Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1878-12-26

uEueT peIlalIy Vi uCdLl. ~ Hld;l
could 90 no further, OF was unable
to take the second degree without
a woman applicant, as it was nee
essary to add to his faith virtue.
This was done by requiring the
candidates, male and female, to
share the same bed for one night.
The married men taking this de-
gree had to exchange wives. Edge
divided his proselytes into classes,
with an old one in each cla5s-al-
ways a woman-which he took un-
to himself. This he called Bring
ing from under the civil law" and
seemed to be the al.-absorbing
feature of his doctrine. He taught
by this process the women became
the common property of the church,
No man had his own wife, and no
wife her own husband. They knew
no difference, and consequently
could do no harm, and was done in
order to destroy the passion of the
sexes.
After all had become virtuous,
they were prepared for the second
degtee-knowledge. Fortitude and
endurance We're required in this
second step, and it was necessary
that they should fast three days
aud nights. All the candidates le-
paired 10 the place of worship, and
neither ate, drank nor slept during
the time lest they should be tempt
Ell, O. the last day of the fast
they Were required to strip them
selves, nlen aud women, and Law in
water an hour. and dip themselves
seven times. This was supposed
to purity and bring them out fully
from under the law. Edge, in this
process, told his converts he per
sonated Moses, and commanded
them to lay aside raiment for they
stood on holy ground.
After the second degree they
were supposed to be in full possess
sion of the spiri and not capable
of sin, aud could add the other
virtues, temperance, patience, etc,
which mpleted the $ ven degrees.
He told them that they must do
all his in order TO attaiG Il state
of sinless perfection and after the
administrator of the above de-
grees he impaired the Holy Ghost
to them by the laying on of hands,
which qualified them for he Lord
to preach and work through that
they did Iothing of themselves but
were merely Instruments of the
Lord, and in no wise responsible
for their acts. Edge told his dis
ciples that be descended from the
skies in a meteor a few weeks be-
fore he made his appearance to
them, and could carry Them to the
place where be fell, and show them
his tracks leaving the sacred SPOT.
He claimed that his spirit in him
had been preaching 1900 years !;
that he was a priest after the order
of Melchisdeck was Christ mani
fest in the flesh bad been behead-
ed bad risen from the dead, and
was a mind reader, and would tell
the members Of the church that he
could see little devils on their
heads and making sport of him,
when they would not take front
seats He seemed to have acquir
ed great power over the simple
minded Of both sexes, and could
lead them iuto anything he desired.
When he sw"re them to secrecy,
he laid his hands on their heads,
and even those dissenting from his
teaching, and denounced him,
claim that peculiar thrill of cleo
ticity shook their frames. The
secret that he whispered in their
ears, according to our Information
from dissentels, was not The same
to all, and always amounted to vul
gar and ievd advice.
According to his theory, the Bi-
bic TO an ordinary man was wholly
incomprehensible, and only mem
hers OF his church, by virtue of
their being IN possession Of the
Secret of he Lord" could fully
understand II. He c"nteu1ed that
Egypt meant Ga kness, and that
Pnaroah was the ruler Of darkness,
and that the world of to-day is
EgS pt, aud the devil is Pharoah,
and that lie devil rules the word
as Pharoah ruled Egypt.
He contends that the Red Sea
was peopled, and hat the children
Of Israel passed safely through its
inhabltan : hnt thai Pharoah and
| his hosts We're ., g. whelmed by the
multitude, that Noah's wife was
the k spoken of in the Bible,
and that the deliverence of the
eight persons were the eight chill
dren which she gave birth to F; that
Lots wife, described as pillar of
salt, meant that she was a harlol,
and that he thought there were a
great maby pillars of alt In bis
congregations. Those who join his
church are required to abstain from
all participation in the civil governs