Democratic messenger., 1894-06-09
The Sancti6ed !!
The CnVarniShed Truth About
the Antics of Joe Lynch and
His Followers.
A PERSONAL Interview
With the APOSTLES of the New
Faith The Ardent Mrs.
Collins.
Reported for the MESSENGER.


Collins.
Reported for the MESSENGER.
There is on Chincoteasue Island,
Va, a religious excrescence, Il wart,
81 To speak, that needs caustic treat
ment. My reference is To Christ ;
Sanctified Holy Church which has
its head there. and also to Il tlourishing
branch at Williamsville, Del. | ap-
proach this subject with some ditiidence
as a criticism of any form Of faith,
unless handled with care. provides
material for scoiiers only, without
doing any good among thoughtful
people Nevertheless there are some
truths regarding these people that
ought To he generally known and
understood and condemned. One
word more, before plunge into the
subject. Nothing is set down here
except what | have confirmed at first
hand by interviews with the leader,
and by mingling among the general
membership in pleasant way.
Seven wears ago Joe Lynch, after
several wears of pro.es>ed christianity.
became '.Sanctiiied' in the sense as sci
forth by the Holy Scriptures and the
Methodist discipline. so far, so good.
No one can be unreasonable enough to
protest against a soul hungering and
thirsting after righteousness. Being
however unable to contain his JOY
when he found his soul set free from
the turmoils of sin. as he expresses it
He went to peculiar extremes, wrench
ing the scriptures TO his purpose,
riding his hobby. properly so called,
to death, and gathering around fisher.
men and their wives who believed with
him. His fiery zeal and his extraor-
dinary antics. together with certain
strange teachings. which shall be
referred to later. led finally to the
expulsion of himself and bis followers
from the Methodist Church on Chinco.
league. Their activity can be realized
when it is stated that in seven months
after expulsion they had erected a
neat little church about one mile north
of the town of Chincoteague and were
not in debt one cent for it. 1t is
nicely varnlshed inside and the chande.
liers and the fixtures are all first class.
4 few months ago branch church
was established in Williamsville, Del,
on the same principles rs the paren,
church, and, as in that case, drew most
of its membership from among the
churches already in existence around
1t. This, in brief, is the history OF the
denomination.
Now for further facts. The mem.
bership of both churches are generally
poor in this worlds goods but rich in
faith in Joe Lynch and God. They
are also most of them extremely
unlettered and untaught, and yet
strange to say. mighty in the scriptures
which they can reel oil by the yard
putting such Il construction upon them
rs agree with the teachings of Joe
Lynch and SADIE Collins. the deaconess
Mr.. Lynch and Mrs. Collins actually
come between these people and God,
for their version of troubling texts is
swallowed by the hearers almost
without question. Your readers are
aware that Christ when sending out
20 disciples to go before him through
Judea. sent them two by two. Lynch
taking this fact and overlooking the
fact that Christ after his resurrection
no longer sent the disciples out in thai
way, passed the word to his follower.
that they were each of them to select
from their membership a fellow-watch
man; the man to choose Il woman. and
the woman a man. The duty of thest
"two's" is to meet alone together I,
study the scriptures. They are some
times selected by dreaming and being
very seldom man and wife, it result.
that families are split up seriously
| need not refer to the view taken o
these proceedings by people outside
the sessions OF the -watchmeI
last until such unearthly hour as two
O'Clock in the morning, and kissing
(Salute one another with holy kiss
Romans 16: 16,) being enjoined, it i,
not astonishing that some of th,
brethren have been rotten-egged By
people who cannot understand theil
scriptural devotion but who do under.
stand that an ''unsanctifed wife j:
left alone Mt home while her "sancti
fled" husband calls ON other women
And it will not surprise your readers
to learn that some "unsanctitied' mer
who are unfortunate enough to have
'sanctified' wives. object little. just
a little, to their wives having holy
callers nearly all night long. In
Williamsville saw man who carries
a sheath-knite with him all the time
and who has drawn it several times on
the brethren TO scare them away from
his wife. He is going almost crazy
and threatens murder. for the leaders
have persuaded his wife to follow that
portion of the Pauline advice which
would make Zone flesh" twain again.
Joe Lynch himself has received num-
ber of hoggings from irate and un-
sanctified men. But Lynch glories in
these tribulations on the principle
that he is being prosecuted ior the
truths sake.
But there is more TO follow. After
attending Thursday evening session
at Chincoteague, the brethren and
sisters focked around me to the mum
ber of about forty, as showed 4
willingness to be taught, and the
following interview was a portion oI
our talk. "Rrethren and sisters fby