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CHAPTER IV.

Progress and present state of the United Society.

In the beginning of the year 1780, the Society consisted, in all, of but about 10 or 12 persons, all of whom came from England. Early in the spring of that year, the people in this country, having heard their testimony, began to gather to them; and from this time, there was a gradual and extensive increase in numbers, until the year 1787, when those who had received faith, and had been faithful from the beginning, and who were the most fully prepared, began to collect at New-Lebanon. Here the church was established, as a common center of union, for all who belonged to the Society, in various parts of the country. This still remains as the Mother-Church, being the first that was established in gospel order; and all the Societies in the various parts of the country, which are established upon the same gospel foundation, and governed by the same spirit and principles, are branches of the one Church of Christ.

During a period of five years, from 1787 to 1792, regular Societies were formed and established upon the same principles of order and church government, in the various parts of the eastern states, where the testimony of the gospel had been received. The local situation of each Society, and the present estimate of their numbers, may be stated as follows.

The first and largest Society is at New-Lebanon, situated about 2 miles south of Lebanon Springs, in the county of Columbia and state of New-York, about 25 miles southeast from Albany, and contains, at present, between 5 and 600 persons, including old and young, male and female.

There is also one at Watervliet, about 7 miles northwest from the city of Albany, in the same state. This was established soon after the church at New-Lebanon, and now contains upwards of 200 members.

One at Hancock, in the county of Berkshire and state of Massachusetts. This is situated about 3 miles southeast from New-Lebanon, and 5 miles west from Pittsfield, and contains about 300 members.

One at Tyringham, about 16 miles south from Hancock, in the same county, which contains about 100 members.

One at Enfield, county of Hartford, in the state of Connecticut, about 5 miles east from Connecticut River, and about 18 miles northeasterly from Hartford, which contains about 200 members. One at Harvard, in the county of Worcester and state of Massachusetts, about 30 miles northwesterly from Boston, which contains about 200 members.

One at Shirley, county of Middlesex, in the same state, about 7 miles west from Harvard, which contains about 150 members.

One at Canterbury, county of Rockingham, in the state of NewHampshire, about 12 miles north by east from Concord, which contains upwards of 200 members.

One at Enfield, county of Grafton, about 12 miles southeast from Dartmouth college, in the same state, which contains upwards of 200 members.

One at Alfred, county of York, about 30 miles southwesterly from Portland, in the state of Maine, which contains about 200 members.

One at New-Gloucester, county of Cumberland, about 25 miles northwest from Portland, same state, which contains about 150 members.

These were all the Societies formed prior to the year 1805. About the year 1785, the testimony was withdrawn from the world; so that for a number of years, there was no public manifestation of the faith of the Society to those without. The great and important work which was then progressing in the Church, rendered this cessation of the testimony essentially necessary for while the believers were gathering themselves into Societies, and establishing gospel order, they found enough to do, without testifying their faith to others. As this was an important change, and absolutely necessary for the protection and permanent establishment of the Society, it required all the energies of soul and body to accomplish it.

It was necessary for the believers, after having received the faith of the gospel, to prove the efficacy of their faith, to try their obedience, to establish their principles by the test of actual experience, and to build themselves on that foundation which could never be shaken. And even after the order of the Church was gained, and its general principles established by the revelation of God, it required some years of persevering faithfulness in every good work, on the part of the people, to strengthen and invigorate the whole system. This was essentially necessary in order to render it a permanent, spiritual institution, calculated to be a pattern and an example of a true gospel church, a purified body, in which the true Spirit of Christ could abide, and from which could proceed that spiritual life and Divine light, which must extend the power of salvation to all who are willing to receive it.

During this important period, very few were added to their number. But near the close of the 18th century, the order of the Church being established, and the foundation of Zion laid, for the ingathering of souls, the way was prepared for the sound of the gospel trumpet to be renewed. Accordingly the testimony began to be held forth to those whose minds were awakened to enquiry. Many, by reflecting upon the signs of the times, and comparing them with the prophecies of scripture, concerning the se

cond coming of Christ, were led to believe that the period to which these prophecies alluded, had actually arrived, and were earnestly looking for some visible display of that great event.

Some of these, by visiting the Society, and observing the lives and manners of the people; and examining and comparing their outward fruits with the testimony of Jesus Christ and his apostles, and with the lives of the primitive christians; and perceiving that the general conduct of the Society was invariably governed by virtuous principles, they were thereby excited to a more particular enquiry. The result was a full conviction in the minds of many; so that from that time to this, there has been a gradual increase of numbers, more or less, in every society of believers throughout the land.

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But the greatest and most remarkable increase has been in the western states. About the beginning of the 19th century, a most extraordinary revival of religion, commonly called The Kentucky Revival, commenced in the western states.* This work was swift and powerful, and exhibited such evident proofs of supernatural power, that it excited the attention of all classes of people, and, for a season, bore down all opposition. The extraordinary and very astonishing outward operations which attended that work, are well known, and have been made the subject of serious investigation and reflection, in various parts of the United States. The subjects of this wonderful work, besides the marvellous operations of the power of God upon their bodies, were greatly exercised in remarkable dreams, visions, revelations and the spirit of prophecy. In these gifts of the spirit, they saw and testified that the great day of God was at hand; that Christ was about to set up his Kingdom on earth, and that this very work would terminate in the full manifestation of the latter day of glory.†

This remarkable work extended through several of the western states, and continued, with increasing light and power, about four years. During the latter part of the year 1804, many of the subjects of this mighty work were powerfully impressed with a belief, that another summer would not pass away without realizing a full display of that great salvation from sin, for which they had been so long and so earnestly praying, and which they had not yet attained, by all the light and power of the revival.

The believers in the eastern states received repeated intelligence of this work from the public papers, and well remembering the prophecy of Mother Ann, concerning the opening of the gospel in the western country, they began to look for its speedy fulfil

*See a particular account of this extraordinary work in a small volume entitled "The Kentucky Revival," by Richard M Nemar, first published in 1807.

Tho the real work of the Kingdom had already commenced in the eastern states; yet it was unknown to the people of the western country; and therefore, as to them, it was still future, and of course it was represented to them, by the spirit of prophecy, in the fu ture tense, as a work to come, and which they have since realized.

ment. This prophecy had often been spoken of, while that country was the theater of Indian wars; and it appeared that its fulfilment was now near at hand. Accordingly, near the close of the last mentioned year, the Church at N. Lebanon was impressed with a feeling to send out messengers to visit the subjects of the revival, in that country, with a view to search out the state of their minds, and open the testimony of salvation to them, provided they were in a situation to receive it. John Meacham, Benjamin S. Youngs and Issachar Bates were selected for this important mission.

Without any previous acquaintance in the western country, or any correspondence with the inhabitants, these messengers set out on the first day of January 1805, on a pedestrial journey of more than a thousand miles. In the course of this journey they passed through some trying scenes, in which they were evidently protected and supported by the overruling hand of Divine Providence. They arrived in Kentucky about the first of March, visited a number of places where the spirit of the revival had prevailed, saw and conversed with many who had been the subjects of it, and felt some freedom to declare their mission. They then passed over into the state of Ohio, and after visiting and conversing with some of the subjects of the revival in Springfield in this state, they proceeded on to Turtle-Creek, near Lebanon, in the county of Warren, where they arrived on the 22d of March.

They were providentially led to the house of Malcham Worley, a man of respectable character, handsome fortune, and liberal education, and who had been a leading character in the revival. Here they felt freedom to declare their mission and open their testimony in full, which Malcham received with great joy, and declared to them that it was the very work which he had been taught to look for, by the spirit of prophecy. This man had before fre

quently testified, by the spirit, that the work of the latter day, which would usher in the Kingdom of Christ, in that country, would commence in this place, and spread between the two Miamies. This place was situated between these two rivers, near Turtle-Creek; and there the work did, in reality commence, and he and his family were the first who embraced it.

From thence it spread, and was cordially received by many of the subjects of the revival, in that neighborhood, and in a short time, had an extensive circulation through that part of the state, and soon afterwards extended into Kentucky and Indiana, and was joyfully received by many, and violently opposed by many others. Indeed the violence of opposition, in various places where the testimony was received, was often so great, that nothing short of Divine Power could have protected the lives of these messengers, and rendered their testimony effectual.

The great opposition which was raised against the testimony, in

that country, was first instigated by the principal leaders of a class of people who had styled themselves Christians, in contradistinction to all others who professed that name, under different denominations. Some of these had been distinguished leaders in the late revival; but instead of advancing forward into that increasing work, to which the spirit of the revival had so powerfully directed them, they had set themselves to building up tabernacles on that illuminated ground, which had been so eminently distinguished by the light of the revival. Having devised a plan, embracing a universal system of religion, which was to blend all denominations into one, and in which they doubtless expected to hold a preeminent rank, they had assumed the christian name, as an appropriate title to their profession.

But when they perceived by the spirit of the present testimony, that instead of ruling in earthly tabernacles, on a mount of eminence, and wielding the banners of a universal religion, they must descend into the valley of humiliation, and humble themselves on a level with the people over whom they had before presided, confess their sins in the presence of those whom they had considered as greatly their inferiors, and take up a final cross against "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life," and thus renounce forever these most darling pleasures of nature, they flinched from the dreadful undertaking, and chose rather to forego the answer of their former prayers for Christ's Kingdom to come, than to enjoy its blessings at such a killing sacrifice.

Hence, after rejecting so great light, they became the foremost in opposition, and exerted all their influence to prejudice the minds of their hearers, and excite them to acts of violence. In this they were but too successful, especially with those who were determined to have the pleasures of a carnal nature at the risk of their eternal salvation; and hence arose those scenes of opposition and persecution which followed. These scenes began by opposing, molesting and disturbing the believers, in their testimony and worship, by various kinds of mockery, railing and cursing, by threatening, pushing, collaring, and other acts of personal abuse and insult.

From these things they proceeded to more extensive acts of violence and injury, both of a public and private nature; such as besetting their houses in the night, breaking their windows, assaulting their persons with clubs and stones, beating and abusing their bodies, throwing down their fences in the night, and turning in cattle to destroy their grain, cutting and mangling their fruit trees, cropping and disfiguring their horses, and what seemed still more malicious, burning their place of worship, and also their barns and stables, which contained their stores of hay and grain.

These violent and lawless abuses being found insufficient to ex

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