsre ,schatz dem wir
 uns anvertrans1    ,und folgen seinem  
,gang als reinste ,jungfrauen4          
,love is our ,crown and clear mirror of 
virtue1    ,wisdom our desire1 and the  
seal of a pure ,god2    ,the ,lamb is   
our treasure1 in whom we confide1       
,and follow ,his guidance1 as the purest
 virgins4           99       99       99
       99       99      ,unsre ,kronen  
die wir tragen hier in dieser           
,sterblichkeit1    ,werden uns in       
,truebsals-tagen durch1 viel ,leiden    
zubereit1    ,da muss unsre ,hoffnung   

bluehen und der ,glanbe wachsen auf4    
,waun sich ,welt und ,fleisch bemuehen  
uns zu schwaechen in dem ,sauf1    ,o   
,wol dan6 weil wir gezaehlet1 zu der    
reinen ,laemmer ,heerd    ,die dem      
keuschen ,lam vermachlet1 und erkanffet 
von der ,erd1    ,bleibet schon alhir   
verborgen1 unser ,ehren ,schmuck und    
,kron1    ,wird uns doch ad ,jenem      
,morgen kroenen1 ,jesus ,gotte's ,sohn4 
,the ,crowns which we wear here in our  
mortal life1    ,will prepare us this   
much suffering for the day of trial--   
,then must our hope bloom1 and our faith
 increase1    ,while the world and the  
flesh both strive to divert us from our 
course4    ,while then1 we are atoned   
for through the ,holy ,shepherd1    ,who
 marries the pure lamb and redeems it   
from the earth1    ,let our honour1 our 
ornaments1 our crown even remain        
concealed1    ,till that morning when we
 shall be crowned by ,jesus the ,son of 
,god4    ,in the rooms which have been  
occupied by any departed sister1 a      

piece1  in imitation of a tablet1 is    
framed and put up1 expressive of the    
character and virtues of the deceased1  
or some feeling memorial of love1  and  
pious anticipation of meeting again in  
heaven1 is inscribed4 ,the  following   
was found in the kammer which had been  
occupied by ,zenobia1 a  very beautiful1
 amiable1 and devout sister4            
,zenobia ,wird ,gruenen und ,gedeihen1  
ihre ,arbeit wird nicht vergeblich1     
noch auch ihre ,hoffnung verlohren seyn1
 ihre ,ehre bluehen mitten unter   den  
,heiligen4     ,zenobia will prosper and
 flourish4 ,her labours will not be     
useless1 nor   her hopes vain4 ,her     
glory will be revealed in heaven4    ,an
 apartment1 denominated the             
writing-room1 was particularly          
appropriated to such purposes1 and      
several of the sisters devoted their    
whole attention to this labour1 and     
became highly skilled in it4 ,others    
transcribed the writings of the ,founder
 of the ,society1 thus multiplying      

copies for the wants of the community1  
before their printing press came  into  
operation4 ,two very ingenious sisters1 
named ,anastasia and  ,iphigenia1 were  
the principal ornamental writers4 ,they 
formed1 with  immense labour1 a large   
folio volume of sample alphabets of     
various  sizes and different styles1    
though all are alike curious1 and       
exhibit  the most patient application4  
,the letters of the first alphabet are  
one  foot in length1 surrounded by a    
deep border1 in imitation of copperplate
  engraving1 of which each one is       
different in style and finish4 ,it was  
finished in the year #agej1 and is still
 preserved as a rare curiosity1  by the 
trustees4    ,another room was          
exclusively set apart for the purposes  
of transcribing  music2 hundreds of     
volumes1 each volume containing five or 
six hundred  pieces1 were transferred   
from book to book1 with almost as much  
neatness  and quite as much accuracy1 as
 if done with a graver4    ,the ,society

 at ,ephrata1 after their printing press
 came into operation1  published several
 valuable historical and religious      
books4 ,of these1 an  edition of the    
,bloody ,theatre1 an old ,german work1  
was nearly all  taken by the ,american  
army for cartridges4 ,several of the    
members were  decided literary          
characters of no mean ability4#dc    ,at
 one time it was in contemplation by    
three brothers1 named ,eckerlin1  of    
whom the eldest was prior1 and had the  
superintendence of the secular          
concerns1 to make ,ephrata a place of   
more importance in the world than  it   
could acquire from its character of a   
religious refuge4 ,they were  natives of
 ,germany1 and they had been educated in
 the principles of the  ,catholic faith4
 ,they projected the plan of erecting   
extensive buildings  for manufacturing  
purposes1 and of entering into extensive
 mercantile  concerns4 ,for this they   
had made considerable preparation1 such 
as  cutting and hewing the timbers1 and 

were in readiness to erect a town4      
,they had likewise sent to ,europe1     
where they had extensive and powerful   
connexions1 and procured1 unknown to the
 ,society1 a chime of bells1 and        
likewise a large clock for the tower4   
,these arrived in ,philadelphia1 and    
the bill requiring payment being        
forwarded to the ,society1 made the     
brotherhood acquainted with the         
circumstances4 ,they determined not to  
receive them1 but had them sold1 and    
paid the loss4 ,one of these bells1     
having upon it1 ,sub auspicicio viri    
venerandi ,onesimi societatis           
,ephratensis prpositi1 was purchased    
for1 and is now on1 one of the  churches
 in ,lancaster4 ,the clock was sold to  
one of the ,reformed  ,lutheran         
societies in the same place4 ,this      
transaction led to an  investigation of 
the conduct of the ,eckerlins1 which    
resulted in the  timely discovery of a  
conspiracy they had entered into to     
possess  themselves of the property1    

which at that time was extensive and    
valuable4 ,this discovery terminated in 
the expulsion of ,israel1 the  prior1   
from his office4 ,the brothers          
subsequently removed to ,virginia1      
where they obtained considerable        
notoriety in connexion with ,indian     
affairs4 ,the ,society1 in its apostolic
 simplicity1 desired no tower1 no       
bells4 ,they even refused to have a bell
 to summon them to the midnight         
meeting1 which was regularly held at    
that hour of the night1--,beissel       
quaintly observing1 that the spirit of  
devotion ought to be sufficient  to     
insure their attendance2 and it         
generally proved to be adequate4    ,the
 community at ,ephrata were decided     
,whigs in the ,revolution1 although     
they considered contention with arms and
 at law as inconsistent with the        
,christian character and profession4 ,in
 the war of #agef1 the doors of the     
cloister1 including the meeting-room1   
the chapels1 and every other  building1 

were opened to afford a refuge to the   
inhabitants of  ,tulpehocken and the    
,paxton settlements1 then on the        
frontiers1 as they  fled before the     
murdering and marauding bands of        
,indians2 and all were  kept and fed by 
the ,society during the period of alarm 
and danger4 ,upon  hearing of this the  
royal government despatched from        
,philadelphia a  company of infantry to 
protect and defend the place2 and       
becoming aware  of the character of the 
,society1 presented them with a pair of 
large and  beautiful communion goblets1 
which was the only recompense they could
 be  prevailed on to receive4 ,at a much
 earlier period they attracted the      
attention of the ,penn family1 and ,lady
 ,juliana ,penn1 in ,england1 opened  a 
correspondence with the ,society4       
,governor ,penn visited them            
frequently1 and being desirous to bestow
 upon them a solid evidence of  his     
regard1 had a large tract of five       
thousand acres of land surveyed  and    

conveyed to them as the ,seventh-day    
,baptist ,manor4 ,this1 however1  they  
refused to accept1 believing that large 
possessions tended to  engender strife1 
and that it was inconsistent with the   
,christian  character to be absorbed in 
the gains of this world and the         
accumulation  of temporal property4     
,a few days after the battle of         
,brandywine1 ,sept4 #aath1 #aggg1 the   
whole  establishment was opened to      
receive the wounded ,americans1 great   
numbers  of whom were brought there in  
wagons1 a distance of forty miles2 and  
that long train of various conveyances1 
that came slowly up the valley  where   
the field had been contested--the train 
that bore those whose  shattered limbs  
seemed to defy all surgical aid1 or     
whose contagious  disease was like the  
pestilence that wasteth at noonday1 was 
received by  the brothers of ,ephrata as
 if it bore forward the gathered harvest
 of  summer4 ,and those sisters1--did   
they shrink from that dreadful          

exhibition  of human suffering8 did they
 turn pale1 and sicken at the view of   
bruised and mangled limbs1 clotted gore1
 and the sound of deep  heart-rending   
groans8 ,oh no2 their sympathy was of   
the practical kind4  ,it prompted them  
to assuage and relieve4 ,and with the   
kindest and  tenderest feelings they    
garnered up the sick1 the wounded1 and  
the  dying1 in their rooms1 their       
chapels1 and their edifices1 devoted to 
public worship or domestic duties1 with 
a welcome and care that only  religion  
could dictate1 and that only true       
patriotism could have  evinced4 ,of the 
five hundred who were brought there one 
hundred and  fifty died1 notwithstanding
 the attendance of ,doctors ,scott1     
,yerkel1 and  ,harrison4 ,the dead were 
buried with all the decencies of        
friendship1 and  with all the ceremonies
 of military propriety4 ,they were      
principally  from the ,eastern ,states  
and ,pennsylvania4 ,the place where they
 lay is  enclosed2 and in the autumn of 

#ahde1 the corner stone of a monument1  
bearing a suitable inscription1 was laid
 by ,governor ,shunk1 in presence  of a 
great multitude of people who had       
assembled to witness the  ceremonies4   
,in the burying-ground which belongs to 
the ,society are the  tombs of the      
ancient fathers1 with suitable marble   
monuments erected to  their memories4 ,a
 large stone1 marked with ,german       
letters1 covers the  grave of their     
founder4    ,at present many of the     
buildings are in ruins1 particularly    
those which  were first erected4 ,a     
short distance from the enclosure       
containing the  old meeting-house and   
cloister1 there is a small building1    
with a  steeple1 which was formerly the 
residence of the physician4 ,near by    
stands another dwelling1 which was the  
parsonage4 ,above this stands a  large  
building4 ,without1 it presents a very  
singular and unique  appearance4 ,in    
entering it we pass a small portico1 and
 the door is so  low that it is         

necessary to stoop in passing2 but the  
objects within  witness at once to the  
vision that it is the house of ,god4    
,six tables  are arranged so as to reach
 nearly the whole length of the room1   
with  convenient seats1 as many as are  
necessary4 ,on one side of the room     
appear a stand and table1 slightly      
elevated1 for the accommodation of  the 
speaker4 ,several of those large        
ornamented writings1 already  described1
 are hanging on the walls4 ,the room is 
perhaps forty feet  square4 ,it was     
formerly the sisters' dining and prayer 
room4 ,at present  it is the            
meeting-room of the ,society4 ,a part of
 the same building is  used for domestic
 and culinary purposes1 and is furnished
 accordingly4  ,near this is a stone    
building appropriated to other domestic 
offices4  ,the house at present occupied
 by the sisters is contiguous to the    
meeting-room1 and is inhabited by five  
aged ladies1 who are the only  remaining
 members of the convent4 ,they have many

 relics of antiquity1  which are        
preserved as objects of curiosity4 ,some
 of the caps worn by  the sisters in the
 early days of the institution are      
carefully  preserved4 ,adjoining the    
turnpike1 in a corner of the yard1      
stands the  academy1--a new building1   
with a steeple1 clock1 and bell4 ,it is 
two  stories high1 and contains several 
apartments1 in which both male and      
female schools are taught4 ,these       
buildings1 with one hundred and twenty  
acres of land1 and a grist and saw mill1
 are the property of the  ,society4     
,another community1 every way similar to
 that of ,ephrata1 is situated at       
,snowhill1 in ,franklin ,county1        
,pennsylvania4 ,its location is in that 
beautiful and fertile valley which is   
embosomed in the ,blue ,ridge           
,mountains1 extending from ,northern    
,pennsylvania to the ,shenandoah        
,valley1 in ,virginia4 ,this section was
 early settled by a ,german  population1
 and their immediate neighbourhood with 

the ,dunker ,baptists1  of which there  
is now a large society4 ,belonging to   
this ,dunker ,society  was one ,andrew  
,snowberger1 from whom the ,snowhill    
,society takes its  cognomen1 berg1 in  
,german1 signifying a hill1--his name is
 literally  ,snowhills4 ,it is seldom1  
however1 that adventitious names        
correspond  with localities4 ,the       
establishment called ,snowhill is       
located in a small  vale of a large     
valley1 in latitude #ci ,n41 about seven
 miles from  ,hagerstown1 ,maryland4 ,in
 the convent resided an old sister1 in  
#ahdi1  nearly one hundred years of age1
 who was the daughter of ,andrew        
,snowberger1 and who gave the following 
account of the origin of the  ,society4 
,her father1 by a diligent study of his 
,german ,bible1 became  convinced that  
the seventh day of the week was the only
 divinely  appointed ,sabbath1 and in   
consequence he became firmly determined 
to  keep it as holy time4 ,this caused  
much difficulty in his family and  among

 his neighbours2 but he was not to be   
deterred from acting  according to the  
dictates of his conscience by any       
difficulties4  ,believing in prayer1 and
 that faith and patience will overcome  
all  things1 he persevered in the path  
of duty4 ,at length1 to his             
inexpressible delight1 the way became   
smooth before him1 his family  complied 
with his regulations1 and subsequently  
embraced his views4 ,in  this lonely    
situation as to society of his own      
faith1 ,andrew instituted  and          
maintained the worship of ,god in his   
own house4 ,he desired to remain  in    
communion with his first-day brethren1  
but they1 after a long  consideration of
 the subject1 determined upon his       
expulsion from the  church4 ,this1 to   
his feelingly sensitive mind1 was       
extremely painful2  but he observed1    
that he could better bear the frown and 
disowning of  men1 than to disobey ,god 
and feel that he incurred ,his          
displeasure4    ,notwithstanding the    

many trials and difficulties1 ,andrew   
continued firm  in his attachment to the
 ,sabbath1 and some time after1 his     
faith was  greatly increased by the     
following circumstance4 ,the country1 in
 many  parts1 was still a dense and     
unbroken forest1 and much of the labour 
of  these early settlers was to clear   
away the superabundant wood4 ,in this   
employment ,andrew was engaged one      
first-day1 when his neighbours were  all
 gone to the ,dunker meeting4 ,he was   
piling and burning brush1 which1  at    
that time1 formed the material of all   
the fences1 upon his own and  the       
contiguous estates4 ,after he had been  
at work for some time1 the  wind rose to
 a smart breeze1 and the fires in a very
 few minutes became  unmanageable4 ,on  
they went1 crackling and roaring2 the   
fence on one side  of the lot took fire1
 whence it spread with rapidity1 and was
 in a fair  way to communicate to the   
home establishment of his neighbour4    
,andrew  saw plainly enough that        

notwithstanding all his efforts to the  
contrary1  the whole must inevitably be 
burned before human help could be       
obtained1  unless ,providence would     
interpose4 ,in this extremity he threw  
himself  upon his knees1 his face and   
hands blackened with smoke and ashes1   
and  cried out in the deepest tones of  
supplication1 ,oh ,lord1 if it be from  
thee that ,i keep the seventh day for a 
,sabbath1 and labour on this day1       
according to thy law1 do thou stop this 
fire4 ,while he thus prayed the  wind   
veered suddenly1 and took the fire in   
altogether another direction1  so that  
it became easily manageable4 ,the       
skeptic may sneer at this1 but  the     
,christian will remember that ,god is   
omniscient1 that ,he holds the  winds in
 his fist1 and moreover that ,he has    
promised to hear and answer  prayer4    
,this remarkable circumstance ,andrew   
improved1 by vowing unto the  ,lord to  
be steadfast in his law1 and to make his
 house for ever a house  devoted to the 

servants and the service of ,god1--a vow
 which the ,almighty  seems to this time
 to have accepted4 ,but for years after 
this1 ,andrew  was the only master and  
minister in his house devoted to ,god2  
but he  steadily maintained divine      
worship upon the ,sabbath1 and not      
without  success1 for he had the        
happiness of seeing some of his         
neighbours1 one  at a time1 come and    
unite with him in serving ,god4         
,after several years1 ,elder ,lehman1   
from ,ephrata1 made them a visit1 and   
proposed to raise an establishment      
similar to that at the former place4    
,to this ,andrew cheerfully acceded1 and
 accordingly1 as soon as  circumstances 
would permit1 the estate and buildings  
were formally  conveyed to the ,society4
 ,it was not a gift1 however4 ,andrew   
had a large  family dependent upon him  
for support4 ,the land had been brought 
into a  state of cultivation by their   
mutual efforts1 and strict justice      
required that the interests of all      

should be considered in its  alienation4
 ,everything was fairly appraised1 and  
time given to the  ,society to pay the  
appraisement to him and his heirs4 ,this
 arrangement  was followed by the       
happiest consequences4 ,andrew and his  
family were  amply provided for1 and he 
lived to see his children and his       
children's  children become members of  
the ,society which had arisen through   
his  means4 ,he and his companion in    
life went down to the grave in a good   
old  age1 and are now doubtless raising 
their voices with that company who  were
 redeemed from the earth4    ,the estate
 consists1 at present1 of #afe acres of 
land1 in a high state  of cultivation1  
and is very productive4 ,it is a stiff  
loam1 upon a  limestone bottom1 and is1 
therefore1 well adapted to grass and the
  cereal grains4 ,they are abundantly   
supplied with farm buildings4 ,the      
principal barn1 situated on a hillside1 
built of stone and brick1 is #ej  feet  
wide and #ajb feet long1 with a roomy   

overshoot on the lower side2  the lower1
 or under-ground story1 contains several
 stables for the  accommodation of the  
domestic animals2 the yard is well      
supplied with  pure water1 and          
everything bears the marks of thrift1   
industry1 and  economy4 ,there are two  
flourishing orchards1 well supplied with
 a choice  variety of fruit1 and two    
neatly cultivated gardens4 ,much of the 
wearing  apparel is manufactured by the 
sisters1 and the visiter who passes the 
building appropriated to that           
industrious use1 will be strongly       
reminded  of a classical quotation from 
the ,odyssey1 where ,calypso is         
represented  as      ,with voice        
celestial1 chanting to the loom1    and 
her damsels1                            
,who cull1    ,with hands of rosy white1
 the purple wool4    ,the sisters       
lighten and enliven their industrious   
pursuits with music2  and many a strain 
that would draw tears of rapture from   
listening  multitudes1 is blended1 and  

even made more pastoral and effective by
 the  sound of the shuttle1 and the     
noise of the spinning wheel4 ,there are 
likewise a blacksmith's shop1 and a     
cooper and cabinet-maker's shop1  where 
the brothers pursue their mechanical    
occupations4 ,there is also a  flouring 
mill1 where1 beside custom work1 two    
thousand barrels of flour  are annually 
produced4 ,this is situated on a        
perennial stream that flows  through1   
and abundantly waters the estate4 ,it is
 an arm of the ,antetum  ,river1 a      
tributary of the ,potomac4 ,the         
dwelling-house is most pleasantly       
situated about six paces from the stream
 on its south bank4 ,this  dwelling is a
 convent or religious house1 and is     
styled ,the ,nunnery1  by the country   
people4 ,it presents a singular and     
unique appearance1  being about one     
hundred and fifty feet long1 by thirty  
feet wide1 and  three stories high2 the 
lower story is built of blue limestone1 
and the  others of brick4 ,the lower    

story is even with the ground on the    
south  side1 before which1 and between  
the two orchards1 there is a small      
grassy lawn4 ,there are three front     
entrances1 of which the middle  entrance
 communicates with the dining hall1     
where a company of sixty or  seventy    
guests might be conveniently            
accommodated4 ,on the north side1       
projecting from the middle of the main  
building1 with an entrance into  the    
dining hall1 are the rooms appropriated 
to domestic and culinary  purposes4     
,over the dining hall1 in the second    
story1 is the family  chapel1 where     
worship is regularly performed both in  
the morning and at  evening4 ,above     
this1 in a small cupola1 is the convent 
bell1 whence a  rope passes through each
 floor into the centre of the dining    
hall4 ,the  west end of the building1   
from the dining hall round1 contains    
exclusively the apartments of the       
brethren connected with the             
establishment2 the east end of the      

building1 beginning with the same       
division1 contains exclusively the      
apartments of the sisters4 ,in each     
department there are spare rooms for    
company1 with sleeping rooms on the     
north side in both stories4 ,in the     
centre of the cellar there is a         
beautiful fountain of clear spring      
water1 incessantly flowing in an        
abundant stream4 ,this is distributed in
 every convenient manner to the         
different parts of the establishment4   
,along the north side of the  building1 
there stretches a luxuriant meadow1     
about one hundred paces  across1 which  
is abundantly watered by two streams2   
one1 the creek  before mentioned1 the   
other1 a brooklet of smaller dimensions4
 ,these are  crossed by two wooden      
bridges1 and a well-worn path leads to  
the  meeting-house1 situated on the     
north side of the meadow1 adjoining the 
public road1 which runs through the     
estate4 ,the meeting-house1 which is    
sixty by fifty feet1 is built of stone1 

without a gallery4 ,the adjoining       
building of smaller dimensions          
communicates with it on the west end1   
which exactly resembles an ,english     
vestry1 although it is in reality a     
kitchen4 ,about twenty-five paces from  
the convent1 near the eastern  border of
 the meadow1 is the waste-gate for the  
mill4 ,here there is a  bend in the     
creek1 and at this point is formed their
 baptistery1 well  supplied at all      
seasons with pure water4 ,three steps   
lead down into this  beautiful fount4   
,in this place we were forcibly reminded
 of that  exquisitely beautiful hymn1   
,the ,lord my shepherd is2      ,he     
maketh me to lie    ,in pastures green2 
he leadeth me      ,the pleasant waters 
by4    ,this ,society keeps no journal1 
has no written history1 nor humanly     
composed creed4 ,however1 they have a   
charter1 obtained from the state        
legislature1 in which they are known as 
,seventh-day ,baptists4 ,by this        
charter they are authorized to hold and 

govern the estate and the house1  by    
by-laws of their own formation and      
adoption1 which are represented  and    
defended by five trustees elected by a  
plurality of the votes of all  the male 
members of the ,society4 ,in these      
by-laws it is made a condition  of      
admission1 that the inmates of the house
 shall be single persons2  however1 they
 are not disqualified by a state of     
widowhood4 ,they must  also be          
conscientious observers of the seventh  
day1 and must have shared  in the       
ordinances of baptism1 and possess      
reputed piety4 ,their  application for  
admission must be made to the trustees1 
who are the  authorized judges of their 
eligibility4 ,no vow1 no promise of     
unconditional and continued celibacy is 
ever required1 but if they  subsequently
 wish to marry1 which is sometimes the  
case1 no unkind  treatment ensues2 on   
the contrary1 they leave the house like 
a sister  going from the family of her  
kindred1 when every one is attentive to 

her  future wants4 ,no person entering  
the ,society can retain independent     
estate or personal property2 but should 
they bring property with them1  it is   
subjected to a fair appraisement1 and a 
certificate of the same  given2 and     
should the person subsequently leave1   
the same or its value  is restored      
without interest4 ,if the inmate dies in
 the convent1 or a  recognised inmate of
 the same1 all the property accrues     
permanently to  the establishment4 ,no  
one receives wages1 but all participate 
in the  comforts of the house2 and the  
charter secures the whole of the estate 
and its incomes to the single brethren  
and sisters as their property4  ,the    
labours of the establishment are shared 
alike by all2 the brethren  under the   
direction of the prior1 and the sisters 
under the direction of  the prioress4   
,in no respect1 however1 is there any   
pre-eminence of  authority or class2    
their offices are designed to subserve  
good  order--nothing more4 ,they are in 

truth a band where fraternal regard and 
equality of right regulate all their    
conduct4    ,in #ahdg1 there were nine  
brothers and fourteen sisters who were  
inmates  of the convent4 ,the other     
members of the ,society have no personal
 rights  in the property of the estate2 
and there is no more community of       
interests among them than there is among
 other denominations of  ,christians4   
,in church discipline and government    
they are decidedly  congregational4     
,their officers are elected by a        
majority of the votes of  the members4  
,they are averse to paying their pastors
 a stated salary2  but believe that he  
should be assisted voluntarily according
 to his  necessities4 ,the convent and  
all the buildings are exceedingly neat  
and  well-kept2 the furniture being     
plain and convenient without any        
superfluities or finery4 ,the venerable 
pastor1 ,andrew ,fahnestock1 having     
lost his wife1 made a distribution of   
his property among his children1  and   

took up his residence in the convent    
some time since4 ,all visiters  are     
likewise requested to make the convent  
their home1 particularly  during the    
public meetings1 and are furnished in it
 with private  apartments4 ,their yearly
 meetings are attended by many who      
reside in  distant parts1 these1 as they
 arrive1 are most hospitably welcomed2  
the  brothers saluting the visiting     
brothers with a holy kiss2 the sisters  
saluting the visiting sisters in the    
same manner1 but the brothers and       
sisters only shaking hands4 ,when the   
meeting is over1 and these visiters  are
 preparing to depart1 the same          
affectionate observance is again        
tendered to all4 ,at these meetings a   
supper is spread in the  meeting-house1 
which is the anciently celebrated       
,agapa1 or love-feast1  held in         
imitation of the ,last ,supper1 of which
 the ,redeemer partook with  his        
disciples1 before he was led out like a 
lamb to the slaughter1 and  in connexion

 with the institution of the ,eucharist4
 ,at this supper  everything is         
previously prepared1 and there is no    
cooking done except  to make coffee4    
,here appears the use of the vestry     
kitchen1 adjoining  the meeting-house1  
with its cellar and well-stored larder4 
,in this  apartment are vessels over    
fixed furnaces prepared for heating     
water1  coffee1 and the like4 ,the      
meeting-house has two front entrances1  
and is  seated with the males on one    
side1 and the females on the other4 ,it 
is  furnished with settees and long     
narrow tables1 which serve for their    
books during worship1 and for meals     
during the love-feasts4 ,about midway   
of the house1 on the back end1 is one   
about eight feet1 appropriated to  the  
ministry1 there being no other pulpit in
 the house4 ,the tables at  the         
love-feasts are furnished with a good   
supply1 and a sufficient  variety of all
 the necessary aliments of life1 without
 any  superfluities2 and all are invited

 to partake4 ,this being over1 and the  
things cleared away1 the communion table
 is furnished for the ,lord's  ,supper4 
,the holy rites are begun by singing and
 prayer2 the thirteenth  chapter of     
,john is then read1 and the officiating 
ministers discourse  upon it1 when these
 servants of the church lay aside their 
coats1 go to  the kitchen vestry1 gird  
themselves with long towels1 and each   
one  taking a small wooden tub half     
filled with tepid water1 return to the  
brethren's side of the house1 and       
commence the ceremony of washing each   
other's feet1 repeating meanwhile the   
words of your ,saviour3 ,therefore  if  
,i1 your ,lord and master1 have washed  
your feet1 so ye ought also to  wash one
 another's feet4 ,the same is performed 
on the female side of  the house by two 
aged sisters4 ,this being ended1 all    
again sit down1 and  every one appears  
absorbed in silent prayer and meditation
 for a few  minutes4 ,the officiating   
ministers then take the bread of the    

communion1  and one of them1 after      
giving thanks1 and imploring the divine 
favour1  carries the plate before the   
others1 so as to stand before two of the
  communicants4 ,he then breaks one of  
the pieces of the bread into two  parts1
 giving half to one and the other half  
to the other1 saying1  ,take1 eat2 this 
is my body1 which is broken for you2    
this do in  remembrance of me4 ,this    
formulary is repeated at each time of   
breaking  the bread1 until all the      
communicants have received a portion4   
,in  distributing the wine1 the         
ministers1 instead of the deacons1 carry
 the  goblets4 ,the whole concludes with
 singing4 ,they are all masters in      
music1 and1 what appears to me extremely
 appropriate1 their hymns in  ,german   
were all composed by members of their   
own order1 and have never  been given to
 the world4 ,many of them exhibit       
considerable poetic  talent4 ,the same  
is true of their music1 which is        
perfectly unique2 but  so soft1 solemn1 

soul-stirring1 and melodious1 that the  
listener half  forgets its reality1 and 
holds his breath for fear of breaking   
the  enchantment4 ,they have three      
volumes1 of which a small edition has   
been  printed for their own use1 and    
there is not a light or jigging beat in 
the whole collection4 ,they frequently  
make additions in manuscript1 and  take 
great pleasure in making new books with 
the pen1 of which many have  very richly
 ornamented pages4 ,while listening to  
their melting melodious  strains1 one   
cannot fail to revert in imagination to 
that new song which  was sung before the
 ,lamb1 and before the beasts1 and the  
elders1 and  which no man could learn   
but those who were redeemed from the    
earth4  ,their style of singing1 though 
altogether different from that of modern
  congregations1 is extremely effective1
 and such1 as ,i believe1 few  persons  
of taste and sensibility could listen   
to1 without shedding tears  of silent   
rapture4 ,they have no choir1 but all1  

both young and old1  sing1 being        
directed in this exercise by a leader4  
,there is perhaps no ordinance of the   
,christian church more highly           
interesting to a casual observer1 and   
more fraught with hallowed  associations
 to a devout mind1 than the rite of     
baptism1 when it is  administered in the
 manner corresponding with the ,word of 
,god4 ,this is  particularly the case at
 ,snowhill1 where everything is in such 
perfect  keeping and character4 ,the    
candidates for baptism being previously 
examined and accepted as suitable       
subjects for that holy ordinance by  the
 pastors1 an announcement to that effect
 is made to the congregation4  ,they are
 then suitably attired1 and all repair1 
forming a procession1 to  the           
baptistery1 where a thronging multitude 
is generally assembled4 ,here  the scene
 is extremely solemn and affecting1 and 
all nature appears to  sympathize in the
 deep solemnity4 ,even the sunlight1 as 
it bathes the  verdant hillside1 the    

smooth meadow1 and the golden orchards  
in a flood  of glory1 seems to partake a
 softer radiance4 ,a hundred snowy      
clouds  appear here and there on the    
blue heaven above1 and it requires no   
great  stretch of the imagination to    
fancy that behind or upon them the      
waving  wings of seraphs have been      
furled1 and that forms of ineffable     
beauty  are bending there1 and watching 
with interest the dedication of souls to
  ,god4 ,a flood of hallowed            
associations comes rushing into the     
mind4 ,we  think of ,jordan1 of the     
multitudes who gathered upon its banks1 
and who  were baptized confessing their 
sins4 ,the venerable appearance of the  
,baptist1 that first preacher of the    
kingdom of ,god4 ,and then the ,great   
,high ,priest of our ,salvation1 who    
came hither to set an example for his   
servants in all coming time4 ,but this  
pleasing revery is broken by the  voice 
of the pastor4 ,a hymn is given out2 and
 then from the midst of the  company    

arises a deep1 full1 melodious swell of 
harmony4 ,it is unlike  singing2 it     
seems the very soul of heavenly music   
breathing out an  ecstasy of            
thanksgiving4 ,the music ceases2 a low  
soft echo breathes  through the air1 so 
lately living with sweet sounds1 and    
over the  waters2 again all is silent4  
,the pastor now stretches out his hands1
 and  lifts his eyes to heaven3 ,let us 
pray4 ,some kneel1 others remain        
standing1 but all assume the look and   
action of devout humility4 ,the  prayer 
ended1 the pastor descends into the     
pool2 the candidate1 assisted  by a     
brother or sister1 descends after him4  
,reaching the lower step1 he  takes her1
 if a sister1 by the left arm1 and leads
 her down to a  suitable depth1 where   
she kneels in the water4 ,she applies   
water to her  face1 and he does the same
 to the back of her head1 waiting a     
moment for  her to recover her thoughts 
and acquire a frame of mind suitable for
 the  occasion4 ,then1 laying his left  

hand upon the forepart of her head1 and 
his right hand upon the back between the
 shoulders1 he says1 ,i baptize  thee in
 the name of the ,father1 and immerses  
the candidate1 face  foremost2 then1    
raising her up to her former position1  
he gives time for  a like recovery of   
self-possession1 and adds1 and the ,son1
 and  immerses her in the same manner a 
second time2 then1 giving a like time   
for recovery1 he continues1 and the     
,holy ,ghost1 and proceeds as  before4  
,then while she is yet kneeling in the  
water1 he lays both hands  upon her     
head1 and offers a short invocation for 
the ,spirit of ,god to  seal this       
obedient handmaid as a child of ,god4   
,during all this time1 the  multitude   
exhibits a deep interest1 and maintains 
a perfect silence2 the  candidate       
manifests the greatest composure1 and   
all appear to feel that  the ,saviour is
 near4    ,the ,german ,seventh-day     
,baptists profess to have no other guide
 than the  inspired ,word of ,god2 and  

to this they profess to exactly conform1
  omitting nothing enjoined1 and adding 
nothing to the ,observances there       
given4 ,their simplicity is truly       
remarkable1 and ,i believe1 truly pure4 
,they are non-resistant in sentiment1   
but they plainly preach the             
righteousness of the kingdom of ,god4   
,they are likewise remarkably  amiable  
in their intercourse with each other4   
,there is a similar society  in ,bedford
 ,county1 under the pastoral care of    
,elder ,king1 but ,i have  been unable  
to make myself acquainted with any      
incidents connected with  its history4  
,there is one subject connected with the
 history of this people1 which1  from   
deference to my country and its         
institutions1 ,i would willingly  pass  
over in silence2 justice1 however1      
compels me to do otherwise4  ,these     
societies1 harmless and inoffensive as  
the members are1 have1 for  a number of 
years past1 been very much annoyed and  
disturbed at their  annual meetings by a

 number of wicked and licentious        
persons4 ,being  entirely averse to     
litigation of any kind1 they patiently  
bore with all4  ,this only seemed to    
encourage increased disturbance1 until  
the #agth of  ,may1 #ahde1 when it      
became so outrageous at their annual    
meeting1 that an  individual who was not
 a member1 instituted a prosecution     
against  several persons for a riot4    
,this resulted in the condemnation and  
punishment of sixteen individuals1 whose
 friends1 from malicious and  revengeful
 motives1 immediately commenced suits   
against these  ,seventh-day ,christians 
for labouring on the first day4    ,to  
this they plead guilty1 and cheerfully  
paid their fines and the  costs2 but in 
consequence of the great inconveniences 
to which they were  subjected1 they     
petitioned the legislature for relief1  
though without  effect4#dd    #dc ,those
 who desire a more particular account of
 the ,german  ,sabbatarians1 their      
leaders1 literature1 and music1 may     

consult the  fifteenth volume of        
,hazard's ,register of ,pennsylvania4   
#dd ,it may be interesting to posterity 
to know that in the ,united  ,states of 
,america1 and about the middle of the   
nineteenth century1  ,plymon ,seaver1 of
 ,vermont1 was confined in jail for a   
long time1 for  attending to secular    
concerns upon the first day of the week4
 ,about the  same time1 or ,august #bf1 
#ahde1 ,obed ,snowberger was fined four 
dollars1  for being engaged in worldly  
employment upon the first day of the    
week4  ,mr4 ,snowberger was a worthy    
member of the ,german ,seventh-day      
,baptist  fraternity in ,pennsylvania1  
and the prosecution was carried on in   
,quincy  ,township1 ,franklin ,county1  
and before ,samuel ,sibbet1 as justice  
of the  peace4 ,subsequently nine others
 of the same people were subjected to   
prosecution and fines for the same      
reasons4    ,,the ,,end4