Connecticut Historical Collections

They divide mankind into three classes; first, those who are entirely without a preparation of heart for the new birth, i. e. the unconverted ; second, those wlio are in a state of jtrejjaration, /. e. the converted ; and third, those who have experienced the new birth, who are the only true children of (Jod. For they say that " conversion is merely re- pentance towards Cod, — a niere change of the mind of the man." The new birth is a change in his moral nature — it gives him the nature of God; mere conversion gives no security of salvation from either sin or hell ; but the new birth saves from- both. " For he that is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed [the divine nature] remainelh in him and he cannot sin." This is the foundation on which they build. They believe that none are Christians, " who are not entirely freed from sin, and who do not possess the faith, righteousness, liberty and glory of the risen Son of God. Tliey believe that they are infallible, being under the peculiar guidance of the Spirit, and give themselves up to be guided by him in tlie ivay of all truth, having, as they say, the will of the Lord made known to them by an immediate revela- tion. They set aside all ordinances and holy days, such as baptism, the sacrament, with the Lord's prayer, and the observance of the Sab- bath, he. ; saying that they are but the mere traditions of men, being no belter than the forms and ceremonies of the Popish church. Besides, they contend that all days are lioly to them, " having entered a Sab- bath of eternal rest." They believe they are as secure in their stats 32 250^ S O U T II H V n Y of perfection as tlie angels of Cod, and that a man once having hia feet firmly fixed upon this foundation is eternally secure, and may not give himself any more anxiety about his future destiny. They also believe that " the history which the Bihlc contains of the church after Cfirist's ascension, conunonly called the primitive cimrch, is a history of the latter-day glory of Judaism, and not the commencement of Chris- tianity, and that Christianity or the kingdom of heaven did not com- mence until after the destruction of Jerusalem ;" and that was the pe- riod of Christ's second coming; and the resurrection, (the only one,) of the spiritual man from the power of sin and death, to endless glory and bliss. Therefore they say that the day of judgment is gone by in one sense, and in another is now going on and will be completed at the end of time. In the first view of the day of judgment as already passed, they say that this day, when spoken of in scripture, refers to the destruction of Jerusalem. In the second view of the subject, they contend that this day conmiences with the life of man, and ends with that life ; that immediately after death, the soul receives its final sen- tence from the judge, and is never to be again summoned to appear be- fore his bar. " The salvation given to all men in Jesus Christ," say they, " Inclu- ded nothing less than a perfect and eternal salvation from sin ; a perfect redemption from the law; a jierfect resiuTection of the spiritual body; and the standing on the plain of eternity, beyond judgment." They be- lieve that the disciples of Christ, during his ministry in the flesh, wero not Christians. " They call no man master, teacher, or chief, and will not be taught of each other, as they are all taught of God." They do not all hold to the same views. In the words of one of their num- ber, " they ditTer among themselves on almost all points, except the great distinguishing one, viz. perfection in holiness, — and these dif- ferences they believe generally arise from the fact, that some are in advance of others in their Father's kinmlom. SOUTH BURY. SouTHBUHY was formerly a part of the town of Woodbury, and was settled about the year 1672. It was incorporated as a distinct town in 1786, and at that period belonged to the county of Litchfield. It is bounded n. by Woodbury and Roxbury, s. w. by the Housatonic river, separating it from JN'ewtown, e. by IMiddlebury, and s. e. by- Oxford. Its average length from east to west is eight miles, and its average breadth about four. The prevailing soil is a sandy loam, gen- erally warm and fertile. The Pomperaug, a considerable mill stream, passes through the center of the town, and it is on the eastern side of this stream, that the principal village is situated : there is a fine tract of level land on its banks, though of small extent, as the ground rises at a short distance on both sides of the river : on the west side, nearly op- posite the Congregational church, some traces of coal have been dis- S 0 U T IT n U R Y 251 covered. A shaft was sunk a few years since, to the depth of about 100 feel : sonne veins of coal were found, but in such small quantities that it was deemed inexpedient to continue the search. DlitchclPs JMausiun House, Southburij. The above engraving is a south view of the Mansion House of M. S. Mitchell, Esq. recently erected, and designed as a house of public entertainment. It is about three quarters of a mile north of the Con- gregational church. For beauty of situation and superior accommoda- tions, it is not exceeded by any establishment of the kind in any country village in the State. This edifice stands on the spot where the house of the first minister of the place, Mr. Graham, formerly stood. The first meeting house ever built in the town was situated about 40 or 50 rods south. The central part of the village is 20 miles n. w. from New Haven, and 40 s. w. from Hartford, , The village of South Britain, a parish in this town, is situated about four miles southwest from the central part of the main village of South- bury. It is nearly surrounded by higli hills and ledges, and the. place viewed' from the south has a romantic appearance. It is a thriving set- tlement, containing upwards of 20 dwelhng houses, 2 churches, (1 Con- gregational and I Methodist,) 3 mercantile stores, 1 carpet manufactory and two or three hat manufactories. Some traces of coal have been f(Hmd, near tlie foot of a ledge, in the immediate vicinity of the village. The northern part of Soulhbury is called JVhite Oak. This name was derived from an oak tree which formerly stood about half a mile west from the Congregational church, under which the first persons who explored the town encaniped. There are two pieces of tliis tree remaining, one of which is in j)ossession of Mr. Mitchell, the proprietor of the -Mansion House in the yillage. These pieces were taken from the tree by Shadrach Osborn, Esq. an aged and respectable inhabitant of the town, on which is written by his hand the following : 252 WALLING FOUD. " This is a piece of tlie ancient wliite oak tree, taken from the trunk after it fell down, Aug. lOtli, 1803, by Sliadrach Osborn. " The sturd}' Oak, the bonst of every clime, Musi bow to the relentless hiind of lime." " The tree of which this is a part, stood about SO rods cast of the river, by the old field road, in a corner of the Mitchell land. The set- tlers of the ancient town of Woodbury encamped under it when they first explored the town. It gave the name of JJ'hite Oak to the north- ern part of Souihbury, and remained in a slate of vegetation for a num- ber of years after the limbs were broken off, and the body was in part decayed, and fell down in the year 1808. This piece was taken from the trunk Aug. 19th, the same year, by me. SllADRACH OsiJURN." After the destruction of the continental stores at Danbury dming the Revolution, and while ]Mr. Osborn, mentioned above, was commissary, Southbury was made a i)lace of deposit. Six or seven himdred barrels of pork were stored away in a jilace called Foe IIulloic, and 50 men under the command of Capt. Parsons, of Dt-rby, were ajifjointed to guard it. A large group of chestnut trees ha\e grown up since on the spot, which is about one mile southeast from the C'ongregational chinch. About a mile southwest, one or two hundred barrels of beef were stored, near the river. The first settlers located themselves back of the ancient burying ground, near the brook. The names of some of the first were Judson ; Hinman, Curtis, Minor, Johnson and Strong. John Minor, it is said, was from Massachusetts, and acted as an interpreter with the Indians in the vicinity. In 1727, a great sickness prevailed here, and swejjt otV almost all the old people : it is said to have been a kind of fever, and very fatal. The following inscriptions are on monuments in the old burying grounil. IntiLisl iit besi,— luT.- lirs ihr Itrv'l Mr. J, mis (^imii.im, u h,, .Iojki i Ir.l llns life i )e- cembei the Uth, A. D. 1771, in the SIm ycai iWhi.-, a-v ai,a r)llh year ul lus miiii.sii)'. Andrew Giuiiam, M. D. mid a desceiidani of ihe Ouke of Momiii--e, (le|iarte(l tiiis for another and a beiier world, in June, 1785, aj^ed .07 years. (.)nl ol re.s|icet lo the memory of an honest man, this marble is nlaeed by his sion, John A. Graham LL. D. Ncw'York, J805. S\ OubUe. W A T. L 1 N G F O R D . Wallingford Oiii;inally belonged to^^ew Hav£n, and hef(jre it was incorporated as a town was called New Haven village. The purchase of the town was made by Governor Eaton, Mr. Davenport, and other planters of New Haven, in December, 16;J8. " The settlement was projected in j_669, A committee was appointed by the town of New Haven, vested with powers to manage the whole atlairs of the settle- ment. Tills committee held the land in trust, and acted in all the af- W A L L I N O F O R D . i2 53 fairs of the town as trustees, until I\Iay, 1G72, when they resigned their trust to the town.