A Tale of the Kloster: A Romance of the German Mystics of the CocalicoJabez, Brother
Religion
A Tale of the Kloster: A Romance of the German Mystics of the Cocalico
Jabez, Brother
Christian fiction; Ephrata Cloister -- Fiction; Seventh-Day Baptists -- Fiction
We found the people of this region in a state of great religious
excitement, the Congregationalists and the New Lights being especially
bitter against each other, so that wherever representatives of these
beliefs came into each others' presence they did nothing but argue and
dispute; and so far was this pernicious custom carried that when a
Congregationalist met a New Light, unless both were deaf and dumb, they
would seat themselves on chairs, while about these wordy knights of the
gospel would gather the listeners, in a circle, disputants and
listeners often giving vent to the most violent passions, all of which
greatly shocked my brethren and me, yet showing us that, the world over,
men are much the same when it cometh to difference in belief.
At the time of our visit they mostly disputed about the perseverance of
the saints, and if the saints were as persistent in meek obedience and
loving deeds as were these wordy warriors in their vociferous arguments,
I have not the slightest doubt but that the saints have received rich
reward. However, my brethren and I did all in our power, in patience and
long-suffering, to allay the bitterness of this unseemly strife that
left no peace whatever in this and the neighboring towns; and I rejoice
to say our presence and persuasions did much toward this desirable end,
for in all their heat they could not but see we had no other motive than
to speak the truth, fairly and impartially, and with due consideration
for the views of the contestants.
We soon grew to love and esteem our good Rogerine brethren, and I feel
we endeared ourselves to them. We had much in common; we like them were
regarded by the world as a peculiar people. Even the tolerant laws of
Penn were not always sufficient to save us from persecutions, just as
our New England brethren, because they conformed not to the beliefs in
power, suffered fines, imprisonments, and even the awful indignity of
public whippings for His sake.
Unlike us they practised not celibacy, but they held firmly to the
doctrine of non-resistance and that the reading of set public prayers
and preaching for pay was utterly unscriptural. They agreed also with us
in regard to keeping the seventh day instead of the first, the
administration of the Lord's Supper, and baptism by immersion. But like
their Rogerine brethren on Barnegat Bay it was contrary to their tenets
to employ physicians or to use medicines in case of sickness, although
for ordinary ailments some of the less extreme Rogerines used the
customary remedies and were excellent nurses, being ever ready to
minister to the sick.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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