An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, Volume 1Hewatt, Alexander
History
An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, Volume 1
Hewatt, Alexander
Georgia -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775; South Carolina -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
"The family of Dutartres consisting of four sons and four daughters, were
descendents of French refugees, who came into Carolina after the
revocation of the edict of Nantz. They lived in Orange-quarter and though
in low circumstances, always maintained an honest character, and were
esteemed by their neighbours persons of blameless and irreproachable
lives. But at this time a strolling Moravian preacher happening to come
to that quarter where they lived, insinuated himself into their family,
and partly by conversation, and partly by the writings of Jacob Behman,
which he put into their hands, filled their heads with wild and fantastic
ideas. Unhappily for the poor family those strange notions gained ground
on them, insomuch that in one year they began to withdraw themselves from
the ordinances of public worship, and all conversation with the world
around them, and strongly to imagine they were the only family upon earth
who had the knowledge of the true God, and whom he vouchsafed to
instruct, either by the immediate impulses of his Spirit, or by signs and
tokens from heaven. At length it came to open visions and revelations.
God raised up a prophet among them, like unto Moses, to whom he taught
them to hearken. This prophet was Peter Rombert, who had married the
eldest daughter of the family when a widow. To this man the Author and
Governor of the world deigned to reveal, in the plainest manner, that the
wickedness of man was again so great in the world, that as in the days of
Noah he was determined to destroy all men from off the face of it, except
one family whom he would save for raising up a godly seed upon earth.
This revelation Peter Rombert was sure of, and felt it as plain as the
wind blowing on his body, and the rest of the family, with equal
confidence and presumption, firmly believed it.
"A few days after this, God was pleased to reveal himself a second time
to the prophet, saying, Put away the woman whom thou hast for thy wife,
and when I have destroyed this wicked generation, I will raise up her
first husband from the dead, and they shall be man and wife as before,
and go thou and take to wife her youngest sister, who is a virgin, so
shall the chosen family be restored entire, and the holy seed preserved
pure and undefiled in it. At first the father, when he heard of this
revelation, was staggered at so extraordinary a command from heaven; but
the prophet assured him that God would give him a sign, which accordingly
happened; upon which the old man took his youngest daughter by the hand,
and gave her to the wise prophet immediately for his wife, who without
further ceremony took the damsel and deflowered her. Thus for some time
they continued in acts of incest and adultery, until that period which
made the fatal discovery, and introduced the bloody scene of blind
fanaticism and madness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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