SEVENTEEN HUNDRED TO EIGHTEEN
Immigration from Europe to
We shall now consider the church in Pennsylvania
especially. After William Penn had received his grant of land, including all of
Pennsylvania, he visited Germany and other places in search of colonists.
Because of persecutions in Europe many sought refuge in "the New
Thirteen families were the first to immigrate,
arriving at Germantown, in October, 1683. Another company arrived from Friesland
in 1684. June 24th, 1694, another large company arrived, under the leadership of
Kelpius. In 1719, twenty families arrived, settling in Germantown, near
Philadelphia, but now a part of the latter city.
Numerous others came, and the most of these people
were Sabbath-keepers. The last to come were the Moravians, in 1740, permanently
settling where Bethlehem now stands, thus the town was settled and named by
zealous Sabbath-keeping people, known as Moravians, nationally, but believing in
and accepting the true name, "The Church of God."
The Church from the Wilderness
The prophecies have been frequently given in this
work how the Lord Jesus said the church was to go into the wilderness, remaining
there 1260 years, when the earth would then help the woman, or the church. Now
we come to a band of forty men coming to this country under the leadership of
Brother Kelpius, mentioned previously, and forming a society called the
"Society of the Woman in the Wilderness."
These men left Germany during the summer of 1693,
coming to Holland, London, and to Plymouth, where they spent the winter, then
leaving on the actual voyage to America on April 25th, and reaching Philadelphia
on June 23rd. After holding a solemn religious service they walked two by two,
observing the city which embraced scarcely 500 houses, and there being no town
hall, courthouse, or prison. They went to Germantown and found Brother Jacob
Isaac Van Bebber, one of their countrymen, who had formerly lived on the borders
Randolph says, in his history, they "believed
that the millennium was at hand and the woman in the wilderness, mentioned in
Rev.12:14-17, prefigured the great deliverance of the church, and they came to
be called `The Woman in the Wilderness.'" -- page 950.
He says further on page 951, "It is a fact
conclusively attested, that as early as 1699 Kelpius was in communication with
the churches of Rhode Island and Connecticut."
Randolph says further of the people in Pennsylvania,
"When Count Zinzendorf, the founder of the Moravian church in Germany,
visited America in 1741, he was astonished to find the hold the Sabbatarian
doctrine has upon the entire German population of Pennsylvania." -- page
Mr. Saches gives assurance of the close affiliation
between the Sabbath-keeping body known as "The Order from the
Wilderness," with the Sabbatarian brethren of New England, and also with
the Sabbatarians at Ephreta. Pa. "At Ephreta, they established and
maintained a classical school for boys which was patronized by the leading
families of Philadelphia and Baltimore. There Latin was taught as the medium of
polite correspondence." -- Corless F. Randolph's History.
It was the privilege of one of the authors of this
work to visit the church at Ephreta, Pennsylvania, in 1928, where much was
learned about the founders of this pioneer church of Sabbatarians in this
country. Conrad Beissel, the founder, was an associate of Brother Kelpius,
leader of the forty men landing at Philadelphia in 1694. When we visited the
Ephreta church in 1928, we learned from leaders there that their doctrine was
practically the same as that of the Church of God today, although this church
has been isolated from other churches of the same belief for over two hundred
years, there being a number of their German Sabbatarian churches of the same
belief in the east affiliating together. They were glad to learn of the great
activity of the Church of God in spreading the truth throughout the world, and
of so many other companies in the east, as well as the west and north and south,
spreading the message of the last days. Since that we have been more or less
connected with them by their reading our literature and our ministers visiting
It is a fact familiar with the history of these
Sabbatarians, as well as the history of our nation, that when the constitutional
congress sought a man competent and skilled in languages, they chose Peter
Miller, pastor of this Ephreta Church, to translate the Declaration of
Independence into seven languages. He was an honored man from the University of
Heidelberg, a member of the American Philosophical Society, a personal friend of
the Penns, and of Benjamin Franklin.
He was also personally acquainted with George
Washington, and invited him to Ephreta, and to bring his soldiers, suffering
from the frigid weather of that memorable winter at Valley Forge, when the fate
of the colonists seemed hanging in the balance. We saw a graveyard at Ephreta
where hundreds of the loyal soldiers lay at rest, the tombstone inscriptions
identifying them with the victims of the revolution, who did not survive, after
coming there wounded.
Peter Miller is the central figure of one of the
most touching narratives of Revolutionary times, and his name is mentioned in
many old schoolbooks of the nation. One of his bitterest enemies was caught
sleeping on sentinel duty, the penalty of which was death. He was to be executed
at a certain set time. Peter Miller traveled all night to reach the president,
George Washington, in hope of saving his enemy.
Washington, knowing Miller, expressed the thought of
the condemned man being his good friend. Then Miller informed him that the
condemned man was his bitterest enemy and incessant reviler, but that his Master
taught him to pray for his enemies. So impressed was Washington that he took him
by the hand, and with tears flowing down his cheeks, thanked him for his example
of Christian forbearance and generosity, and granted him the request.
In the fall of 1744 Israel Eckerlin, Samuel Eckerlin,
Alexander Mack and Peter Miller set out upon a pilgrimage to New England for the
purpose of visiting the Sabbath-keeping communities there and those lying
between in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The simple preparations being made, as the journey
was on foot, a solemn love feast was made on Friday, Sept. 21, 1744. These
services lasted far into the night, and even the hours between midnight and dawn
were spent in prayer and supplication. On the morning Sabbath the Pilgrims were
present at the service . . . . After the close of the Sabbath they started on
their journey, accompanied a short distance by many of the brethren. When fairly
upon their way they walked single file, silently and bareheaded, as was their
custom. Meetings were first held at Nantmeal, in Chester County, the next at
Coventry, thence across the Schuylkill to the German settlements along the way
until they reached Germantown. Stops were made with Conrad Matthae, Brother
Seelig, and the Brother Mystics. After the brethren had visited the company at
Pennek they started on their long pilgrimage toward Rhode Island, but stopped
over at Amwell, where converts to the truth had been baptized some six years
before. After leaving there they went toward the ocean where the country was
sparsely settled, and some nights the pilgrims spent the hours around their
campfire in the timber to frighten away the wild beasts, and also to provide
warmth as the nights were cold and frosty.
Their intention was to call at a place commonly
called Barnegat. A company of Sabbatarians had emigrated here from Stonington,
Conn., and Westerly, Rhode Island, a few years before, and a few others had
joined them from Pennsylvania.
Sachse says, in his work, relative to this company,
"At the advent of our pilgrims this company numbered but fifteen adults,
notwithstanding . . . their number met and signed a covenant shortly after their
settlement, binding themselves to live and walk together as Christian people,
though they had no church organization or pastor. Peter Miller preached and
admonished them to be steadfast and continue in the faith. This resulted in a
church being organized, and William Davis, the elder, although eighty-one years
of age, was elected pastor." -- Corliss F. Randolph's, History, pp.
Among these early settlers of the region now known
as Pennsylvania, were Christians known as Quakers. These people were of the
Puritans from England, and among them we also find Sabbath-keepers, preserving
the true faith.
In a book by Dr. Samuel Kohn, chief Rabbi of
Budapest, Hungary, from which we have previously quoted, he says, "In 1545
we find a Sabbatarian sect among the Quakers in England." Also that leaders
and preachers of the Puritans had retransferred the rest day from Sunday to
Saturday. -- Sabbatarians in Transylvania pp. 8, 9.
This information corresponds with that recently
published in a newspaper of California, that Benjamin Franklin, the famous
Pennsylvania Quaker, was an observer of the seventh-day Sabbath. The quotation,
as it appeared in the paper, reads as follows:
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S CURE FOR HARD TIMES
"'Make a full statement of all you owe, and of
all owing to you. As fast as you can collect, pay those you owe. Go to business
diligently. Be industrious. Discard all pride. Lose no time. Waste no idle
moments. Attend church. Attend prayer meeting. Always help the worthy poor.
Pursue this course seven years, and if you are not in comfortable circumstances.
I will pay your debts.'
"We wonder how many of our readers are aware of
the fact that Franklin kept the seventh day of the week, according to the
commandment written by Jehovah God, on the tables of stone, with His own finger?
"God's people are going to see that table of
stone some day." -- Shoshoni Independent (Calif.)
From his epitaph which he composed himself, we may
understand that, like Job of old, Franklin believed in the resurrection. Job
said, "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time
will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee."
. . . "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh
shall I see God." -- Job 14:14; 19:26.
Franklin said in his epitaph, "The body of
Benjamin Franklin, printer (like the cover of an old book), lies here, food for
worms. But the work shall not be lost for it will (as he believed) appear once
more in a new and more elegant edition, revised and corrected by the
Author." -- New Standard Encyclopedia.
It will be noted from the historical proofs given
that the church which had been established at Jerusalem, carried across Asia
Minor, preserved in the wilderness of the Waldensian mountains, and then
scattered throughout Europe prior to the Reformation, at last found its way to
its final resting place in the wilderness of the American continent, and here
revived the ancient truths preserved from generation to generation throughout
its long pilgrimage from the Holy Land.
The Church in America
All familiar with the early history of the United
States remember that the Puritans, coming here in the Mayflower, landed at
Plymouth Rock in 1620. They had fled from persecutions in England, coming to
what was known as "the new world," where they could worship God
according to the dictates of their own conscience. When they had gathered in
their bountiful harvest, a day was set apart in which to render thanks to
Almighty God, for having thus blessed them in provision for the coming winter.
This day has ever since been celebrated in the United States as Thanksgiving.
The Pilgrims were the same as the Puritans,
Nonconformists, and Separatists, as the boys and girls of our country understand
who remember these early chapters of American history. The Puritans were
zealously endeavoring to purify the church of England, as well as the Catholic
church. They were called Separatists because of their separation from these
churches, and those who risked their lives on the pilgrimage to the "new
world," have since been called Pilgrims.
Chief Rabbi Kohn of Budapest, Hungary, in a work
entitled, Sabbatarians tn Transylvania, says of the Puritans, "Certain
leaders and preachers of the Puritans have  retransferred the rest day
from Sunday to Saturday." -- p. 38.
That the Pilgrims were Sabbath-keepers, and
evidently from the same line of Sabbatarian-Puritan preachers mentioned in this
work, the following evidence will confirm.
While one of the authors was living in the city of
St. Joseph, Missouri, during the winter of 1934, the following editorial
appeared in the St. Joseph, Mo., Daily Gazette, during the Christmas season,
written by the editor, Mr. Hugh Sprague.
"Strange as it may seem, in the early history
of America there was an attempt at suppression of Christmas spirit. The stern
Puritans at Plymouth, imbued with the rigorous fervor of the Old Testament,
abhorred the celebration of the orthodox holidays. Their worship was on the
Sabbath (Saturday), rather than Sunday, and Christmas in particular they
considered a pagan celebration. Later immigrants attempted to observe Christmas
as a time of joy, but were suppressed. Governor Bradford, Elder Brewster, Miles
Standish and other leaders were firm against the yuletide spirit as we know it
The author's wife, having first noticed the above
editorial, called his attention to it. He immediately drove over to the Gazette
office where, upon finding Mr. Sprague, he asked him where he obtained the
evidence of the Pilgrim Fathers keeping the Sabbath or Saturday. He said,
"Why do you desire this information? Do you doubt the truth of the
statement!" He answered, that from information already at hand he had
frequently made the statement that they were observers of the seventh day of the
week, but thought he might have something additional. He said he did not know of
any book mentioning this, but that he had additional evidence. He said,
"The Pilgrims are my direct ancestors, and we know very well their
religious practice, and belief." He assured him that all his grandparents
and great-grandparents knew that the Pilgrims of the Mayflower days were strict
Sabbath-keepers on the seventh day of the week instead of Sunday.
Should anyone wish to obtain direct information from
this editor, which we are sure he will cheerfully give, you can reach him by
posting a letter, with stamp for reply, to St. Joseph, Mo., in care of the
The noted historian Robinson, quoting from the words
of the tyrant persecutor Reinerius shows that the Waldenses, Puritans, and
Cathari, are the one and the same religious sect. -- From the work entitled,
From a Weasel to an Elephant, and footnote, page 288, Jones' Church History.
In speaking of those called Paterine, Gazari, Jones
in his church history says, "Gazari is a corruption of the word Cathari,
Puritans, and it is remarkable in the examination of these people, they are not
charged with any immorality, but for heresy." He states further that they
are opposed to the ceremonies of the church of Rome. -- p. 217.
Many historical statements have been printed on
previous pages of this work, proving beyond doubt that the Cathari, Puritans,
and Waldenses were the same people, and that they observed the seventh day of
the week, held the Lord's Supper on the 14th of Abib, immersed for baptism,
accepted the Bible name for the church, and, in general, held the truth as now
taught by the Church of God. We may, therefore, without disappointment, expect
to find the same doctrine taught and practiced by the Puritans in tracing their
history in America.
We find in the public library of London, England, a
book entitled A Necessity of Separation, referring to the separation from the
church of England of those receiving divine light and truth.
The author is John Canne. He frequently mentions the
Church of God, or God and His Church.
In chapter 4, page 183, when speaking of the meaning
of the word "church," he says, "The Church of God."
On page 184, he says, "The church, the house
and the temple of the eternal God."
On page 185, he says "The means whereby men are
made fit for the Church of God, is by His word."
On page 187, he uses the term "Church of
God," also page 163, he uses the term again, and also says "The Church
of the Living God."
It will be remembered, however, from previous notes
that there were several Sabbath-keeping congregations in London prior to this
time, who observed the Passover yearly, and who were known by the term
"Church of God." It has also been shown that the Separatists,
Puritans, and Pilgrims were zealous for the commandments of God, observing the
seventh-day Sabbath, and from the foregoing it is also evident they held to the
sacred Bible name.
From Lewis' History of Sabbath and Sunday, we get
the following information:
"The same Divine Hand which guarded the Sabbath
through the dark centuries between the first great apostasy and the reformation,
transferred it from England to America, the last battleground whereon the great
reforms of modern times have been and are being carried forward. True Sabbath
reform could not find a place among the masses until 'Sunday' had borne its
fruit, decayed in weakness, and crumbled from the hands of the church. This
trial could best be made in America. Hence, guided by that `divinity which
shapes our ends,' in 1664 Stephen Mumford emigrated from England to Newport,
Rhode Island. He brought with him the opinion the Ten Commandments as they were
delivered from Mount Sinai, were moral and immutable and that it was
antichristian power which changed the Sabbath from the Seventh to the first day
of the week. He united with the Baptist church in Newport, and soon gained
several of its members to the observance of the Sabbath." -- p. 218.
On the same page of the above history it is stated
that a Sabbath-keeping church was organized by these Sabbath-keepers in December
1671, and that William Hiscox was chosen and ordained their elder which office
he filled until his death, 1704. Also that he was succeeded by William Gibson, a
minister from London, who labored among them until his death, 1717. Joseph
Crandall then presided over the church until 1737. Joseph Maxson was then
pastor, who was succeeded by William Bliss, the latter passing away in 1808 at
the age of 81. He was succeeded by William Burdick. Richard Ward was a prominent
member of this church, being governor of the state of Rhode Island, and well
known in history.
Lewis gives us some more interesting history of the
early Sabbath-keepers in this country on page 398 of the same history, as
"Able Noble arrived in this country about the
year 1684, and located near Philadelphia . . . . About this time a difference
arose among the Quakers in reference to the sufficiency of what every man was
naturally within himself for the purpose of his own salvation. This difference
resulted in a separation under the leadership of George Keith. These seceders
were soon after known as Keithian Baptists. Through the labors of Able Noble,
many of them embraced the Bible Sabbath and were organized into churches near
the year 1700. These churches were Newton, Pennepeck, Nottingham and French
Creek, and probably, Conogocheage." . . . "The churches of
Pennsylvania fraternized with the churches in Rhode Island and New Jersey, and
counseled them in matters of discipline. Some of their members also united with
their churches. Some of them, with some members of the church of Piscataway, and
others of Cohansey, near Princeton, emigrated to the Parish of St. Mark, S.C.,
and formed a church on Broad River and formed a settlement and a church at
Tuckaseeking, in Georgia. These churches have long since become extinct. (Traces
of these Sabbath-keepers are still found in the South.)" pp. 397, 398.
The Church of God from London to America
The first organization of Sabbath-keeping Christians
in America, now known to history, was that of the church at Newport, R.I., in
"Stephen Mumford came over from London in 1664,
and brought the opinion with him that the whole of the ten commandments as they
were delivered from Mount Sinai, were moral and immutable; and that it was the
antichristian power which thought to change times and laws, that changed the
Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. Several members of the
first church in Newport, Rhode Island, embraced this sentiment." -- Church
History of New England, 1783 to 1796, chap. 11, Sec. 10.-- This is the oldest
known organized Sabbath-keeping church in America. In the chapter devoted to the
history of the Church of God in the British Isles, mention is made of a certain
letter written by the church at Mill Yard, London, on December 21 1680, to the
church in Newport, R.I. This letter was copied from the old files of the Mill
Yard church, the oldest Sabbath-keeping church in America being connected with
the oldest in London. Consequently, we must naturally conclude that these two
churches will be found to agree in principle and doctrine, and this further
evidence will confirm.
The first record we have of the organization of a
local church in this country reads as follows: "We enter into a church
covenant this 23rd day of December, 1671 (Old Stile), William Hiscox, Stephen
Mumford, Samuel Hubbard, Rodger Baster, Sister Tacy Hubbard, Sister Mumford, and
Sister Rachel Langworthy. " Wm. Hiscox was chosen pastor. The church had no
articles of faith except the Bible. As churches in other places sprung up, and a
desire was felt in many hearts to follow the instruction of the Lord in I
Corinthians 1:10 that they all speak the same thing, a mutual understanding was
sought among them, that those in one locality who having advanced in knowledge
and truth deeper, might benefit the others by these truths. Thus certain
doctrines were outlined with Scriptures showing their soundness, and unity and
harmony was sought and maintained.
On October 31, 1683, Brother Hubbard wrote to Elder
Wm. Gibson, who lived at New London, and said in part, "O, that we could
have a general meeting, but winter is coming upon us." The next May another
letter was written, as follows, "This church has appointed a general
meeting to be held here the 14th of May, 1684, and hope to see all my daughters
and friends together, if God permit, from Westerly, Narragansett, Providence,
Plymouth, of Martha's Vineyard, and at home, that we may humble our souls at
that royal throne of grace of Jehovah, and to rejoice together in his holy way
and order." This was the first general meeting held by these early churches
that we have any record of in America. At the beginning of the year 1708 there
were 113 members of the Newport, Rhode Island, church, when it was thought best
for the brethren living in the western part of the city to be organized into
what was called the "Westerly Church." -- From Seventh-day Baptist
In 1705 a church was organized at Piscataway, N.J.
And, according to a letter from Samuel Hubbard, one of the charter members of
the Newport church, another was organized at an early date at Noodles Island,
now East Boston, Mass. We quote from his letter, which began with these words:
"Unto the church of Jesus Christ meeting on
Noodles Island, in New England . . . ." -- Idem, p. 152, Vol.1, No. 3.
In the year 1668 there were at least nine
Sabbatarian churches in England, according to a letter written from London by
Dr. Edward Stennett, of the Bell Lane Church, to the Sabbath-keeping brethren in
Rhode Island. We quote:
"Here are, in England, about nine or ten
churches that keep the Sabbath, besides many scattered disciples, who have been
eminently preserved in this tottering day, when many once eminent churches have
been shattered to pieces." -- Dated Feb. 2, 1668, at Abingdon, Birkshire.
-- Idem, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 27.
In a narrative respecting the Newport church, it is
said that in July 3, 1669, they sent a letter to a church in Bell Lane, London,
England, about some certain difficulties they had encountered. It also states
that prior to this, in October 6, 1665, they had sent a first letter to
"several churches in the observation of the seventh day, for advice."
-- Idem, p. 29, Vol. 1.
Thomas Ward, a prominent lawyer of Newport, was a
member of the Newport church in 1689.
Richard Ward, governor of Rhode Island from 1741 to
1742, was also a member of this church.
Col. Jobe Bennet in 1763 was one of a committee of
two to draft the constitution of the Brown University, and served as its
Treasurer from 1765 to 1775. He was a member of this church.
Deacon John Tanner of this church was also a trustee
of Brown University.
The Name of The Church
The connection between this church at Newport and
the Churches of God in London has already been shown in this work, as well as
their harmony in doctrine. The Mill Yard church in London being the oldest
Sabbath-keeping church of which we have a definite record, and at this date,
1935, their doctrine agrees with that of the churches of God throughout America,
this fact is significant of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit whose
office work is declared to be to lead its possessor into all truth.
It is evident that the church at Newport, Rhode
Island, was at first called "Church of God," because of its
relationship with the Sabbath-keeping churches of London known by this name.
The early records of the Newport church have been
destroyed by fire, but we do have copies of some of these ancient records, and
in these we have intimation of the church clinging to the true name. In a reply
concerning an investigation respecting Sabbatarians in Newport, the following is
stated by members of the Newport church:
"Under the former dispensation there was a
church and a world as there is now; and as it is the duty of the world now to
repent and believe the Gospel, so it was the duty of the world to be proselyted
and joined to the then Church of God." -- Idem, p. 36, vol. 1.
Questions asked of the early Sabbatarian churches to
a candidate minister, among others, was this one:
"Have you entire freedom to administer the
ordinances of God among them as a Church of God, to pray with them and for them,
and endeavor to build them up in the faith? " -- Idem, p. 160, Vol. 2, No.
The following charge was given Elder Davis, an early
Sabbatarian minister by the church in Shrewsbury, N.J.:
"Brother Davis, I charge thee before God, and
the Lord Jesus Christ, that thou take the charge of the Church of God dwelling
at Shrewsbury. Preach the word in and among them; be instant in season: and out
of season; administer the holy ordinances amongst them; exhort and rebuke with
all long suffering and patience, with meekness and humility of mind, as thou
shalt answer the same, when thou shalt give up thy account to God, at his
appearing and kingdom. Amen." -- Idem, p. 160, Vol. 2, No. 4.
In the year 1705, a church of Sabbath-keepers was
organized at Piscataway, N.J. The first record in the old church record book,
after the articles of faith, was the following statement, proving beyond all
question that these early churches retained the Scriptural name of the Church of
God. The record reads:
"The Church of God keeping the commandments of
God and the faith of Jesus Christ, living in Piscataway and Hopewell, in the
province of New Jersey, being assembled with one accord, at the house of
Benjamin Martin, in Piscataway, the 19th day of August, 1705 -- we did then, and
with one mind, choose our dearly beloved Edward Dunham, who is faithful in the
Lord, to be our elder and assistant, according to the will of God; whom we did
send to New England to be ordained; who was ordained in the church-meeting in
Westerly, Rhode Island, by prayer and laying on of hands, by their elder,
William Gibson, the eighth of September, 1705." -- Idem, p. 121, Vol. 2,
The faith of the Piscataway church reads as follows:
"I. We believe that unto us there is but one
God, the Father, and one Lord Jesus Christ, who is the mediator between God and
mankind, and that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God. I Corinthians 3:6, I
Timothy 2:5, II Timothy 3:6, II Peter 1:21.
"II. We believe that all the Scriptures of the
Old and New Testaments, given by inspiration, are the Word of God -- II Peter
1:19, 20, 21, II Timothy 3:16, Mark 7:13, I Thessalonians 2:13, Acts 4:29, 31 --
and are the rule of faith and practice.
"III. We believe that the ten commandments,
which were written on two tables of stone by the finger of Cod, continue to be
the rule of righteousness unto all men. Matthew 5:17, 18, 19, Malachi 4:4, James
1:21, Romans 7:25, Romans 3:21, Romans 13:8, 9, 10, Ephesians 6:2.
"IV. We believe the six principles recorded in
Heb. 6:1, 2, to be the rule of faith and practice.
"V. We believe that the Lord's Supper ought to
be administered and received in all Christian churches. Luke 2:19, I
Corinthians. 11:23, 26.
"VI. We believe that all Christian churches
ought to have church officers in them, as elders, and deacons. Titus 1:5, Acts
"VII. We believe that all persons thus
believing ought to be baptized in water by dipping or plunging, after confession
is made by them of their faith in the above said things. Mark 1:4, 5, Acts 2:38,
Acts 8:37, Romans 6:3, 4, Colossians 2:12.
"VIII. We believe that a company of sincere
persons, being formed in the faith and practices of the above said things, may
truly be said to be the Church of Christ. Acts 2:41, 42.
"IX. We give up ourselves unto the Lord and one
another, to be guided and governed by one another, according to the Word of God.
I Corinthians 8:5, Colossians 2:19, Psalsm 84:1, 2, 4-10, Psalm 133:1." --
Idem, pages 120,121, Vol. 2, No. 3.
That there were members of the Church of God among
the Sabbatarians which organized as the Seventh Day Baptist Churches in America,
we know, and from the records of the Baptist people themselves, which are very
accurate, we learn the truth of this fact. A recorded letter of one William
Davis, a Sabbatarian Baptist, states the following:
"Now all this enmity among seventh-day men
arose against me originally from a noted seventh-day man and soul sleeper in
this country, who above twenty years ago opposed me about my principles of
immortality of human souls, and afterward proceeded to differ with me about my
faith in Christ and the Trinity, who, having poisoned several other seventh-day
men with the mortal and atheistical notion, and set them against me, he secretly
conveyed this drench over to Westerly to the persons beforenamed, who, complying
with him in their judgments in the Socinian and Anti-Trinitarian error, drank it
greedily down before I came among them . . . ." -- Idem, p. 108, Vol. 2,
One of the main points of doctrine of the Church of
God, which distinguishes it from other bodies of believers, is the belief in the
separateness of Almighty God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit of God,
as pertains to entities, but one as to unity of purpose and spirit. This
Scriptural truth held dear by Dr. Arius and his followers in the early
centuries, is still dear to the Church of God in our day, and was to the saints
during the colonization of America.
Another tenet of faith which distinguished the
Church of God is its teaching of immortality only through Jesus Christ, that is,
a conditional immortality, which is given to the saints only, and not to all
The third article of faith which should be noted, is
Sabbath-keeping, that is, the observance of the seventh day of the week.
From the quotation taken from the letter of the
Sabbatarian Baptist, Elder William Davis, it is noted that this noted
Sabbatarian of whom he speaks was not only a Sabbath-keeper, but also one who
held to the truth of the individuality of Jesus Christ and his heavenly Father,
and the Holy Spirit of God, and to the truth of immortality only through Christ.
There is no body of Christians in the world, with the exception of the Church of
God, which teaches all three of these beautiful truths, hence, we know this man
was of the Church of God, and contended for the "faith which was once
delivered unto the saints."
It has been previously shown how the early churches
in the east were composed of, and raised up through the labors of members of the
Churches of God from London, and other parts of Europe, and, furthermore,
evidence has been given that they were actually known among themselves by the
name "The Church of God." It is claimed, however, in the History of
the Seventh Day Baptists, volume 2 page 613, that these churches had no official
name. The reason for this claim is evidently due to the fact they did not
believe in incorporating with the state, or of filing a charter, for the Bible,
they said, was sufficient. We quote from this work as follows, "In the
first records of the first minute book extant the church is referred to as the
church of Rhode Island, and Westerly, Rhode Island, referring to the Island and
not to the whole colony, and to Hopkinton, Westerly, Charleston, and Richmond.
Sometimes it is spoken of as the `Church,' at other times the official
name." -- `Congregation,' but it had no official name." -- Randolph's
History, p. 613.
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