Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-09-25
SEOTs or THE UNITED STATES.
Some Account of the ElsIi,h sod German
seventh Day Bapti.Is.

seventh Day Bapti.ts.
For the lNTELLIGENCER.
of the Seventh Day Bsptisrs ;he historian
ofthe English division says there are no au-
thentic records by which their origin can he
ascertsined, but they were among the Anglo
Saxon settlers of Great Britain, coming from
the East They follow the teaching Of the
apostles and every line of the New Testa-
ment is their law. The seventh day (Satur.
day. is also the Jewish Sabbath, and all de.
nominations held 1t as the sacred day prior
to the enactment OF the Constantine laws. In
looS there were nine or ten churches in the
Kingdom, but several years prior an exodus
brought many Of that faith t>AmsriCa, and
at present there are few in Great Britain.
The first church established in this coun.
try was at Newport, K. l., in 1851, and Will
iam Hiscox became its first pastor. Some
members of this congregation formed
churches in several towns of Rhode Island,
and soon after others emigrated to New
York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsy vania,
Virginia. Ohio and Illinois. The Empire
state leads in the number ot churches aud
COMMITMENTS. PennsYlvduii Is credited
with one ordained minister, three churches
and one hundred and thirty-six cnmmuni-
cants they are in Fayette Potter aud Craw-
ford counties.
The German Division.
The history of the German Seventh Day
Baptists by William NJ. Fahuestock, NJ. D.,
Beissel The Protestant churches of Ger
many and Holland being in controversy with
each other many years, in lIuS, after meeting
and agreeing with the doctrines of the New
Testament eight men OF Germany formed a
society naming il DtRksrS or First Dsy
German Baptists.. Eleven year. after
the founding of the Dunksrs above men
toned all emgrated to Amsrics, settling in
the eastern part OF this state some at Ger
mantown, in Bsrks county, and along Mill
EaH
Germany Presbyterian, idined these
bunker brethren at Mill creek, but when he
discovered the error among them OF Obsery.
ing the first day for Sabbath, he urged tor
adopting the seventh. His proposition met
with nearly unanimous dI-approyal and,
being disappointed, he retired to a hermit's
deserted cave on the banks of the CocalicO
creek and avoided the community as much
as possible A few years after he disap.
peared, many OF his former brethren col
lected and built around hun, coming to be. |
iieve in the original Sabbath. This solitary
lie of Beisse's adherents, IN 1872 was |
changed into conyentiCle one, and the next
year suitable buildings were erected into
which clolster thirty-six brethren and thirty
five sisters entered. All had monastic name.
BeissePs being Friedssm GOltrecht, viii n
means peaceable God-righL This village |
was named Ephrata aud being uhaD tied |
exclusively by this society, the population
for many decades did not exceed three or |
four hundred.
The male inmates of the ClOister wore long
white gowns and cowl, shirt, trousers and |
vest the sisters the same garb, excepting |
the trousers, tor which pettiCOats were sub,
sututed. The New Testament was their |
confession OF faith, their code of laws aud |
church discipline. The members of the SO. |
clety were engaged in farming grist, paper, |
oil and fulllng mills were erected aud even
the cloistered portion of it IabOred constant |
ly. This community begun Sabbath school |
IN Tlo, aud thirty years after the children |
were turned from the school room to allow /
the wounded soldiers from the battle of |
Brandywine to receive proper nursing and |
medical attention.
The school was not revived after the Reyo. |
luton. 1t was not until lTs7 that Robert
Raikes, the founder OF the present general
system OF Sunday school instruction est.b
lished his first schOol-iorty years later than
that OF the Seventh Day Baptlsts. Other in
stitntions began to decline about the end of |
the Revolution, and although BeissaI, by his |
death in in E6S, was succeeded by Peter
Miller, his superior in intelligence, tho 'ad- |
vance OF crowding civilization formed differ
ent sentiments among the community on re-
ligious, political and social questions
branches OF this sect early located in York
county, on the Bermudian creek fifteen
miles irom York, and point in Bedford
Ihe last census OF the Seventh Day Raptists
tlooo) records 92 churches, IlO miuistaTs
ana $3.50 members.