The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-05-13

gious state, they gave up the much me II |
duty Of 8 purely Christian |
church. They opened its pale to such |
as would own their baptismal dedication |
and covenant to educate their children
and present them for baptism, |
while they made no covenant that the7
would live in the practice of experiment
al pietY, and excited no expectation that
they would come to the sacrament of the
Lords Supper. With this halfway con-
nection to the Church, they had the
rights of suffrage and eligibility to civil
office. A worldly church was. however,
at length found to be poor means for
promoting a godlv commonwealth, and
the many evils induced by this practice
were not excluded until after many years
Of controversy and opposition.
CAPT JOHN BENEDICT AND EBENFZER
HICKOK
were appointed Deacons in this Church,
February II, 1861.
At about this period the views and
preaching Of Rev Mr. White of DanburV
were undergoing b change, and which
came out TO be what was afterwards
known as Sandemanianism, so called from
Mr. Robert Sandeman, who came from
Scotland to Boston, and after wards visit
ed and died in DanbuIy. Their distinct
i've doctrinal pecuiiarities were mainly in
their views of saving faith, viz that an
intellectual assent to the Gospel, or, as a
favOrite expression. 1.-THE bare belief of
the bare truth, without a deed or
thought on the part of the sinner" was
the starting point to the Christian expe-
rience and the only condition of Gospel
! salvation. The sinner must believe, as
the first step, that Christ died for him in
particular, and the faith Of the parent
was security for the children to the third
aud fourth generation. The discussion
of these views induced much controversy
in the churches of this neighbOrho0d,
and especially in Danbury. Mr. WetmOre
was charged with tendencies in
this direction. And Mr. Taylor of
| New Fairfield was fully committed to
| Mr. Whites sentiments. In May, 1863,
the Association convened in Bethel ana
heard charges against these ministers.
In the result, Mr. Wetmore was cleared
from all suspicion, but Mr. White and Mr.
| Taylor were presented to the Cors0cia-
ton for trial, and both of them we're
su bse quently dismis sed with ceDsure.
The prominence given to these views
| by this discussion naturally Induced Mr.
| Wetmore to be more direct ard pointed
| in his preaching against them; and som G
of his people who favored Mr. Whites
sentiments were more or less disturbed
by it. In August, 1894, M Samuel
Hoyt was subject OF church discipline,
and censured for saying, "that Mr. Wet
more did not preach the way of life and
salvation according to the Gospel and
that if his sermons were true, the Bible
was false" He subse quently confessed
that his conduct had been against the
rule of Christian duty, and said he was
sorry for it, and the church accepted the
confession as satisfactory, but he seems
to have continued his attendance upon
Mr. Whites ministry.
The collision about these doctrines
lasted for several years in this society,
and in l770 some memorialized the Gen
eral Assembly, praying to be set off from
this society, and join Mr. Whites meeting.
Again, in 1772, Josiah Beebe and others
presented a memorial for annexation to
the society of New Danbury, as Mr.
Whites people were then known, and be
released from paying taxes in Bethel.
And still later, in April, 1873, this society
was cited to answer at the General A =
| sembiy to q memorial of some of its
members for the same purpose. (Dea
Phineas Judd, whose office of deacon
may have been brought from the old
church, for bis appointment is nowhere
recognized in this church, was che sen as
the agent of the society and directed to
| oppose the memorislists before the Legis
lature. The names of those who protest
ed against this vote TO oppose, reveals
both the strength and extent of feeling
in this matter. They are given as fol
lows: Lemuel Beebe, Johu Dibble,
Isaac Hovt, Jabez Taylor, Jesse Peck,
| Elesz2r, John Dibble, Jr., Ezra HoYt,
| Benjamin Ferry, Samuel Hoyt, Joseph
Beebe, He Zekiah Benedict, Thomas Hoyt,
| David Barnum and PHILIPS Barnum. In
the end, many families left the society
and became Sandemanians, or, as fire.
quently called, Classics.
Lieut. John Dibble was chosen deacon,
July 3, l77l, but personal difficulty be-
| tween him and Nathan Taylor prevented
his acceptance. A course of dealing by
the church followed, which induced an
apparent reconciliation, and the appoint
ment WAS renewed and accepted October
| IL, l77l. The seeming reconciliation
was soon after interrupted and the peace
of the church disturbed until reference
was made of the whole matter to the
| Consolation, which convened in Bethel,
November "a, 1772, and permanent
/. agreement was secured. Benjamin Bene-
Diet was chosen deacon September 20,
| 1774; and Stephen Trowbridge was also
chosen deacon, October 3, 1776.
Ia the summer of 1875, there was pre-
valent very malignant form OF dVs-
entry, known as the camp Ciistempar,
| from the superstition at the time that Ii
might have spread from the quarters of
the Revolutionary army. and of which,
| in less than three months, there were
about so deaths In the aoeietv. By far
the greater portion OF the suffering waa
among children, and one OF the most i'm
Dressive scenes OF my earliest visits TO
the burying ground In my childhood was
the number Of little graves In the soutn-
west corner Of the yard, which were eaid