places, have adopted the Lancasterian mode of instruction, as preferable to any other; but with some variations, more congenial with their manner of government and tuition: And the remarkable proficiency of the scholars is a proof of the excellency of their institution.*

After a suitable common school education, the youth are instructed in some manual occupation, which, as far as practicable, is adapted to their genius and capacities; so that all may have the benefit of some useful calling, by which they can procure a maintenance, provided they are capable of it. The children gathered into the Society, are mostly those brought in by their believing parents; tho the Society has, occasionally, taken in the children of others, by the earnest solicitations of their parents and guardians; but this is not a common practice.

All are carefully taught to regard the principles of honesty, punctuality and uprightness, in all their conduct; to keep a conscience void of offence towards God and all men; to be neat, cleanly and industrious; to observe the rules of prudence, tempe rance and good economy in all their works; to subdue all feelings of selfishness and partiality; to let the law of kindness, love and charity govern all their feelings towards each other; to shun all contention and strife, and be careful never to give nor take offence; to conduct themselves with civility, decency and good order before all people; to promote the happiness of each other as the only sure way to enjoy happiness themselves; and to bless one another as the best means of securing the blessing of God.

In short, both aged and young, male and female, are required to live and conduct themselves towards each other as becomes faithful brethren and sisters in the gospel. And it is found by actual experience, that those who are the most solicitous to promote the peace and happiness of their brethren and sisters, do themselves enjoy the greatest measure of peace and happiness. Hence male and female, as faithful brethren and sisters in Christ, renouncing all amorous conduct and conversation, can live together, from year to year, in gospel purity, peace and union, enjoy each other's society in social harmony, freely share in each others kindness, and faithfully labor to promote each other's happiness.

*We feel no disposition to combat the false reports of our enemies; they are welcome to all the benefit they can reap from such reports; but to quiet the anxiety of those who have been induced thereby to believe that we bring up our children in heathenism, by de nying them the use of the Bible, we would merely state that, besides other useful books on various subjects, the Society has always been well supplied with Bibles and Testaments, of various sizes, suitable for all ages; and we believe there cannot be found a single dwel ling room in the Society, that has not one or more Bibles in it; and the children have, at all times, free access to them, as soon as they are able to read.

CHAPTER IV.

Progress and present state of the United Society.

In the beginning of the year 1780, the Society consisted, in all, of but about 10 or 12 persons, all of whom came from England. Early in the spring of that year, the people in this country, having heard their testimony, began to gather to them; and from this time, there was a gradual and extensive increase in numbers, until the year 1787, when those who had received faith, and had been faithful from the beginning, and who were the most fully prepared, began to collect at New-Lebanon. Here the church was established, as a common center of union, for all who belonged to the Society, in various parts of the country. This still remains as the Mother-Church, being the first that was established in gospel order; and all the Societies in the various parts of the country, which are established upon the same gospel foundation, and governed by the same spirit and principles, are branches of the one Church of Christ.

During a period of five years, from 1787 to 1792, regular Societies were formed and established upon the same principles of order and church government, in the various parts of the eastern states, where the testimony of the gospel had been received. The local situation of each Society, and the present estimate of their numbers, may be stated as follows.

The first and largest Society is at New-Lebanon, situated about 2 miles south of Lebanon Springs, in the county of Columbia and state of New-York, about 25 miles southeast from Albany, and contains, at present, between 5 and 600 persons, including old and young, male and female.

There is also one at Watervliet, about 7 miles northwest from the city of Albany, in the same state. This was established soon after the church at New-Lebanon, and now contains upwards of 200 members.

One at Hancock, in the county of Berkshire and state of Massachusetts. This is situated about 3 miles southeast from New-Lebanon, and 5 miles west from Pittsfield, and contains about 300 members.

One at Tyringham, about 16 miles south from Hancock, in the same county, which contains about 100 members.

One at Enfield, county of Hartford, in the state of Connecticut, about 5 miles east from Connecticut River, and about 18 miles northeasterly from Hartford, which contains about 200 members.

One at Harvard, in the county of Worcester and state of Massachusetts, about 30 miles northwesterly from Boston, which contains about 200 members.

One at Shirley, county of Middlesex, in the same state, about 7 miles west from Harvard, which contains about 150 members.

One at Canterbury, county of Rockingham, in the state of NewHampshire, about 12 miles north by east from Concord, which contains upwards of 200 members.

One at Enfield, county of Grafton, about 12 miles southeast from Dartmouth college, in the same state, which contains upwards of 200 members.

One at Alfred, county of York, about 30 miles southwesterly from Portland, in the state of Maine, which contains about 200 members.

One at New-Gloucester, county of Cumberland, about 25 miles northwest from Portland, same state, which contains about 150 members.

These were all the Societies formed prior to the year 1805. About the year 1785, the testimony was withdrawn from the world; so that for a number of years, there was no public manifestation of the faith of the Society to those without. The great and important work which was then progressing in the Church, rendered this cessation of the testimony essentially necessary: for while the believers were gathering themselves into Societies, and establishing gospel order, they found enough to do, without testifying their faith to others. As this was an important change, and absolutely necessary for the protection and permanent establishment of the Society, it required all the energies of soul and body to accomplish it.

It was necessary for the believers, after having received the faith of the gospel, to prove the efficacy of their faith, to try their obedience, to establish their principles by the test of actual experience, and to build themselves on that foundation which could never be shaken. And even after the order of the Church was gained, and its general principles established by the revelation of God, it required some years of persevering faithfulness in every good work, on the part of the people, to strengthen and invigorate the whole system. This was essentially necessary in order to render it a permanent, spiritual institution, calculated to be a pattern and an example of a true gospel church, a purified body, in which the true Spirit of Christ could abide, and from which could proceed that spiritual life and Divine light, which must extend the power of salvation to all who are willing to receive it.

During this important period, very few were added to their number. But near the close of the 18th century, the order of the Church being established, and the foundation of Zion laid, for the ingathering of souls, the way was prepared for the sound of the gospel trumpet to be renewed. Accordingly the testimony began to be held forth to those whose minds were awakened to enquiry. Many, by reflecting upon the signs of the times, and comparing them with the prophecies of scripture, concerning the se

cond coming of Christ, were led to believe that the period to which these prophecies alluded, had actually arrived, and were earnestly looking for some visible display of that great event.

Some of these, by visiting the Society, and observing the lives and manners of the people; and examining and comparing their outward fruits with the testimony of Jesus Christ and his apostles, and with the lives of the primitive christians; and perceiving that the general conduct of the Society was invariably governed by virtuous principles, they were thereby excited to a more particular enquiry. The result was a full conviction in the minds of many; so that from that time to this, there has been a gradual increase of numbers, more or less, in every society of believers throughout the land.

But the greatest and most remarkable increase has been in the western states. About the beginning of the 19th century, a most extraordinary revival of religion, commonly called The Kentucky Revival, commenced in the western states.* This work was swift and powerful, and exhibited such evident proofs of supernatural power, that it excited the attention of all classes of people, and, for a season, bore down all opposition. The extraordinary and very astonishing outward operations which attended that work, are well known, and have been made the subject of serious investigation and reflection, in various parts of the United States. The subjects of this wonderful work, besides the marvellous operations of the power of God upon their bodies, were greatly exercised in remarkable dreams, visions, revelations and the spirit of prophecy. In these gifts of the spirit, they saw and testified that the great day of God was at hand; that Christ was about to set up his Kingdom on earth, and that this very work would terminate in the full manifestation of the latter day of glory.†

This remarkable work extended through several of the western states, and continued, with increasing light and power, about four years. During the latter part of the year 1804, many of the subjects of this mighty work were powerfully impressed with a belief, that another summer would not pass away without realizing a full display of that great salvation from sin, for which they had been so long and so earnestly praying, and which they had not yet attained, by all the light and power of the revival.

The believers in the eastern states received repeated intelligence of this work from the public papers, and well remembering the prophecy of Mother Ann, concerning the opening of the gospel in the western country, they began to look for its speedy fulfil

*See a particular account of this extraordinary work in a small volume entitled "The Kentucky Revival," by Richard M.Nemar, first published in 1807.

†Tho the real work of the Kingdom had already commenced in the eastern states; yet it was unknown to the people of the western country; and therefore, as to them, it was still future, and of course it was represented to them, by the spirit of prophecy, in the futare tense, as a work to come, and which they have since realized..

ment. This prophecy had often been spoken of, while that country was the theater of Indian wars; and it appeared that its fulfilment was now near at hand. Accordingly, near the close of the last mentioned year, the Church at N. Lebanon was impressed with a feeling to send out messengers to visit the subjects of the revival, in that country, with a view to search out the state of their minds, and open the testimony of salvation to them, provided they were in a situation to receive it. John Meacham, Benjamin S. Youngs and Issachar Bates were selected for this important mission.

Without any previous acquaintance in the western country, or any correspondence with the inhabitants, these messengers set out on the first day of January 1805, on a pedestrial journey of more than a thousand miles. In the course of this journey they passed through some trying scenes, in which they were evidently protected and supported by the overruling hand of Divine Providence. They arrived in Kentucky about the first of March, visited a number of places where the spirit of the revival had prevailed, saw and conversed with many who had been the subjects of it, and felt some freedom to declare their mission. They then passed over into the state of Ohio, and after visiting and conversing with some of the subjects of the revival in Springfield in this state, they proceeded on to Turtle-Creek, near Lebanon, in the county of Warren, where they arrived on the 22d of March.

They were providentially led to the house of Malcham Worley, a man of respectable character, handsome fortune, and liberal education, and who had been a leading character in the revival. Here they felt freedom to declare their mission and open their testimony in full, which Malcham received with great joy, and declared to them that it was the very work which he had been taught to look for, by the spirit of prophecy. This man had before frequently testified, by the spirit, that the work of the latter day, which would usher in the Kingdom of Christ, in that country, would commence in this place, and spread between the two Miamies. This place was situated between these two rivers, near Turtle-Creek; and there the work did, in reality commence, and he and his family were the first who embraced it.

From thence it spread, and was cordially received by many of the subjects of the revival, in that neighborhood, and in a short time, had an extensive circulation through that part of the state, and soon afterwards extended into Kentucky and Indiana, and was joyfully received by many, and violently opposed by many others. Indeed the violence of opposition, in various places where the testimony was received, was often so great, that nothing short of Divine Power could have protected the lives of these messengers, and rendered their testimony effectual.

The great opposition which was raised against the testimony, in