The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-07-17

Rey. ". L. Wat in So,sthe1w Christian AdVoecte
1t may not be entirely uninteresting
to the readers Of The Adrocate to hear
something of new sect that has sprung
up in Sumter and some of the adjoining
Counties. Some years ago, man by
the name of Boyle, who had been a
Methodist, and who resided near Lynch
burg, in Sumter County, conceived the
idea of founding new sect. His fol-
lowers were first called True Light
Baptist" but they are commonly known
as "Boyleitcs." They have spread up
both sides of Lynch's River through
Sumter, Darlington, Kershaw ana
Chesterfield Counties, and perhaps
farther, taking hold of the lowest and
most ignorant classes. 1t is not a
large denomination, and, thanks to the
intelligence of our land, never can be;
but its followers are very stubborn in
their belief, so that it is almost impossi-
tie to reclaim one of them. Their most
prominent and popular doctrine is that
it is an objectionable sin tor preacher
to receive pay for his work, and this
closes their ears to the efforts of the
regular ministry. They have no regular
ministers, but claim that every member
of their church is inspired of God to in
terpret the Scriptures, thus making
one of both sexes ministers Of the COS
pei. 1t is not uncommon for women to
preach among them. Another favorltc
dogma is that they constitute the only
true followers of God, and that all other
denominations are heading straight for
the devil. They believe in immersion, Of
course; but with this distinction, that 1t
must be administered by one oftheir com
munion to be of any avail. They reject the
Old Testament entirely, and receive only
such portions of the New Testament as
suit their purpose, rejecting any pas
sages that are opposed to their peculiar
beliefs as uninspired. They claim that
the observance of the Sabbath was alb
rogated along with the Levitical law,
and hence reject Sunday as day to be
observed in the worship of God. They
perform ordinary work on Sunday, OF
engage in any sports that they desire,
and have been seen fddling and dancing
on that day. They believe in the dam
nation of the infants of unbelieving Z. e.
non-Boyleite) parents who die in In
fancy. They believe in the social equal
ity of the races.
Just what else they believe. in / am
unable to say. Fortunately my work is
not plagued with very many of them,
but they flourish around Marshall's
Church in the East Kershaw Circuit,
and have churches of their own in
some portions Of Kershaw County.
As a rule dense ignorance prevails
where they flourish. l heard a man say
not long since, that he once taught
school in the neighborhood where they
now claim the majority of thepeople as
their. adherents, and that only
two out of the sixty pupils IN
his school knew their letters
when they first came to him. Gener.
ally, they will not permit a minister OF
the gospel to read the Scriptures or en-.
gage in prayer in their houses; and if
they concede that much to him, they
laugh and talk while be prays, and pay nc
attention whatever to him. Just what 10 dc
with such characters is problem.
believe that the employment of conse'
Grated missionary school teachers among
them, who will gradually elevate them
socially and morally, is the only true
solution.